NP900X3G - Successor to the ATIV Book 9 (not Lite or Plus) with Haswell

What advantages does this have over the new Lenovo X1C?

 

The Book 9 is a size smaller and lighter (and probably thinner) and more stylish.

And I would trust the metal casing of the Book 9 to provide better protection to the display than Lenovo's carbon fibre (I have a T420s in my collection which developed pressure spots on the display due to, I reckon, pressure on the lid when closed).

John

 

It should compare very favorably, hopefully they've ironed out the wifi issues that have plagued the line. Another concern, it is probably still limited to micro hdmi (or vga, usb3) for video out. I imagine they will also have to price it below the AB9+.

 

specs for NP900X3G-K01UK model..

Product Description Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G - 13.3" - Core i5 4200U SSD
Processor Intel Core i5 (4th Gen) 4200U / 1.6 GHz
Storage SSD
Display 13.3" LED backlight
Networking 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 , Gigabit Ethernet
Battery 4-cell
Dimensions (WxDxH) 31.38 cm x x

Extended Specification
AC Adapter Output 40 Watt
Camera Integrated webcam
Sound Stereo speakers , microphone
Battery Technology 4-cell
Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0
Memory Card Reader ( SD Card, SDHC Card )
Display Features Anti-reflective
LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight
Type 13.3"
Widescreen Yes
Backlit keyboard
Features USB Sleep-and-charge ports
64-bit Computing Yes
CPU Intel Core i5 (4th Gen) 4200U / 1.6 GHz
Cache L3
Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Number of Cores Dual-Core
Hard Drive SSD

Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G - 13... | NP900X3G-K01UK | £1,022.99 | Insight UK

 

various sites for the two USA models:

1. NP900X3G-S01US: i7-4500U/8/256 for ~$1,700

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/SAMSUNG-ATIV-13.3in-I7-4500U-256-8GB/3235501.aspx

ShopBLT.com: Samsung Series 9 I7-4500u 1.8g 8gb 256gb 13.3in Notebook 3yr

SAMSUNG NP900X3G-S01US ATIV BOOK9-I7-256SSD-8GB-W7W8, NP900X3GS01US on AntaresPro.com

SERIES 9 I7-4500U 1.8G 8GB (NP900X3G-S01US) - Notebooks at Colamco


2. NP900X3G-S02US: i5-4200U/8/128 for ~$1,400

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/SAMSUNG-ATIV-13.3in-I5-4200U-128-8GB/3235503.aspx

SAMSUNG (NP900X3G-S02US) Product Page -- NextWarehouse.com

Series 9 I5-4200u 1.6g 8gb 28gb 13.3in Notebk 3yr NP900X3G-S02US - Buy Samsung Laptops & Netbooks Computer Systems | PCNation.com

ShopBLT.com: Samsung Series 9 I5-4200u 1.6g 8gb 28gb 13.3in Notebook 3yr

 

I thought the wireless was going to ac and not n?

Also would the 1100 Euros be the realistic release price or is it just a placeholder?

 

i assumed AC as well and maybe it will be, so that spec could be wrong.. i'm not sure how reputable that UK retailer is, so take it for what it's worth. i'm not sure how accurate that listed price is, but hopefully it isn't that far off.

 

No price break I guess, just a RAM bump. Still 8GB i5 is a good option. Hope it has msata.

 

Let me, guess you want EVO

That's the most interesting thing to be discovered on that machine. Are you aware of any haswell ultrabooks still supporting mSATA? The flyer linked by John, says Intel AC 7260, which imho just exists as M.2 card. So chances are the SSD will be as well in form of M.2.

With the chassis & battery still being the same, I'm wondering how much of an internal re-design we'll see.

 

the 8GB is really important, so it's great they did that.

the i5-4200U isn't far behind the i7-4500, so the base model option will appeal to many. people can then upgrade the 128 SSD on their own if they want.

i imagine the price will come down to ~$1,250 after it's been out for a bit.

Amazon sold the AB9+ for $200 less during a pre-order period, so maybe they'll do the same here with this model.

 

What about screen? lets hope that it is a 3200\1800 resolution matte screen.

 

From the pdf document linked a couple of pages ago, I think it will still be the FHD matte screen from the previous generation.

Given that the battery is the same size as the previous generation, I can't see a higher resolution screen having a positive effect on the battery life.

 

Look at this:
Series 9 13.3
http://www.samsung.com/us/system/co...COM-ATIVBOOK9B2BDSHT-JAN14T-Final-1-10-14.pdf

Seems like it does not use the same chassis as the 900x3f - no black edges here (however they talk about magnesium... wasn't it aluminum with the silver edged chassis?)

