Samsung NP930X5J / NP940X5J ATIV Book 9 (2014) 15.6" Haswell announced Jan 6, 2014

It just started to pop up in several German online shops today.
arlt.de for example expects delivery on March 28, price is 1599€ (i7 version, incl. tax)

 

Looking forward to seeing the non-touch version of the 2014 AB9. When I was at CES, only the glossy/touch version was available. I played with it for about 30 minutes and liked everything about it (the display, keyboard, trackpad, performance, design, build quality, size, and weight). I think the specs are perfect for my on-the-go needs, or when I'm just relaxing in the living room or bedroom. I leave all the heavy duty tasks to my beefy desktop.

So if the price is right, I might just pick this one up when it's available.

Anyways, here are some pics I took when I was playing with it. (I didn't want to embed the pics since they're fairly large. Don't want to frustrate those people browsing this thread on their smartphone. )

Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition (Pic1)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition (Pic2)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition (Pic3)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition (Pic4)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition (Pic5)

 

At last, we have some pricing information in EUR !

NP930X5J-K02DE : 1499 €
NP910S5J-K01DE : 999 €

I am still trying to find what can justify the 500 EUR price difference between those 2 models. They have the same Core i5 CPU, 4 Go of RAM, 128 Go SSD. For the moment, the only difference I see is that the NP910S5J-K01DE has the leather cover and thus is 2,5 mm thicker. Any other important difference ?

 

The NP910S5J is the ATIV Book 9 Style, which is being discussed in this thread.

Both models do seem similar to me. But like the 13" AB9 ultrabooks, it seems the AB9 2014 Edition will be the Plus model. While the AB9 Style will the Lite model.

 

Well, the main difference between the NP930X5J-K02DE and NP910S5J-K01DE besides the price difference of 500 Euros is that the 930 has 8 GB of RAM compared to 4 GB in the 910. The 930s (theoretical/official) battery life is two hours longer (14 -> 12) and the 930 is 160 g lighter (both as per data sheet). The 930 has 2x2W speakers compared to 2x4W in the 910 if this is really a relevant feature.

If I'd go for the 930 I'd take the i7 version as it has the better processor, 256 GB SSD and with the rest of the specs being identical for just 100 Euros more. But please correct me if this decision is wrong in some way.

 

Well, on arlt.com, they say that NP930X5J-K02DE has 4 Gb of RAM, not 8.

Thanks for pointing out the other differences. According to the thread on the "Book 9 Style", the "Style" version may not have the keyboard backlight, but it has yet to be confirmed.

Where did you get the official datasheet ? I can't find it on the Samsung website (I tried the US, UK and FR sites, but I don't find the Book 9 2014 edition on them).

 

I found the data sheets and also a comparison/overview table in Samsung Germany's CEBIT press release folder (mobile computing). I hope you don't mind the german language.


http://de.samsung.com/de/news/pressemappe_cebit_2014.aspx


Backlit keyboard is not mentioned in the Ativ Book 9 Style data sheet whereas its mentioned explicitely in the Ativ Book 9 2014 data sheet. So it looks like that the Style has no backlit keyboard.

 

Backlit keyboard is mentioned here:

Samsung ATIV Book 9 Style NP910S5J-K01DE | Notebooks | Notebook | ARLT Computer

 

If you compare the data in this official table it has no keyboard backlight:

View attachment Produktuebersicht_Mobile Computing.pdf

But we will see anyway .

 

That's a very interesting document.

If Samsung were offering the same range of up-to-date products in other other countries then their sales wouldn't be shrinking.

John

 

Samsung has trying so hard for their notebooks to stay in shadow.I just can believe that this mayor company cant give 10 notebooks for reviews.Last review for Samsung was 4. Okt. 2013 on notebookcheck.And please dont mention me Samsung Chromebook,that is one big joke from Google that can afford that.
Five months?I just don't get it what Samsung has trying to do here?If Sony didn't failed also i would suspect on diversion from mobile ceo that came from Sony
They send Anandtech five EVO version,120GB,250GB,500GB ,750GB,1000GB for review so i don't see why is that hard to send to notebookreview one f..ken laptop.Sorry,I am pissed off.

