HP Envy 14 Spectre vs Samsung Series 9 900X3B: MacBook Air Challengers Do Battle

HP showed off the Envy 14 Spectre at the CES show in January, but it's on sale now for starting at $1,400. Samsung also had debuted an updated Series 9 at CES and the 900X3B is out now with the same price as the Envy 14 but with a 13-inch screen. For these prices, we expect high-powered computing with little wiggle room. No computer design is perfect, and there are always trade-offs, so let's see who can come out on top in this laptop battle.

Windows 7 users will see some familiar touches on both of these machines, but there is no denying they are taking design cues from Apple here. The result is lightweight machines with nice backlit keyboards and some power, but also the revelation that both HP and Samsung fall just a bit short compared to the first generation Series 9 and the HP Folio 13. While the Folio 13 isn't quite as thin and light as the Envy 14 Spectre, it's quite a bit less expensive. Conversely, Samsung has debuted the 900X3B at a bit lower of a price than when the 900X3A launched ($200 less). Start the slide show to compare these two workhorse laptops. Let us know in the comments if you're a student or professional and if a great display or better price is more important to you in a laptop.