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    Samsung Series 9 Laptops Get Updated for Back-To-School Discussion

    Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by Jerry Jackson, Jul 2, 2011.

  1. Jerry Jackson

    Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer

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    Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2015
    Jerry Jackson, Jul 2, 2011
    #1
  2. makaveli72

    makaveli72 Eat.My.Shorts

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    Mmmm...I think i'll be saving up for the Sammy 13 A05US Notebook; seeing that the EliteBook 2760p didn't make the cut for me.
     
    makaveli72, Jul 2, 2011
    #2
  3. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    I wonder if Samsung have fixed the poor wireless problem that is probably the most discussed issue with the 13" model (more discussion here). In other respects they are good products.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jul 2, 2011
    #3
  4. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    They're nice laptops but they're quite overpriced here in Europe. The 13" i5 is selling for about ~1500 euros.
     
    Phil, Jul 2, 2011
    #4
  5. cy007

    cy007 Notebook Deity

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    Should grab a decent amount of MBA's market share, but I don't see Samsung beating Apple anytime soon. The Samsung is afterall more expensive and doesn't exactly deliver anything more (actually less considering it doesn't have Thunderbolt) than the MBA.
     
    cy007, Jul 2, 2011
    #5
  6. makaveli72

    makaveli72 Eat.My.Shorts

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    ....And then there was the VAIO series of Sony notebooks. Sigh! ...Rethinking.
     
    makaveli72, Jul 3, 2011
    #6
  7. karbon223

    karbon223 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Does anyone know what SSD is used in these notebooks? And any word on whether the wireless problems have been fixed?
     
    karbon223, Jul 3, 2011
    #7
  8. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    It's a Samsung 470 series as far as I know. Good SSD.
     
    Phil, Jul 4, 2011
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  9. 212cafe

    212cafe Newbie

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    Thank for sharing
     
    212cafe, Jul 13, 2011
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  10. load97

    load97 Notebook Geek

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    Does it not have USB 3.0? MBA won't, so it comes out as a wash.
     
    load97, Jul 13, 2011
    #10
  11. trvelbug

    trvelbug Notebook Prophet

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    better screen, better cpu, better connectivity, better and bigger ssd, bigger memory, better casing material.
    last time i checked those are the major components of any laptop.

    in fact the only thing the mbp has going for it is better wifi reception. the gpu doesnt even count cause i think it performs the same as the sammy's igp.
     
    trvelbug, Jul 15, 2011
    #11
  12. cenix

    cenix Notebook Consultant

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    it's definitely a great looking laptop!
     
    cenix, Jul 15, 2011
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  13. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    I had the Samsung in my hands. The material feels kind of flimsy to me, there's quite some flex in the casing unlike the MBA.

    The screen is 1366*768 while the MBA has 1440*900. While the brightness of the Samsung is high, contrast ratio of the MBA is a little better according to Notebookcheck measurements

    The CPU, memory and SSD I can't say much about because new MBA arrives ~ next week.

    There's a good chance that the MBA has a faster SSD.
    http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/04/next-macbook-air-to-adopt-faster-more-power-efficient-ssd/

    The new Macbook Air is on my shortlist, the Samsung isn't. Asus UX21 or UX31 might be other interesting options.
     
    Phil, Jul 15, 2011
    #13
  14. cenix

    cenix Notebook Consultant

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    ^ interesting. i've never touched/used a samsung series 9, but i've had lots of experience with duralumin in general (automotive). it's very solid and lightweight material. what was 'flimsy' about the notebook? the keyboard or the actual chassis itself?
     
    cenix, Jul 16, 2011
    #14
  15. load97

    load97 Notebook Geek

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    I thought the S9 was incredibly sturdy, as well as the brightness (Nits) is better than the MBA. I am very tempted at buying an 11.6" MBA refresh, but having Thunderbolt instead of USB 3.0 has been bothering me as it is not that compatible with Windows computers(yet). I've got some time to look at both before I really need to buy a laptop.
     
    load97, Jul 18, 2011
    #15
  16. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    The Samsung gets 363 nits, Air gets 316 nits. Both are more than bright enough in my experience.
    Contrast rates are about equal actually (Notebookjournal.de).

    The chassis and keyboard. Quite some flex in the keyboard too. I'm no expert in duralumin but the Samsung feels like there is some plastic used.

    Maybe it's really strong I don't know, I do know there's much more flex in the chassis than in the Macbook Air.

    Edit: This review by Notebookjournal confirms pretty much everything I said about the stability:
    http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/laptops-reviews-samsung-900x3a-a01-nkrt-1357/

    It's in German, not sure if Google will translate it well but they say they had very high expectations and they were dissappointed. They even call it weak. They refer to the Macbook Air of an example how it should be done.
     
    Phil, Jul 18, 2011
    #16