Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus - NP940X3G

Hi everybody,

I'm following this thread long time ago but I never posted anything. I just want to inform you guys about the following: I just found some interesting specification on Samsung's Austrian website about the AB9+. I don't know if you could already see those specifications on other official websites from Samsung but I just want to show you this.

For those who don't understand german very well or don't have a possibility to translate:
The interesting part is if you click on "SPEZIFIKATIONEN". There we can see that there will be an i5/i7 processor, a version with 4 or 8GB of RAM and a 128 or 256GB SSD option.

 

I should have prefaced that my question was purely hypothetical. John had mentioned that UK prices are generally the same as the US price, but with Pounds instead of Dollars. I'm curious as to whether there is any reason why someone in the UK couldn't purchase the same product, in this case a laptop, from a US site, and just pay for international shipping. It seems to me that you could save a tremendous amount of money.

 

Import taxes?

 

Amazon US won't ship to UK but some other etailers will. One needs to use a courier system for safe handling and remember that 20% VAT will have to be paid on arrival in UK. At the current price difference there is still money to be saved but remember that the US models have a different keyboard layout from the UK ones.

John

 

Augh!!!! I finally (after what felt like forever) got my computer from Amazon today -- and the bottom is dented. As far as I can tell, the machine works fine, but I'm not crazy about forking out that kind of money for a damaged laptop. Unfortunately, since Amazon isn't selling it anymore, I can only return it for a refund rather than a replacement -- which means I would need to pay the full 1400 somewhere else (I got it for 1225 preorder).

So what do you guys think? How much of a risk is there that there could be some sort of functional damage? If it's entirely cosmetic I might decide it's worth the $175 to hang on to it.

 

Paying $1225 for a dented laptop? Not my cup of tea....

 

Thank you for testing! I'm really close to order it ;-)

 

Did Amazon tell you they are no longer selling it, or are you assuming that because it is unavailable right now on the site. My pre-order is still pending (with an estimated delivery date of October 8-16), so as far as I know they will be shipping more out once they get them back in stock. If that is the case, you should at least get to go back on the pre-order list and get one of the next batch.

 

When I say that I want to return the item on the Amazon site, it says I can only return for a refund. When I click the little why? button it says:
Why can't I get a replacement?
We can't offer a replacement for this item because it's out of stock. You're welcome to return the item for a refund.

I've also noticed while using it that the fan sounds something like a jet taking off and landing, even during light use. Not sure if this is because the unit is defective or if that's just how it is.

 

The Hard Drive is an SSD which has high resistance to shock, and there is no CD/DVD drive that could have been misaligned. Does the display hinge operate correctly? Is the dent bad enough to justify paying $175 more + potential shipping/taxes and waiting several weeks for delivery?

I wouldn't live with the dent ... but I have issues.

 

Hope the fan issue is because of the defect.

You should try calling Amazon to process the return. They might be able to put you back on the pre-order list. It's not right that you forego the promised rate simply because you got a defective unit.

 

Could anyone who already received theirs please post about the fan noise? Thanks!

 

I believe Kitejumping has posted regarding the fan noise on multiple occasions. He/she has noted minimal fan noise except for very heavy use with video playback. Sounds more like a defective unit to me. My AB9+ arrived today and is waiting patiently at home for me. I will post if I notice anything to the contrary regarding fan noise

 

No noticeable fan noise under light use here.

 

That is a very strange issue. I assume the Samsung packaging was fine and it was not damaged in transit. I'm not even sure how it could have been damaged while packaged, so it would then have been damaged on the line and no one noticed it when it was boxed. I wonder if Samsung would replace the item for you then without having to process it as a refund through Amazon. That is the first route I would try.

 

I thought the Amazon website is odd. In the past I have always seen an " out of stock" on an item but the ability to order for when inventory comes in....why would Amazon want to lose a sale? But with the AB9+ they are diverting you to 3rd party sellers... that says to me they either aren't expecting them in for a long time or they no longer ( for what ever reason) carry them.

 

I might speculate that Amazon is just as frustrated by the lack of inventory and shipment delays from Samsung on this item and they don't want to deal with it anymore, especially now that third-party sellers are more available than during preorder.

 

Well.... FWIW... I ordered mine yesterday ( Sunday) from the Microsoft Store. I got it for $1399 and it comes with 30 day free return and minimal spam ware.

About an hour ago I got my shipping confirmation and tracking number. It took one day to ship it out....Not sure why anyone at this point is considering ordering from Amazon or Samsung.

MS Store was painless.

 

So, I went ahead and installed Windows 8.1 RTM over W8 and ugh... kinda lost all Samsung features. FN doesn't work. Multitouch gestures don't work. Went to Samsung hoping to get apps and nothing there. Nothing. What the hell, Samsung? I left the box at work so not sure if the laptop came with a recovery disk or anything (edit: whoops, nevermind, F4). Kinda crappy support if you ask me.