 

The specs for the Style and regular version are now available in French on the Samsung website for Switzerland :

There are 4 models for Switzerland :

Encore plus de divertissement | ATIV Book 9 - NP910S5J-K01CH - VUE D'ENSEMBLE
Samsung ATIV Book 9 NP930X5J-K01CH - VUE D'ENSEMBLE | SAMSUNG
Samsung ATIV Book 9 NP930X5J-K02CH - VUE D'ENSEMBLE | SAMSUNG
Samsung ATIV Book 9 NP930X5J-K03CH - VUE D'ENSEMBLE | SAMSUNG

It confirms the differences between the Style version (910) and the Regular version (930) :
- Weight : 910 : 1,95 kg / 930 : 1,8 kg
- Height : 910 : 17,5 mm / 930 : 14,9 mm (due to the leather top on the 910)
- Backlight keyboard : 910 : no / 930 : yes
- Number of 2W Speakers : 910 : 4 / 930 : 2
- Battery : 910 : 55 Wh / 930 : 62 Wh
- PC-Fi Wolfson WM5102 : 910 : no / 930 : yes
- RAM, CPU and SSD size : depends on models

It you see other differences, please tell us. But you can know judge if it is worth the 500 € price gap.

 

I would pay backlight keyboard always 500€ more, because I know how frustrating is to be without one .

 

its 2014 how could a company sell a notebook thats over $1k with out backlight keyboard? This type of option should be as standard as USB ports

 

Looks like the "Style" is a real piece of junk. Cost-cutting on backlit keyboard is a 2012 move.

 

Yes you got that right,so 910 definitely don't worth $1k but 930 definitely is worth 1,500$.

 

Same for me, I really want a backlight keyboard and i'm ready to pay the price for that, even if I think that 500 € is way too much for a backlight keyboard and 4 additional GB of RAM !

 

You always look at features, but those do not make the price difference alone. IMHO a major cost point is the aluminium chassis and lid. Maybe there are also other differences which you do not see immediately, like the hinge. There's also a better audio chip, the WiFi might be a better one (not sure) etc. Those little things sum up quickly... And then, Samsung might make the 910 a little bit cheaper which could be refinanced by making the 930 more expensive

 

1. Can you tell the laptop to backlight the keyboard or turn off backlit with a button?

2. How good would a matte screen protector work on the laptop and does adding one damage the laptop's resale value?

3. How much delay/lag/jitteriness is there when you use sidesync to look at your camer'as photos on your laptopscreen?

4. Is there a more elegant solution than buying a bunch of dongles for things like display port or ethernet?

 

Whole review with open bottom:
ÇÁ¸®¹Ì¾ö ³ëÆ®ºÏ ½ÃÀåÀ» À̲ø ¸íÀÛ, »ï¼º ¾ÆƼºê ºÏ9 2014 Edition - ³ëÆ®Æ÷·³

 

Thanks for this.

Two fans should be an improvement over the X4C/D but it looks like soldered RAM, which is a step backwards. The WiFi is also soldered (but not a significant problem if it is the AC module).

The SSD is the M.2 format plus there is a spare slot. However the bundled 128GB won't win any performance prizes.

With the battery capacity the same as the X4C/D the run time is likely to be similar with the better power efficiency of Haswell offset by the bigger and higher resolution display.

John

 

When i think now ,Samsung is just playing wrong with this "Apple non-fix" thing.
Let say me,i was ready to spend a lot of money this year on notebook and things around them,the money that i always spend on my desktops,but now i am not sure.
I know wifi is not thing that can broke easy,but what if get broke?i need to buy whole motherboard?That is just wrong and if they didn't play it like that notebook manufacturers could gain people that are in desktop enthusiast market and make it up for people that went over to tablet market.
Now i am kind of cooling from this notebook market and i am ready to go back to my desktops.I will buy 300$ Asus notebook and i will just forget all this.
And whats with this SSDs we dont know who is drinking and who is paying .In desktop everything is clear as morning dew.

P.S. Review says 15 hours with 50% brightness and wifi off.Do you get same with your X4C with that set up,especially now with EVO ssd?

 

My X4C has previously told me it can run for about 10 hours under light usage and a fairly dim display. Perhaps the EVO would get that to 11 hours but Windows will always shut down before the battery is fully drained.

15 hours means 4W average power drain and I expect the display on 1/2 brightness needs at least 2W which doesn't leave much for the rest of the system. It's possible that the ambient light sensor (assuming it has one) was already reducing the brightness and the test was done with 50% of 50%.

It's unfortunate that Samsung didn't keep to the unique X4C 15.0" format, give it a Haswell board and a better display and then advertise the notebook rather than waiting for people to stumble on it.

