Samsung Series 3 hands-on

By Terrence O'Brien

We were strolling around the Metropolitan Pavilion, enjoying the sights and sounds of Digital Experience, when, lo and behold, we spotted a pair of unfamiliar laptops gracing the thick black tablecloth at the Samsung booth. What you see above is just one member, the 12.1-inch model to be specific, of the as yet unannounced Series 3 line. These budget friendly lappies are anything but cheap looking or feeling. The entire lineup has followed in the footsteps of the Series 9, opting for soft brushed finishes that are, at the very least, metal-esque. Gone are the shiny plastics that made your notebook look like evidence at a crime scene. At the bottom end is a 15.6-inch model sporting a dual-core AMD A4 CPU and (oddly) a glossy display.

If you want to wipe the reflective sheen from that screen, jump up a notch to the $599 Core i3-sporting version. The 15.6 models reach all the way up to a quad-core Core i7 CPU for $819 and all the Intel varieties pack WiDi (as do the 12.5-inchers). The other sizes (11.6, 12.1, 13.3, and 14 inches) all sport the same premium finishes, solid keyboards, and pleasant touchpads, while being expected to be easy on the wallet. There are still some details to be worked out, and not all specs or prices are finalized but, while we wait for the official PR to roll in, check out our hands-on with the 12.1-inch and 15.6-inch models below.