 

There's just so many more options for msata, but yes that 1TB EVO is mouth-watering. Since the only SSD numbers consumers/reviewers look at are sequential, they will probably ditch msata. I'm guessing they'll just use the same board from the AB9+ with the harder to find M2 format. FYI, I put a half-mini 7260 in my X3B, not a bad upgrade.

 

according to that PDF picture, the US models don't appear to be the same chassis as the 900X3F, but appear identical to the 900X3E except it now appears to be really black instead of that blue color.

it'll be interesting to see if this new battery can truly achieve close to 10 hours. if so, it'll be a big winner.

an improved, quieter keyboard with a bit more travel would be huge too.

 

Agreed. I currently have the 900x3f and it only lasts approx. 5 hours on normal usage (wifi on, 40% brightness, using internet and office programs). If I can get 7+ hours, I can work a happy man.

 

Any reviews of this out and when is the release date?

 

I would expect it to show up in a few countries within the next month with wider roll-out thereafter. While some US sites are listing this model, no US versions are yet in SW Update's database. Germany, Hong Kong and UK are in the database (there may also be other countries - I haven't checked them all).

John

 

It just appeared in german online shops:
Samsung ATIV Book 9 - 900X3G, Core i5-4200U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (NP900X3G-K01DE) Preisvergleich | Geizhals Deutschland

Should be available in 1-2 weeks.

 

Got some question guys,

I am looking into a high-battery high resolution laptop... I am interested in the ATIV 9 but seems like they only come with i5's ?

I am interested in an i7 one, have anyone heard about it?

I would love to have i7, 3200 Resolution, 2 SSD running raid...

Thanks!

 

i wonder how accurate those photos are on that German site. the PDF from the Samsung USA site show a silver border around the frame (like the X3E), but the German retailer is showing all black with no silver trim (like the X3F).

 

German site is probably correct.
US site even got X3F wrong: NP900X3F Gallery | Samsung US

 

900X3G-K02 is now on stock an amazon.de (marketplace)

 

Wow! €999 at notebook.de. 8GB RAM but only 128GB SSD (but, unlike the RAM, the SSD is unofficially upgradeable). €1,299 for the version with 256GB SSD seems to be profiteering. However, we need a user to buy one and check of the SSD is mSATA or M.2. Perhaps one is heading towards notebookcheck for review.

John

 

if the listed specs are correct, that's too bad the German versions don't come with AC or have an i7 option. i wonder if that'll be the case for all models outside of the USA? that one UK site shows no AC either.. hopefully they're wrong? or maybe a beefed up i7 option with AC will come later?

supposedly both the USA models come with AC and there's an i7/8/256 configuration, but who knows at this point.

 

I wouldn't plain believe what they state. Often enough not even Samsung gets their own specs pages right. But even if they are right: (AB9+ thread)

Regarding CPU, RAM & SSD, there are usually more configurations released over the time.

 

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum but I read with interest all the posts and I share with you interest in the updated NP900X3. Indeed, the 9 plus does not fit with my needs, and the hi-res display does not worth the increase in weight, at least for my needs, I mean. The Haswell refresh of the "old" series 9 instead should be great...IF...battery endurance is somehow noticeably better, as my NP900X3C lasts max 6h on real-life usage (wifi on, word, powerpoint, web browsing).
Is there some one who got information on how really haswell could have increased battery life of the 900X3G? I noticed that the datasheet one of you posted earlier on states 10h, in contrast, the specifications available through an italian reseller state 8h...I am pretty confused give that also the old NP900X with ivy bridge was supposed to last 8h...

Thanks guys!

 

Samsung seem to use different battery operation tests. The claimed time for the NP940X3G dropped from 12 hours to 8 hours when, IIRC, they shifted from the minimum power usage condition to a commercial benchmark, which better reflects real life usage (but may be worse than your usage). Backlight brightness can make a big difference - a Series 9 on 1/4 brightness can be as bright as some notebook displays on 3/4 brightness.

My best guess is that Haswell would give you 20% more run time, ie 7.5 hours but it might be only 7 hours. Increased CPU efficiency does make any difference to the power used by other components such as the display backlight, and WiFi.

John

 

Dear John,

Thanks for your reply and for suggestions, as well. I hope that someone will be able to review the Haswell refresh and tell us something about performance, but the perfomance of the last-generation NP900X3 were already fine, in general and about battery life in particular...an endurance of 7-7.5 hrs should be satisfactory to most of us, I think...even if the Haswell MBA is a breakthrough...

