How to get newest Samsung Notebook in Europe ?

Hello,

I am running with fantastic Samsung 900X3C since 2012 and I am still lovin it
I live in France and I red that Samsung has unfortunately stop selling its Notebook in Europe and I feel so sad about that...

I am highly interested in buying a new Samsung Notebook
http://liliputing.com/2016/03/samsu...s-now-available-1000-starting-1-9-pounds.html
Or even an older model

I would like to know if there is still a way to get a Samsung Notebook from Europe and physically change the default QWERTY keyboard to AZERTY ? by any means !

And know if the french language available on the OS at the first start ?

Thank you for your help !

 

The most recent 13" Samsung notebook with a French (or any other European) keyboard is the NP900X3G. This is effectively an update of your X3C with the same good and bad points but newer CPU and an 8GB RAM option. I think it has the same battery as the X3C so it will run for longer due to improved power management. There is also the NP940X3G which has the higher resolution touchscreen and is significantly heavier.

As far as I can see from looking in the SW Update database, the latest Samsung notebooks are only released for Korea, China, Hong Kong and USA. The model numbers are NP900X3L, NP940X3L, NP900X5L (effectively the successor to the NP900X4C) and also the NP910S3L. USA doesn't have the NP910S3L but does have the NP940Z5L. It is unlikely that any of these are available in a version with the European keyboard (which has an extra key compared to the US version and the position / size of some other keys is different).

If you do want the latest Samsung then I have seen US sellers listing them on UK ebay which shows a willingness to sell to Europe. However, hile the new notebooks have lost some weight they have also lost some battery capacity which, to me, is a step backwards.

John

 

Thanks John for your highly detailed answer (and thanks for your Samsung sticky topic which has helped so much!)

I've just checked and even the NP900X3G is out of stock everywhere here...
I prefer avoid to buy a newer model on ebay UK because I would get mad running QWERTY keyboard...
I feel really sad about not returning to Samsung... My current laptop is still running so smooth and quiet like on its first day !

It looks like I will have to find another alternative unfortunately...
I have started looking at 13" notebooks from other manufacturers but no one definitely convince me like...
Can I ask you which one would you recommend as a NP900X3C successor ?

I am looking for a similar experience : light, good build quality, durability, good stamina, loud and clear speakers, nice mate screen, touchscreen not needed, crazy screen resolution not needed neither.
the best would be an i5, 8Go and 256 SSD
I know it makes a lot but... hey, I know what I want

The surface book is expensive, heavy, and it looks like the first version is having troubles
The Dell XPS 13 looks a good compromise, but I don't like glossy screen and maximum brightness level looks low compared to Samsung...
There are bunch of ASUS netbook models and sporadically distributed here in France, I can't get my way to a good reference (if you can help)
Toshiba is about to stop selling in Europe so I don't want to take any risk
And I don't really know about other manufacturers

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated ;-)
Thanks !

 

You can change QWERTY to AZERTY just by telling Windows it is a different keyboard but this won't fix the problem of some of the other keys being different shapes and sizes. My fingers are used to the UK keyboard layout and get confused by a US keyboard and I would expect you to have similar problems.

You may want to look for a Dell Latitude 13. There's a review of the latest one here. It doesn't explicitly state that the screen isn't glossy, but the bottom photo suggests a semi-matte screen. It's not as thin and light as the 13" Samsung but offers more features and is more easily serviceable. Or, if your eyes are getting old and a bigger screen helps then there's the 14" Latitudes. I've been using one (first the E7440 and the E7450) for the past 18 months. It's bigger and heavier then the NP900X3C but is still very portable. If Dell France has an outlet section then you might find something at a reasonable price. Latitudes have a price premium due to the better warranty and the knowledge that spare parts will be available for many years.

There aren't many notebook screens with brightness more than 300 to 350 nit. My E7450's FHD panel is rated at 300 nits and is fine for bright indoor conditions. The X3C's 400 nits is better for outside use but running at high brightness on battery quickly reduces the time before a recharge is needed.

John

 

The XPS 13 has a matte display option that can be chosen during configuration. Go to the Dell section in this forum and there are a ton of owners of that model with lots of feedback.

Another ultrabook with a matte display option is the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. That one is a 14" screen, but has a 13" footprint.

 

Thank you guys, thanks to both of you !

I didn't know about the laptops you recommend but they all looks like excellent devices !
I am heading to Dell and Lenovo sections here to get some fresh reviews ;-)

 

im currently in belgium and want to get the NP900X5L .
i read about some chinese shops, which are shipping from uk, so customs/tax dont apply (i think gearbest).
anyone knows where to get this samsung notebook like this?

(ps. if anyone wants to sell a used one in europe, send me a pm)

 

The US version of the X5L is listed on UK Amazon so tax is included if it will ship to Europe. Some US suppliers are also listing the X5L on ebay UK although you will have to separately pay tax (usually VAT + processing fee).

John

 

yeah well maybe i should have added for a humane price.
its like 900€ on US amazon and 1400€ on UK ..

 

Add 20% VAT and shipping costs and the price creeps up. You might find that some US retailers would be willing to ship to Europe - I once bought a Fujitsu notebook from the US because the price difference was more than the shipping and tax costs (+ changing the keyboard, which you won't be able to do). If the package is shipped with a reputable courier then they will handle the import processing - they phone you for credit card details once they need to clear the package from customs.

John

 

but, on amazon uk it creeps up to 60% more. thats insane.

anyways, i dont want to deal with customs and tax.
i tried to buy one over ebay, but when i tried to pay via paypal, i couldnt.
some error and ebay also couldnt make it work.

so im only looking for something in europe. and i would then buy it for the regular price..