CES Round-up: We go hands-on with the Samsung 9 Series, Samsung’s attempt at the MacBook Air

It looks as if the MacBook Air finally has some serious competition in Samsung’s latest notebook line: the 9 Series. As a few tech blogs have already pointed out, it’s thinner (.64 inches versus .68 inches), lighter (2.89 pounds versus 2.9 pounds), and arguably sexier (a black metal finish versus an aluminum finish). Although we’re not sure whether to attribute the 9 Series’ victories to rounding or reality…

Inside, the 9 Series is packing some serious heat. The so-called basics, which are ironically not basic at all, include a 1.4 GHz second-generation Core i5 processor which’ll work in tandem with Intel’s new-and-improved integrated graphics card, 4GB of RAM, and a 128 GB SSD drive.

Other notable features include USB 3.0 compatibility, built-in WiMax 4G, and a refreshing 1.5watt subwoofer. Oh, and did we mention it’ll last you 6.5 hours on a single charge thanks to a lithium polymer battery. It all sounds damn good.

The only downside? The hefty pricetag. Starting this February, the 9 Series will be available for $1600… and up. But hey, like just about everything these days, quality costs a little extra.

We had the opportunity to go hands-on with this seriously sexy laptop at CES. Be sure to catch our video just beyond the break!