John

 

This is just plain horrible! No more future user upgrades, bah!

 

I agree. And while we're in hypotheticals, put in mDP/TB2 and dual cooling fans. Samsung can complain all they want about marginal sales, but they never made much effort into showcasing their PC products (at least here in the US). I can't watch a game without seeing about a dozen Galaxy commercials though.

 

Hi there! Samsung actually makes this pretty enerving ... why is it that CES shows off a touchscreen version but FF to march there are only announcements of a matte nontouch screen left? The press info from CeBit posted earlier in the thread was great - though there is not a single 2014 edition with touch shown on paper (while in the floor at CeBit there is...). Getting frustrated here.
Started out wanting the 13inch AB9plus - then I read about the new 2014 edition - even better and more suited to my needs (sans the price tag, but I`m willing to go for that anyways). Could not believe my luck when it even boasted a touchscreen. Yes it is probably still a great machine without... though trying to get my head around weather I really want a non touch version, after I searched for it so long and was really SOLD instantly after the CES First-Looks.

So - do I get the present situation right?... According to Samsungs "release politics" - they will dangle the Style Version (which I do not want) in front of me, then after a month or 2 the regular 2014 Edition will become available (but only in a i5 Version... that´s also overpriced but out to get the early birds that are tired of waiting) and if I`m really lucky and can wait (how long darn???) Samsung will finally announce the better, "cheaper" i7 nontouch Version... not to dream of the touch version I actually want. Probably right after I purchased the other one. That would really be a low blow. God it´s so stupid. Doesn´t Samsung see that this pi**es off a lot of buyers? (rethoric question *sigh*)
How hard is it to let the buyer decide right on spot if he wants a stylish leather cover, a matte-screen 2014 (I dubb it "Pro") Edition or an additional touchscreen while letting him actually buy it? Not-so-rethorical this time (I´ve worked in marketing before, and this is bull)
'kay - sorry steam's off!

Anything on a purchasable touch version for the edition 2014 anywhere? (EU or US/CAN) Maybe I missed it...
(I bet ya that Apple decides to ship optional touchscreen mac books the moment everyone in win world abandons them again, ugh.)

 

1. In general, without following a thread like this how do you know when a new laptop comes out?

If I go on the samsung website it says series 9, no? So if I was average joe on the street I would think that this new laptop and the old ativ book are the same.

2. If I want matte, non touch what version do I want?

3. What should I prepare to buy to get ethernet if I want to keep the USB ports open for say my USB mouse?

 

Using your numbering:
1. You might stumble across a new model in a store. Even if you a go to a Samsung website that features the new model you first get Galaxy stuffed in your face.

2. Matte, non-touch is the NP930X5J. Touch is the NP940X5J. As a general rule the model numbers that are multiples of 20 but not 100 (eg *20, *40 ...) seem to be touchscreen although the Book 9 Lite NP915 is touchscreen.

3. The computer has a Samsung mini ethernet port and if it is like the previous Series / Book 9s then there is a dongle in the box (but no dongle is included for the Samsung mini-VGA port).

John

 

This is specification for Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3E-K06
- 33,78cm (13.3") Full HD LED Display, matt (1920x1080)
- Intel Core i7-3537U 2.00GHz (4MB Cache; Intel Turbo Boost bis 3.10GHz)
- 4 GB DDR3-RAM 1600MHz (4GB OnBoard)
- 512 GB Solid State Drive
- bla,bla,bla
You see how says specificly matt screen,now look for new Ativ book 2014
- 39,6cm (15.6") Full HD LED Display, low-reflective (1920x1080)
- Intel Core i7-4500U 1.80GHz (4MB Cache; Intel Turbo Boost bis 3.00GHz)
- 8 GB DDR3L-RAM 1600MHz (OnBoard)
- 256 GB Solid State Drive
- bla,bla,bla
This is more then great laptop for somebody that never saw how good matt can be(like me in the begging) and for somebody that never open notebook.
By the way does somebody see main SSD in that Korean review.

 

1. We need to see the two displays side-by-side to be sure whether the difference between "matte" and "low-reflective" is more than words.
2. Samsung often improve the specs with later versions of a model.
3. Good point about the location if the No. 1 SSD. My suspicion is that it is under the long ribbon cable next to the fans (the SSD on the X3B/C/D is also largely covered by a ribbon cable).

