Samsung 9 Series laptop (ZX310 / 900X3A) unveiled

First off, thanks to Phil and Brian and everyone else that contributes to this thread.

Fwiw, I've personally compared 7 laptops (HP, Gateway, MSI, Compal, Asus, IBM, Dell) to Alfas over the years, and none of them have ever been able to see even 1/2 as many connections.

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I *can* count neighbors' connections and signal strength bars. It often goes from something like 6 visible connections to 26, with 2 and 3 bar signals now at 4 or 5. And this experience is echoed by everyone I've spoken to so far.

So maybe: (1) Alfas are really good at seeing connections -or- (2) general consumers typically buy laptops with the crappiest of WiFi cards while those 'in the know' do not, -or- (3) my experience and the experience of those I've spoken to is atypical?

I'm personally on the fence regarding the purchase of an S9. It doesn't have to see what my Alfas see, but I would like it to at least be in the ballpark of other laptops, at least in the low end of the average range...

 

Reading all the post you made, I feel like you are getting better results with June bult S9 at home only because you got yourself a very good router.

 

Did you have a chance to compare it to some other laptops ?

 

Thanks for reading my posts. My point was that the S9 is behaving as well as my other WiFi devices.

Note that I still have two routers installed (AT&T 2Wire and ASUS). I have done testing with ASUS (the good one) turned off and the results still point to the A05 June build being better. It is not possible to post ALL the details of the testing that I have been doing -- some of it has been more "scientific" than others.

When I have time, I am going to re-install my old router in the same location and redo the same testing that I had previously done with my A03 April build.

 

When you do your testing go into the router from one of the devices and note the signal strength that shows for each device connected to the router. That is the next best way to see whats actually going on besides the speed tests.

 

Can anyone help me out on this? I want to restart my samsung from scratch. Anyone can show me how to do it?

 

Thanks. I don't see any way to get the signal strength that shows for each device (on either of the two routers that I have set up) though. This is the only info that I can see for the devices:
Device Details
Name iPhone
Connection Type Ethernet
IP Address 192.168.1.203
IP Address Allocation DHCP
IP Address Type Private (NAT)
Hardware Address xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:eb
Status On

 

If I may, I felt the exact same when I hooked up the Asus Black Diamond. Suddenly the reception was great in my home and office.

It was great at least until I took it to the Toronto Airport then Hong Kong and Taiwan. It wouldnt even connect and I posted the results.

That router is great IF you stay in your home environment but as soon as you get away from the phenomenal router, yuk.

I am very interested in your results as I am in contact with Samsung USA product development and I have been asking them to watch the thread closely. You are the first with the June build and I suspect, unless they moved the antena base or changed the material, it will be the same under the original conditions you tested in.

Possible?

I have heard that Samsung believes they have found the issue and resolved it with the new systems being rolled out with the new campaign. If anyone can verify or negate...appreciated.

 

Yeah, I was waiting for you to chime in with any updates from Samsung USA product development. It's seems like the jury is still out.

There is no doubt that wireless is better closer to this router than what I had had before but that's not what I've been testing. This weekend, I will take the ASUS Black Diamond out of the picture. I currently need two routers in my house to reach everywhere (because it's old and is 4 stories high including basement). I have three other routers -- the two that I'll test with are 802.11b/g routers. I don't have another 802.11n router.

I'm surprised that no one else with a Jun 2011 build (of any model) is chiming in. Maybe the Series 9 are not selling very well OR everything is working so well that they do not have to search forums for answers

 

I'm not sure what's happening with the B01US model. J&R had them as "estimated in stock" 5 july, then 7 july, now they're just out of stock with no estimated stock date. I can't find any other retailers that have had this model in stock.

EDIT: The J&R status has been changed to "On Order from Manufacturer" (see google cache of old status here)

Where and when did you get your B01?

 

I have been in contact back and forth but unfortunately its a fine line I draw as I also have drawn their attention to this thread. All of what has been tried and failed here has been looked at carefully and probably saved them months (IMHO) of issue discovery and investigation by Product development. They are similar to Intel, in that, they are very appreciative for the assistance but , unfortunately, company policy prohibits discussion beyond that. I am no more than a conduit to what we have been through here I think.

