The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite has a retail list price of $799.99, but it's now sold most places for $749. It's a reasonably nice-looking variation on the Samsung Ativ Book 9 (formerly the Series 9) superthin laptop. But, corners have been cut. Instead of metal, it's made of plastic. And, most importantly, instead of an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, the Book 9 Lite is AMD-based, using a customized quad-core processor. So, it's not an ultrabook at all -- not technically, since that branding belongs to Intel -- but, like many previous AMD-powered "sleek" laptops such as the HP Sleekbooks, the idea is similar.
samsung ativ book 9 lite 13.3 laptop
Do these changes make the Ativ Book 9 Lite a worse laptop? Well, yes. Is it still a functional, sleek, and solid computer? Yes, but you can do better. The Book 9 Lite loses some of the Samsung magic. It's just not a great laptop. And if you go bargain-hunting for last year's ultrabooks, there's a good chance one of those discontinued models could even be a better overall experience. I'd buy this product at $600, but not at $800. Hunt down one of those previous third-gen Intel touch-screen ultrabooks instead, unless you prefer Samsung's built-in Samsung Galaxy-friendly software...which you can also get on other, better Samsung laptops (read below on that).
The 13.3-inch, 1,366x768-pixel-resolution display is fair, not great. I was always impressed by the crispness and off-angle viewing the older Series 9/Book 9 provided; this doesn't have that. This is a standard everyday LCD display, prone to washing out at off-angle. It's reasonably bright at highest settings, but text just doesn't pop at this resolution. You can't expect a lot more at this price. It also has a glossy edge-to-edge covering, which throws a lot of glare. But, that's because this is a capacitive touch display. Touch interactivity works well, and is a welcome addition compared with the touch-free Book 9 I last reviewed, but most Windows laptops now have touch screens. It's not a surprising addition.
From an everyday-use "Folger's taste test" type of challenge, you could use this laptop and enjoy its features without realizing it lacks a Core i5 processor...unless you were playing games or monitoring battery life. Our benchmark tests show a significant speed drop from a standard ultrabook. If you're multitasking, pushing heavy graphics-based tasks, or editing video, this laptop will disappoint. I find it hard to accept the performance drop at this price.
There is one compelling, but relatively minor, incentive for Samsung phone/tablet owners to upgrade: SideSync allows a Galaxy phone or tablet to connect to the Ativ Book 9 Lite wirelessly or via USB cable, and can either mirror the phone's functions on the laptop screen, or allow you to use your laptop's keyboard and touch pad to control your phone or tablet. It's clever, especially as a way of monitoring your phone when working at a cafe, and recent Samsung Windows laptops include it.
Conclusion: Would have been good for around $600 It isn't such a great thing to sacrifice battery life and performance for a few hundred dollars in savings. You may not even have to spend that much more: laptops like certain configurations of the Toshiba Portege cost about the same. Yes, some of our favorite ultrabooks cost closer to $1,000. Honestly, you'd be better off spending a little extra.
For an everyday, solid computing experience in a stylish, thin body, the Ativ Book 9 Lite will do well enough. I just wouldn't want to buy one, especially with so many new laptops coming out and so many discounted models floating around online. It's nothing special in the world of Windows 8 touch laptops...which is a shame, because so many recent Samsung ultrabooks are.
The 13.3" widescreen display features 250 nits of brightness, which is up to 25% brighter than the standard notebook computer display. The LED lamps are also more energy efficient than their CCFL counterparts. The screen features a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1366 x 768 native resolution, supported by integrated AMD Radeon HD graphics. The display is a capacitive touchscreen with 10-point touch support, so you'll be able to utilize all the multi-touch gestures incorporated into Windows 8.
Samsung's ATIV Book 9-Lite slots in somewhere between mainstream laptop and tablet on steroids, though at first glance it looks unassailably like an Ultrabook.Inside the eminently thin, snow white ATIV Book 9-Lite is a modestly powerful mobile quad-core AMD 'Kabini' processor that's clocked at 1.0-to-1.4GHz, 4GB of DDR3-1066 system memory and a speedy 128GB SSD for storage. The notebook features a pretty nice 13.3" touch screen display and runs the Windows 8 operating system. That's all well and good, but anyone casting their eyes on the ATIV Book 9-Lite for the first time will undoubtedly notice that it is thin.... like 3/4" thick-thin, and when they pick it up, marvel at how a complete computer system can weigh less than 3.5lbs!?Make no mistake about it, what makes Samsung's ATIV Book 9-Lite stand out from the crowd is primarily design, coupled with an attractive $829 sticker price. The Catch-22 is that as much as the ATIV Book 9-Lite looks and feels like a powerful Ultrabook, it is not.
