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Review Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01DE Notebook

Light, slim, (more) affordable. Samsung's ATIV Book 9 Plus established itself as a high-end contender in the Ultrabook category. Equipped with identical hardware, but without the "Plus" in the name and sans the reflective QHD+ display, the cheaper ATIV Book 9 retails for about 350 Euro (~$480) less.

For the original German review, see here.

If the price of the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus is simply too high, prospective buyers can also opt for the more affordable ATIV Book 9. The Ultrabook is equipped with an Intel Haswell i5-4200U CPU and 8 GB of RAM. With a sticker price of 1150 Euro (~$1590) instead of 1500 Euro (~$2070), Samsung's Ultrabook comes with a 256 GB SSD and a regular Full-HD display with a resolution of 1980 x 1020 pixels instead of the QHD+ display. The single - albeit notable - advantage of the lower-resolution display: its panel is non-reflective.

Despite the fact that the price has dropped, the Ultrabook is still one of the more expensive ones out there and accordingly, our expectations are set pretty high as well. Since the construction of the ATIV Book 9 is identical to the Plus-model, we are going to focus mostly on the differences - for details, please take a look at the previous review.

For comparison purposes, we look at the similarly equipped competitors Fujitsu Lifebook U554 and Asus Zenbook UX302LA.

Case

Although the chassis visually appears to be identical to the Lite-version of the Ultrabook, the new ATIV Book is actually made from upscale-looking aluminum. The dark and matte surface areas are non-slip and robust. The Book 9 lacks the chrome trim of the ATIV Book 9 Plus.

The chassis has been revised and the surfaces appear to be less susceptible to fingerprints. Access to the components remains unchanged, and the the bottom cover attaches to the aluminum base unit with 10 screws. Just like on the ATIV Book 9 Plus, the display of the review Ultrabook opens easily and smoothly thanks to the hinge design. The maximum opening angle is not as generous though and not even close to the 180 degrees of the Plus-version. The hinge covers are plastic, so the material selection is not entirely uniform. A check of the dimensions reveals that the ATIV book is now even slimmer at 13.2 mm thick; the weight has decreased to 1.12 kg. These are exceptional numbers in this category, which make the 13.3-inch Ultrabook stand out even more. The competition can't compare here: the Fujitsu Lifebook U554) is 17.5 and the Asus Zenbook UX302LA 21 mm thick.

Despite the thin and light chassis, Samsung's Ultrabook appears to be quite sturdy and as such well suited as a mobile companion.

Connectivity

Since the review notebook shares the same motherboard as well as other hardware with the Plus-version, one might think that both Ultrabooks come with the same ports - but that's actually not the case. The right edge of the new model is home to a microphone and a USB 2.0 port, whereas the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus is equipped with a USB 3.0 port instead. This might be a somewhat limiting factor since it requires the user to consider the location of the ports during use.

Power jack, USB 3.0, Micro-HDMI, LAN (photo: Samsung)
Power jack, USB 3.0, Micro-HDMI, LAN (photo: Samsung)
Mini-VGA, audio combo-jack, USB 2.0 (photo: Samsung)
Mini-VGA, audio combo-jack, USB 2.0 (photo: Samsung)

Accessories

No real changes as far as the accessories are concerned. We appreciate the fact that Samsung includes an Ethernet adapter instead of making it an option that costs extra.

Input Devices

Keyboard

We really liked the superb black chiclet keyboard Samsung equipped the ATIV Book 9 Plus with. For the ATIV Book 9, Samsung unfortunately cut costs and while the keyboard is generally still very smooth, the keys rattle and are very noisy during typing. It seems to us that the keys are a little on the loose side and move around too much.

Display

Brightness and contrast are both very acceptable.
Brightness and contrast are both very acceptable.
Display bleeding is very noticable.
Display bleeding is very noticable.

The biggest difference between the review model and the Plus-version is the display. For 350 Euro (~$480) less, the ATIV Book 9 comes with a Full-HD TN panel with a resolution of 1980 x 1020 pixels instead of the QHD+ touch display with 3200 x 1800 pixels. From a quality standpoint, the TN panel is not in the same league as the QHD+ panel, but because it is non-glare, it is suited better for outdoor use. In addition to the anti-glare treatment, the average brightness is also quite a bit higher at 352 cd/m² - the Plus-version topped out at 284.3 cd/m². The Fujitsu Lifebook U554 can't compete on resolution (1366 x 768 pixels), nor brightness (less than 200 cd/m²) and only takes the third place in our comparison. The Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA features a matte display and the same resolution, but the average brightness is lower by about 50 nits. The display of the ATIV Book 9 maintains its maximum brightness of 379 cd/m² also when running on battery power.

