Samsung updates its Notebook 9 ultrabooks with even bigger batteries

Samsung refreshed its Notebook 9 series of laptops earlier this year, and the company is getting ready to do the same for 2018. Samsung is unveiling three new models today, instead of waiting for CES next month where we typically see a number of new laptops. The first is Samsung’s Notebook 9 Pen, and perhaps the most interesting of the trio. It’s a 13.3-inch 2-in-1 notebook, and as the name suggests the Notebook 9 Pen includes an integrated S Pen, much like the Notebook 9 Pro introduced in May.

Samsung is updating the Notebook 9 Pen to include Intel’s 8th-generation Core i7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. The display resolution is 1920 x 1080, with a disappointing lack of a higher resolution option. Much like Lenovo’s Yoga tablets, Samsung’s Notebook 9 Pen will flip around into various modes for tablet or drawing use. Samsung has squeezed in a HDMI port, a single USB-C port, and a regular USB port, alongside microSD storage and a Windows Hello camera to sign into Windows 10 with just your face.

Samsung is also refreshing its regular Notebook 9 models, with 13.3-inch and 15-inch updates. Both will ship with Intel’s 8th-generation Core i7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The 15-inch model will also include an optional Nvidia’s MX150 discrete graphics chip, but both models will only feature 1920 x 1080 panels. Samsung is equipping each variant with two USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI port, microSD storage, and a single USB-C port. The 15-inch USB-C port will support Thunderbolt 3, and there’s also an additional USB 2.0 port on the larger model.

Interestingly, Samsung is using the “largest and most powerful” battery its ever placed in a laptop in both models. The 75W Hexacell battery should include a battery life boost, but the company is only committing to a vague “always-on power,” with fast charging support for when you need to top the battery up. Both the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen and Notebook 9 will be available in the US in early 2018, and we’re expecting to get a closer look at them at CES next month.