Hands On Video: The Samsung 900x Ultra-Thin Laptop

It’s always fun to walk into work and have a brand new high-end laptop sitting on on your desk.

Even though I knew a Samsung 900x loaner laptop was en route, it was still a revelation to unbox this elegant and oh so slender machine. I guess I’m not used to possessing a laptop so light. I’ve always had hefty, corporate-issued tanks. My personal laptop is also a beast, at least compared to newest line of ultra-thins, of which the Samsung 900x is one of the more elegant.

Released in April, the 900x — priced at $1,599 — is 2/3 of an inch thick and weighs 2.9 pounds. It’s black aluminum covering is the same aluminum used to make airplanes, so although this machine is light, it is also durable. It runs Windows 7 Professional and is an ideal machine for mobile corporate executives and high-end consumers.

In addition to the various features I highlight in the video below, the Samsung 900x boasts a backlit keyboard, an Ethernet adapter port and a matte LCD display, which is much better at reducing glare and eye strain than the glossy displays you’ll find on most laptops.

Slideshow: The Best New Windows 7 Laptops for Work and Play

The inevitable comparison here is to the 13-inch Apple Macbook Air. Hardware-wise they match up pretty evenly (same thickness and weight), although the 900x comes with more RAM (4GB), an HDMI port and uses Intel’s new “Sandy Bridge” chip architecture. The Macbook Air will cost you roughly $200 less, depending on how you configure it.

If you have the money and you want something sleek and powerful for business or pleasure or both, the Samsung 900x is worth a look. Click on the video below for more details.

Shane O’Neill covers Microsoft, Windows, Operating Systems, Productivity Apps and Online Services for CIO.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @smoneill. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Shane at soneill@cio.com