Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite NP915S3G-K04US 13.3-Inch Review

Mineral Ash Black Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite
via Amazon

Ultra slim, lightweight and simplistic design Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite is very fast with its 128GB solid state drive and offers good performance with its AMD quad core processor, up to six hours of impressive battery life in single charge and has a beautiful 13.3 inch touchscreen display, so it could easily be considered an ultra book.

The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite has an AMD Quad-Core optimised for Samsung at 1.4 GHz, 4 GB DDR3 RAM system memory, 128 GB SATA3 Solid-State Drive storage and 64-bit Windows 8.1 operating system.. So the processor or the RAM do not make it a super powerful computer but you’ll still get snappy performance, fast boot-ups and wakings from hibernation with its SSD- think more in the lines of the budget Windows version of an entry level Macbook Air at half the price.

The quad core processor and the solid state drive enable the system to start up in 8 seconds from zero and in 2 seconds from hibernation, you perform your tasks faster overall. SSD also has no moving parts, so it is better protected than standard SATA hard drives. 4GB RAM is more than adequate for such a compact system and you get to do multitasking efficiently. You’ll also find a RAM accelerator so that you browse web pages, open and run apps at the same time and 1 to 1.5 times quicker than normal. This is not a gaming computer by any means but more suitable for surfing the net, word processing, watching movies and performing your daily tasks and doing them real fast.

Bright 13.3 inch LED backlit HD 10 point multi-touch display with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio and AMD Radeon Graphics. Highly responsive touchscreen is great to use with the pre-installed Windows 8.1 OS and it gives you better control of things and enjoy using all your applications. You’ll experience sharp picture quality with vibrant colours but don’t expect IPS technology on this budget model- you won’t see the screen the same way when you tilt it a few degrees back or look from different angles. In terms of sound quality, you certainly won’t be disappointed with its clear and full sound with deep bass.

In either white or black, sturdy plastic slimline and Apple inspired Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite is compact- sleek and lightweight (as its name suggests) since it is just under 0.7 inches thick (12.76 x 8.82 x 0.69 inches) and weighs only 3.48 lbs (heavier than Macbook Air) making it highly portable and mobile with also its 13 inch screen and up to six hours of battery life. It comes with a comfy and ergonomic keyboard and has a great solid build quality although plastic and seems to endure shocks or bumps. You’ll find multiple ports such as a USB 3.0, a USB 2.0, 3-in-1 Multi Card Reader, 802.11 bgn wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, Gigabit LAN (dongle included), a VGA port and a Micro-HDMI port.

Conclusion: Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite is obviously not perfect and you’re not paying the price of a perfect computer either, it is a budget ultra book with decent specs and features. It doesn’t have the most powerful processor but the 128GB SSD for very fast boot-ups and overall operation. Good quality audio, bright and clear picture but with somewhat restricted viewing angles, slim and modern design, durable and solid build even though plastic, good range of connectivity on its small body so it is nice and fast with a budget price tag. Windows 8 is salvaged by the responsive touchscreen and it is fun to use with its customisable tiles. Performance is quite all right, has many useful features and a decent build quality and offers good value for money overall.

Click here for a closer look on Amazon.com