We understand what's what in the flagship laptops Samsung 9 series
Good evening, habrovchane!
This summer , the thinnest laptops of the updated 9 series entered the Russian market and, first of all, we wanted to make a small review specifically for the habrosocommunity ... But it turned out that the review was in draft for a couple of months, so today there will be no announcements, but only a story that what the second generation of the flagship Samsung laptops.
Unlike its predecessor, the new generation is presented in two versions: the ultra-compact (however, at the same time, the flagship) 13.3 "model (900X3C) and its large, but not less compact 15" brother (900X4C).
')
Positioning the entire series:
The price range for the Series 9 laptops is from 46 to 60 thousand rubles, and, interestingly, both the lower and upper boundaries define two trinash configurations, and the “tag” fell between them - it is sold in one configuration for 56 thousand rubles. It turns out that the younger model is 3,000 kopecks cheaper than a similar MacBook Air with a slightly more powerful Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor (so “slightly” that you can only notice in synthetic tests) and a little less spacious (1440 instead of 1600 horizontal dots, the same 900 vertical) display. At the same time, the display from Samsung collects additional bonuses due to the matte surface, high brightness and contrast, and also due to color rendition and viewing angles.
Why it is not ultrabooks:
Intel coined the term Ultrabook a year and a half ago, in the early summer of 2011, a few months after Samsung introduced the first generation of the 9 series - the 900X1A and 900X3A models were shown in January 2011 at CES. That is, although these laptops met all the characteristics that Intel put into the Ultrabook brand, they could not become ultrabooks at the time of their birth. Later, already in 2012, Samsung released the “official” ultrabooks in the 5 Ultra series - fairly affordable (prices start from 24-25 thousand rubles) thin laptops. The “nines” line was initially positioned as a high-class device, therefore, in order not to blur the boundaries of the Ultrabook concept, after the recent update it was not officially considered as such. However, Samsung says that they can still reconsider their position, however, adding one more word to the name in order not to mix the series 5 and 9 - the latter in the near future may be called Premium Ultrabook.
Few numbers: what has changed compared to the previous generation:
In the lineup there are two “sizes”, both are almost classic: 13 c is small and 15 inches (“almost” - because 15.0, but not the more usual 15.6 "). They have the same screen resolution - 1600x900. "Installed PLS-matrix (this is a proprietary development of Samsung: for those who understand matrices, we can say that in viewing angles it is close to H-IPS, in energy efficiency - to e-IPS, and in the structure of a pixel it is not similar to any other ; those who do not understand can simply assume that IPS and PLS are synonyms), which means that the viewing angles and color quality are at an excellent level. the end, the screen cover - matte, which can not fail to please (however, the Samsung's does not get tired for a year to repeat that the gloss finally went out of fashion, and more than 90% of new laptops come with a matte screen) A year ago, in these models was in 1376. * 768 TFT-TN matrix with a matte finish, but a glossy plastic frame - the evolution is evident.
As you can see, the new frame of the screen is made of a different material and has become much thinner.
Trinashka is available in two versions: on the Core i7 and i5 of the new generation (besides the processor, the OS is different - Home Premium or Pro in the case of Windows 7, “simple” or Pro in the case of Windows 8, and SSD - 128 GB in the younger versions and 256 GB in the older, and the latter is also faster). If this can be considered an achievement, then the new 13.3 "model is one of the thinnest laptops in the world: only 13 millimeters thick. It weighs only 160 grams more than a kilogram, which is also one of the best indicators in the segment. Compared to last year’s version The 9 Series update has also become one third smaller in volume (due to thickness), and about the same third faster in everyday operations.
Last year, there was no analogue of the “tag” 900X4C, and indeed a super-slim and ultra-light laptop with a 15-inch screen is a rarity. It is only 15 mm thick (thinner than most 13-inch ultrabooks!), Weighs 1.65 kg, but is the screen on the TN-matrix instead of PLS? Why? Samsung claims that the current generations of matrices other than TN lose TN in terms of power consumption, so with PLS this laptop would not work for too long on a single charge. But with TN - up to 10 hours, if you believe the MobileMark test. Yes, perhaps, a 15-inch laptop with a weight of 1.65 kg and 10 hours of “autonomy” - there is something for which to go for one or two compromises.
Design - why Samsung decided to make it exactly like this:
According to official sources, “Samsung designers and engineers spent a total of 33 thousand man-hours on creating a premium design for an ultra-productive laptop.”