Pietro

 

300 euro more for the bigger SSD seems a bit harsh... Doesn't look regularily available right now, but once it is I think I might give 128gb version a shot.
7h+ of battery time would be cool.

 

So, has this appeared any where yet?

 

It seems NP900X3G-K02DE is in stock here.

Stock is expected in UK in a couple of weeks.

John

 

Also in Italian online stores is expected to be available by mid-Feb.

For what concerns battery life, I think some guess may be done comparing the total wattage of np900x3g with that of Sony Vaio Pro 13 of which we know endurance, at least until someone will test our laptop directly.

Cheers,

Pietro

 

Do we have any idea what type of screen this will have, other than 1080p, anti-reflective etc. Will it be PLS / IPS? I guess it won't be touchscreen for sure?!

 

It's probably the same than it's predecessors:

It's a very nice panel.

 

According to gh.de the 256GB SSD is around 1149€, but not in stock yet.

Also looks like the German version will have a 5880 mAh battery...
I'll see if I can get my hands on one to confirm.

 

That's the same battery as previously. At 7.5V it's 44WHr.



John

 

How long a battery life is to be expected of the combination of battery and specs Samsung uses in this machine given a regular usage scheme?
Will it have better battery life under Win8.1 compared to Win7?
I have used a NP-220-JA03DE for four years now and was disappointed to be forced to use some of Samsung's software/drivers to make all of the "Fn"-keys work and the poor software/drivers support in general.
If I format the maschine right after purchase and install a clean Win7 or 8.1 with all the latest Windows updates, will I be fine without any Samsung software or am I still forced to blow up my system with unnecessary and poor software of the Koreans?
For those of you who have used maschines with the same case Samsung uses for this maschine, how annoying are the fans?
I am very anal about my computers running as noiselessly as possible and would therefore prefer the fans to run 24/7 at (very) low speeds instead of them being shut off in idle but scaling up everytime there is some load to the system.

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

EDIT:
Just stumbled across the review of the ATIV Book 9, which I had not seen beforehands.
Sounds very promising.
Of course still very much interested in your opinions.

 

From my experience with the Ativ Book 9 (Ivy Bridge) my reasonable guesses are:
-) I get 5-6 hours whe surfing the web with Wifi, so with Haswell you should get around 7 hours.
-) If the driver support is as suboptimal as it is with the Ivy Bridge modell, battery life under Win 8.1 will be roughly the same as with Win7
-) I did a clean install of Win 8 and with Samsung's SW Update tool you get all the drivers you need without hassle
-) The fan on the Ivy Bridge model is pretty much always audible while doing light work, but i wouldn't call it annoying. On the Ativ Book 9 Plus with Haswell the fan is completely off when doing stuff like surfing the web. This model should provide a similiar experience.

 

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum.
My notebook broke and I really need a new one. I did lots of "research" and the 900X3G is my favourite so far.
Only one questions remains in terms of display and th sRGB. I will mostly use it for office (Phd ...) but I also want to do some photo editing.
I read a review for the 900x3E (!) on mobiletechreview. Samsung Series 9 Review (Samsung ATIV Book 9) - Ultrabook and Laptop Reviews by MobileTechReview
I even asked Lisa about the colour gamut/ sRGB. She replied that the panel achieved very good 95%.
So what do you think about the 900X3G. The probably use the same 1080p BOE Hydis panel, don'ty they? And since the panel of the 900x3e & f was the same level they won't ruin the 900x3f, will they?
I could buy the 900x3f as well but it, unfortunately, has only 4GB RAM. :/
Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

Alex

 

From http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...s/719570-haswell-power-savings-explained.html:

___

The only software you need is Settings. SW Update (semi bloatware) for drivers can be run from any Windows PC.

We don't have confirmation yet whether the X3G uses the same cooling system than it's predecessors.
Here my observations of X3E:

___

? This is the Ativ Book 9!

 

Thank you a lot for your help Matthias_K and oled!

Your experiences regarding the cooling system sound promissing, lets hope Samsung hasn''t changed it for the worse.

Speaking about Settings and SW Update, is there a need to run those automatically at boot up and keep them active in the background or is it sufficient to turn them on manually if needed?
I do not really care about one or two installed tools, but I really hate to be forced to have unnecessary stuff running in the background.

What about the 128GB SSD, is it true that only about 90GB are left free and accessible after a clean OS setup?
I am the polar opposite of a data collector and have been happy with a 30GB SSD for years in the past, but still losing 1/4 of the capacity to recovery back ups is kind of extreme.

