The Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook is a great example of an Ultrabook laptop — extremely thin, good performance and very sleek — but it's been surpassed by other machines (such as the Microsoft Surface Pro) that boast full HD screens. Now the Series 9 is catching up.

Samsung is upgrading the Series 9's 13.3-inch screen to 1080p resolution (1,920 x 1,080), up from 1,600 x 900. With the extra pixels, users will be able to see more detail in photos, and HD videos will render at full resolution.

One catch: The Series 9 still doesn't support touch, which will be more than a little disappointing for Windows 8 users. Touch was likely omitted because it would require rethinking the best thing about the Series 9: its thin design. The form factor is still a remarkable 0.51 inch thick (the MacBook Air is 0.68 inch), and it weighs just 2.56 pounds.

SEE ALSO: Can an Ultrabook Be the Center of Your Digital Life?

The laptop ships with Windows 8 Pro, and it's powered by an Intel Core i7 processor (up from i5) and 4GB of RAM (though you can add more when you buy it). Storage goes up to 256GB of solid-state memory. Battery life is rated at 8 hours.

We checked out the Series 9 Ultrabook last year and were suitably impressed that Samsung packed such a well-performing laptop into an lightweight design. With the better processor and increased resolution, it's now more in line with today's top ultra-thin designs.

The new Series 9 certainly has the price to match that status: $1,899.99 (for 4GB of RAM and 256GB of storage). Whether or not that's worth it depends on how much you value mobility, and whether or not you can live without touch for the next couple of years.

In addition to upgrading the Series 9, Samsung is also adding the option of 4G LTE capability to its ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, its hybrid model that "transforms" from PC to tablet by removing the keyboard. That model starts at $1,599.99.

BONUS: Samsung Series 9 Review

Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook Review

Image courtesy of Samsung