When looking at a laptop, you can definitely say that it really worked, and not half of that time played golf. :) The design has become more mature, more accurate and is now associated more with the European school. Last year's version was distinguished by its “impudent” appearance: the bright contrast of the sidewalls with the black lid, the glossiness on the keyboard backing and around the screen, the dashing bend that enthralled some critics. In general, Samsung designers paid attention to the criticism and tried to correct all the shortcomings, leaving continuity in the lines and silhouette. And you know ... when you put two devices next to each other, it seems that they have been separated for five years by development. The uniform bend on the side remained, but it is no longer “contour” decoration, now the side surface bears all those ports that previously hid in discharge ramps under the laptop.
Immediately, the problem with the inconvenient plugs disappeared, the paint and the “flimsy” case peeling off the edges. If the past model in the “torsion of the hull” test confidently changed its geometric shape even from pressure by the hands of a girl, then the new model is almost impossible to deform. Tests on special equipment showed that the structural strength of bending and torsion increased one and a half to two times compared with last year's model. However, this, of course, is not the merit of the design itself, but of the body material - if it used to be prefabricated (aluminum sheets with plastic sheets glued to them), it has now become monolithic, cut from a single piece of AL6063 alloy on a milling machine. However, let's go back to the design.
As you can see, improvements have come to the benefit: not the most convenient solution, which made the laptop turn and try to open these unfortunate stubs - in the past. Neat and memorable silhouette - in the present. A new color, texture (Samsung says they abandoned conventional polishing and used a more expensive sandblasting for finishing the surface of the case just for this pleasant roughness), the screen frame - and now, you have a decent product that honestly deserves the addition of “New "In the name of the line.
Compare with last year's model:
I think you will agree that the updated line looks much more elegant.
However, there were no minuses. The body gradually collects fingerprints, and just does not want to part with them, which is a bit strange if you take into account the fact that a lot of effort, time and money were spent on the design.
Well, in the end, the design is purely personal, but I am sure that the “work on the bugs” carried out should cause a positive reaction from the point of view of the final consumers, that is, you and me. The laptop has become more convenient, cleaner and stricter to look without losing familiar features.
Separately, I want to mention the keyboard and touchpad. There are not many changes, but they are important. First, the island-style keyboard has the same layout as last year’s version. No perversions and crutches. It is easy and pleasant to type the text, and there is no need to look for familiar buttons in unusual places; It takes only a couple of days to get used to the buttons with a small stroke.
As a bonus, there is a button (highlighted!) For switching layouts / input languages ​​(in fact, the usual right Alt, and the proprietary software makes it the button for switching languages). It requires some habits to use it, but then on other computers there is a lack of such pleasant trifles. The backlight has also improved, unevenness has gone, the buttons now glow "softer".
The touchpad has become better at recognizing gestures, although the click, as it seems to me, was a little "wadded" and remained. He lacks a sharp and clear movement in the "click".
Screen, sound:
The display of the new Series 9 is excellent. The 13.3 "matrix is ​​made with PLS technology with a resolution of 1600 to 900 and has a brightness of 400 nits, which is about twice as many as conventional" office "laptops with their 200-220 nits. Semi-professional monitors are also built on the same PLS-matrix S27A850D series and their younger brothers. With half brightness it is comfortable enough to type text in the open air. With full (this, of course, will accelerate the discharge of the battery) you can work in bright sunshine. Not that it is completely comfortable, and it’s okay to watch the movie behind the back on the beach anyway fail, but read and typing - easily.
The display surface is matte: you don’t have to worry about the position of the laptop and the lid to get rid of the glare. The color rendition and viewing angles horizontally and vertically are excellent. Adds the convenience of light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen depending on the conditions of the room. The sound is nothing supernatural: it does not wheeze, does not creak, at the maximum volume there is a shortage of the power of the speakers themselves. Enough to watch a movie or chat on Skype. Whoever wants high quality will buy home speakers or headphones for mobile work.
If we talk about 15 "models, the advantages remain, with the exception of two - the viewing angles and contrast of the TN matrix are quite usual for today's laptops, it is difficult to praise them. But good (for TN) color reproduction, high brightness and matte finish are in place .
Note author: I used the brightness of “minimum +1” throughout the “test” road, since the values ​​more simply burn out my eyes in the twilight of the evening room. In the daytime I used “at least + 3”, and this was enough for me.