A significant drawback is display bleeding. As the photo clearly shows, the white areas are quite noticeable and can be annoying during dark scenes in movies or during gaming - not something we are very happy about considering the notebook retails for more than 1000 Euro (~$1400).

381
cd/m²
382
cd/m²
371
cd/m²
345
cd/m²
379
cd/m²
346
cd/m²
327
cd/m²
318
cd/m²
323
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE HF HN133WU3-100 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 382 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 352.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 379 cd/m²
Contrast: 948:1 (Black: 0.4 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.28 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.96 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
54.78% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
84.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.35
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung MZNTD128HAGM
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung SSD 840 250GB MZ7TD256HAFV
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 + 24 GB SanDisk SSD U100 Cache
Display
-40%
-3%
Display P3 Coverage
65.8
36.04
-45%
60.3
-8%
sRGB Coverage
84.7
54
-36%
83.8
-1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
61.8
37.27
-40%
61
-1%
Screen
-8%
-76%
-10%
Brightness middle
379
301
-21%
226
-40%
322
-15%
Brightness
352
284
-19%
199
-43%
296
-16%
Brightness Distribution
83
84
1%
81
-2%
86
4%
Black Level *
0.4
0.39
2%
0.88
-120%
0.52
-30%
Contrast
948
772
-19%
257
-73%
619
-35%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.28
4
7%
9.99
-133%
3.55
17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.96
4.4
-11%
10.43
-163%
4.35
-10%
Gamma
2.35 94%
2.43 91%
2.63 84%
2.55 86%
CCT
7768 84%
7434 87%
12905 50%
6856 95%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
54.78
54.8
0%
36.1
-34%
57
4%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-8% / -8%
-58% / -66%
-7% / -8%

* ... smaller is better

In addition to increasing the brightness, Samsung also improved the contrast and the black value is correspondingly quite low at 0.4 cd/m². The competing notebooks are not able to match these results, although Samsung's ATIV Book 9 Plus slightly outperforms the review notebook. Subjectively, the noticeable display bleeding is quite distracting, as the black bars are anything but when watching movies. Colors are saturated and even, although the color temperature of 7312 K is pretty far from the ideal of 6500 K. The CalMAN analysis reveals a very low DeltaE deviation for the gray levels of 3.96 average. The Samsung ATIV Book 9 takes the first place here in our internal comparison; the Fujitsu Lifebook U554 has the worst result with a DeltaE of over 10. With a DeltaE of 4.28, The color accuracy is not quite as good: with a  DeltaE of 4.28, the review notebook is bested by the Plus-version and the Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA (DeltaE values of 4 and 3.55, respectively).

Overall, the display of the ATIV Book 9 is quite impressive. An ICC comparison with Argyll does show that the display doesn't live up to professional standards, however, as the sRGB coverage is low at 74.77 %. The coverage of the Adobe RGB 1998 color space is consequently even lower at 54.78 %.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN Saturation
Compared to AdobeRGB
Compared to AdobeRGB
Compared to sRGB
Compared to sRGB
At one glance: sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces
At one glance: sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces

Because of the high maximum brightness and the fact that the panel is non-glare, the Samsung's Ultrabook can also be used outdoors without major restrictions. Subnotebooks are generally designed to be highly mobile and should thus work well in bright environments. Both the Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA as well as the Plus-version come with a glossy display, which can limited usability outdoors.

Good visibility thanks to the decent brightness
Good visibility thanks to the decent brightness
Direct sunlight makes deciphering the display content more difficult
Direct sunlight makes deciphering the display content more difficult
We recommend turning off the brightness sensor.
We recommend turning off the brightness sensor.

The vividness of the colors and the brightness change comparatively little at various viewing angles. Even at 45 degrees, the screen content is easy to see, although there is of course some decrease in color intensity. Overall viewing angle stability is decent and not a limiting factor during daily use, although the display can't be compared to high-end IPS panels like the one Samsung uses for the Plus-version.

