Samsung is doubling down on its laptop efforts in 2018, announcing its plans to start the year with three new laptops, including a brand-new model dubbed the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen.
This 13.3-inch Windows 10 laptop is a 2-in-1 convertible encased in a new type of magnesium-aluminum metal frame that Samsung calls ‘Metal12’, which makes it lighter than most aluminum laptops while maintaining similar durability. Samsung says this is made possible through a Micro Arc Oxidation (MAO) process that gives the surface an oxide coating.
Specifically, the Notebook 9 Pen is just 2.2 pounds (995g) heavy and 0.57 inches (14.6mm) thick at its thinnest point. That’s most impressive for a 360-degree laptop with a touchscreen.
This is all the more impressive considering that the ‘Pen’ in this laptop’s moniker stands for an included S Pen stylus accessory that’s embedded inside the device and works without batteries. The stylus reads up to 4,096 different levels of pressure as well as offering tilt detection for more natural digital inking.
Inside, the Notebook 9 Pen offers an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor powering a full HD (1,920 x 1,080) RealView touchscreen with 450 nits of brightness, backed by up to 16GB of DDR4 memory and as much as 512GB of NVMe solid-state storage (SSD) under a backlit keyboard and Microsoft Precision touchpad. One USB-C port, one USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port, a microSD reader and an audio jack round out the hardline connections.
Meanwhile, the laptop’s 720p webcam includes an infrared lens for Windows Hello, which is also supported through an embedded fingerprint sensor.
Unfortunately, Samsung has yet to reveal a price for this beautiful computing device. But, judging by the components inside and out, expect to pay quite a premium for such a laptop.
Notebook 9 gets a much-needed refresh
In the same breath, Samsung has also announced two new versions of its existing Notebook 9 laptops: a 13.3-inch and a 15-inch model. Both models employ the same Metal12 frame as the Notebook 9 Pen, as well as full HD RealView displays (up to 500 nits and without touch) and Intel Core i7 processors.
These clamshells also both support up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. However, the 15-inch model has an option to house Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics with 2GB of GDDR5 video memory under the same backlit keyboards and Microsoft Precision touchpads.
These laptops also come with fingerprint sensors for Windows Hello secure login, and large, 75Wh ‘Hexacell’ batteries – the largest batteries the firm has ever put inside a notebook. As for ports, both have one USB-C port and a Thunderbolt 3 option for the 15-inch), two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port for the 15-incher, an HDMI port, a microSD reader and an audio jack.
Again, Samsung has yet to divulge exact pricing and release dates for these gorgeous-looking machines, but expect to hear (and see) more about these laptops in the lead-up to and during CES 2018.
- How long before one of these makes our prestigious best laptops list?