Technologies - what and how it was necessary to think up to make such laptops:
Samsung launches the new 13-inch Series 9 in two versions: one is more productive, the other, no matter how surprisingly it sounds, less. The base model is equipped with the latest Intel Core i5 processor (at the time of the release of the line) generation (Ivy Bridge architecture) model 3317U with a frequency of 1.7 GHz. Maybe this is not a record holder in mobile computing, but for any normal task that can be encountered on such devices, it copes well enough. Laptops on the i5 are equipped with a 128 gigabyte SSD drive.
My test sample was built on a Core i7-3517U with a frequency of 1.9 GHz and came with a 256 GB “disk”. RAM, as in the younger model, is 4 gigabytes, and, unfortunately, it cannot be increased: the memory is soldered on the board, there is simply no space under the SODIMM in such a thin laptop. In the last year’s decision, as far as I remember, it was possible to stick as many as you wanted: nothing was unsoldered on the motherboard, there were standard SODIMM plates. Graphics - integrated Intel HD 4000.
“Fifteen” in Russia comes in only one configuration - with a 256 GB SSD, i5 processor and 8 GB of memory. By the way, the memory in it already costs two normal SODIMMs, so if you suddenly need it, you can try to install 16 GB.
Intel processors for several generations have the TurboBoost function, which, if necessary, increases the clock frequency to increase performance. The limit here is the processor temperature and the number of active cores. This "chip" allows you to cope with peak loads - such as applying a filter in Photoshop or other short-term resource-intensive operations. On a constant with such a slim body and modest cooling capabilities, autodisun will not work. The GPU also raises its frequencies, however, due to the limited cooling capacity, it will not work at the maximum frequency of the Intel HD 4000 turbo mode.
In any case, Samsung Series 9 New work noticeably faster than the previous generation. If you do not consider the situation with the games (although these models are taken, as a rule, not for games), there is enough headache for entertainment on the go or for working with photos. By the way, I noticed that photographers like models like this format, but it’s understandable: they have so much equipment with them, so a powerful, thin and light device that allows you to view the result on a relatively high-quality and large screen , make a minimum adjustment and send it home / to work or merge it onto a removable hard drive (backup will not be superfluous) for them is more relevant than ever. “Air” in this regard, both from the iron and from the screen point of view, is not a fountain. In addition, not everyone likes Macs, but the organization of the windows in Photoshop under MacOS X on a 13-inch screen ... In general, let's not talk about sad things.
Interfaces:
The ultra-slim design of the new Series 9 influenced the range of ports available to the user: on the right there is one USB 2.0, a combined 3.5-inch headphone or microphone jack, a VGA micro jack (you can buy a branded adapter for it) and a tiny hole in the built-in microphone. On the left there is USB 3.0, micro-HDMI, mini-Ethernet and a power connector. An adapter for connecting a full-sized Ethernet-plug comes in the kit, but look for a micro-HDMI adapter yourself - good, the connector is standard. The 15-inch 900X4C kit is only slightly wider: plus one USB 3.0.
When asked why they need to leave USB 2.0 ports at all, Samsung answered simply: there are not so many peripherals that would need 3.0, and hardly anyone will connect more than one such device to the laptop at one time, but if suddenly you will need to boot from a flash drive or an external DVD - for example, the operating system will “fly off” - then to do this using USB 3.0, you will first have to integrate the appropriate driver into the boot distribution. With USB 2.0, modern OS is loaded without problems from the first attempt.
Parameters and capabilities, the difference in parameters between the two models, the reason for just such a difference:
I got a test version of the top laptop: a 13 "diagonal, inside which also had the best that could fit into a case of this size:
Processor: Intel Core i7-3517U (1.9 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache);
Memory: 4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz (on the motherboard);
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, memory is allocated from the system;
Data storage: 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD);
Screen: 13.3 "SuperBright 400 nits HD + (1600 x 900), LED-backlit, anti-glare, PLS technology.
As you can see, it is difficult to find fault with the characteristics, except that you are not clearing up with the increase in the RAM. Nevertheless, it allowed to reduce the thickness of the “empty space” in the body, improve the cooling system and, increasing the strength of the body, make it almost “monolithic” in sensations.
