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Head-turning looks is one thing, but if you're paying out £1,200 for a laptop, it needs power. The Intel Core i5 2467M processor in the Samsung Series 9 900X3B is a middle-of-the-road offering that matches most of the Ultrabooks on the market.
For this top dollar price we'd have liked to see a top-of-the-range Intel Core i7, which is available on the £999 Asus Zenbook UX31. The problem for Samsung is that adding extra power means more heat, and that requires more cooling, which in turn adds bulk.
There are faster Ultrabooks on the market, such as the Asus Zenbook and Acer Aspire S3, but the Samsung Series 9 900X3B is more than capable of doing some light image editing and HD movie watching.
Our 3D graphics tests produced a lower score than a lot of its rivals, so it's certainly not the right choice for those who need buckets of power.
The decent processor is backed up by 4GB of RAM, which is standard for Ultrabooks and ultra-portable laptops. Intel's built-in HD graphics do the job nicely for basic tasks, and there's also an SSD drive, which massively boosts performance.
The Samsung Series 9 900X3B wakes from sleep in a blink of an eye, and is genuinely impressive.
We do have some issues with the Samsung Series 9 900X3B, which unfortunately spoil a blotless copybook. First up is the trackpad. We highlighted the problem on the first generation of the Series 9, and it's here again.
The multi-touch trackpad is super sensitive, and until you're used to it, it can have a mind of its own. We found that ignoring the physical button altogether is best, which diminished mis-presses and chaotic moments. But that habit can be hard to kick after a decade of laptop use.
The keyboard itself is a great size and very easy to use, with the right amount of travel, and good cushioning. It's not as comfortable to use as the superb keypad on the MacBook Air, but we were able to work for long periods, and made very few mistakes.
The keyboard is also backlit, and is clever enough to know when it's dark so there's no wasted power.
