I am writing these words on an extremely thin and stylish, but very light, laptop made of metal. Despite its slender body, it has a full-size screen and keyboard, good performance and claims strong battery life. Like a tablet, it uses solid-state memory instead of a hard disk and wakes up almost instantly, ready to resume work when you open the lid, even if it has been idle for days.

You might assume I'm using one of Apple 's alluring MacBook Air machines, introduced in 2008 and revamped last October. But you'd be wrong. Instead, I'm using the first real Windows-based competitor to the Air. It's the new Samsung Series 9, a gorgeous black machine with a super-bright, vivid 13-inch screen.

I've been testing the Series 9, and my verdict is that it is a solid, beautiful, speedy laptop that provides Windows users a good alternative to the MacBook Air. It bests the Air in some respects and trails it in others, but overall, I found the Series 9 satisfying to use.

Prospective buyers of the Series 9, however, should prepare to pay a lot—more than what even premium-priced Apple charges for the Air. And, based on my tests, I suspect they will see noticeably less battery life than Samsung claims, and significantly less than on the comparable MacBook Air.

Samsung officials consider the Series 9 a premium "halo product," the kind of item a company produces when it wants to make a statement about the work it can turn out. Though Samsung is a giant company, it hasn't been selling computers in the U.S. for long and it sees the Series 9 as a way of drawing attention to its brand in PCs.