Samsung Series 9 900X3C - 13.3" - Core i7 3517U (Model: NP900X3C-A04US)

I had been looking for a fast but highly portable business PC for sometime. And although I have been a PC guy all my life, I had been seriously considering switching to Macbook Air, because of it's form factor. I even bought the HP slate 500, which is a great tablet PC, but is highly underpowered and at least at this time cannot replace a laptop. Finally, I looked at the Intel Ultrabooks and liked the ASUS Zenbook a lot. So off I went to Bestbuy to buy one. But when I actually handled these machines at Bestbuy, I noted that though the ASUS Zenbooks are really pretty and sexy, the sharp edges of their metallic body is a concern - can almost cut through skin! While at Bestbuy, I also saw the 15" Samsung series 9, and was really impressed. I therefore did some research online and found that Samsung series 9 also came in much lighter 13.3" (2.55 pound) models. It's quite surprising that only limited information is available on the latest versions (i7-3517U) of this model - the 13.3" model is not even featured on the Intel Ultrabook website! So, when I looked at the specs - it was a simple decision. I bought the best available model - NP900X3C-A04US (3rd gen Intel Core i7-3517U 1.90 GHz, 256GB solid state HDD) and got it a few days later. It's beautiful, solid, extremely well designed and light. I love the speed, quick boot up time and the back lit keyboard. The sound is also surprisingly good. I have not tested it's battery life yet, but it has given me a several hours worth of light office use without any issues. I would definitely recommend this machine to others.

The item itself is great to look at and is extremely light. I would give it 5 stars if it didn't have a defective touchpad, it kept freezing up. Purchased from onsale, getting a refund as no longer in stock, and the price has gone up, originally $1499 before tax!

Following up on William's comments: I too have had this model for about 6 weeks now, and really like it! It is very very fast - boot-up especially. I also like to run the Windows XP mode as one of my older development environments requires it. It's nice to be able to do this on one screen while the normal Windows 7 runs on the other (extended desktop). The built-in laptop screen is bright and crystal clear.The only slight down side is the track-pad, whose operation leaves something to be desired. In fact I found that it was unusable until I unplugged the power supply for the laptop - go figure! Working with tech support and updating the driver software did not help. Anyway, I use an external mouse anyway, but I thought I would mention this problem in an otherwise excellent laptop.

I am a software developer and needed a second notebook as a backup and to use at client's sites. An ultrabook seemed to be the answer. I researched all reviews for several months, finally zeroing in on an ASUS ux31a Zenbook. I was concerned about mixed reviews concerning the reliability of the product. I started looking at others and heard a recommendation for the Samsung Series 9 ultrabook. After much research I ordered the i7 with 256 SSD drive. It was best decision I could have made. First, I was impressed that the product is packaged like an Apple product. I opended it up and did what most techies do, started removing bloatware and adding my development files. I now have it for several days and have made the following observations:1- It boots very fast and the drive seems to be very quick.2- The setup was easy and the documentation is clear to use.3- The unit is not only very light, it looks and feels very sturdy for such a small form.4- The screen is amazing...the colors are clear and I have not seen any pixel problems.5- The touchpad is OK once you get used to it.6- The keyboard works for me even though it is small. I am a two finger typist and I had no problem coding with it.7- The battery life seems to be excellent. It seems to be between 6-7 hours. I have not used it for videos but I would assume it would drain the battery faster.Overall I am extremely impressed with the Samsung Series 9 i7 Ultrabook. Amazon delievered the product in 2 days. I definitely recommend this fine product.

I bought this Samsung 900X3C-A04US ultrabook back in November and found typing extremely difficult as letters and words jumped all over the page and ended up in the middle of other sentences and even other paragraphs. I downloaded and installed Samsung's firmware keypad fix to no avail, so I sent it back to them for repair. They replaced the keyboard but that did not help at all, so I sent it back a second time, explaining the problem in detail. I just received the unit back from repair today but the problem was even worse than before--typing is now essentially impossible, and I have been a touch-typist for over 60 years! I am now trying to get a complete replacement for this turkey but I have no idea whether I will succeed; I have been told that the A05US was introduced to correct the typing problem, but nobody at Samsung will yet promise to send me that model instead.

Nice slim ultrabook, no problems. Only downside is that laptop does not come with Windows install media. Instead it wastes 20G of 256G SSD with a "Windows recovery partition".

now this is a computer. Fast, sturdy, awesome picture. The size is tiny and the weight is miniscule, but the screen is great. No regrets here. It is lighting quick. I love samsung products.

I love it very fast and very light. It also seem build well, future will tell. I use it for every thing and I will never buy a pad since this is very light and versatile