I won't lie in stating that I am trying to use both to get the fix in order to be confident in once again buying my own system but won't until. I might bet that, at the end of the day, a system will be popped open and the antenna leads wil have been moved to the monitor bezel, bar at the base of the monitor front or under the keyboard, the last solution I believe is very cheap and we could try here with anyone who has an adapter with the third lead from the antenna.

As for the Black Diamond, there is an issue that hasn't been resolved with that, as well, and many are awaiting a firmware update in the near future. Although it is probably the best router for the money right now, downloads are choppy and it can be seen if you are using Firefox on the tab of the titlebar as it circles. Whereas that little spinning should be smooth, it is stop/start and will be seen with some downloads if you monitor carefully.

 

I purchased it from J&R last week.

 

I can only second that: I never travel without my ALFA with directional antenna ...

 

I was planning to try that if it would help, but as I reported when I installed the 6300, even leaving the back cover off and dangling the third antenna from the notebook didn't make all that much difference - it did increase the range, but the very abrupt and premature dropoff still occurred. I decided further experimentation wasn't likely to help, and would wait for Samsung.

Meanwhile I have once again had the machine refuse to turn off, but I don't want to send it in for repair until something more develops re the wifi.

 

That's interesting. I actually have two antenna that I received today. If I open mine, which has the 6230, I was planning on temporary attaching those two antenna and leaving them "loose". It sounds like I should not be optimistic that it would improve the premature dropoff. Another thing, if I can get it to work on a temporary basis, it to "tape" these antenna to the 6230 so it has four antenna leads... I've been trying find to find some sort of "removable glue that transmits electrical impulse" or maybe thin double-sided tape would work if I attach the two flat start points of the antenna leads.

 

I returned a new Samsung 9 (NP900X3A-A05US) last week to Costco because the trackpad would not work at all, even after Samsung helped me reload the drivers. I didn't even get far enough with it to examine the wireless issue. Now this site has me worried about ordering another 9. I travel frequently and use wireless a lot (webinars included). When Samsung says they have a fix, will it bring the wireless connection up to what we expect (similar to my XPS M1330)? I don't really care about bluetooth or connection to TV. But I have to have good wireless internet connection. Can I make this laptop work for me?

 

Returned the AO3 last week due to the weak WiFi issue and ordered an AO5 from Costco, hoping the newer unit would have a "fix".

No such luck.....AO5 was a May, 2011 build and it still had the same problems. It goes back today.....I'm bummed. I'll just wait after two false starts for Samsung to get its product corrected before considering a third unit.

 

I'm just re-ordering the A03, after returning one to COSTCO. I just could not find anything else that was as portable and had a great screen ...

My 2 cents: If you can get it to work with the router at your home and your office from the usual locations, you are halfway there (I relocated my router to a more central location). My travel experiences: I use a mini router in hotel rooms whenever Ethernet is available (so I can split the connection with my wife and iPhone). In airline lounges I didn't have a problem in the 90 days I used the A03 - the signal was either strong enough or the week signal did not matter because the connection was very slow anyway. For all other situations I always carry an ALFA USB adapter with a directional antenna, which beats everything. But in Webinars you will look weird with it ...

 

We have no guarantee but I suggest that anyone purchasing a new model ensures that it is a June 2011 (or later) build.

I have a very limited subset of serial #s that I know but based on all 3, they had serial numbers of xxx93GByxxxxxx where the "y" matched the build month. For example, it's a "6" in my new purchase. Could this be coincidental? Yes, of course it could because I'm only talking about 3 notebooks so far...

Can some others confirm whether they see this 8th digit of the serial number matching the build month or not? It could be useful info to purchasers.

 

Kalahari,

My two cents worth on the serial number question.....I have an AO5 that is a May, 2011 build and the serial number is HFBX93UB500026J. You could be onto something!

Hope this helps......

 

Thanks! That's 4 out of 4 so far And only two of those are A05 models.