Viewing angles Samsung ATIV Book 9
Viewing angles Samsung ATIV Book 9

Performance

Both the review notebook and the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus use the same CPU and graphics card. The Haswell Intel Core i5-4200U CPU is known for its very low TDP of 15 watts and therefore very well suited for subnotebooks. Samsung also increased the RAM from 4 to 8 GB and outfits the new Ultrabook with a 256 GB SSD. The selected hardware components seem to be a good fit for a subnotebook.

System information Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01

Processor

All four competing notebooks are equipped with the same processor - a Haswell-generation Intel Core i5-4200U. The dual-core CPU, which has a core frequency of 1.6 GHz and a Turbo-induced maximum of 2.3 GHz (both cores), was specifically designed for Ultrabooks. A analysis of the performance shows that all competing notebooks are virtually identical as far as their Cinebench R11.5 scores are concerned with only the Fujitsu Lifebook U554 falling out of line a little. The CPU frequency never dropped below the base clock speed, while the Turbo was not always able to maintain the maximum clock rate, either.

With the notebook running on battery, the Turbo was not active, although the test results didn't suffer much as a consequence.

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
1.13 Points
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
1.14 Points +1%
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
1.05 Points -7%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
2.48 Points
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
2.49 Points 0%
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
1.84 Points -26%
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
2.47 Points 0%

Legend

 
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
 
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Samsung MZNTD128HAGM
 
Fujitsu Lifebook U554 Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Samsung SSD 840 250GB MZ7TD256HAFV
 
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 + 24 GB SanDisk SSD U100 Cache
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.13 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.48 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
18.96 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
101 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
231 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
63.3 %
Help

System Performance

The results of the PCMark 7 benchmark test are also almost identical to the higher-end ATIV Book 9 Plus. The difference is more or less negligible and can be attributed to environmental differences like ambient temperature and other similar factors. With a result of 4898 points, the review notebook decidedly outperforms the Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA (3320 points). Subjectively, the combination of SSD with Intel Core i5 CPU works well and results in a very speedy system overall.

PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
4898 Points
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung MZNTD128HAGM
4912 Points 0%
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 + 24 GB SanDisk SSD U100 Cache
3320 Points -32%

Storage Devices

Although it's apparent that Samsung cut some costs with the display, the hard drive has actually grown in size. The 256 GB SSD of the review notebook is definitely more usable than the 128 GB version installed in the Plus model of the series. In addition to the size of the drive, the write speeds have also improved by an average of 100 MB (sequential write). Those interested in even more storage should take a look at the Asus Zenbook UX302LA, which is equipped with a hybrid drive and offers almost twice as much space.

Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
Transfer Rate Minimum: 142.7 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 349.9 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 198.5 MB/s
Access Time: 0.2 ms
Burst Rate: 87.6 MB/s
CPU Usage: 10.5 %

GPU Performance

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400 is part of Intel's Haswell architecture and handles the graphics output of all the notebooks in our comparison. As we already mentioned, the TDP is a very low 15 watts, since the CPU was primarily designed for mobility.

The Samsung ATIV Book 9 scored 5039 points when we tasked it with the 3DMark06 benchmark test, which is 700 points less than the Plus-version and 1000 points less than the Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA. The results for the 3DMark Vantage benchmark are similar: 3738 points is about 300 points less than the other two candidates - despite the identical graphics unit.

Compared to other Ultrabooks in this category, the results are about average and not out of the ordinary. When we performed the benchmark tests with the review notebook running on battery, the results were either identical or just ever so slightly different.

Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung MZNTD128HAGM
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung SSD 840 250GB MZ7TD256HAFV
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 + 24 GB SanDisk SSD U100 Cache
3DMark 06
1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x
5037
5751
14%
6039
20%
3DMark Vantage
1280x1024 P Result
3738
4046
8%
2450
-34%
4095
10%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance
886
931
5%
952
7%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
9% / 9%
-34% / -34%
12% / 12%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
5037 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
3738 points
3DMark 11 Performance
886 points
Help

Gaming Performance

We use the different gaming benchmarks to determine if the notebook is suitable for casual gaming. Given the hardware, high-end gaming is definitely out of the question.