As for the NP-900X3G being the most recent ATIV Book 9 (non Lite or Plus) and me not realising, please excuse myself and thanks for pointing out.
All the German review pages that I frequented prior to posting here used to either forward me to the Lite or Plus versions of the 9 series, which made me believe it belonged to either of those instead of being a version of it's own.

 

Before reformatting anything use Samsung Recover Solution to make a backup of the recovery partition onto a bootable flash drive (you probably need 32GB) and check you can boot from it.

I would also suggest you first try the as-supplied Windows installation and uninstall any unwanted applications. You will need Settings to get the Fn keys to work and this program also does a lot of other configuration.

John

 

Well, he for some reason doesn't like it. I think it is very well designed. The only thing I would like to have changed is raising the minimum threshold (when the first fan kicks in) to 50-60°C

As John said Setting takes care of all the Samsung specific stuff. It provides a SABI (Samsung BIOS?) interface driver which takes care of all the related ACPI, Fn key functions, power management settings and what not.

SW update can be nasty as it has been reported to crash the system by automatically downloading & installing drivers, software and even BIOS! You don't have to run it in the background though. You can even install it on another PC to download only the drivers.

Backup the drive and keep the copy elsewhere in case you will pass the laptop on one day. Then blank the drive for a fresh install.

AB9 Lite/Plus got introduced on a big Samsung Event. This one here just got silently released a couple of days ago without any official announcement. If it wasn't for John digging deep in Korean web servers we wouldn't even know it's finally here

Feels like Samsung is trying to hide it to prevent getting sued by Intel for breaking the Ultrabook™ law.

 

Well, if I am not mistaken, Matthias indicated the Haswell maschines were less noisy than the Ivy Bridge ones, which paired with your experience is a good start, isn't it?

As for the Samsung tools, well the future laptop will be my sole system, thus I won't be able to avoid installing Samsung Update.
At least it seems I will only be forced to run Samsung Settings permanently, which I will put up with, given the fact I have been waiting for a maschine that ticks all my boxes specwise for over a year now, and this one seems like a perfect fit except for maybe a slightly too weak battery.

As for the backup, I just checked the MSDN AA of my university and am able to download both Win8 Pro and Win8 N Pro (no idea what the difference is).
I was told by one of the SA at notebook.de that I won't receive a key upon purchase but that it is somehow saved on the mainboard, so I will make sure to check if I am able to get a key through MSDN AA, but if that's the case, is there any reason I should save a copy of what is stored on the pc itself?
I let go of my external HDD some time ago and definitely would not want to store 30+GB of Windows backup on my online storage accounts.

 

And another stealth product is the NP910S3G - an i3 Haswell in the Book 9 Lite. If this page is correct then it's a non-glare (and presumably non-touch) display.

Perhaps Intel have quietly toned down their ultrabook requirements in the face of declining sales. This post contains an interesting link to this report.

John

 

The product key is in the BIOS. The only reason to keep a copy of the drive is to provide the possible future owner a pre-configured system including recovery.

I have kept a copy.

 

Hello,

I'm seriously considering buying this laptop, so I decided to make this account and try to get some more information and get into some discussion as well.

First of all I've been looking for a non-touch laptop with full hd resolution, 4th gen. i5, 256ssd, 8GB RAM. Most laptops I have seen have been a bit sucky or overpriced. Vaio Pro 13 was a close buy before I found out it was a lousy product with all the fan and wifi problems. Nevertheless, the new Samsung model seems pretty sweet.

I'm very new to Samsung laptops, so are there anything I should be aware before buying a Samsung? For example in the Sony Vaio Pro 13 everything seemed to be fine (components were really good and the price was reasonable) before I found out about all the customer complaints and problems.

I found a german website that is selling the Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 W8- notebook already. I think the price is very reasonable, but I cannot make myself to buy it until I see some more information about the product. Where all all the customer reviews?? There should be some information about this laptop somewhere? Does anyone know?

Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 W8 (Article no. 90541919) - Laptops / Notebooks - computeruniverse

Is the ATIV Book 9 900X3G comperable to Ativ Book 9 Plus? I have limited experience in Samsung products, so I cannot really find similar products.

 

Wow, drastic article from Digitimes. No more Samsung Laptop PCs next year? I can't quite imagine. Highly speculative news I guess,

Hopefully they meant no more Ultrabooks™ by 2015

 

It just has been released a couple of days ago. We don't even have an owner yet on the forum.

We don't know all the components yet, but as it has the same chassis than its predecessors (900X3B-F) it's probably more similar to those ones.

Most remarkable change with this refresh is the Haswell update itself...
... and the replacement of mSATA / Mini Card with M.2 expansion cards.

Edit: It has been reported the laptop comes with traditional mSATA / Mini Card expansion cards