If you believe this picture, then there are still voids inside, though there are not many of them. :)
Watching videos, editing photos (not on an industrial scale - there are specially assembled powerful workstations for this), Internet surfing, working with complex documents, layout and web development, presentations and other everyday difficulties - these are the elements of such devices. Sometimes you can play indie toys, browsers or simple games that do not require a powerful graphics accelerator.
The younger brother of this model, based on the Intel Core i5 of the new generation, should not be forgotten either. Its characteristics are slightly more modest (mainly due to the processor): the Intel Core i5-3317U is 200 MHz less and 1 MB of upper-level cache memory is “lost”. Uncritically for 90% of the tasks solved by a laptop, but it allows you to throw a few thousand rubles.
All the rest of the iron intentionally left the same, except that in order to save the amount of SSD trimmed to 128 GB.
With the same hardware (Core i5), there is a 15 "version. Apparently, for those who believe that 1600x900 for such a diagonal is brute force, or simply for those who prefer the" usual size. "It works, by the way, 2.5 - 3 hours longer. In general, this “tag” has no analogs: it will definitely find its buyer, especially since it is the thinnest and lightest notebook in the segment of the tags, and it looks great! Perhaps the only thing really could complement the picture - more powerful graphics from nVidia or AMD / ATI, there is clearly enough space inside.
Predict questions like "why not FullHD"? The model came out on Windows 7 - everything is a bit scaling with it ... it's sad, but 1080p on a 13-inch screen is still a bit too much for most users: the text turns into a mess. The company said that in the near future will consider the possibility of increasing the resolution of the matrix of laptops - good, in Windows 8 with the scaling was better.
Teaser: I saw a tablet with Windows 8 on board, built on the Core i5 architecture and runs on battery for 8 hours. Soon I will write about it that I managed to photograph and potest while the test sample was not selected. So, there is 11 inches FullHD - and not the slightest problem with the size of the fonts.
Summing up:
This line already has enough reviews in the network , however, they all mistakenly refer it to the ultrabook segment, which fits in with the size and characteristics, but does not fit the price. Nevertheless, the reviews are good. In my personal, personal and personal view, the balance of "good" and "evil" in the model looks like this:
Thank you for your attention, wait for the post about Win-8 tablet in the near future.
This summer , the thinnest laptops of the updated 9 series entered the Russian market and, first of all, we wanted to make a small review specifically for the habrosocommunity ... But it turned out that the review was in draft for a couple of months, so today there will be no announcements, but only a story that what the second generation of the flagship Samsung laptops.
Unlike its predecessor, the new generation is presented in two versions: the ultra-compact (however, at the same time, the flagship) 13.3 "model (900X3C) and its large, but not less compact 15" brother (900X4C).
')
Positioning the entire series:
The price range for the Series 9 laptops is from 46 to 60 thousand rubles, and, interestingly, both the lower and upper boundaries define two trinash configurations, and the “tag” fell between them - it is sold in one configuration for 56 thousand rubles. It turns out that the younger model is 3,000 kopecks cheaper than a similar MacBook Air with a slightly more powerful Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor (so “slightly” that you can only notice in synthetic tests) and a little less spacious (1440 instead of 1600 horizontal dots, the same 900 vertical) display. At the same time, the display from Samsung collects additional bonuses due to the matte surface, high brightness and contrast, and also due to color rendition and viewing angles.
Why it is not ultrabooks:
Intel coined the term Ultrabook a year and a half ago, in the early summer of 2011, a few months after Samsung introduced the first generation of the 9 series - the 900X1A and 900X3A models were shown in January 2011 at CES. That is, although these laptops met all the characteristics that Intel put into the Ultrabook brand, they could not become ultrabooks at the time of their birth. Later, already in 2012, Samsung released the “official” ultrabooks in the 5 Ultra series - fairly affordable (prices start from 24-25 thousand rubles) thin laptops. The “nines” line was initially positioned as a high-class device, therefore, in order not to blur the boundaries of the Ultrabook concept, after the recent update it was not officially considered as such. However, Samsung says that they can still reconsider their position, however, adding one more word to the name in order not to mix the series 5 and 9 - the latter in the near future may be called Premium Ultrabook.