During the first test, we compare the frame rates for the game Anno 2070. The Samsung Ultrabook managed an average frame rate of 51.37 fps with the settings on low, which is certainly acceptable. Despite the identical GPU, the frame rate of the ATIV Book 9 Plus was higher by about 10 fps. BioShock Infinite - with the settings on low - returned a frame rate of 33 fps, which means the game is playable without any stuttering. With 36.9 fps, the ATIV Book 9 achieved a higher frame rate than the Plus-version for Total Rome II, although the Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA managed to be faster still at 42.7 fps. Although the performance is slightly behind the competitors, it's still about average for the Intel HD 4400 and as such not a reason for concern.

Despite the identical GPU and twice as much RAM, the review model doesn't score as well as the ATIV Book 9 Plus. We are not quite sure if this is due to the newer Intel drivers or other system variables.

Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Samsung MZNTD128HAGM
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 + 24 GB SanDisk SSD U100 Cache
Dota 2
1024x768 Low / Off, Render Quality: 40 %
30.3
54.5
80%
Total War: Rome II
1024x768 Low Preset
36.9
34.7
-6%
42.7
16%
Anno 2070
1024x768 Low Preset
51.4
62.5
22%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
32% / 32%
16% / 16%
low med. high ultra
Anno 2070 (2011) 51.4 28.8 17.6 7.7
BioShock Infinite (2013) 33.1 17.6 15.4 5
Dota 2 (2013) 30.3 21.5
Total War: Rome II (2013) 36.9 27.4 20.2 6.8

Emissions

System Noise

Subnotebooks are expected to deliver a lot of performance even though they are thin and compact. The heat that is generated has to be removed with passive and active measures. Despite the rather slim dimensions, the Samsung ATIV Book 9 does well as far as the system noise is concerned - at least during normal use. During idle, the Ultrabook is barely audible at 30.3 dB. The maximum of 42.7 dB is also still acceptable. Users who want a quiet system but frequently subject their notebooks to high load levels might want to consider the Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA, which never surpasses 34.5 dB even under maximum load.

Noise Level

Idle
30.3 / 30.3 / 31.7 dB(A)
Load
39.8 / 42.7 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl 320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test with prime95 and Furmark
Stress test with prime95 and Furmark

A look at the surface temperatures reveals nothing out of the ordinary. The Ultrabook can be used on the lap during normal usage without any caveats. The palm rest and the keyboard keys remain very cool most of the time; only during high-load scenarios the upper area of the keyboard got a little warm to the touch.

During maximum system stress (both CPU and GPU), the CPU frequency dropped to 1250 MHz, which is below the nominal clock speed of 1.6 GHz. The maximum core temperature didn't exceed 77 degrees C at this point, which is quite low. This frequency drop does not really impact performance, as the benchmark scores above clearly indicate.

 25 °C
77 F
26 °C
79 F
24.7 °C
76 F
 
 23.7 °C
75 F
25 °C
77 F
24 °C
75 F
 
 23.3 °C
74 F
22.8 °C
73 F
24 °C
75 F
 
Maximum: 26 °C = 79 F
Average: 24.3 °C = 76 F
24.6 °C
76 F
25.2 °C
77 F
24.8 °C
77 F
24.1 °C
75 F
24.3 °C
76 F
24 °C
75 F
23.6 °C
74 F
23.5 °C
74 F
23.7 °C
75 F
Maximum: 25.2 °C = 77 F
Average: 24.2 °C = 76 F
Power Supply (max.)  28.7 °C = 84 F | Room Temperature 21.8 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.9 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.6 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.3 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.2 °C / 82.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (+0.1 °C / 0.1 F).

Speakers

Considering this is a compact subnotebook, we shouldn't expect a premium sound system. The stereo speakers located on the bottom do sound quite decent, however, and are even capable of producing some lower frequencies. Of course, demanding users should opt for external speakers or headphones instead.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

During idle, the Samsung ATIV Books 9 consumes between 2.9 and 8.9 watts, which is slightly less than the ATIV Book 9 Plus and all the other competitors mentioned above. Under maximum load, the Ultrabook requires about 30 watts, which is 10 watts less than what the small power adapter, which is rated for 40 watts, can supply.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 2.9 / 8.2 / 8.9 Watt
Load midlight 28.7 / 29.3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        VC 960
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

In idle mode, the Plus-version of the Ultrabook ran out of battery 2 hours sooner than the less expensive ATIV Book 9. A time of 13 hours and 53 minutes is a very good result - only the Fujitsu Lifebook U554 did better and lasted an hour longer.

