Review: Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite (Ultrabook)

while the Galaxy S are the best among smartphones from Samsung, ATIV Book 9 is the flagship model of ultra-thin laptops from the Korean company. And just as cell phones get a more economical version, like the Galaxy S5 Mini, the flagship of notebooks also has a smaller brother. THE Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite wants to be a high-end computer, but at a more affordable price for the end user who wants design with portability without suffering in the pocket. Can he?

First of all, it is necessary to clarify: the tested version is the NP905S3G, 2013. Another existing in the country is the NP915S3G, which has touchscreen technology, to be used with the Windows 8. According to the Samsung website, in Brazil the version is not available. NP910S3G, launched the following year, and which performs better. Despite this, the look is practically the same as the rest of the line. ATIV Book 9.

O ATIV Book 9 Lite immediately draws attention to its size. With only 32,4 x 22,4 cm and 16,9 mm thick, it is a model that maintains the reduced dimensions of the line. Only slightly larger than the flagship ultraportable notebook from Samsung. What's not so good about Small is the weight. At 1,44 kg, it is only average for the segment.

Measuring 13,3 inches, the anti-glare screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It's not a masterpiece, but it's great for the proposal of the ATIV Book 9 Lite. The screen also has a 180° opening, which is not an advantage in the reviewed version, but helps a lot for devices with a touchscreen. Despite this, the viewing angle is not as wide as the aperture, so you have to be aware of the color distortions that can happen. Horizontally the difference is not that big, so you can watch videos with friends without any difficulties.

We received the version for testing KD1BR, in white, but also available in black (KD2BR). The model's finish was replaced from metal to a plastic frame. THE ATIV Book 9 Lite it has an attractive design, typical of models that aspire to ultrabook status, but the plastic does not favor the model. When handled it's worse, and the difference between the materials is palpable, especially in the feel of the keyboard and touchpad.

Another point about the keyboard that disappoints a little is the lack of key lighting. But it makes up for the island-like shape, with thin, well-spaced pieces. typing in ATIV Book 9 Lite flows easily and without tiring the user. The touchpad has a slightly different life. The plastic material makes mouse commands less slithered and more truncated.

In external connections, the reduced size of the line leaves the options a little more limited for the model. There are just a USB 2.0 and a USB 3.0 port, a 3-in-1 memory card input and a headphone and microphone combo port, plus Mini VGA and Micro HDMI outputs, which most of the time depend on external adapters to be used – and which are not included. It's not a defect ATIV Book 9 Lite – it's a matter of space, and ultrabooks from the line and the competition also limit the amount of in/out connections, as in the new MacBook, which centralized everything into a single USB-C port.

What matters most in evaluating the ATIV Book 9 Lite is the internal capacity. As it is a more affordable model, Samsung chose to save on the power of processors and RAM. For starters, the processor used is not specified neither on the company's website nor in the laptop's system information, only that it is a quad-core up to 1.4 GHz. At first, the user may think that it is a chip Exynos, developed by Samsung itself, but in fact it is a AMD A6-1450, which typically goes up to 1.0 GHz. The RAM memory also suffers from the desire for economy, with a DDR3 of 4 GB. The highlight is the internal storage, with a 128 GB SSD flash drive. It speeds up laptop usage considerably, with a fast boot and no problems accessing files saved in memory. But it's not always that speed that makes a difference, and care must be taken not to overload the processor with a little more intensive use of the CPU and GPU - a AMD Radeon HD 8250 integrated.

A Samsung saved in another critical area – the battery. The two cells that add up to 30 Wh are not able to keep the ATIV Book 9 Lite lit for a long time. According to the company, the battery life reaches 8 hours, but during the tests, it did not exceed six hours, even with reduced use. Although many users do not turn the notebook on far from a power source, it is difficult to have a limitation of six hours while other models easily go past seven. For a model that wants to be ultra-portable, it's not acceptable to have this kind of limitation, even if it won't be felt on a daily basis.

Among the software offered from the factory are the Microsoft Office trial, with 30 days to test, and the Norton Internet Security, with 60 days. Also, just some bloatware from Samsung itself. An interesting question of ATIV Book 9 Lite however it is precisely to make use of the other products of the brand. It has two special software, the Samsung Side Sync and the Samsung HomeSync Lite, which connect with cell phones and tablets for some special functions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVvczhM5KxI

O SideSync makes the device a second screen, and allows it to be controlled directly from the laptop, similar to mirroring apps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wf56p1bnUA

Already HomeSync is a solution to back-up the contents of the devices on the notebook and access them remotely through the cloud.

The two tools, however, can only be used if you have other gadgets from the Samsung, and yet not all of them are compatible, which makes it not 100% leveraged.

At the end of it all, the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite it's a good laptop, but the attempt to be more affordable has left the model a little schizophrenic. It's part ultrabook, part budget notebook – and performance takes the biggest hit in this contest. The low processing capacity and RAM memory is where the main problem resides. And the battery life of less than six hours can limit the user. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have advantages. The reduced size and weight in measure, along with a cutting-edge design are the main attractions of the model. If you're looking for more looks and portability than power, the ATIV Book 9 Lite It's a great choice, especially if you also have a smartphone. Galaxy.

Strong points:

• Modern design
• reduced size
• Communication with other devices Samsung

Weaknesses:

• Low processing power and RAM memory
• plastic finish
• limited battery