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Up close with Samsung's new Notebook 9 (pictures)

Samsung Notebook 9

Sean Hollister
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
samsung-notebook-9-001.jpg
1 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

Samsung's new lightweight Notebook 9 comes in 15-inch and 13-inch sizes. Each has a nice bright 1080p screen, a low-voltage Core i5 or i7 processor, and either 128 or 256GB of fast solid-state storage.

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2 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

Even this 15-incher weighs just 2.84 (1.29kg) pounds due to the new magnesium alloy construction. The 13-incher is an incredibly light 1.85 pounds (0.84kg).

samsung-notebook-9-001.jpg
3 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

Magnesium is lighter than aluminum, but can often feel like dull plastic to the touch. Yet the 15-inch Notebook 9 has a cool, metallic feeling when you place your fingers on it.

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4 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

The keyboard felt fairly responsive and the touchpad nice and expansive during a quick test. They're thin, but seem quite usable.

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5 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

Bottom-facing speakers, as usual for Samsung laptops.

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6 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

These laptops sure are light.

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7 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

One more picture of the 13-inch Samsung Notebook 9 in profile.

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8 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

The port selection may leave something to be desired, though. Both machines have a pair of full-size USB ports, one on each side (and the 13-inch has a hidden full-size SD card slot) but you'll need adapters for other things. The 13-inch has mini VGA, ethernet, and HDMI ports, while the 15-inch has a microSD card reader, mini Ethernet, and a USB-C port.

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9 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Notebook 9

One last picture of the 13-inch Samsung Notebook 9.

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