The 2012 Samsung Series 9 13.3" (NP900X3B)

Guess all the speculation on the release date was wrong... I just got an email from Amazon confirming that my Samsung Series 9 notebook has shipped! Finally!

 

So you think the original 6230 in your machine was just faulty?

 

I just got a pending credit card charge from my Amazon USA preorder!!! (preorder about a month ago)

03/02/2012

Pending
Amazon.com
$

1,399.99

Processing

Amazon also says:

Shipping Soon
Delivery Estimate: Wednesday March 7, 2012

 

Get OUT! Congratulations! I am super jealous! Just an hour ago, I had put an email in to my account manager at CDW to order both the X3B and the X4B (the X4B is the one I really want). Then, one of them - hopefully it won't be the X4B, will be cancelled. After considering all my other options, but cognizant of my time restraints, your GREAT news just made my day!
Be sure to keep us posted -

 

CJP2, I will. I have Amazon Prime, my guess since they finally charge, I will get it by Mon or Tues.

 

Amazon.com: Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Titan Silver): Computers & Accessories


is this the amazon link? if is available why not stated there?

 

They probably need to ship all queue in preorder before they can make it available again there.

 

ah ok, hope doesnt take long

 

Has anyone seen reviews of the final machine?

 

So it appears that in the first reviews of the Dell XPS 13 that they included a Samsung SSD..... what's up, Samsung???

 

Yes - the original 6230 was faulty!
I tested the old 6230 chip in another maschine .... same errors!
With the new - everything is fine!

 

Its only to open the body (10 screws) then you can see Wlan-Chip on the left side (look at my fotos)

 

Good...I am thinking about ordering it from the UK although I'd prefer a US keyboard and of course the lower price if I were to order it from the states, even including the customs and taxes. Sucks that Amazon.com doesn't send electronics to Germany, so I'll have to wait until other shops get their stock.

Can anyone recommend a reliable US company which ships to Europe for buying a laptop?

 

Portable One, as mentioned here. I bought a couple of Fujitsu notebooks from them some years ago and the service was second-to-none.

John

 

Anyone knows when "mineral ash" color will be available?

 

I'm hoping Mineral will be the 256GB SSD model color.

 

How do these colours look and differ? I would prefer the darker one...
Does anyone have pictures to show how different they look?

 

I checked the portable one website and it says the series 9 has 1366 x 768 display which isn't right because the 2012 series 9 is supposed to have 1600 x 900. The 400 nit led backlight is correct though.

 

This is still the old model NP900X3A..the new one is NP900X3B.

 

They've got official info up...

The New Series 9: Thin, Fast, Smart | Samsung Notebook Article

They say 6hr battery. I thought they were advertising at 8+? Generally real world is of course less. I wonder what their real world is? Or, maybe they are bucking the trend and advertising real world?

 

Anyone here looking at the new Dell Ultrabook rather than the Series 9 ?

 

Well, yes, actually, and hi! I am sending my XPS 13 back today, and my next order of business is to try one of these, assuming that the early feedback is positive. (I'm a little leery about waving the computer around like a top to get the fan noise to stop... )

 

Looking forward to your feedback on the Samsung, especially compared to the Dell. About the Dell: would you have kept it if not for the reppeeaatting letter problem? What were your overall thoughts??

 

Well, it's a little off topic, but might be of some interest to others, since we're all (apparently) in search of a similar holy grail...

I loved the build quality of the Dell XPS 13. Slim and solid and understated. (I returned original Series 9 bc of wireless issues, but I hated the Darth Vadar look that everybody else seemed to love. And the fingerprints-- AGH.) I loved the feeling of the keyboard (except for the occassional ddouble kkey) and the trackpad (except for the occasional palm press problem). I did NOT like the fan noise, even after applying the new bios. It kicked in every three to six minutes whenever the computer warmed up. Not too loud, but my current UL20A doesn't do that, and I want my new computer to do better than the one it's replacing.

Which leads me to my conclusion: if I'm going to spend over a thousand dollars on a new computer, it has to improve my current situation. Which is: 3 pounds, 4 ounces, SSD, quiet, fast, nice but not backlit keyboard, fine but irritating trackpad, glossy screen (I want matte) and slightly crummy build (but for $475, who's complaining?). Dell was better in some areas, but with too many gotchas. I'm hoping this Samsung is the charm.

 

I'm right there with ya. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

New page:

Series 9 Takes the Lead | Samsung Notebook Article

Not much new info, though.

 

Here are two. The one I want is the bright silver model (the left thumbnail).

 

Which leads me to my conclusion: If I am going to spend nearly two grand on a computer, it had better be nearly perfect. Every computer that comes along and tries to compete with the MBA cuts some corner and ends up with a black eye of some sort. Who do they think we are?