 

Hi, this is my first post. I first started reading the Thinkpad x1 forums and now Samsung 9... Great forum and great thread for all of us, before and after a laptop purchase...

After my lengthy (since beginning of June) and problematic x1 order direct from Lenovo that was delayed and delayed (due to SSD and memory they say), I started looking around and I really liked the refreshed Samsung 9 series. Hoping there is/will be a fix for the wifi, I ordered one yesterday from Costco.

Just a quick question to those who ordered from Costco: How long did Costco take to ship the item (go from fulfillment to shipped status)?

Thanks and I will keep reading and following...

 

My order took about two days from order to shipment...two more days to receive the unit.

 

My Series 9 is due back from the Texas repair depot tomorrow with the WIFI problem supposedly fixed. I really hope it works. Report tomorrow night.

 

I tried something interesting the other day with my new AO5, May 2011 unit. I have the same weak WiFi issues with this unit that I had with my previous AO3 unit....great WiFi if I'm very close to the router, and rapid drop off as I move away...much greater than other laptops I own.

I bought a Cisco Linksys AE 1000 external wireless-n USB adapter to test out. It has both a "USB plug in receiver" as well as a long USB cable terminating in a stand alone base that you plug the USB receiver into.

With the external USB receiver plugged directly into the S9, there was no difference in any of the tests I performed between the native WiFi of the S9 and the external unit...strong close to the router but falls off quickly as you move away.

However, when I plugged in the USB connector for the Cisco Linksys base unit, stretched out the USB cable and then plugged the receiver into the base unit, (now a foot or so away from the S9) the WiFi signal dramatically improved on both the 2.4 and the 5.0 Ghz bandwidths at short, medium and long ranges. Interesting......

Two possiblities come to mind...

1) the USB receiver, when plugged directly into the S9 USB port could be suffering from the same issue that the internal WiFi receiver is having with the case interfering with signal reception....or

2) the long USB cable to the external base unit is acting as an antenna and picking up a much stronger signal....hmmmmm......

So....measuring the internal Wifi of the S9 vs. the external USB receiver plugged directly into the S9....no difference....same issues as we are all having, but stretch out the external USB cable and the signal strength and speed improve dramatically.

I will ask others more advanced than I to draw any conclusions or theories from this test, but I offer it in the hopes that we can all find a way to not have to give up on what is otherwise an outstanding laptop.

 

I have an A04 May, 2001 build with serial number xxxx93GB5xxxxxx

 

I submitted a video to Samsung which shows me holding the unit while SpeedTest is running. I then slowly remove the base plate and watch my reception go from under 1Mbps to 16Mbps where my Cable company says it should be.

I then slowly replace the bottom base plate and it shows it dropping down to under 1Mbps again which pretty much tells me that the physical material surrounding the antenna leads might be a factor.

I have also shown where my system is plugged into a plug in 150Mbps TP-Link adapter that I got free at CES and both wifis are active. The USB wireless is at 16Mbps whereas the built in is less than 1Mbps.

I have also tested 5 feet away from router with my Samsung directly beside my Acer Timeline 11.6" with the Acer getting 16Mbps and the Samsung getting very poor results.

Most low Samsung tests also show 4-5 bars which give the initial impression that there is great reception...obviously not so.

 

Thanks, so 5 of 5 backing up my theory on that 8th digit indicating 2011 build month.

 

The engineers at Samsung are clearly a very talented group of people.....this should NOT be this hard to fix!

Have they even recognized that they have an issue yet? Has there been any indication from them they they recognize they have a problem and that they're working to correct it?

I love this laptop, but can't live with this WiFi problem....too many other options out there without this issue.

C'mon, Samsung.....step up your game and fix this!

 

Yes, they know there's a problem. On one of the last tickets that I opened, the Tech Support guy told me that the Laptop Specialist wrote on it that the weak WiFi is a known problem on the A03 model. I "ranted" a little. I got transferred to Customer Support who went and spoke to the Laptop/Product Specialist. She was told that there was no WiFi fix yet but they are still investigating it.