Few numbers: what has changed compared to the previous generation:
In the lineup there are two “sizes”, both are almost classic: 13 c is small and 15 inches (“almost” - because 15.0, but not the more usual 15.6 "). They have the same screen resolution - 1600x900. "Installed PLS-matrix (this is a proprietary development of Samsung: for those who understand matrices, we can say that in viewing angles it is close to H-IPS, in energy efficiency - to e-IPS, and in the structure of a pixel it is not similar to any other ; those who do not understand can simply assume that IPS and PLS are synonyms), which means that the viewing angles and color quality are at an excellent level. the end, the screen cover - matte, which can not fail to please (however, the Samsung's does not get tired for a year to repeat that the gloss finally went out of fashion, and more than 90% of new laptops come with a matte screen) A year ago, in these models was in 1376. * 768 TFT-TN matrix with a matte finish, but a glossy plastic frame - the evolution is evident.
As you can see, the new frame of the screen is made of a different material and has become much thinner.
Trinashka is available in two versions: on the Core i7 and i5 of the new generation (besides the processor, the OS is different - Home Premium or Pro in the case of Windows 7, “simple” or Pro in the case of Windows 8, and SSD - 128 GB in the younger versions and 256 GB in the older, and the latter is also faster). If this can be considered an achievement, then the new 13.3 "model is one of the thinnest laptops in the world: only 13 millimeters thick. It weighs only 160 grams more than a kilogram, which is also one of the best indicators in the segment. Compared to last year’s version The 9 Series update has also become one third smaller in volume (due to thickness), and about the same third faster in everyday operations.
Last year, there was no analogue of the “tag” 900X4C, and indeed a super-slim and ultra-light laptop with a 15-inch screen is a rarity. It is only 15 mm thick (thinner than most 13-inch ultrabooks!), Weighs 1.65 kg, but is the screen on the TN-matrix instead of PLS? Why? Samsung claims that the current generations of matrices other than TN lose TN in terms of power consumption, so with PLS this laptop would not work for too long on a single charge. But with TN - up to 10 hours, if you believe the MobileMark test. Yes, perhaps, a 15-inch laptop with a weight of 1.65 kg and 10 hours of “autonomy” - there is something for which to go for one or two compromises.
Design - why Samsung decided to make it exactly like this:
According to official sources, “Samsung designers and engineers spent a total of 33 thousand man-hours on creating a premium design for an ultra-productive laptop.”
When looking at a laptop, you can definitely say that it really worked, and not half of that time played golf. :) The design has become more mature, more accurate and is now associated more with the European school. Last year's version was distinguished by its “impudent” appearance: the bright contrast of the sidewalls with the black lid, the glossiness on the keyboard backing and around the screen, the dashing bend that enthralled some critics. In general, Samsung designers paid attention to the criticism and tried to correct all the shortcomings, leaving continuity in the lines and silhouette. And you know ... when you put two devices next to each other, it seems that they have been separated for five years by development. The uniform bend on the side remained, but it is no longer “contour” decoration, now the side surface bears all those ports that previously hid in discharge ramps under the laptop.
Immediately, the problem with the inconvenient plugs disappeared, the paint and the “flimsy” case peeling off the edges. If the past model in the “torsion of the hull” test confidently changed its geometric shape even from pressure by the hands of a girl, then the new model is almost impossible to deform. Tests on special equipment showed that the structural strength of bending and torsion increased one and a half to two times compared with last year's model. However, this, of course, is not the merit of the design itself, but of the body material - if it used to be prefabricated (aluminum sheets with plastic sheets glued to them), it has now become monolithic, cut from a single piece of AL6063 alloy on a milling machine. However, let's go back to the design.
As you can see, improvements have come to the benefit: not the most convenient solution, which made the laptop turn and try to open these unfortunate stubs - in the past. Neat and memorable silhouette - in the present. A new color, texture (Samsung says they abandoned conventional polishing and used a more expensive sandblasting for finishing the surface of the case just for this pleasant roughness), the screen frame - and now, you have a decent product that honestly deserves the addition of “New "In the name of the line.
Compare with last year's model:
I think you will agree that the updated line looks much more elegant.
However, there were no minuses. The body gradually collects fingerprints, and just does not want to part with them, which is a bit strange if you take into account the fact that a lot of effort, time and money were spent on the design.
Well, in the end, the design is purely personal, but I am sure that the “work on the bugs” carried out should cause a positive reaction from the point of view of the final consumers, that is, you and me. The laptop has become more convenient, cleaner and stricter to look without losing familiar features.
Separately, I want to mention the keyboard and touchpad. There are not many changes, but they are important. First, the island-style keyboard has the same layout as last year’s version. No perversions and crutches. It is easy and pleasant to type the text, and there is no need to look for familiar buttons in unusual places; It takes only a couple of days to get used to the buttons with a small stroke.