 

The New Series 9: Thin, Fast, Smart | Samsung Notebook Article says 6h battery life, while Series 9 Takes the Lead | Samsung Notebook Article states 7h...

 

Perhaps somebody who owns one could chime in...

 

The S9 presents quite a conundrum for me. I really need a windows laptop for work. I haven't bought a windows laptop in about 6 years. I've been solely Mac in that time.

I have to say, trying to figure out what to get, I don't miss windows laptops at alll. I've narrowed it down to the Dell XPS 13, the Asus UX31 and Samsung's S9.

Unfortunately the Dell has a super glossy screen and the resolution is lower than I'd like, the Asus seems to be luck of the draw on if I'll receive a good machine or not and the Samsung is somewhere in the void as far as release dates go, plus this fan thing that's been talked about here.

It's a mine field. Some were saying that Amazon shipped their S9? Any one receive it yet, stateside? I was actually holding out on ordering from amazon until they had actual ship dates because I'm traveling in a few weeks and need the laptop before I leave, didn't want to buying it without knowing when I'd get it. Now it seems I should have???

 

I like actually having options. I choose the S9 cuz its pretty and high resolution matted screen.

Anyhow, my Amazon order will be here tomorrow based on UPS tracking. They have shipped.

 

Choice is great. I'd just be nice if each one of them didn't have so many unmitigated issues. All that I really want is a windows MacBook air. But with each option, something is sacrificed. The S9 seems to be the only one with everything that I need. Looking forward to your comments tomorrow if you wouldn't mind posting up on you're impressions. Especially interested in real battery life!

 

You and a few million other people.

 

I know it will never happen, but do you realize how many units Apple would sell if they introduced a "true" Windows Air machine with a Windows keyboard?

 

No idea -- but I'd certainly be a buyer!!! The only reason I can't do a macbook air is the battery life isn't great when used for windows. If not for that, I'd deal with the keyboard.

 

Anyone know where I can order one of these in Canada? None of the traditional channels seems to carry it or even list it for preorder.

 

Really really makes you wish Apple had better boot camp drivers. Of course some would like a pc price too but imho there is a premium price because of the components; screen, speakers, keyboard, trackpad, etc.

 

I can't resist adding that I COMPLETELY agree. On both counts (either better drivers or a dedicated windows mba). At the risk of getting flamed, I used Android phones until Verizon got an iPhone, and never looked back.

 

That all said; I did once have a perfect for me windows laptop; a Samsung X50. Last windows laptop I owned, bought in 2005. My father in law still uses it today for lectures (university professor). Almost 7 years old and the only thing I had to replace was the battery.

I'm just hoping the S9 will prove just as reliable.

 

Because I rarely use battery, I dealt with the keyboard issue. Nearly everthing you want to do has a keyboard shortcut key sequence so I built a cheatsheet from the helpfile information. After a couple of days I didn't need it any longer.

Sold my MBA at a great price and have been waiting for the MBA killer to come along.

I just ordered the Sammy second gen 13 from Amazon. It probably won't be delivered for 3-4 weeks. By then you early adopters will already know if it's a keeper or not.

 

Thanks for showing me the differences mate! For me the ideal S9 would be 13" dark grey, with 4Gb of RAM, 128Gb SSD and an i7 CPU. 4Gb of RAM is enough for me and a 256Gb SSD would make the S9 too expensive. As for the CPU I'm waiting for Samsung to make the i7 CPU available, hopefully, with a price reduction! .

 

Good luck. Personally I won't be able to handle 1600x900 on a 13.3" screen, so I would have to go with the 15" S9. Then again, I'm infatuated with the small footprint of the Dell Ultrabook (only 8.1" deep is VERY attractive to me) so I've got my eye on that one too.

 

Well, I fully intend to buy the 15" when it becomes available with the 256GB SSD option.

I'm not sure about the 13" for the same reason you cite.

 

GILT.com has the 13'' version for $1399, with $100 gilt credit, expected delivery is Mon 03/19/12 - Fri 03/23/12
registration is open I think, but if you wish you could sign up via my invite link...

 

No returns. Given the variables, that feels risky. I'm hopeful, but not THAT hopeful.

PS as for the resolution issue-- can't those of us who are growing myopic just adjust the font size to 150%?

 

Not me. I work from home and very often bounce back-and-forth between the laptop's screen and a 24" external monitor with 1920x1200 resolution. Soooo... 150% DPI would be fine for the laptop's screen but lousy for the external monitor. And switching back and forth is not exactly "on the fly." Know what I mean?

If you can think of a solution, I'm all ears.

 

My Amazon order just arrived!!! I'll try to post a mini review later this evening.

 

Congratulations!!!
I'm so jealous...

 

Congrats!!! Wish I were you ...