Samsung Adds Intel CPU to ATIV Book 9 Lite Ultraportable

Samsung has quietly added an Intel processor option to the ATIV Book 9 Lite 13.3-inch thin-and-light laptop, previously available only with an AMD CPU.

A couple of ATIV Book 9 Lite models are listed on German CyberPort online store with the Intel Core i3-4020Y “Haswell” dual-core chip including the Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics, instead of the usual AMD A6-1450 with the Radeon HD 8250. Generally, both CPUs are entry-level parts, but the Intel version should deliver faster processing. For comparison, in PassMark benchmarks the i3-4020Y racks in 2,333 points, whereas the A6-1450 scores 1,653. Both chips have integrated graphics which should offer similar performance. Also, power consumption is about the same – 11.5 Watts on the Intel versus 9W on the AMD, so the battery life on both ATIV Book 9 Lite versions should be the same. According to specifications of the products, the battery life is up to eight hours on both models.

The only remaining difference is absence of touchscreen-enabled models with Intel’s technology.

These 3.2-pound laptops with 0.67″ thin profiles are equipped with 2-cell 4.080 mAh battery packs and don’t differ in other aspects, too. The 9 Lite series comes with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid state drive. The screen resolution is 1366×768 pixels, while selection of ports and slots includes two USBs, micro HDMI, mini VGA, wired LAN port, and a 3-in-1 media card reader. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in, as well as stereo speakers and a 1.3MP webcam.

The 9 Lite takes design cues from the premium-class ATIV Book 9 Plus, but the former is made of plastics instead of aluminum and keyboard backlight is missing on it.

The Intel-based ATIV Book 9 Lite costs 700 Euros (about $950), as opposed to AMD edition which is 600 EUR (~$810). The Intel version isn’t available in the US at the time of this writing.