Save for Apple, Samsung is the only laptop manufacturer yet to hop on
the hybrid train. In 2015, the Korean firm presses on with its
conservative approach, perhaps even trying to beat its archrival to the
punch with the fanless, 12.2-inch Samsung Ativ Book 9.
Of course,
Samsung is as focused on premium as it's ever been in the Ultrabook
space, changing little about its leading laptops aesthtetics and build
quality. What you see here is the same alluring aluminum unibody
construction in that cool almost-cobalt hue ... only smaller.
How
small, you ask? How about a razor sharp 0.46 inches thin and an airy
2.06 pounds? Part of this is made possible through Intel's most
mobile-friendly CPU yet: the Core M 5Y10c, its first chip so low on
power draw that it allows for fanless system designs. Naturally, the
only thing not so small about the new Ativ Book 9 is its $1,199 (about
£782, AU$1,482) starting price.
Taking a bite out of Apple's Retina plans
If
you've been following the latest Apple rumors, then you already know
that the Cupertino juggernaut might be working on a smaller, thinner and
even lighter Retina MacBook Air. With that in mind, it's tough not to see the new Ativ Book 9 as Samsung's attempt to beat Apple to the punch.
But
don't take this as a slight -- frankly, it's a smart move. However, the
cynic in me sees the new Ativ Book 9 and imagines some team within
Apple checking off its own boxes in response. Regardless, Samsung does
quite a bit to justify that premium asking price.
The
12.2-inch LED panel on offer puts out a sharp 2,560 x 1,600 pixels,
right within Apple's "Retina" range. (Not to mention Samsung nixed touch
control on this model, citing unsavory adoption rates.) But Samsung
does you one better with an outdoor viewing mode that ups the max
brightness from its standard 350 nit to a whopping 700 nit.
Of
course, I wasn't able to test this feature while I previewed the device,
but it sounds like a much welcome addition. Samsung was mum on how long
the new Ativ Book would last at 700 nit, but advertises 10.5 hours of
battery life at standard brightness. (So, rough math would peg it at 5
hours and some change, but we'll be the judge of that in our full
review.)
On the other hand, Samsung offers a serious power saving
mode. Click one button, and you can shut down Bluetooth and other radios
as well as lock the brightness to a lower level. Again, no exact figure
on how much more time that will net you, so stay tuned for a full
review.
Finally,
Samsung has doubled down on its display capabilities with a privacy
mode that, with a press of the Fn10 key, blurs the screen. In-flight
onlookers, begone! You can even drill down and select which windows are
blurred.
Power meets privacy and protection
While early evaluations of Intel's fanless chip aren't exactly glowing (ahem, Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro),
the spec sheet on the new Ativ Book 9 is nothing to scoff at. In
addition to Core M, this laptop comes packing 4GB of RAM and a 128GB
solid-state drive. If you need more oomph, Samsung will offer a model
with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD starting at $1,399 (about £912,
AU$1,729).
And
for being such a smallfry, Samsung managed to cram two USB 3.0 ports,
micro HDMI, a headphone and mic jack and an SD card reader into the new
Ativ Book. (Ethernet is available through an included USB dongle.)
Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, with Wi-Fi Amp
technology that's said to up connection speeds by up to 20% through
access point prioritization.
If security is your concern (for,
say, BYOD potential), Samsung allows you to set up a draw path on the
trackpad for log-in. But taking that one step further, the company also
included the option to disable audio and video recording for the 720p
webcam with integrated microphone. You can finally put the duct tape
away.
Early verdict
There's
not much else to say about how the new Ativ Book 9 feels other than
that it's smaller in all the best and worst ways. A 12.2-inch display is
scratching at my personal limit for screen real estate, but it's easy
to appreciate such a thin, light and luxurious machine.
And while
the keyboard and touchpad feel as comfortable and tactile as they have
on Samsung's 13-inch and 15-inch models, the remarkable decrease in size
will take some adjustment. But that's pretty much the story with the
new Ativ Book 9: the most premium features inside the most premium build
for the most premium price you can find in a Windows 8.1 laptop.
A
cynical look at the new Ativ Book 9 could easily be seen as Samsung
showing its hand too early, but someone has to go first, right? Besides,
the Ativ Book 9 is more prepared to offer the MacBook experience in a
Windows device than any of its rivals short of, well, BootCamp on a
MacBook Air. The 12.2-inch Ativ Book 9 will be available for pre-order
sometime in Q1 2015 -- until then, keep an eye on this space for our
full review.