Went in to look at the new MacBook Air, but the Ativ won me over.

[PollyK]

So I went in to my local Best Buy to look at a MacBook Air but then saw the Surface 2. I really like the mobility and the flexibility of a tablet with a full OS. But I really want a good physical keyboard as well. So then I was looking Windows Ultrabooks with touchscreen. The best compromise in my opinion. Didn't really see anything I liked. Just as I was heading back to the MacBook Air, I saw a box under the ultrabook display. It said Ativ Book 9 Plus. Hmmmm...I thought to myself. They only had 2 in stock but 1 was on hold. So $1600 later, I was walking out with my new ultrabook. So far I'm loving it, and it's crazy 3200x1800 screen. I also love how it's able to fold completely flat to share content on the screen, just like a tablet. And the touch screen works flawlessly. I'll never bother with an ultrabook without a touchscreen again. I think it's the nicest looking ultrabook out there. It has an incredibly basic and clean design that oozes class of a premium product. At the same time it doesn't look like a boring wedge shape. Here's a few pics next to my Note 3 for Size comaprison.

 

[Explicitic]

Man, I was so going to wait for this but I became impatient and jumped for Acer's 2nd-gen S7 instead. It would have been a 2-week wait (near end of August)...

 

[3lite]

Should of bought the MBA.

 

[PollyK]

Should of bought the MBA.

MBA is nice, but to be honest this kills it. This thing just looks and feels expensive. The MBA now looks like your typical boring wedge shaped ultrabook. Dime a dozen these days. It just doesn't look as premium as it once did. Especially with that light colored aluminum. It reminds me of those dummy devices you see in furniture shops. And that screen res and touch screen ability on the Ativ takes it over the top. No contest here my friend.

 

[whoknows87]

Congrats on the Purchase, but I would've gone with the Air ( I have the 2012) When it comes to design and portability nothing beats the sleek Air, you will never see marks/finger prints on an Air as I see on the device pictured , Also you just can't beat the OS and Their excellent Support/Warranty services on their devices, if you ever experience any issues your local Apple store will surely fix it /replace it

At the end of the day it's all a matter of prefrence and opinion

 

[MRU]

Biggest issue for me is quite simple..... It doesn't run OSX.

But if your happy using windows it looks like a nice ultra book. Personally im waiting for the retina mba rumored next year.

 

[jamezr]

So I went in to my local Best Buy to look at a MacBook Air but then saw the Surface 2. I really like the mobility and the flexibility of a tablet with a full OS. But I really want a good physical keyboard as well. So then I was looking Windows Ultrabooks with touchscreen. The best compromise in my opinion. Didn't really see anything I liked. Just as I was heading back to the MacBook Air, I saw a box under the ultrabook display. It said Ativ Book 9 Plus. Hmmmm...I thought to myself. They only had 2 in stock but 1 was on hold. So $1600 later, I was walking out with my new ultrabook. So far I'm loving it, and it's crazy 3200x1800 screen. I also love how it's able to fold completely flat to share content on the screen, just like a tablet. And the touch screen works flawlessly. I'll never bother with an ultrabook without a touchscreen again. I think it's the nicest looking ultrabook out there. It has an incredibly basic and clean design that oozes class of a premium product. At the same time it doesn't look like a boring wedge shape. Here's a few pics next to my Note 3 for Size comaprison.

Image

Image

Image

NICE....... thanks for the write up. I have been doing the exact thing you have been. I have been looking at the Surface Pro 2....nice and fast and responsive.......but missing battery life to be great.
So back to looking at ultrabooks. How has the performance been so far? How about battery life? It looks awesome! Congrats!

Edit:
Just found this from the PC Mag review. Have you tried this yet? Try this and let us know if this works as well as the review says it does! Awesome!

"Preinstalled on the hard drive are several programs and applications to accompany Windows 8, but two unique offerings from Samsung stand out. The first is Samsung SideSync, which lets you automatically sync files between the Book 9 Plus and several current Samsung Android smartphones, like the Editors' Choice Samsung Galaxy S4 (Verizon Wireless)$119.99 at Amazon. When docked, files sync automatically and can be easily transferred back and forth from phone to PC, but the real magic comes in with goodies like the Virtual Phone, which puts your phone's screen on your laptop and lets you access the phone's functions (like text messaging) without leaving the desktop, and also lets you use your mouse and keyboard with the phone. Samsung also includes HomeSync Lite, which lets you use the PC as the central hub of a personal cloud, syncing files between multiple devices. While it skips the fees associated with paid cloud storage, it also is limited by the fact that it's tied to the laptop's local storage, which is still fairly small."

 

[ucfgrad93]

Biggest issue for me is quite simple..... It doesn't run OSX.

But if your happy using windows it looks like a nice ultra book.

Agreed. I also prefer OSX, but I'm glad you like your new computer PollyK.

 

[ChazUK]

That looks like an amazing little ultrabook there and the advantage of using Windows 8.1 with the touchscreen must be great.

Consider me a little jealous!