Our WLAN test simulates surfing the web. The review model managed 5 hours and 43 minutes, which is about half an hour less than the Plus-version, but still a decent result.

Under load, the results are reversed again and with a run time of 2 hours and 28 minutes, the 900X3G was only beaten by the Fujitsu Lifebook U554, which lasted an additional 10 minutes.

Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle (sort by value)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
833 min
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
693 min
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
888 min
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
709 min
WiFi (sort by value)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
343 min
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
372 min
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
403 min
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
336 min
Load (sort by value)
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01
148 min
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
126 min
Fujitsu Lifebook U554
154 min
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H
104 min

Legend

 
Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP
 
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Samsung MZNTD128HAGM
 
Fujitsu Lifebook U554 Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Samsung SSD 840 250GB MZ7TD256HAFV
 
Asus Zenbook UX302LA-C4003H Intel Core i5-4200U, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 + 24 GB SanDisk SSD U100 Cache
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
13h 53min
WiFi Surfing
5h 43min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 28min

Verdict

The middle version of the ATIV Book 9 series is a pretty compelling package overall - something we should expect given the rather steep price of 1150 Euro (~$1590). Some prospective buyers might have issues with the screen, as the panel is using TN and not IPS technology and additionally suffers from display bleeding. Although the introductory price of the new ATIV Book is significantly lower (by 350 Euro / ~$480) than the initial price of the Plus-version, the latter can now be found for around 1200 Euro (~$1660), albeit with a 128 GB SSD. Those who'd rather have a high-resolution QHD+ display instead of the larger SSD and 4 GB additional RAM, should consider this model as an alternative.

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In Review: Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G, courtesy of Cyberport
In Review: Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G, courtesy of Cyberport
good (83%) ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 Intel Core i5-4200UIntel HD Graphics 4400 Subnotebook - 04/18/2014 - v4
Test device courtesy of http://www.cyberport.de/samsung-ativ-book-9-900x3g-k01-premium-ultrabook-i5-4200u-ssd-full-hd-windows-8-1C09-6JE_1696.html
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Specifications

Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 (ATIV Book 9 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-4200U 2 x 1.6 - 2.6 GHz, Haswell
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 4400, Core: 600 MHz, Memory: 800 MHz, 10.18.10.3304
Memory
7.9 GB 
, DDR3L 1600Mhz Dual Channel
Display
13.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, BOE HF HN133WU3-100, TN-Panel, FullHD 1920 x 1080, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Lynx Point-LP
Storage
Samsung PM851 Series MZMTE256HMHP, 256 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point-LP - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: Audio combo-jack, Sensors: Brightness sensor
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 7260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 13.2 x 319 x 218.5 ( = 0.52 x 12.56 x 8.6 in)
Battery
43 Wh Lithium-Ion, Integrated, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 8 h
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Ethernet adapter, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
1.12 kg ( = 39.51 oz / 2.47 pounds), Power Supply: 295 g ( = 10.41 oz / 0.65 pounds)
Price
1150 Euro

 

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Links

  • Manufacturer's Information

Price Comparison

Pros

+Material selection
+Performance
+Speakers
+Remains cool
+Very quiet
+Battery life
+Matte display
+Brightness distribution
 

Cons

-Display bleeding
-High price when compared to the Plus-version
-Quality of the webcam

Shortcut

What we like

A good overall package - chassis, battery life, and performance.

What we'd like to see

An IPS panel without bleeding issues.

What surpirses us

The slim and upscale design.

The competition

ATIV Books 9 Plus

Fujitsu Lifebook U554

Asus-Zenbook-UX302LA


Rating

Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G-K01 - 04/18/2014 v4(old)
Nino Ricchizzi

Chassis
87 /  98 → 89%
Keyboard
73%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
56 / 80 → 70%
Weight
74 / 35-78 → 91%
Battery
89%
Display
84%
Games Performance
60 / 68 → 88%
Application Performance
82 / 87 → 94%
Temperature
85 / 91 → 93%
Noise
87%
Audio
50 / 91 → 55%
Camera
42 / 85 → 49%
Average
73%
83%
Subnotebook - Weighted Average
Nino Ricchizzi, 2014-04-25 (Update: 2014-04-25)