Samsung knows a thing or two about making top-notch ultraportables and ultrabooks, and the new Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition ($1,499.99 as tested) shows that it's still one of the best in the category. The follow-up to the top-rated Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, the new Book 9 2014 Edition has most of the traits that wowed us in the past, like a slim design, premium lightweight construction, and a battery that lasts all day. This new model, however, loses the impressive display seen on the Book 9 Plus, and while the improved battery life and larger display size do help make up for it, it's not quite enough to take top honors.

The Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition marks a slight change in naming convention since the previous iteration. Last year, the Book 9 was available in two configurations, the premium Book 9 Plus and the lower-powered (but less expensive) Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite. With this new model, the "Plus" and "Lite" names are discarded, with just a single Book 9 configuration that keeps most (but not all) of the high-end offerings of the Plus and is a significant step up from the Lite, making it simply the Book 9 2014 Edition.

Design
Measuring 0.5 by 12.6 by 8.80 inches (HWD) and weighing just 3.92 pounds, the new Book 9 is slim and light, but it's also very sturdy and substantial thanks to an aluminum chassis and improved keyboard, which provide a very solid feel to the highly portable ultrabook. It has the same sleek curves as the previous Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, but with a slimmer overall profile and narrower bezels around the display. The result is a lighter laptop that packs a larger 15.6-inch capacitive touch display into a similar overall size. That larger display also accounts for the slightly higher list price, which makes the Book 9 2014 Edition $100 more expensive than the previous Book 9 Plus.

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Though larger, the new Book 9's
display takes a step backward from the impressive 3,200-by-1,800 resolution of the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus's screen, or even the 2,560-by-1,440 resolution of the Editors' Choice Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7s Touch. Instead, there's a 1,920-by-1,080 screen, which is more common to midrange ultrabooks. This display is brighter, with 300-nits backlighting, but the Full HD display isn't particularly compelling. The one benefit of the lower-resolution display, however, is the improved energy efficiency, extending the battery life by hours.

The keyboard has subtly sculpted keycaps, a surprisingly deep 1.3mm of key travel, and a soft-touch matte finish on the individual keys. It also offers backlighting, for easy typing in low-light conditions. The touchpad is quite large, measuring 4.25 by 3.2 inches, with a silky smooth surface and full support for Windows 8 gestures.

Samsung uses a Wolfson digital-to-analog chip for better audio and recording, and partnered with Dolby to develop custom compression algorithms that reduce the flattening experienced when listening to compressed audio. To my ear, that sound is good when heard through the laptop's built-in stereo speakers, but the real magic happens when listening with high-end headphones; that's when FLAC files play back with better than CD quality audio.

Features
On the sides of the slim ultrabook, you'll find a surprising number of ports and connectors, given the lack of space. On the left, there's a full-size HDMI output, one USB 3.0 port, a stereo headset jack, and a tiny port for Samsung's small Ethernet adapter dongle (included). On the right, you'll find two more USB ports (one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0), a Kensington case-lock slot, and another small adapter port, this time for VGA ($39.99, sold separately). Also on the right side of the system is an SD Card slot, with a spring-loaded cover that keeps out dirt and grime whenever the slot isn't in use.