Apple Macbook vs Samsung ATIV Book 9 (2015, Core M)

These two 12-inch laptops go head-to-head at under 1KG (around 2 pounds) and are both expensive, stylish and fanless. Intel Core M processors should give enough power for all daily tasks including some basic Full-HD  editing and rendering. The screens both offer high resolutions without a touch layer.

Obviously there are operating system differences with the Macbook launching with OSX Yosemite and the ATIV Book 9 with Windows 8.1. Windows 10 will be coming for the Samsung in mid-late 2015 and OSX upgrades are most likely to be available for the Macbook.

Although the ATIV does have native ports the MicroSD and Micro HDMI port would still require an adaptor but the full-size USB 3.0 ports may be an advantage to many.

In terms of performance we expect the Macbook to out-perform the ATIV on CPU and GPU tasks based on the higher clock and Turbo speed. Tighter integration of OS to the hardware has resulted in better efficiencies in the past with Apple Macbooks and we expect this again with the 2015 Macbook. The bigger battery is also going to help bring better battery life than the Samsung.

These products are not yet available for full review. As soon as they are we will be adding our evaluation below and adding more information to this page. If you have experience with the two devices, feel free to drop comments in below.