Samsung Announces 2019 Notebook 9 Pen With New S Pen, Big Battery

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Samsung is not waiting for CES 2019 to unveil its new products. The Korean firm has announced its 2019 Notebook 9 Pen laptops, which now come in a new 15-inch variant in addition to the standard 13-inch version. One big improvement to the convertible two-in-one model is the improved S Pen.

What’s special about the new S Pen?

According to Samsung, the new S Pen is twice as fast as its predecessor. The company will also be offering three other tips for the S Pen to support different drawing styles. The active Pen can be used to write and draw on the convertible’s full-HD display.

“With improved design and performance, along with our Notebook’s most advanced S Pen yet, the new Notebook 9 Pen is perfect for contemporary professionals who put especially high demands on their technology,” SVP YoungGyoo Choi of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business said in a press release.

Moreover, the new S Pen reduces latency and becomes active as soon as its tip meets the screen. Like the earlier S Pens, it’s stored inside the laptop and needs no charging separately. Users will also get a free three-month trial of the Myscript Nebo app with the purchase of the 2019 Notebook 9 Pen.

“Take notes in a meeting. Diagram an idea. Your notes are saved instantly and can be shared and transported across the cloud,” Samsung said.

What’s changed with Samsung’s 2019 Notebook 9 Pen?

Samsung’s 2019 Notebook 9 Pen will come in 15-inch and 13-inch sizes. Other than the new size option, a big difference between the 2019 model and this year’s model is the added support for entry-level discrete graphics on the bigger size. The 13-inch model features shared graphics, while the 15-inch device has NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics.

In addition to the new S Pen, other things are mostly the same as last year’s model. Some changes in the 2019 models include the latest eighth-gen Intel processors, gigabit Wi-Fi, and overhauled port selection with two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a single regular USB-C plug. The RAM sizes and storage details are not out yet, but Samsung has said it will come with LPDDR3 RAM and PCIe NVMe SSD storage.

The chassis of the 2019 Notebook 9 Pen laptops is mostly navy blue, while the edges are silver. The available color options are Ocean Blue and Platinum White. There is also a new row of keys on the right side of the keyboard with page up and down buttons. The position of the fingerprint sensor has been changed as well; it is now to the right of the arrow keys instead of above them. The new placement should be more comfortable for users, as on the current model, it’s easy to inadvertently press the arrow keys.

Other new features include a built-in fingerprint reader or facial recognition using its IR camera for instant Windows Hello sign-ins, better audio and new ThunderAmp smart amplifier technology. Both models are incredibly light as well. The 13-inch version weighs just 2.47 pounds, and the bigger one weighs only 3.44 pounds.

Addressing user concerns

Samsung also seems to have addressed the problems with the current Notebook 9 Pen. Many users complained about the laptop’s cheap plastic-like feel and poor battery life. Samsung is also promising 15 hours of battery life and fast-charging capabilities with the 2019 Notebook 9 Pen. The 15 hours of battery life will be a big improvement over the current models, which users say last just 7.5 hours.

The new laptops will also sport a metal chassis with a blue diamond-cut finish to ditch the plastic-like feel. To give the feel of a premium laptop, the Korean firm has also narrowed the bezels around the display. The maximum screen brightness is 500 nits with 1080p resolution, although the color gamut coverage details are not known.

Pricing details are not known, but the new laptops are expected to be priced similarly to the 2018 models. The current Notebook 9 Pen starts at $1,400. Both models will be available in South Korea starting on Dec. 14 and in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, and the U.S. in early 2019.

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