Customer reviews from Samsung US
Samsung - Series 9 Ultrabook 15" Laptop - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Mineral Ash Black
Average customer rating
4.4
(37 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 37 reviews
5 Stars
24
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
2
1 Star
1
86%of customers recommend this product.
(
24 out of
28)
Customer Reviews for Samsung - Series 9 Ultrabook 15" Laptop - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Mineral Ash Black
Customer Rating
5
Samsung at its best!
on January 3, 2013
Posted by: SamsungKeeper
The first review for this Series 9 model (A03) said it all in the title - Best Laptop on the Market.
More and more, computer marketing is all about mass market appeal and has moved away from technical specs, but technical specs DO still matter, ESPECIALLY in ultrabooks, which thanks to improved Intel graphics in Ivy Bridge are right on the cusp of being able to play modern games (albeit at lower settings). Nobody cares about paying more for 10-15% extra performance on desktops anymore, but that can make a huge difference in an ultrabook if you suddenly get the urge to use it like a real computer, and is worth a premium IMO. And the specs on this Series 9 model A03 should ensure such a performance advantage over most other ultrabooks on the market.
This model of the Series 9, the NP900X4C-A03US, simply has it all:
* 256GB SSD (most models have either a hybrid SSD/HDD, or only 128GB SSD)
* 8GB RAM (the number of ultrabooks on the market offering options with >4GB is woefully small).
* Decent screen resolution of 1600x900 that's a nice fit for a 15" screen.
* Core i7 CPU
* 8GB RAM (the number of ultrabooks on the market offering options with >4GB is woefully small).
* Decent screen resolution of 1600x900 that's a nice fit for a 15" screen.
* Core i7 CPU
I think most people can grasp the benefits of the first 3 items (which are clearly significant and may be enough to pay extra for just the bigger SSD and RAM alone), but there are significant benefits of the i7-3517U processor that's offered in this model, over the i5-3317U that's offered in the lower-end A01 and A02 models (and most other ultrabooks).
To wit:
i5-3317U:
1.7 GHz base clock frequency
2.6 GHz max turbo clock frequency
3 MB cache
1050 MHZ max Gfx clock frequency
1.7 GHz base clock frequency
2.6 GHz max turbo clock frequency
3 MB cache
1050 MHZ max Gfx clock frequency
i7-3517U:
1.9 GHz base clock frequency (12% faster)
3.0 GHz max turbo clock frequency (13% faster)
4 MB cache (33% bigger)
1150 MHz max Gfx clock frequency (10% faster)
1.9 GHz base clock frequency (12% faster)
3.0 GHz max turbo clock frequency (13% faster)
4 MB cache (33% bigger)
1150 MHz max Gfx clock frequency (10% faster)
(Source: Anandtech)
All of the above, combined with the 8GB RAM, should result in an across-the-board 10-15% performance increase in both processor-intensive apps, as well as graphical-intensive apps (ie, games). And this is all done within the same 17W power envelope, with the same excellent battery life and no battery penalty from using an external graphics chip.
I'm afraid I can't offer any benchmark comparisons as proof (I only bought one computer after all), but I can tell you that there are many reports of Diablo 3 barely being able to run on Intel HD4000 graphics, especially in later acts with lots of background action going on. But I can report that D3 runs great and smooth on this system in both Acts 3 and 4, with medium textures, low shadows, and high physics in the native 1600x900 resolution.
(As a sidebar, I should also mention the good news that my model came with a Samsung SSD, and not the slower SanDisk SSD that was in the 128GB model that I looked at in a retail store. No guarantees if this will always be the case, though).
I'm not going to go into usability aspects, other than to say that our family is very satisfied with the screen, keyboard, trackpad, build, etc. It's a sweet machine. Honestly, if you're concerned about those kinds of things, you'll likely go see and feel a Series 9 model for yourself at a local retail store (any 15" Ivy Bridge model will suffice for evaluating this aspect, of course). That's what we did, we liked it, and we are liking it more every day as we continue using it after about a week.
The downside to this model is that nobody is selling it, and even Amazon lists a 3-5 week wait for shipment. Fortunately, Amazon appears to be under-promising here, as ours shipped in about 1.5 weeks, and arrived a little over 2 weeks after we ordered it.
Bottom line: Don't let the extra money or the extra wait scare you away from the A03 model. This laptop is going to be the workhorse in our household that does everything, from general productivity to homework to surfing to on-the-move mobility to moderate gaming, and on and on. If you're looking to make a similar investment, go for the best and get this laptop.
Pros: Built-in speakers, Bright display, Inexpensive, Durable, Realistic color, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
What a beautiful Ultrabook
on June 14, 2012
Posted by: Anonymous
from Santa Clarita
Expertise:Expert
With a new power skimping Ivy Bridge processor, and a sleak design there is very little to complain about. Two issues not enough SSD options, the standard 128GN SSD is 1/2 full on arrival, loading MS Office Pro, and the recovery disk left me with only 52 GB left. The Network port requires an adaptor, otherwise this guy is the Bomb!
Pros: Built-in speakers, Bright display, Realistic color, widi, backlite keyboard
Cons: ssd too limited
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
great hardware but bad drivers
on January 25, 2013
Posted by: sank
Expertise:Expert
the ultrabook itself is great as a hardware but software drivers are horrible.
Cons: wifi driver issue, sound driver issue
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
4
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Perfection
on November 29, 2012
Posted by: dedeeler
from Yonkers, New York
This is definitely one of the best products Samsung has to offer its fast light weight and so convenient the display is clean and clear with barely any strain on the eyes this is great for people on the go because its half the weight of other laptops and starts up so fast if your in the market for a new latop this should be your first choice
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
great labtop
on February 14, 2013
Posted by: lumino
was a great labtop it did everything I need and never shut down on me. well worth the money
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
Picky Professional
on November 16, 2012
Posted by: syserr
Expertise:Expert
The specs are great. I'm a software engineer and have been using Linux on this laptop for 3 months. Linux support is coming along, I found that most established Linux distributions had issues so I made my own mix with Gentoo. Out of simple distributions - Linux Mint Debian Edition won't do you wrong.
I like the laptop, but I do have a list of cons: I love the non-glossy screen, but it does seem to give eye fatigue. Keyboard keys are spaced out much further than older laptop keys - mistyping a lot. It would be nice of the arrow keys were a full inverse-T. The hinge for the screen/lid gives plenty of friction when almost closed, but not enough when greater than 90 degrees open. I have worries about the power port being fragile. IMHO it should come with a HDMI and DVI cable.
Features
4
Performance
5
Design
4
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
This laptop is screaming fast!
on December 16, 2012
Posted by: AmericanWolf
from Alexandria, VA
Expertise:Expert
Thanks to it's internal Solid State drive this machine boots Windows 7 nearly instantly and runs blindingly fast. It also has a very solid shell and great battery life! I love my Samsung Series 9 laptop!
Pros: extremely fast, built in camera
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Great Product by Great Company!
on December 14, 2012
Posted by: SamsungAmazes
from UT
Expertise:Expert
This is a snappy laptop, handling all the computing needs I have. It is not a gaming rig by any means, but it can handle most games at the medium settings. It is super thin, close to 1/2" and it is just as sleek if not more so than any laptop I've ever seen. It is great, I would suggest it to any and all that are considering an ultra-book.
Pros: Built-in speakers, Bright display, Durable, Realistic color, Lightweight, impossibly thin, great battery, hd display
Cons: touch pad isn't great
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US