 

Win 8.1 is not released yet, and most members here who jumped on it early have found the same as you. SW Update may not detect your model, and you have to use the Find Model feature to locate and save drivers. For most models, using the latest v2.1 of Settings is enough to get Fn keys and other features working. The NP940 should already have that, so uninstall/re-install Settings (reboots after each) may be all you need. That said, the NP940 could have some significant differences.

Following are some links to relevant discussions about 8.1 here in the Samsung forum:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...updates-need-search-my-modell-every-time.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/683577-samsung-series-9-windows-8-a.html ( here and here)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/726169-sw-update-no-device-detection.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/729139-settings-easy-settings-what-you-need-know.html ( here)
2013 Series 7 / AB8 Owners Lounge ( here among other posts)

A great way to search for discussions like this are Google searches such as site:notebookreview.com/samsung Win 8.1

 

Mine is silent with the fan off unless gaming, video rendering, or looping 4k videos for 5+ minutes. Maybe the dent dislodged the heatsink causing the cpu to overheat, keeping the fan at 100%? Even when the fan is on low I don't hear it unless I hold it up to my ear. When it is on high, it is easy to hear.

 

Ah! Cheers for this. I kinda gave up and went back to 8. Serves me right Now I'll install 8.1 again. Thanks.

 

^
LOL

Personally I would wait till 8.1 is released and Samsung has updated its drivers for sure. Or install it on a test partition (or VHD) while keeping my main install.

 

Does the return cover not liking the product?

 

Yes.

Returns and exchanges of computers................ will be honored for thirty (30) days from the date of purchase, provided the item has not been opened or altered from its original state and does not show wear or damage.

 

MicrosoftStore has a lot of bad reviews. This is the reason why I'm not ordering from them.
Microsoft Store Reviews - microsoftstore.com Ratings at ResellerRatings

 

Fan came on briefly when uploading new software and I could hear it but it didn't stay on long. Nearly silent when fan is off.

Upgraded to Win 8 Pro and Office Pro, painless.

Observations: Screen res. is pretty amazing but I can't see much difference between 1900 and 3100 watching a 4k demo movie on Youtube, both are great. My desktop machine looks blurry now in comparison. Touch screen is very smooth. The power input jack does not seat completely and is not very tight, make me nervous for the future. Windows Firewall is off and wouldn't turn on when selected, didn't have time to play with it. Love the backlit keyboard. Tuns off after about 1 min of inactivity then turns back on when you touch the pad.

Overall impressed. Fit and finish is top shelf.

 

I have the same problem with the AB9+ power plug. The Jack is not mounted well inside the unit and it doesn't sit flush. My AB9 is perfect, though. It's disappointing.

I also had the same problem with turning Windows Firewall on, but I installed Avast

 

Is everyone who has received theirs getting them from Amazon? If not, which vendor?

 

Read this on one of the reviews for the Microsoft store.

" Their return policy does not apply for opened computers (!!)
Again - they will not return your money if you take it out of the box(!!). What kind of a policy is that??"

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/view/Microsoft_Store/page/3

 

I would love to hear more about the trackpad. How do the owners rate it?

 

So I did an unboxing video here:

Samsung ATIV Book 9+ Unboxing (Part 1) - YouTube

and a follow up video here:

20130916 200500 - YouTube

I was going to take the back off but I couldn't find my precision screwdriver set.

 

trackpad feels awesome. much much better than my other laptop (dell latitude e6410)

 

That "review" was almost certainly not written by someone who actually has experience returning a product to Microsoft.com. That's just a very poor interpretation of their return policy, which is actually very liberal. It says returnable if "unopened," not "unpackaged." That is a very big distinction. Opened means taken apart in some way. A little internet research will reveal evidence of that also.

 

Sorry if anyone has posted this already but it seems Book9+ is in stock at Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-ATI...379410891&sr=8-2&keywords=samsung+ativ+plus+9

 

Check this discussion. Very likely, you simply need to push harder to insert the plug all the way. After a few times it should become looser.

As for Malware/Antivirus, notice that Win8 combines the previous MSE and Windows Defender into a very complete AV solution -- but with significantly lighter footprint and less noise and self promotion than those 3rd party solutions. Microsoft cannot really say it out loud, but truth is you no longer need those 3rd party packages as you did in the past. Remember the antitrust case when they first included a web browser in Windows -- it cost them billions.

 

Nonetheless, feedback from customers are horrendous. If the person who ordered from there get his with no issue, let us know. Seems like it may be the only place that has it in stock. I'm still waiting on mine pre-ordered from Amazon.

