The 9 Series, which looks to take on Apple’s MacBook Air on the looks side, is made from material known as Duralumin, typically found in advanced aircrafts.

It offers construction quality twice as durable as aluminum while not contributing much to weight, since the notebook tilts the scales at 1.31 kg. It’s also ultra-thin with a 16.1 mm profile, which explains Samsung’s omission of an optical drive.

Hot looks do not always equate to powerful performance, but the Series 9 runs on Intel’s powerful second generation Core i5 2537M processor (1.40 GHz, 3 MB; turbo up to 2.3 GHz), although only making use of Intel HD graphics and not an AMD/ Nvidia stand-alone GPU solution.

Samsung lays down the storage law with a 128 GB Solid State Drive, which explains in part the Series 9’s extremely fast boot-up time.

The 13.3” 9 Series features a SuperBright Plus LED-backlit screen with an above average 400 nit brightness and a 100 000:1 contrast ratio. The keyboard is also back-lit making it easier to work on in the dark.

Battery life, according to Samsung, runs up to 6.5 hours, although regular working circumstances (Wi-Fi switched on, extensive multi-tasking) might bring that figure down, while the Lithium polymer batteries extend the life of the product with double the lifespan for up to three years or 1000 charging cycles.

”When designing a premium laptop like the 9 Series, Samsung wanted to offer an unforgettable experience without limitations. The 9 Series laptop successfully combines elegant styling, performance and ease of use in an ultra thin and lightweight package,” said Philip Henning, NPC brand owner at Samsung SA. “

The Samsung 9 Series is scheduled to be available in July 2011, starting at R13 999. All Samsung mobile PC products are available through Samsung resellers and distribution channels or by visiting www.samsung.com/za.

Key Specs:

• CPU: Second Generation Intel CoreTM i5 Processor 2537M (1.40 GHz, 3MB; turbo up to 2.3 GHz)
• Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) / Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
• Memory: 4 GB DDR3
• Storage (max): 128 GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Screen: 13.3” HD LED-backlit SuperBright Plus display (400 nit)
• Resolution: 1366 x 768
• Graphics: Intel HD GT2 Integrated Graphics
• Speakers: 3 watt (1.5W x 2) stereo speakers and 1.5 watt sub-woofer
• Battery: Lithium Polymer; up to 6.5 hours
• Wireless: 802.11n
• Weight: 1.31 kg