The 2012 Samsung Series 9 13.3" (NP900X3B)

[coldmack]

I have a Vaio Z and the quality between both screens are similar. The Z has a semi-glossy display where as the S9 is matte. The colors might be a little brighter and "pop" a little more on the Sony (not knocking the S9). The viewing angles are better on the S9.

If I had to pick which screen I'd rather have, it would be the S9.

What about color accuracy and gamut?

[lghtwave]

Hi guys,

I'm an English Teacher from Canada who just recently arrived in Korea. I've had my eye on the 15 inch Series 9 for awhile now. I would like to wait for the Ivy Bridge version of this laptop but I'm in desperate need of a machine right now (doing everything off an IPad is not fun). Being in Korea I figured I would have no trouble getting my hands one. So far I haven't had much luck, the people I spoke with in several electronic stores told me that they still don't have it and can't get their hands on one yet, I have to wait till at least this weekend before they can order it. I have three questions for all you Laptop Forum guys,

- How much hotter would Ivy Bridge run over the current Sandy Bridge versions? One of my chief issues is fan noise, Im wondering if Ivy would cause the laptop to run louder for a longer period of time?

- Second, for anyone familiar with Korea. Do you have any suggestions on where to go to find these laptops? I'm currently in Seoul.

- Finally, I would really love to get my hands on an English version of this laptop. Is this possible? If not, please tell me at least the BIOS is English?

Thank you...

You can buy from Korean online stores here. (This is kinda like Korean version of Google Shopping)

Howerver they only have i7+256GB SSD version with $2,200~ price tag.
Ask your Korean friends/coworkers how to purchase it online, since Korean sites often require KR SSN&cell phone# and etc.

I don't think you can buy U.S. version there but I'm pretty sure that the BIOS is English.
Good luck...

[rubenhan]

Hi guys,

I'm an English Teacher from Canada who just recently arrived in Korea. I've had my eye on the 15 inch Series 9 for awhile now. I would like to wait for the Ivy Bridge version of this laptop but I'm in desperate need of a machine right now (doing everything off an IPad is not fun). Being in Korea I figured I would have no trouble getting my hands one. So far I haven't had much luck, the people I spoke with in several electronic stores told me that they still don't have it and can't get their hands on one yet, I have to wait till at least this weekend before they can order it. I have three questions for all you Laptop Forum guys,

- How much hotter would Ivy Bridge run over the current Sandy Bridge versions? One of my chief issues is fan noise, Im wondering if Ivy would cause the laptop to run louder for a longer period of time?

- Second, for anyone familiar with Korea. Do you have any suggestions on where to go to find these laptops? I'm currently in Seoul.

- Finally, I would really love to get my hands on an English version of this laptop. Is this possible? If not, please tell me at least the BIOS is English?

Thank you...

What lghtwave has recommended is a good option. What I would recommend though if you have a Korean friend, ask him/her to take you to Yong San (용산) or Techno Mart (테크노 마트). Here they have myriads of small electronic stores. The website that lghtwave recommended also lists many stores located in the above mentioned malls. If they have in stock, you can either go and pick it up or order online. If you don't have any Korean bank account or credit card account, it might be easier to go and buy there. By the way know your price and don't get ripped off. It is preferable to go there with a Korean friend in order to avoid language barrier.

They could give you some discount if you pay cash, so don't hesitate to ask.

[shelleyevans]

I have a question too. I can't really afford the new samsung series 9, but I found last years model for $999, which is the same price as the Dell XPS 13. I was wondering which you guys think would be better?

I had (and returned) both. The S9 because it had the bad wifi, since fixed (be careful which model number you get, because not ALL of them have been fixed-- if you check the other series 9 thread, you can find the model number of the "fixed" version, although Samsung never officially admitted that it had to be fixed), and the xps 13, ultimately, because the fan was too loud for me. But if I had to choose between the first s9 and the xps 13, I would have chosen the dell. This is totally a matter of personal preference-- I loved the design and build of the Dell, and the keyboard felt just fantastic, as did the touchpad (my keyboard was a little wonky, but I'm pretty sure that if I had swapped it out it would have been fixed-- nobody else had keyboard issues). Personally, I hated the way the s9 attracted fingerprints, and I was not a fan of the darth vadar design. Dell is working like MAD to improve customer relations, and their interest in customer feedback and their support around this laptop have been phenomenal-- stark contrast to the eerie silence of Samsung. So, for me, if this 2.5 pound matte screened beauty were not waiting in the wings, I would have stuck with the Dell.

[bman22]

What about color accuracy and gamut?

Sony tends to over saturate colors. S9 has better contrast. It's really hard to complain about either screen. Both are great.

[Thors.Hammer]

Can anyone explain why the new version has been removed from Amazon? I haven't been able to find it for several days.... Camelcamelcamel.com says this was the page:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP900X...SIN=B006KYY15A

Gone.

There could be several reasons:

1. Human error deleted the page and nobody has reported it
2. They took so many pre-orders they pulled the page because they were worried they would not be abled to fill the orders. Unlikely.
3. It is no longer made and being replaced with a different SKU.
4. Glitch in the matrix

[narcemea]

There could be several reasons:

1. Human error deleted the page and nobody has reported it
2. They took so many pre-orders they pulled the page because they were worried they would not be abled to fill the orders. Unlikely.
3. It is no longer made and being replaced with a different SKU.
4. Glitch in the matrix

Sad to think that No. 3 is probably the most likely one of those.

[bman22]

Looks like Samsung finally updated their site with these new models. Drivers are available as well.

[SZQ]

For those still on the fence. Good things come to those who wait...

One major competitor to this laptop is Asus's UX31, which is going to have a big refresh. "Asus Zenbook UX31A and UX21A coming soon with Ivy Bridge, WiDi, matte Full HD IPS display, and backlit keyboard" - The Verge.

This is good news!

I'm still going to get the Samsung as I think the build quality will be better, looks much better and screen is the best. Samsung can be very competitive so I hope the price comes down and IB refresh as soon as possible. Can't wait!

Well done Asus though!

[scrappygolucky]

Wow, that was quick on the Zenbook refresh. I tried one out a month ago and it was not a fun experience. Glossy screen, crappy keyboard.

A full HD, matte IPS screen + a possible 512GB in memory is just awesome. Hope they can improve the keyboard a bit too.