IFA coverage: Samsung X360 as light as Air.

Samsung is the latest company to bow to the pressures of being thin, which is a trend becoming as much of an obsession in the laptop world as it is in the modelling industry. The new X360 is on show at this year’s IFA and is designed to directly rival Apple’s MacBook Air. From first impressions, the guys at Samsung have done a very good job of oneupmanship.

This model features a 13 inch screen with 1280×800 resolution and an LED backlight that produces over 30 per cent extra brightness over other designs. Weighing in at a feathery 1.27 kg, the X360 falls into the lightweight division over the MacBook Air which shows a slightly heftier 1.36 kg on those all important scales.

Laptop features come in thick and fast on this model. The X360 comes equipped with a multi-card reader, an Express Card slot, three USB ports, Ethernet jack, and HDMI and VGA outputs. On top of that, it features a fingerprint security reader making it the MI5 of laptops. Perhaps that’s not the most coveted crown, but it’s still pretty cool.

All of these features does make the Samsung X360 a better device than, say, the MacBook Air for instance. But has it got the “wow” factor that is the cause of many an impromptu Apple purchase?

Personally I think it looks sleek and sophisticated just as a light laptop really needs to. It also lasts up to 10 hours on a single battery charge which is phenomenal, and means that your portable laptop can live up to its name for a change. Its usability far outstrips the MacBook Air and with a projected retail cost around £1200, it’s not overpriced for what you get.

The Samsung X360 beats the current MacBook Air hands down, but the question I’m interested in is will it still be able to out manoeuvre the newer version Air that’s currently making its way around the rumour mill?