Samsung branches out with Series 2, 4, and 6 pro notebooks
updated 12:45 pm EDT, Wed March 16, 2011
Samsung Series 2, 4, 6 notebooks unveiled for US
Samsung had more than its Series 9 notebook in store for its New York City event Wednesday as it put out three new portables targeted at pro users. The Series 2, 4, and 6 all get special treatment with a more durable, spill-resistant shell and metal hinges, as well as a long three-year warranty and phone support in the US for detailed troubleshooting. The Series 4 and 6 go a step further with fingerprint readers, a trust module, and (on the 6) a magnesium alloy shell that reportedly improves its longevity again.
The Series 2 represents the entry level and comes in either a 12.5-inch version with a Celeron or a 14-inch version with a Core i3. They have between 2GB and 4GB of RAM as well as up to a 320GB hard drive. Series 4 is mostly a performance upgrade and keeps the sizes while having chips starting at the Core i3 and scaling up to a dual Core i7. The 4 can also hold up to 6GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, and Samsung is confident enough to quote as much as a seven-hour battery life on the regular six-cell battery pack, though a nine-cell pack is an option.
Series 6 occupies the mid-size range and comes in either 14-inch or 15.6-inch versions. While the processor mix is similar to the 4, RAM starts higher at 4GB and peaks at 8GB. They go on to have the pick of either a 128GB or 256GB SSD, as well as NVIDIA NVS 4200M graphics, for when performance is more important. The 15.6-inch edition has a 1600x900 display. Battery life is the same, Samsung said.
The 2 and 4 notebooks are due to arrive in April, while the 6 arrives last in May. Prices haven't been handed out but will vary depending on the exact configuration.
