Notebook Hunter

The impossibly slender 15in Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C-A01AU has only come out recently and JB Hi-Fi’s already discounted it down to an amazing $1,429.60. Considering it has an RRP of $1,899, this is a massive price drop. If you’re after an ultrabook with a large screen and brilliant portability, this is a genuinely affordable way of getting it.

It weighs a mere 1.65kg which makes it lighter than a lot of 14in ultrabooks, and while it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card the specs are still impressive. A 3rd Gen low-voltage Intel Core i7-3517U processor together with a huge 8GB of RAM make the 14.9mm thick Series 9 capable of getting meaningful work done, and while a little small the 128GB solid state drive ensures snappy performance.

The matte screen is a touch smaller than average (15in rather than 15.6in) but it has generous viewing angles, rich colours and an above-average resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels. Because of the slim frame the ports are a bit limited though: you get two USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, one Micro-HDMI, an audio jack and a port that allows for connection of a Gigabit Ethernet dongle. This is still pretty good though.

Suffice it to say that this all-metal ultrabook screams premium, but thanks to JB Hi-Fi the price is well within reach of many shoppers.

See the special online here.

See a summary of the specs below.

Processor
This Series 9 features a 3rd Gen Intel Core i7-3517U (1.9GHz), a high-end low-voltage processor which should have no problems with most typical software. It can burst up to 3GHz using Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology if a particularly demanding program needs extra power.

Graphics
It comes with an integrated graphics solution called Intel HD Graphics 4000, which is on par with an entry-level dedicated graphics card. It’ll be enough for modern games at the lowest settings.

RAM
8GB of RAM is enough for multi-tasking with many programs at once and is plenty for smooth system performance.

Storage
A 128GB solid state drive is small compared to larger hard disk drives, but by SSD standards it’s about middle of the road. It does have very rapid response for both reading and writing data.

Screen
The Series 9 sports a 15in (1,600 x 900 resolution) matte screen. It has wide viewing angles and rich colour reproduction.

Portability
The Series 9 has great portability, because it weighs 1.65kg and is 14.9mm thick. It can be carried around very easily.