Based on that response, I returned my A03 to the seller instead of sending it to Samsung for repair. This was on 6/20/11. They may have figured out the fix now but I've yet to see anyone post that their "repaired" notebook has the WiFi problem solved...

 

Kalahari, you had an A03 (i5) and went to an A05 (i7), did you notice any performance improvement(s) as a result? I am strongly considering the A04 (i7) and have not seen or heard any i5 to i7 comparisons...

Any thoughts....
by the way..great write up on the wireless comparison!

 

Haven't "stressed" the A05 yet but it's definitely fast. All I can give you now is the Windows Experience Index scores.

I got pretty good scores on my A03 after installing 8GB of RAM and updating all possible drivers. The original A03 scores were much lower.

Also, there's a chance that the A05 Memory, Graphics and Gaming Graphics scores may go up slightly when I put in my fast 8GB RAM (it "only" has 6GB now). Those three scores went up when I increased RAM in the A03 (but that was from 4GB to 8GB).

WEI scores:
......................A03 best.......A05 so far
Processor...........5.4................6.5
Memory..............7.1................7.4
Graphics.............5.7................5.8
Gaming graphics...6.1................6.1
Primary HD..........7.4................7.6
(All tests were done with Aero enabled i.e. nothing compromised)

It's tough to say that the extra cost for i7 vs. an i5 is really worth it in this little notebook which doesn't have high-res graphics -- but I know that I would have always thought that "I shoulda bought the i7 model" if I got the i5.

If you do get the A04, you should definitely increase the RAM to 8GB.

 

Thanks. I ordered yesterday. Although I haven't received the "shipped" e-mail yet, the Costco customer service automated system just gave me a UPS tracking number which just says "shipping label created" at UPS tracking web site for now. Seems real shipping will happen tomorrow...

 

Please share these videos publically to put some social pressure on them and so that prospective customers no how bad this problem is.

 

Ummmm...negative. The video was created to assist Samsung in recognizing the problem quickly and identiying a cure and, for that reason, I wouldn't use it as you suggest.

I also have the respect of their keeping me involved a great deal more than can be discussed. The issue is not a small one and is being examined closely and they may have already a new solution in the new lines being rolled out as part of the campaign...not confirmed.

I am aware that all I have here is lip service as much as that is what has been offered me but can guarantee the thread is being watched closely, the problem recognized and, Samsung will have a solution if one hasnt been realized already.

As for the pressure, the number of complaints and returned laptops tells the story well. Unfortunately with companies of this size (ie Samsung/Intel/Sony/Sandisk) there is a lengthy process in issue recognition, examination, solution investigation, implementing the solution, recall etc.

 

My Series 9 was held in Texas for over a week waiting for a part from Samsung and was just released on Wednesday. They indicated that they were waiting for an adapter from Samsung. Prior to my shipping it they waited several days before emailing me a shipping label. This could be normal, or it could have been foot-dragging until they had a complete fix (perhaps adapter change plus antennae wire routing) to give to the repair center. I really don't know, but the results will tell me whether or not they had a fix identified and available as of this past Wednesday and how well it works. It is out for delivery on a UPS truck today.

 

6 of 6... I have an A04 May build also a 5 in the serial number.

 

A02US April build - xxxx93MB4xxxxx

I'm wondering what does MB vs GB stand for...

 

MB stands for "Mine's Broken" and GB stands for "Gonna Break (once you test it outside of your own house)".

 

That is HILLARIOUS!!!

 

Interesting assumption: duraluminum to be a material that creates an interference by itself. Then how do they build the aircrafts with it?

I really doubt that Cisco connected the USB extension cable to the antenna plug. It might be a better location of the adapter that does improve the signal.

From the manual: "Using the Adapter in its Base may often improve wireless signal performance, especially with desktop computers that may be located under desks or tabletops."

On the other hand, it's strange that an external wireless USB adapter not blocked by a supposedly "hard to penetrate" chassis still suffering from a weak signal...

 

Thanks. So we have 7 confirmations that that 8th digit matches the month in 2011.

I have not seen any correlation between model type, SSD, processor, etc. that would explain the M, B, or U (out of what has been reported so far) in the 7th spot of the serial number.