 

I'm the person who ordered it from the MS Store Sunday. My computer is on a UPS truck scheduled for delivery Thursday. So far the process has been painless. Considering all the delays everyone else is experiencing from Amazon and Samsung.....I consider my purchasing experience great.

As long as you don't tamper or alter the machine it is returnable for a full refund within 30 days.

 

David where did your order ship from? What city/state?

 

microsoft online store
mira loma, ca, us

 

Okay, opened up my AB9+ yesterday and played with it for a few min. Here are my first impressions.
1. What a beautiful piece of hardware. It is truly a striking machine. I laid it next to my wife's MacBook Air and it is much sleeker and attractive looking
2. It has some surprising heft to it. The MBA is reported to be only slightly lighter (2.96 vs 3.06lbs) yet the AB9+ feels substantially heavier when holding both.
3. Touchscreen and trackpad work flawlessly and the keyboard is a joy to type on. Excellent feedback from the keys and appropriate spacing. I also didn't note any discomfort/sharpness when resting my wrists on the edges
4. The sidesync/homelite embossing is present yet understated compared to the AB9 lite. Interestingly only the intel sticker is attached to my keyboard the others were on the protecting plastic covering
5. The screen is gorgeous even in 1080p. I haven't tried the QHD yet and may not till win 8.1
6. I didn't have any issues with the charging plug. It does require more force to sit snug as has been mentioned.
7. I have only put it through light use ( web browsing etc) and have noticed zero fan noise.
8. The auto brightness is annoying and significantly dims the screen. I will need to disable it. I have yet to try it outdoors as I received it last night.
9. The shovel ware seems much less egregious compared to other Samsung models such as the ATIV book 7. All the charms fit on one page at startup.
10. Web browsing is super fast and fluid. I cannot comment on any WiFi issues yet but initial connect was smooth and painless without any connection drops.

 

No - that's not it at all. I have the AB9 which, like the AB7, does takes a slight amount of force to "snap" in the power connector and then it sits flush and very tight. The AB9+ is completely different, I promise. When it "snaps" in, it is relatively tight within the jack, BUT the jack feels loose inside the body of the machine, so it is wobbly. I believe it has to do with how the jack is mounted in the AB9+, which is different than on the AB9. Others can confirm the AB9+ power jack feel.

 

Thanks for this. How is the glossy screen? Does it pick up many reflections?

 

I ordered an AB9 from Microsoftstore.com while it was on special once Amazon told me my AB9+ delivery would be significantly delayed. Ordering from MSstore.com was as easy or easier than any Amazon shopping experience I have had. I trust their return policy (though I agree I took a double take when I read the bit about items returnable unless they are "opened", but quickly came to realize what that actually meant). I will be returning either the AB9 to MSstore.com or the AB9+ to Amazon (unless I sell one outright). I will let everyone know how the return experience is, but everything else was fine - perfect, actually.

 

OK, got it. Thanks for clarifying! For a machine of this class, that would seem either an actual defect OR maybe a design choice to make the connector less susceptible to damage if/when the plug accidentally gets pushed sideways -- as has been known to happen.

 

I agree with this. We have an MBA, the AB9+, and an AB9 here at the house. The AB9 feels lighter than the MBA. The AB9+ is only slightly bigger and heavier than the AB9, but picking it up and holding it is noticeably more work than either of the other machines. It is peculiar. I am sure it has to do with the touchscreen, which probably changes the weight distribution of the AB9+ over the other two.

It is not wobbly at all? Maybe my expectations are altered because I quickly got used to how tight and solid the same plug sits in the AB9, but the AB9+ is not that way at all for me. This is using either power plug in each machine (they are the same).

 

Any reason to get this model over the other? Looks like most places have the K01 model.

NP940X3G-K01US
NP940X3G-K03US

 

Agreed.

Here is a (poor) video of what I'm talking about. I would love to hear what others with the AB9+ think in comparison to my experience. It's not horrible, but it is a bit shocking, especially since Samsung has done better with this same line.



To be fair, I played with my AB9 power jack and it is a bit wobbly now as well, but not as much and it still fits more snug.

 

I snapped some photos of my AB9, my AB9+, and my girlfriend's 2013 MBA for your viewing pleasure. The lighting leaves some to be desired, but I hope these help someone out there. Let me know if you have any questions or want any specific shots.

The last pic in this series demonstrates the AB9+ and the AB9 displaying the same text content at my best estimation of the smallest rendering I could display before any pixelation made the text unreadable at any distance. Nedless to say, the AB9+ display appears to actually outperform what my eye can discern as pixelation.

Book9 Photos by leftbrain99 | Photobucket

 

Good pictures, the AB9+ looks like it is bigger than both the AB9 and MBA, shame....