Samsung Notebook 9 (13.3-inch, 2018)

Excellent performance ; Insanely long battery life ; Useful software and hardware features ; Incredibly portable 15-inch laptop

Not enough storage ; Squishy keyboard ; Lackluster audio

The new 15-inch Samsung Notebook 9 suffers from a squishy keyboard and a small amount of storage for its price, but it might be just the perfect laptop for a specific person: someone that prioritizes lasting power and performance above all else … and...

Thin, smart styling ; Competitively priced ; Nearly perfect display

Micro-sized video ports ; Short battery life

This cost and weight conscious 13-inch Ultrabook will wow you with its slender frame and gorgeous screen, but the short battery life is cause for concern.

During our brief time with the 13.3in Samsung Notebook 9, we were impressed by its ultra-thin design and just how light it was. Packing up to an i7 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a myriad of ports, it's not a notebook to be sniffed at...

Impossibly light design; Vivid display; Speedy performance; Comfy keyboard; ; Short battery life; Chassis exhibits flex ; The 13-inch Samsung Notebook 9 is an insanely light notebook that's plagued by bad battery life.

Short battery life; Chassis exhibits flex ; The 13-inch Samsung Notebook 9 is an insanely light notebook that's plagued by bad battery life.

The 13-inch Samsung Notebook 9 is an insanely light notebook that's plagued by bad battery life.

Lightweight, highly versatile design; Vivid, accurate quad-HD+ display; Strong performance ; Stiff, shallow keyboard; Subpar battery life ; The Samsung Notebook 9 Spin offers great performance in a lightweight, foldable design, but its battery life...

Stiff, shallow keyboard; Subpar battery life ; The Samsung Notebook 9 Spin offers great performance in a lightweight, foldable design, but its battery life falls short.

The Samsung Notebook 9 Spin offers great performance in a lightweight, foldable design, but its battery life falls short.

very bright display; brighter than the MacBook Pro 15 ; significant CPU and GPU upgrade over the NP900X5N ; very lightweight and portable for its size class ; long battery life; increased battery capacity ; quiet fans during low to low-medium loads ;...

extreme and very evident GPU throttling when gaming ; CPU is unable to sustain maximum Turbo Boost ; still no matte panel option or higher resolution ; no touchscreen, eSIM, NFC, or 4G capabilities ; no Power button fingerprint reader combo ; PWM on...

We mentioned in our review of the NP900X5N that it would be unwise to purchase the configuration since both Kaby Lake-R and mainstream Pascal were rumored to be just over the hill. Now that both are finally available, patient users can now enjoy an...

relatively cool surface temperatures under load ; brightest Ultrabook display for its size class ; accessible internals; upgradeable SSD ; crisp keyboard and trackpad feedback ; lightest Ultrabook for its size class ; full-size USB and HDMI ports ; can...

no QHD, 4K UHD, touchscreen, NVMe, or SIM options ; small battery capacity; below average battery life ; cycling CPU and GPU clock rates when under load ; PWM on nearly all brightness level settings ; high core temperatures when under load ; base and...

The 13-inch Notebook 9 was created with one goal in mind - To be the lightest and brightest Ultrabook in its size class. Samsung has knocked it out of the park in this regard as the NP900X3N is not just marginally lighter and brighter than the next...

easy serviceability; upgradeable M.2 SSD ; impressively crisp and colorful display ; very bright backlight; Outdoor Mode ; near complete sRGB coverage ; very lightweight and portable ; Full Thunderbolt 3 support ; comfortable keyboard ; quiet fans; no...

no touchscreen, matte, or higher resolution options ; very fragile lid; lack of edge-to-edge glass ; GeForce 940MX with slower DDR3 RAM ; maximum volume could be louder ; non-upgradeable RAM ; no full-size SD reader ; no WWAN options ; pricey

The Notebook 9 NP900X5N excels in so many categories but misses the mark in a key few areas. We commend the manufacturer for being able to offer such a bright 1080p display on an extremely lightweight system and still have discrete graphics options...