Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite

Like most any parent would certainly agree, no two children are alike, not even within the same family. The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite looks a great deal like the premium Ultrabook Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, our Editor's Choice "for the high-end ultrabooks. More affordable Book 9 Lite borrows some design elements from the more expensive brethren, with a similar slim silhouette and touch screen. But despite the elegant stylings ultrabook, Book 9 Lite falls short in several key areas, with dawdling lackluster performance and battery life.

design
Book 9 Lite is designed with the same slim profile and elegant curves see premiums Book 9 Plus, a clear play to offer a budget-friendly laptop with the same visual appeal. There are some small details that have changed, such as a slightly different shape to the hinge, and the absence of the bare metal stripe around the edge of the chassis, but the biggest difference exterior is not necessarily one that you see, but the one you think, as the chassis is molded plastic instead of aluminum. Plastic Book 9 Lite measures 0.7 by 12.8 by 8.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.5 pounds.

The other big difference is all visual, as the Book 9 Lite features a 13.3-inch display with 1366-by-768 resolution, a far cry from the ultra-hi-res display of Book 9 Plus. Despite decided to common display resolution, it is still a touch screen with 10-digit tracking, and the color quality is not bad, although the viewing angle is not great.

Book 9 Lite features two down-firing stereo speakers, designed to reflect the sound off the surface it rests on to produce a fuller, better sound. In practice, the sound is not bad, provided you keep the laptop on a table or desk. Get the laptop, and dropped off considerably the quality of the sound; switch on your actual lap, or rest the laptop on a sofa cushion or bed, and the sound is very muffled.

While they may vary greatly in construction and demonstration of Book 9 Lite from premium counterpart, the keyboard and touchpad are very similar. The full-size chiclet keyboard has the same comfortable feeling spacing and type as in Book 9 Plus, with the same button extended shift and half size arrow and function keys. Unlike the more expensive models, however, the Book 9 Lite has no backlight. Book also features a wide 9 Lite, clickable touchpad, with multitouch gesture support. During my testing, the touchpad monitor all well and consistently, no significant issues.