Why the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite worked for me

MANILA, Philippines – Are you reading this on your 3-year-old, hand-me-down, will-die-if-unplugged laptop? If so, then it may be time to lay your loyal buddy to rest. But, don’t worry, I’ve been exactly where you are now.

The Samsung ATIV Book 9 lite is a big change from my usual literally-heavyweight, big screen-type laptop. I suppose, having seen the humble beginnings of the personal computer, I’ve always thought that the bigger the gadget, the more it can do – especially where all-around-usage laptops are concerned.

The reason I trust in big laptops is because there’s physically more space for all the necessary devices: CD player, TV plug, more USB slots than I’ll ever need, and gigantic screen space so I never miss a thing.

If I have a huge laptop then I’m sure I’ll be able to do anything and everything with it. This, of course, isn’t true as there are so much software that my old friend couldn’t keep up with.

I didn’t have such high hopes when I first saw the tiny, sleek thing on my desk. Starting it up and being faced with the Windows 8 operating system only made the massive change more daunting. It took me a few confused clicks to figure out how to get to the desktop, and it was an embarrassingly lengthy search for the off button.

Checking out the exterior, I saw two more things that threw me off right away: there was no CD player (how was I expected to re-watch my old Meteor Garden VCDs on this thing?) and there was no Internet port (good-bye secure Internet connection)! It only made me miss my old, simple, did-everything-I-needed-it-do-to-if-I-just-waited-for-it-to-load laptop.

To summarize, my first impression was not a good one. But that changed as I got to know this new device a little more.

LOOK

One thing I will never get over is the regularity of compliments this laptop receives for looking so gosh darn pretty. Both my male and female friends have reacted in the same “wow, look at that laptop” way every time I whip it out in front of them – which, truth be told, I now love doing.

The design is indeed beautiful: it’s thin, sleek, and neat. Aesthetically, this is the most attractive laptop I’ve ever held.

WEIGHT

This was one of the first things I liked about the ATIV. It is light enough to carry (very carefully) in one hand – and I don’t mean the big, strong, and bearded lumberjack kind of hand either. My arms didn’t threaten to sue even after I’d been holding it up for 15 minutes straight.

You have to understand that I came from a life of daily commuting with 2 lbs. of heavy metal riding around in my backpack. This felt like a weight off my shoulders – pun intended.

SPEED

Keeping in mind where I came from: this thing was ridiculously fast. Who knew that opening a folder took less than a second? And you could even open more than 10 tabs without the whole system crashing. Don’t even get me started on the start up speed… no more 5-minute wake-up time for me!

My friend said it had something to do with the Quad Core CPU technology but I think this is karma’s way of saying sorry for the years I’ve spent waiting in front of a slow-moving laptop.

TOUCHPAD

For long-time Windows users like myself, the thought of navigating from section to section using just a touchpad sounded a little too dramactic but it turned out to be a very welcome change when a mouse was too bulky to carry around.

I’m still trying to figue just how many motions are available to me but I like the ones I’ve discovered so far.

FUNCTIONALITY

This is the first-ever laptop I’ve heard of that has an ingenious way of connecting to an Android phone. One could literally open a new window that looks and functions just like their connected phone then drag and drop or do any of the phone functions on his or her desktop.

At this point the lack of a CD player didn’t bother me any more. True, it’s one thing the ATIV can’t do that old, bulky, and reliable could, but it’s also a weight I’ve easily given up, especially in the age of external hard drives.

The lack of an Internet port, however, is the one thing I cannot forgive. Given, I didn’t encounter a situation where Wi-Fi was unavailable – and such situations may be few and far between – but it would have given me peace to know that my laptop had that back-up option.

Laptops are a tricky business, especially for one not as tech savvy as myself. But the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite is proof that bigger is not always better when it comes to technology.

Weighing the pros and cons of switching from my long-time laptop to this newfangled, pretty, little thing, it was obvious which was the smarter choice. I would recommend making the switch from one’s ancient tome of a laptop to this more modern counterpart.

If you’re not confident with taking my word for it, you should try it out for yourself. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. 

The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite is available from authorized Samsung resellers and Samsung experience stores nationwide. 

SPECS

• Processor: 1.4GHz AMD quad-core processor
• Display: 13.3-inches, 1366 x 768 resolution
• RAM: 4GB DDR 3
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Graphics: AMD Radeon integrated graphics
• Dimensions: 12.76″ x 8.82″ x 0.69”
• Weight: 3.48 lb.

– Rappler.com

Editor’s Note: Nile Villa is a member of Rappler’s Social Media team. She was lent a Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite for a month to get a feel of how it works. She wrote this review shortly afterwards.