John

 

NP930X5J-S01US Availability: On Order

Buy Samsung ATIV Book 9 : 1.8GHz Core i7 15.6in display Notebooks NP930X5J-S01US today at PC Connection

 

Wow, even MacMall and Provantage is selling the NP930X5J-S01US for $2000. I was actually hoping the 256GB model to be around the $1700 price range.

I see Adorama is selling the NP940X5J-K02US (256GB touch version) for about $1900.
Samsung ATIV Book 9 15.6" Full HD Touchscreen Ultrabook Computer NP940X5J-K02US

 

I notice that the NP930X5J-S01US from PC Connection ships with Win7 and 3 year warranty -- seemingly targeting business customers. The NP940X5J-K02US from Adorama is Win8.1; I presume it's the usual 1 year warranty, though I couldn't find it (nor any other spec details).

 

Samsung must have distributed their 2nd quarter catalog so sellers are updating their websites.

However, those models won't be in the shelves in the next few weeks since they are not yet in the SW Update database (which is an indication of specific versions going into production).

John

 

We're in April now and still no sniff of any UK availability. I really need a new laptop and don't want to have to buy the old model

 

It's available in germany since last weekend, but I haven't found any reviews yet...
So I guess you won't have to wait too long in UK anymore.

 

NP930X5J-K01UK is in the SW Update database so I would expect it to arrive within a month.

No listing by any retailers suggests that Samsung UK haven't yet got round to distributing their Q2 catalogue.

John

 

Ah, sorry I didn't realise that.

That's excellent news. As far as I can tell from following this thread that's the one that I want. The more expensive one with the i7 processor and the 8GB ram.

Looks like I'll definitely be waiting then.

Thanks.

 

I should forewarn you that the version -K01 in UK may have completely different specs from -K01 in another country. Each country marketing office orders one or configurations from the list being offered by the factory. Samsung Germany have a track record of ordering different versions with a range of specs and Samsung UK's track record is for less choice and usually lower specs. I would therefore anticipate an i5 CPU (not a big issue, IMO, with the performance difference not being substantial) but if the factory is offering a 128GB SSD option then I would be worried that they will choose it.

John

 

Is there any mention of a US/CA model?

 

There's nothing in the database yet although NP930X5J-S01US has been listed by some resellers for a month.

John

 

Thats perfect, hope its with 8GB and the price will be lower once available....

 

I have been following this laptop since it was announced, but only recently became more educated in regards to SSD's. I thought all SSD's were pretty much the same, but that is obviously not the case. Based on my research it appears Samsung has supplied multiple SSD's (i.e. Sony Vaio Pro) some with 1 gb or so read/write and for the price of this laptop I would expect there would be an M2 PCIe vs. just an M2 SATA (hope I have that right). But at least based on the Korea review, it does not appear we are looking at anything near the 1gb. Also the current Book 9 Plus just uses SATA 3 I believe. Kind of confused as to why Samsung would not be looking to use something more along the lines of what the Macbook line uses, but perhaps I am missing something. Any ideas on this? Thanks.

 

What I would like to know is if we can easily upgrade the ram and SSD ourselves? In which case I might consider swapping it for a much better SSD.. in the event it doesn't already come with one. I agree though that any of Samsung's top laptops should be equipped with the best Samsung SSDs they've got.

So are they soldered on?

 

In my experience, most of the performance benefit from an SSD comes from the near-zero access time. The difference between a read speed of 500MB/s and 1GB/s will not be noticeable in most conditions. Loading a 500MB file (not many people regularly load those) would take 0.5 seconds instead of 1 second assuming that it is a straight copy into RAM without any CPU processing.

Further back up this thread is a link to a Korean review in which a photo of the inside shows what appears to be soldered RAM. As long as it is 8GB then it will be enough for most people. The SSD (actually hidden by a cable) is thought to use the M.2 format and should be swappable. However, there is also a second SSD slot so that would be the first route to a storage upgrade.

John

 

***Update*** : NP930X5J-S01US is now in the SW Update database so maybe it will arrive in about a month.

John

 

Thanks for the information, John. Seems like some of these sites really tout the fact that some of these PCIe's are the only way to go, but makes sense what your are saying. Probably not going to find much difference from SSD to SSD like you would from say HDD to SSD.

 

I think the use case is very limited. You would have to be doing very heavy I/O to appreciate the benefit, in which case I don't think you'd want a ULV processor in the first place.

 

Makes perfect sense as well. Thanks.

 

Can I upgrade the memory on this model?


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