Samsung Notebook 9 (2016) review

One stellar entry-level Ultrabook

Samsung Notebook 9 review
Great Value

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Samsung has always had an impressive fleet of notebooks. It cracked the formula for ultrathin laptops well before the MacBook reinvented mobile computing. However, this brilliance often came with a price reaching upwards of $2,000. Now, the Notebook 9 offers a higher level of performance in the same slender form-factor at a fraction of the price.

We liked

With almost all Ultrabooks offering the same level of performance, one of the biggest differentiators is design - and the Notebook 9 is styling. While other laptops have gone for edgier looks, Samsung's 13-inch offering packs an impressive helping of curves.

Top that off with a gorgeous screen, speedy SSD,surprisingly loud speakers, a mighty competitive price, and the Notebook 9 puts forth a package that's tough to beat.

We disliked

I'm all for thinner machines, but not at the expense of battery life. The handful of micro-sized video ports are a minor annoyance, but there's no real fix for limited run times. If you're looking for something longer-lasting, you would be better served by the Asus ZenBook UX305.

Samsung Notebook 9 review

Final verdict

At the end of the day, the Samsung Notebook 9 is a solid machine and is slightly more affordable than most Ultrabooks. Beyond that, it's a stand out rig that's lighter and thinner than most, while offering a gorgeous screen that can't be ignored. The Notebook 9's lower price also makes it more approachable than premium machines like the Dell XPS 13 or HP Spectre 13.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.