Samsung’s 15-Inch Ultrabook Hits the Web

Samsung’s new ultraslim laptops—Samsung declines to call them ultrabooks—are now available for pre-order, and are expected to ship within the month. The Samsung Series 9 is a leading model line, which helped define the new ultrabook category, and the upcoming 15-inch model will be the first of that size to hit the market.

The first listings for the new models have been spotted over at www.jr.com, available for pre-order, with only a vague “Coming Soon” listed as the anticipated shipping date. According to Gap Intelligence, a PC-focused market research firm, the 13-inch Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US is also expected to be available through Best Buy and CompUSA in the coming weeks.

“Taking into account its high price point, the first generation Series 9 line sold incredibly well for Samsung last year,” says Deron Kershaw, a market analyst at Gap Intelligence. “The company has high hopes for the second generation.”

In the past, the Series 9 earned high marks as one of the precursors to the ultrabook category. At this year’s CES, Samsung unveiled two new versions of the Series 9, replacing the prevous 13-inch model (the highly rated Samsung Series 9 NP900X3A-B01UB) and introducing a new 15-inch model, the first to bring the thin and light stylings of the ultrabook category to a 15-inch model. In our hands-on with the new 13-inch model (see slideshow below), PCMag’s lead laptop analyst, Eric Grevstad, said that the Series 9 “promises to be what the first Series 9 was a year ago: dazzling, if only in a deluxe or status-symbol way rather than as a mainstream or value option.”

A version of the new 15-inch was launched in South Korea yesterday, equipped with an Intel Core i7-2637M ultra-low voltage processor and 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). No official announcement has been made by Samsung regarding the availability in the United States.

The 13.3-inch model, the Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US, is listed for $1,399.99. According to the product listing, the new Series 9 laptop will be equipped with a 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-2467M processor, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. The 13.3-inch display offers 1600-by-900 resolution, and connections for USB 3.0 and 2.0 as well as micro-HDMI are found on the laptop. Wireless options include 802.11n Wi-Fi and Intel’s Wireless Display technology (WiDi 2.0). The Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US measures 0.64 by 12.9 by 8.9 inches (HWD) with a total weight of 2.88 pounds.

The 15-inch Series 9 NP900X4B-A02US, which will be the first 15-inch laptop in the ultrabook category, is listed for $1,499.99. According to the specifications listed, the 15-inch Series 9 features the same 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-2467M processor seen on the 13-inch model, but pairs it with 8GB of memory. It also is equipped with USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and micro-HDMI, as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi and WiDi 2.0. Dimensions and weight for the Samsung Series 9 NP900X4B-A02US were not listed.