 

[NewbieCanada]

MBA is nice, but to be honest this kills it. This thing just looks and feels expensive. The MBA now looks like your typical boring wedge shaped ultrabook. Dime a dozen these days. It just doesn't look as premium as it once did. Especially with that light colored aluminum. It reminds me of those dummy devices you see in furniture shops. And that screen res and touch screen ability on the Ativ takes it over the top. No contest here my friend.

I'm really not sure why you think this belongs in the iPhone, iPod and iPad section under alternatives to iOS devices.

Doing that doesn't exactly inspire people to have confidence in your judgement.

 

[nickchallis92]

i'm definitely jealous. That think looks fantastic and i'm all for windows 8.1. It's an OS which 'just works'.

 

[mattopotamus]

I like OSX better and can always put Windows on my mac. That is really the biggest factor for me.

 

[O O O]

Glad you're happy with your purchase. Should of bought the air. Let's be honest that Samsung laptop is ugly as hell.

 

[JaySoul]

Looks rather sexy, OP.

Enjoy!

 

[Ricezilla]

I think the Op is lost. A quick look through the op posts history and all of his/her posts are about Samsung or defending Samsung.

Why join a Apple forum if all you're gonna post about is Samsung?

 

[JerZyT28]

I think the Op is lost. A quick look through the op posts history and all of his/her posts are about Samsung or defending Samsung.

Why join a Apple forum if all you're gonna post about is Samsung?

Maybe the OP has an apple device so he's on the forums. I have an iPad 3 which has been retied by my Nexus 7 and a MBP. In my opinion Android phones have the iPhone beat by a mile, but I'm still on the forums for any problems with my apple devices or any news with the hope apple blows my mind with new tech. Moral of the story is...who cares if the OP is posting about Samsung.

Back on topic, nice laptop OP! I won't sit here and be a sheep and say "should've got the air" with no valid points on why. Windows 8 takes some getting used to TBH and for me to switch to a windows computer, if have to get a zenbook...or I could be smart and just get a cheaper laptop with a good screen and a blu ray player. I did pay way too much for my MBP

 

[zbarvian]

This does seem to be better than a MacBook Air in really every way except design and more importantly software. Mavericks feels so much more capable, refined, and stalwart when compared to Windows 8.1.

 

[PollyK]

C'mon people let's be honest here. There are a lot of great ultrabook now. There's no doubt at this time there's a lot more choice out there. I really love having a touch screen on a laptop considering how it works so well with Windows 8. The Ativ was what got my attention. Yes there is a learning curve with Windows 8, but that just goes with changing times. And this is not the end all be all ultrabook for everyone. You earned your money, spend it any way you like. We join these forums to share our interest in gadgets.

----------

I think the Op is lost. A quick look through the op posts history and all of his/her posts are about Samsung or defending Samsung.

Why join a Apple forum if all you're gonna post about is Samsung?

Life's too short to be negative. Don't go searching for things that don't exist. It's really not worth your time.

----------

Just found this from the PC Mag review. Have you tried this yet? Try this and let us know if this works as well as the review says it does! Awesome!

[/I]

I'll have a look and report back.

 

[rhinosrcool]

But if your happy using windows it looks like a nice ultra book. Personally im waiting for the retina mba rumored next year.

I, too, am waiting for the rumored 12" retina mba. However, I like both osx and windows (7). Recently, I sold my 13" 2012 mba. Currently, I have two Thinkpads (best keyboards, by far!). One's a desk pc and the other's a mobile pc. On them, I do a lot of ms office (esp excel and word) and I prefer it to office for mac. The 12" mba would be really nice and would replace my mobile thinkpad.
We'll see...

OP, that is a sweet machine. Enjoy!

 

[O O O]

I did a quick search through your post history. Looks like all you do is talk about Samsung. There are Samsung/Android forums you know.

----------

Some post from the OP history.

Wow, big discounts right at launch? That makes the iPhone and Apple look bad. My oh my, times have changed. But hey, at least they still have their Apple faithful who'll line up in advance (showing they have nothing better to do in life) for a phone they could very easily order online , trying their best to build the hype that's just no longer there.

Wow, so sad to see Apple in this position where they're always playing catch up.

Apple really seems like that Bully on the playground that likes to dish it out, but cries when you strike back. There's greed and then there's Apple greed.

Seems like a troll to me.

 

[vistadude]

That ativ book looks awesome with its curves and has a high res touch screen and I believe it runs android too out of the box. That's something you can't do with a macbook air.

 

[tbayrgs]

That ativ book looks awesome with its curves and has a high res touch screen and I believe it runs android too out of the box. That's something you can't do with a macbook air.

You're confusing it with the Ativ Q, a dual boot convertible that hasn't been (and quite possible won't be) released.

Regardless, if you need a Windows laptop, this one is pretty slick.

 

[bmt134]

I did a quick search through your post history. Looks like all you do is talk about Samsung. There are Samsung/Android forums you know.

----------

Some post from the OP history.


Seems like a troll to me.

You're in the Alternative to iOS section. Looks like you're in the wrong section, trolling.

 

[Lunfai]

How is the battery and trackpad for this thing? Besides OS X it's one of my main arguments why I keep my 11" Air laying around and rMBP for serious work.

 

[844957]

whats the battery life like?