Ahead of CES 2019, Samsung made an early announcement for its refreshed Notebook 9 Pen in both 13 and 15-inch editions. These new 360-degree 2-in-1 convertible notebook PCs are aimed at artists and anyone else who needed decent power with as little weight as possible.

The Notebook 9 Pen comes with a stylus that looks and feels quite similar to the one that comes bundled with a Galaxy Note 9. Samsung claims it has reduced the stylus’ latency considerably. However, the real upgrade is probably the addition of three replaceable nibs that let you customize the pen tip’s shape and friction to better simulate the feeling of pen on paper.

The company is also throwing in a three-month trial of the Myscript Nebo app from the Microsoft Store, which is an excellent inking program. Samsung claims that new S Pen has a reduced latency of up to 2x from the previous model.

Choice and creativity go hand-in-hand, and those who create deserve the flexibility to work the way they want, wherever inspiration strikes. With improved design and performance, along with our notebook’s most advanced S Pen yet, the new Notebook 9 Pen is perfect for contemporary professionals who put especially high demands on their technology.

For raw power, Samsung is opting for 8th generation Intel Core i7 ones although the exact models were not detailed (likely quad-core 15W “Whiskey Lake”), PCIe NVMe SSD, 8GB or 16GB LPDDR3 RAM. Both devices will run Windows 10 Home and they will support Windows Hello via facial recognition using HD IR Camera and a fingerprint reader. It’s also got a “ThunderAmp” smart amp and “studio-quality sound from speakers tuned by AKG”, Samsung said.

Other features include dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, Gigabit Wi-Fi, 1 x USB-C port, HP/MIC and UFS & microSD Combo. The display, with 1080p resolution as before, has got slimmed-down bezels, at least on the sides.

The 13-inch version comes with Intel Graphics UHD 620, while the 15-inch version features a modest NVIDIA GeForce MX150 with 2GB of video memory – a common GPU to make up for the lack of an Intel Iris Plus option.

The Notebook 9 Pen packs a much bigger battery with fast-charging that lets it run for up to 15 hours. Both models have an Aluminum body and come in Vibrant ocean blue color. They are also incredibly light, at 2.47 pounds for the 13-inch version, and 3.44 pounds for the larger model. Both have a 360-degree hinge and a backlit keyboard.

Samsung has not announced pricing, but if we have to go by the last year pricing, the 13-inch Notebook 9 Pen might cost $1,299, while the larger 15-inch version will probably retail at $1400. It will arrive in the US sometime in 2019.

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