MacBook Air Killer?

[Chris344]

This new Sandy Bridge Samsung laptop is beautiful, it has a slick design with a much better spec then the MBA. If you are looking for an alternative to the MBA with Windows 7 factor this is one to consider. With Samsung making most of the parts for the MBA you are basically getting a windows based MBA with SSD and i5 Sandy Bridge processor and USB 3.0/HDMI etc for a little less.

This could very well sway me away from a MBA and proves that the MBA is slightly over priced.

The 13.3-inch 9 Series features a LED-backlit screen, SuperBright Plus display with 400- nit brightness. Digital images and multimedia are brought to life on the 9 Series, assisted by a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and true-to-life color reproduction (16 million colors), enriching the computing experience for end users.

The 9 Series is made from material known as Duralumin, typically found in advanced aircrafts and offers construction quality twice as durable as aluminum, all while keeping the laptop weight under 3 lbs and an ultra-thin 0.64 inch profile.

 

[Chris344]

This is a brilliant equivalent for anyone wanting Mac quality and performance without converting to MAC OS. With USB 3.0 and HDMI connections this machine looks like it may have the edge over the MBA. I agree that the support will not be superior like Apple's support but if re-sellers can offer discounts and sell this unit for around £800 it will be a steal. The UK price will be RRP £1000

 

[Chris344]

But where is the 11" version? I mean the 13" MBA is nice but the 11" is where it really shines.

Oh and what about battery life? Standby time? Instant on? 6 second cold boot time and most importantly OS X?

The Samsung looks nice but is really just a clone of the MBA right down to the scrabble style keys and oversized track-pad. So much for innovation and it isn't much cheaper anyway (or at all in some cases)

I'll stick to the MBA thanks.

Battery up time is quoted at 6.5 hours and looking at the video reviews it does have a back lit keyboard which is a bonus.
I didn't name it the MBA killer, the sites reviewing it did.
Apple is still rocking the Dual Core 2 processor; maybe the MBA with an i5 processor and 4 GB as standard would be amazing, to match this machine in spec would set you back £1600-1700 in the MBA which is a shame.
I am actually in the market for a new machine, currently I am deciding between the MBP (New line up in April) the MBA or this new Samsung machine.

 

[Chris344]

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: 4GB DDR3
• Storage (max): 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Screen: 13.3-inch HD LED-backlit SuperBright Plus display (400 nit)
• Resolution: 1366x768
• 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
• Ultra-thin 0.64 inch profile
• Wireless: 802.11b/g/n; WiMaxi
• Weight: 2.89 lbs

This machine has USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0, built-in WiMax and utilizes the latest in Wi-Fi and USB Sleep & Charge technologies.

For around £800-900 that is a great spec and machine