As a bonus, there is a button (highlighted!) For switching layouts / input languages ​​(in fact, the usual right Alt, and the proprietary software makes it the button for switching languages). It requires some habits to use it, but then on other computers there is a lack of such pleasant trifles. The backlight has also improved, unevenness has gone, the buttons now glow "softer".
The touchpad has become better at recognizing gestures, although the click, as it seems to me, was a little "wadded" and remained. He lacks a sharp and clear movement in the "click".
Screen, sound:
The display of the new Series 9 is excellent. The 13.3 "matrix is ​​made with PLS technology with a resolution of 1600 to 900 and has a brightness of 400 nits, which is about twice as many as conventional" office "laptops with their 200-220 nits. Semi-professional monitors are also built on the same PLS-matrix S27A850D series and their younger brothers. With half brightness it is comfortable enough to type text in the open air. With full (this, of course, will accelerate the discharge of the battery) you can work in bright sunshine. Not that it is completely comfortable, and it’s okay to watch the movie behind the back on the beach anyway fail, but read and typing - easily.
The display surface is matte: you don’t have to worry about the position of the laptop and the lid to get rid of the glare. The color rendition and viewing angles horizontally and vertically are excellent. Adds the convenience of light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen depending on the conditions of the room. The sound is nothing supernatural: it does not wheeze, does not creak, at the maximum volume there is a shortage of the power of the speakers themselves. Enough to watch a movie or chat on Skype. Whoever wants high quality will buy home speakers or headphones for mobile work.
If we talk about 15 "models, the advantages remain, with the exception of two - the viewing angles and contrast of the TN matrix are quite usual for today's laptops, it is difficult to praise them. But good (for TN) color reproduction, high brightness and matte finish are in place .
Note author: I used the brightness of “minimum +1” throughout the “test” road, since the values ​​more simply burn out my eyes in the twilight of the evening room. In the daytime I used “at least + 3”, and this was enough for me.
Technologies - what and how it was necessary to think up to make such laptops:
Samsung launches the new 13-inch Series 9 in two versions: one is more productive, the other, no matter how surprisingly it sounds, less. The base model is equipped with the latest Intel Core i5 processor (at the time of the release of the line) generation (Ivy Bridge architecture) model 3317U with a frequency of 1.7 GHz. Maybe this is not a record holder in mobile computing, but for any normal task that can be encountered on such devices, it copes well enough. Laptops on the i5 are equipped with a 128 gigabyte SSD drive.
My test sample was built on a Core i7-3517U with a frequency of 1.9 GHz and came with a 256 GB “disk”. RAM, as in the younger model, is 4 gigabytes, and, unfortunately, it cannot be increased: the memory is soldered on the board, there is simply no space under the SODIMM in such a thin laptop. In the last year’s decision, as far as I remember, it was possible to stick as many as you wanted: nothing was unsoldered on the motherboard, there were standard SODIMM plates. Graphics - integrated Intel HD 4000.
“Fifteen” in Russia comes in only one configuration - with a 256 GB SSD, i5 processor and 8 GB of memory. By the way, the memory in it already costs two normal SODIMMs, so if you suddenly need it, you can try to install 16 GB.
Intel processors for several generations have the TurboBoost function, which, if necessary, increases the clock frequency to increase performance. The limit here is the processor temperature and the number of active cores. This "chip" allows you to cope with peak loads - such as applying a filter in Photoshop or other short-term resource-intensive operations. On a constant with such a slim body and modest cooling capabilities, autodisun will not work. The GPU also raises its frequencies, however, due to the limited cooling capacity, it will not work at the maximum frequency of the Intel HD 4000 turbo mode.
In any case, Samsung Series 9 New work noticeably faster than the previous generation. If you do not consider the situation with the games (although these models are taken, as a rule, not for games), there is enough headache for entertainment on the go or for working with photos. By the way, I noticed that photographers like models like this format, but it’s understandable: they have so much equipment with them, so a powerful, thin and light device that allows you to view the result on a relatively high-quality and large screen , make a minimum adjustment and send it home / to work or merge it onto a removable hard drive (backup will not be superfluous) for them is more relevant than ever. “Air” in this regard, both from the iron and from the screen point of view, is not a fountain. In addition, not everyone likes Macs, but the organization of the windows in Photoshop under MacOS X on a 13-inch screen ... In general, let's not talk about sad things.