First off, the 4GB of system memory is fixed and non-upgradable; the DDR3 DRAM is literally soldered to the motherboard so there is no way to add additional memory into the ATIV Book 9-Lite system, which is decidedly un-Ultrabook like. The operating system is loaded onto a quick 128GB mSATA SSD, which is good, but graphics are delivered via the integrated AMD Radeon HD 8250 graphics core which is not the most powerful IGP out there... it's suitable for desktop applications though. The processor is interesting; Samsung tech specs list only a "quad-core 1.4GHz chip." That's a tip off this isn't an Ultrabook - a branding invention by Intel. A little digging eventually reveals that the 1.4GHz quad core CPU is actually an AMD processor which has apparently been modified slightly by Samsung for this particular device. The AMD 'Kabini' A6-1450 APU is head and shoulders above weakling netbook chips, but still on par with an Intel Core i3. Again, not an Ultrabook-class processor.
The ATIV Book 9-Lite is equipped with a multi-point 13.3" touch screen display, which is fantastic for the generation of users who grew up with smart phones. A touch screen means you can literally use your fingers on the screen to navigate web pages, type, open programs and Apps, same as you would on a tablet PC. Older users will find themselves falling back to the good old keyboard and gestural touch pad, which are both implemented very well on the ATIV Book 9-Lite notebook.
Flipping open the Samsung NP915S3G-K01's thin screen panel reveals a bright, expansive 13.3" LED backlit wide screen display connected to an impossibly thin chassis. There is a generously sized gestural touch pad and an 80-key tile keyboard. Dual display configurations are possible with this notebook, provided you spring for the necessary VGA dongle or have a micro-HDMI cable at the ready.
On May 4, 2011, Samsung Electronics also introduced 11.6" display version of the Series9 in Korea market. It had same design identity, specification and exterior material as the 13.3" model except the display size and CPU of Intel Core i3-380UM. The thickness remained the same but the weight was lighter at 1.06 kg (2.34 lb). Two months later, an updated CPU version with Intel Core i5-2537M was introduced to the Korean market to test the market perception of a smaller screen laptop. The original intention was to compete against MacBook Air line up with same screen size models, but due to sluggish demand of smaller screen size model, the 11-inch model was ceased by the end of the year and consequently, the global release was canceled as well. Newly developed 15-inch model superseded the 11-inch model in order to meet the larger-screen preference of the Korean market and later, it was introduced worldwide.
The second generation of Series9 was announced to the public at the CE Show on January 8, 2012.[5] The new model had same display size of 13.3" but the resolution was stepped up from HD (1366 x 768) to HD+ (1600 x 900) and the brightness was increased from 300 nit to 400 nit. Design was refined and the material of the enclosure was changed from duralumin to aluminium single-shell body. Subsequently, the weight was reduced from 1.31 kg (2.89 lb) to 1.13 kg (2.49 lb) and the thickness was reduced from 16.3 mm (0.64 in) to 12.9 mm (0.51 in). The user was offered a choice of 128GB SSD as well as larger 256GB SSD for the storage. It was introduced with Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 processor at the CE Show but 3 months later, it was upgraded to the Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5 processor before the hitting the market. Magnesium enclosure version with exact same design was also released in August 2012. Although the second generation Series9 didn't win the Best of CE Show award as its predecessor had, it was the final contender in the laptop category.[6]
On January 7, 2014, Samsung Electronics announced the new ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition at CES 2014. The screen size was increased from 15.0" to 15.6" from the previous 15 inch Book 9 and the resolution was upgraded from HD to FHD as well. It was announced as the world's first laptop PC to have native lossless audio up to 24bit/192 kHz, such as FLAC and ALAC, playback feature. Due to 48 kHz audio playback limitation of Windows operating system, a dedicated lossless audio player software, S Player+, was also developed and shipped with the product. It also marketed as having the longest battery running time of 14 hours in 15-inch class laptop computers.[8] This model also was a final contender to the throne at the Best of CE Show laptop category.[9] Although announced in January 2014, it had not yet marketed, till end of May 2014.
At just 3.48 pounds and 0.69 inches thick, the ATIV Book 9 Lite is smaller and lighter than a paperback book, making it easy for you to stay productive wherever you go. The laptop's sleek, modern design is available in a white or black body. 2ff7e9595c
Comments