14 DAY TRIAL // Placing Core i7 CPUs into the Let's Note R9 ultraportable laptop is not the only upgrade that Panasonic is trumpeting. In fact, the company has also upgraded three entire notebook lines. The laptop families that will be seeing better performance capabilities are the Let's note N9, S9 and F9. Panasonic is equipping them with Intel Core i5 central processing units and will make them available starting with February 17th.
The Let's Note N9 Series notebooks will be powered by the Intel Core i5-520M CPU and their configurations will make use of 2GB of RAM. The laptops in this line measure 282.8 × 209.6 × 23.4-38.7mm and weigh 1.26 kg. The display solution employed is a 12.1-inch WXGA screen and the connectivity and I/O capabilities of the products will include Gigabit Ethernet, a card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, WiMAX, HDMI and WiFi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n. The battery life lasts for up to nine hours.
The second series that is getting a performance boost is the Let's note S9. Laptops in this line have a high number of similarities with the N9 series. They are equipped with 12.1 WXGA panels and the Core i5-520 CPU, WiFi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet, WiMAX and HDMI outputs. The notebooks also have three USB 2.0 ports and an added feature, represented by the SD card slot. The dimensions are the same as those of the N9 series, but the S9 laptops are somewhat heavier, weighing 1.32 kg, and their battery life is significantly better, with up to 14 hours on a single charge compared with the nine provided by the N9 mobile PCs.
The Let's note F9 is the more unique of the three, with a 14.1-inch LCD LED-backlit screen with a WXGA+ resolution (1440 x 900). It measures 326 × 251 × 25.5-48.5mm, weighs 1.61 kg and lasts for up to nine hours on battery. Its other specifications are largely identical to those of the other two series.
All three lines have 2GB of RAM, 250GB of storage space (HDD) and integrated graphics. The F9 and S9 also come with DVD burners and all laptops come pre-installed with Windows 7 Professional. The Let's Note F9 and S9 are priced at 230,000 Yens (1,765€), whereas the N9 series has a tag of 190,000 Yens (1,455€).