Either you love the minimalist design popularised by Apple's unibody aluminium Macbook line or you don't.
If it's your cup of tea, but you want a Windows laptop, not something with an Apple logo on it, there's a select shortlist of machines that should be on your radar. The newly announced ASUS UX31 Ultrabook, which we posted photos and first impressions of yesterday, is one. As is Dell's XPS 15z.
Samsung's Notebook Series 9 is another. Available with either an 13.3in or 11.6in screen, the Series 9's claim to fame is its sleek styling and chassis built from an aluminum alloy called Duralumin.
The Samsung NotebookSeries 9
The result is a laptop that is actually a touch lighter than the MacBook Air, though the difference is so small you'd be hard pressed to notice it. The 13.3in model weighs 1.31Kg, while the 11.6in model weighs 1.06Kg.
What's interesting is that this week Samsung has announced a model that's much cheaper than the $2499 model we saw earlier this year.
The new 11.6in unit costs $1499, which puts it in the same price territory as the MacBook Air, though still more expensive than the entry-level Macbook Air ($1099, 11.6in, Core i5, 64GB SSD, 2GB RAM) and step-up MacBook Air ($1349, 11.6in, Core i5, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM). The 13in MacBook Air (Core i5, 128GB, 4GB RAM) costs the same price: $1499.
Still, it's a lot more affordable than the 13.3in Samsung models, which cost $2299 (Core i5, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD) and $2799 (Core i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB RAM).
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Also read: Enter the Ultrabook: making the Windows laptop v MacBook decision
Also read our First Look at ASUS' 13in UX31 Ultrabook
More photos: See the ASUS' UX31 Ultrabook up close in our photo gallery
