Samsung’s 2018 lineup of general-use laptops are set to land on February 18, and having known about these laptops since December we expected that they’d go for a princely sum – and now we know just how much they'll cost.
However, Samsung has at least kept things simple this year, with sole configurations for the Notebook 7 Spin and Notebook 9 Pen, and three specs for the Notebook 9 proper, including a 15-inch option.
Starting with the most affordable of the bunch, the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin for 2018 (seen above) brings the size down to 13.3 inches (from the 15-inch model of 2017) for the 2-in-1 laptop, but starts at the same price of $899 (about £649, AU$1,139). In addition to bringing down the size, the laptop loses its discrete graphics chip, but gains a fingerprint sensor and a top-notch keyboard (stay tuned for our full review).
Rounding out its spec sheet is an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor backed by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive behind a 13.3-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) PLS touchscreen. PLS, Plane to Line Switching, is a screen technology produced by Samsung as an IPS competitor, with even wider viewing angles and more brightness.
As for ports, it’s got USB-C 3.1, one USB 3.1 and one USB 2.1 in addition to HDMI. However, that price does not include a bundled stylus – not cool.
The Notebook 9’s cometh
Now, Samsung’s fleet of Notebook 9 laptops ups the starting price of entry considerably, with the 13.3-inch Notebook 9 proper coming in at $1,199 (about £859, AU$1,519) for the 8th-gen Intel Core i5 model or $1,299 (about £929, AU$1,639) for one with an Intel Core i7 processor. Otherwise, both models house 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage behind a 13.3-inch, 1080p display without touch control.
All of that comes in a frame built from Samsung’s new Metal12 composite material and with one USB-C 3.1 port and two USB 3.0 ports.
The 15-inch model starts at $1,299 (about £930, AU$1,640) for an 8th-gen Intel Core i7 processor inside, with an option to upgrade to a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics chip for $1,499 (about £1,070, AU$1,900). Otherwise, the laptop’s parts remain the same as above – even the display remains at 1080p.
The extra size also adds Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) and USB 2.0 ports to the mix for expanded connectivity. All of these laptops include fingerprint sensors for Windows Hello login as well.
Finally, the Notebook 9 Pen comes in a single configuration for its 13.3-inch, 2-in-1 chassis: 8GB of memory and 256GB of solid-state storage paired with an 8th-gen Intel Core i7 processor – all behind a 1080p touch display – for $1,399 (about £1,000, AU$1,700). That price also includes Windows Hello login via an infrared camera and a built-in S Pen stylus that doesn't require charging.
That’s all coupled with one USB-C 3.1 and USB 3.0 port each. While we’ve yet to evaluate these laptops, save for the Notebook 7 Spin, we’ll say that these are definitely priced to compete with the top-end Windows 10 laptops of the day – although without beyond-HD screen options, that’s going to be difficult.
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