It's an Ultrabook that gives you more, for
the good and bad of it
We find the Samsung Series 5 (13.3-inch)
Ultrabook to be a peculiar thing. Here is an Ultrabook that gives a little more
than what other Ultrabooks don't; and yet, as a result, it's also a little less
of an Ultrabook (in perspective). That aside, the Samsung Series 5 is an
undeniably well-made notebook. It's just peculiar, and that's the good and bad
of it.
On the onset, the Samsung Series 5 looks
great. Stylish, classy, "Hi-Yo Silver!" great. The straight, simple
cut of the device, as well as its sturdiness, makes it one nicely designed
notebook. It unfortunately inherits the Samsung Series 7's rather uncomfortable
palmrest, which edges cut into the wrist.
You'll notice, though, that the Series 5 is
rather larger than the usual Ultrabook. It would seem that the Series 5 is
clearly designed to provide more. More, in this case, is an actual optical
drive, something other Ultrabooks shun. And as you have it, it's also a bulkier
device.
But from this, you can see that the design
choices here WORKS. It may function and sized as a full-fledged notebook, but
it still has that "Quick-Boot" sensibility. It's just deciding which
part of it works best for you.
Either way, you'll be glad to know that the
Series 5 works great. It has a good, responsive keyboard and a smooth touchpad.
The screen displays nicely and brightly and the audio is loud and clear enough
for multimedia. The performance here is as any Ultrabook of its specs would;
you can work, surely, and videos here will run smoothly in its 1080p glory.
The battery life managed 5 hours in our
test - decent enough for its offerings.
Samsung Series 5 13.3-inch Ultrabook
Price $879.95
Info www.samsung.com
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i5-2467M @ 2.40GHz
RAM: 4GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display: 13.3-inch SuperBright
Anti-Reflective HD LED display (1366x768)
Storage: 1TB
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 2 x
USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet
Extras: Webcam, Card Reader
Dimensions: 315.1 x 218.9 x 14.9-17.6
mm
Weight: 1.45kg
|
Ratings
|
Performance
|
|
Features
|
|
Design
|
|
Value
|
|
(+)Optical
drive
Nice
keyboard and touchpad
Good audio
and display
Looks great
(-) Bulkier than most
Ultrabooks |