 

While I know that there are a lot of people suffering from the low CPU scores in WEI with A03s, I want to remind that my A02 without memory upgrade (4Gb) shows 6.3 in processor performance. I think i5 vs i7 comparison is more 6.3 vs 6.5 then 5.4 vs 6.5.

Brian, I am looking forward to hear about battery time comparisons if there is any visible difference and a photo of the laptop insides if you're still sure that A05 with June revision is an improved one.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hmmm. Not sure if 6.3 WEI processor score is common but no matter.

I did not do any battery testing on my A03 so will be able to speak to any comparisons there. I might do some battery testing later.

I will probably be opening it up tomorrow. I need to test that ALL components are working first -- for example, I need to test the Ethernet port, the mini-HDMI, the microSD slot, etc. None of which will take much time.

 

I would be curious as to wifi info...especially since I have a call later today.

 

LOL I'm getting some pressure to open it up

OK, the first pictures from A05 June 2011 build.

I'll get some better pictures later but these should help...

EDIT: I have compared a high res photo that I have and the one here I see no difference at all in antenna placement. The only thing that is different is that there a metal clip to the right of the WiFi adapter holding the black cover down. Obviously, I seem to have a "huge" SSD drive now (with 256GB) instead of the small 128GB on a chip. Really cannot see anything else different.

I still think that the top finish of the case and the inside (next to trackpad) have changes though. Those areas no longer get fingerprints. If there are any slight marks, you can wipe it away with your fingers -- no need for the special cloth. The bottom still marks up as it did. So it appears that the finish on the top has changed. Still all seems like the Duralim of the earlier model...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure how I'm to track this here for you but I am now 100% sure that WiFi is far far better in this new A05 vs. the old A03.
1. With back cover off, I can connect from my study to the old router in the basement. Browse the web. Run YouTube videos etc. Router connection 11Mbps (on 802.11g router). [Study is two floors away from router and on other side of house]
2. With back cover on, had to move to another room closer to router to connect. Still able to connect and run video.
3. Alfa USB wireless adapter is still better than internal Intel Centrino 6230. 2 bars better.

 

Man thats frustrating!!!!! Here we have what could potentially be the worlds best laptop and they go from one negative in mSATA mPCIe to another in the 1.8" mSATA SSD.

SAMSUNG!!!! This is a SATA 3 (6Gbps) capable machine! Why have we chosen to put two SSD form factors in, neither of which support SATA 3?

The last 1.8" SATA 3 design was the C300 which never gained popularity enough to remain available.

Find me a way to get a 2.5" SSD or mPCIE form factor in there and the world is mine! Imagine parallel 500MB/s speeds from an SSD in the Series 9. It is possible.

 

Hey, Series 9 Guy, quit trying to burst my bubble!

This SSD drive is plenty fast for me. Why are you asking Samsung for a way to put in 2.5" SSD there though? There are 1.8" SATA 6 SSD's available (that I wish that I had now). Who knows, maybe that's an upgrade I'll make one day...

This SSD review, published in May, raved about how fast the 128GB was in that form factor. My speed is a little faster (shown in pic below).

 

Got my S9 back from Intelisol today (was "fixed" on Wednesday). They had replaced the adapter with the 6230. Instantly took it up to my bedroom to see if things were better. Signal had improved from poor prior to the fix (one bar and dropping connections) to fair. Note that I get good to excellent with my old ASUS and Dell. It was painfully slow, like running over a dialup connection, and sometimes froze up waiting for data. I went into the adapter configs and changed the Bandwidth from 20 only to auto and the performance improved somewhat, enough to be usable but painful. It still sucks compared to my other laptops but at least I can stay connected. This is not what I was hoping for in my $1500 laptop. I will get a new router for home and see how it does on campus before giving up.

 

Those are excellent results and I am only complaining as a perfectionist SSD guy here!

The 4k random write, in particular, is great to see!

I was secretly hoping that it would be a mSATA mPCIe card at 256GB which would have meant that they would have had to utilize the new NAND that they announced a few months ago; twice the capacity and twice the speed of present.