Samsung has been showing off its forthcoming X360 laptop at the IFA exhibition in Berlin. At 1.27 kg, it's lighter than a MacBook Air at 1.36kg. (There are lighter machines such as the Toshiba Portege, but with 12.1inch instead of 13.3inch screens.)
Samsung says: "the X360 sets a completely new standard in mobile computing -- offering a comprehensive set of features unlike anything of its kind on the market."
Well, it has more features and ports than the heavily compromised Air, including a 7-in-1 card reader, three USB ports, PCI Express Card Slot (34mm), HDMI, VGA, RJ45 (Ethernet) and a docking slot. You can also have either a Solid State Drive (64GB or 128GB) or a traditional 120GB drive. Other features include a fingerprint reader, webcam, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Unlike the sometimes-overheating Air, the X360 also has a proper ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) processor -- probably not cheap -- and X4500 graphics. With an SSD and 6-cell battery, this enables Samsung to claim a battery life of "up to 10 hours", depending on use. But I'll be impressed if I get more than 5 or 6 hours.....
From what I can see of the various IFA videos and photos, the battery projects at the back, like most 6-cell packs. This gives Samsung no hope of getting anywhere near the "thinnest" machine. The X360's thickness is 1.67-3.09cm, which compares with the MacBook Air's 0.4-1.94 cm. Not that it makes the slightest bit of difference in reality. (Well, not from the point of view of portability. Thinner is just worse -- less usable -- if it means giving up ports, expansion slots and a removable battery.)
From the photos and videos, it also looks extremely glossy, which may not go down too well with the comfortably-matt ThinkPad crowd.
The X360 is expected to reach Europe next month. Samsung hasn't stated a price. I reckon it's unlikely to cost less than £1,200 with a hard drive, but it could be in the same ballpark as the Air.