Interfaces:
The ultra-slim design of the new Series 9 influenced the range of ports available to the user: on the right there is one USB 2.0, a combined 3.5-inch headphone or microphone jack, a VGA micro jack (you can buy a branded adapter for it) and a tiny hole in the built-in microphone. On the left there is USB 3.0, micro-HDMI, mini-Ethernet and a power connector. An adapter for connecting a full-sized Ethernet-plug comes in the kit, but look for a micro-HDMI adapter yourself - good, the connector is standard. The 15-inch 900X4C kit is only slightly wider: plus one USB 3.0.
When asked why they need to leave USB 2.0 ports at all, Samsung answered simply: there are not so many peripherals that would need 3.0, and hardly anyone will connect more than one such device to the laptop at one time, but if suddenly you will need to boot from a flash drive or an external DVD - for example, the operating system will “fly off” - then to do this using USB 3.0, you will first have to integrate the appropriate driver into the boot distribution. With USB 2.0, modern OS is loaded without problems from the first attempt.
Parameters and capabilities, the difference in parameters between the two models, the reason for just such a difference:
I got a test version of the top laptop: a 13 "diagonal, inside which also had the best that could fit into a case of this size:
Processor: Intel Core i7-3517U (1.9 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache);
Memory: 4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz (on the motherboard);
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, memory is allocated from the system;
Data storage: 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD);
Screen: 13.3 "SuperBright 400 nits HD + (1600 x 900), LED-backlit, anti-glare, PLS technology.
As you can see, it is difficult to find fault with the characteristics, except that you are not clearing up with the increase in the RAM. Nevertheless, it allowed to reduce the thickness of the “empty space” in the body, improve the cooling system and, increasing the strength of the body, make it almost “monolithic” in sensations.
If you believe this picture, then there are still voids inside, though there are not many of them. :)
Watching videos, editing photos (not on an industrial scale - there are specially assembled powerful workstations for this), Internet surfing, working with complex documents, layout and web development, presentations and other everyday difficulties - these are the elements of such devices. Sometimes you can play indie toys, browsers or simple games that do not require a powerful graphics accelerator.
The younger brother of this model, based on the Intel Core i5 of the new generation, should not be forgotten either. Its characteristics are slightly more modest (mainly due to the processor): the Intel Core i5-3317U is 200 MHz less and 1 MB of upper-level cache memory is “lost”. Uncritically for 90% of the tasks solved by a laptop, but it allows you to throw a few thousand rubles.
All the rest of the iron intentionally left the same, except that in order to save the amount of SSD trimmed to 128 GB.
With the same hardware (Core i5), there is a 15 "version. Apparently, for those who believe that 1600x900 for such a diagonal is brute force, or simply for those who prefer the" usual size. "It works, by the way, 2.5 - 3 hours longer. In general, this “tag” has no analogs: it will definitely find its buyer, especially since it is the thinnest and lightest notebook in the segment of the tags, and it looks great! Perhaps the only thing really could complement the picture - more powerful graphics from nVidia or AMD / ATI, there is clearly enough space inside.
Predict questions like "why not FullHD"? The model came out on Windows 7 - everything is a bit scaling with it ... it's sad, but 1080p on a 13-inch screen is still a bit too much for most users: the text turns into a mess. The company said that in the near future will consider the possibility of increasing the resolution of the matrix of laptops - good, in Windows 8 with the scaling was better.
Teaser: I saw a tablet with Windows 8 on board, built on the Core i5 architecture and runs on battery for 8 hours. Soon I will write about it that I managed to photograph and potest while the test sample was not selected. So, there is 11 inches FullHD - and not the slightest problem with the size of the fonts.
Summing up:
This line already has enough reviews in the network , however, they all mistakenly refer it to the ultrabook segment, which fits in with the size and characteristics, but does not fit the price. Nevertheless, the reviews are good. In my personal, personal and personal view, the balance of "good" and "evil" in the model looks like this:
| Pros: | Minuses: |
| Great stuffing; Nice appearance; Neat and clean keyboard; Healthy minimalism in the design; Comfortable touchpad; Normal indicators of autonomy; | Components (the number of pleasant bonuses could be more); Only one USB 3.0 (in 13 "models); Lack of discrete graphics in 15" models. |
Thank you for your attention, wait for the post about Win-8 tablet in the near future.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/156397/
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