Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch Review. Start off with the Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook and add a touchscreen that has Corning Gorilla Glass. This means that the screen should have no problem dealing with all of the finger pokes and more. The only main reason for the touchscreen addition is to make the few users of Windows 8 feel like they are getting their monies worth. Read on for more details,
Let me begin the review of the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch by letting you know that I am by no means a "power-user". I tend to use my laptops for browsing the internet, emailing, posting to GadgetKing.com via LiveWriter, and not too much more. A while back I learned that having the largest screen possible on a laptop also means more weight and less battery life. Neither are too handy while traveling.
The Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch look and feel of the laptop is clean and simple without being too Spartan. The color is a mix between silver and gray and looks good and doesn't feel too plastic (although it is). The speakers are on the bottom of the laptop which is great if you have the laptop on a flat solid surface, like a desk. Not so great if you have the laptop on your lap as the sound is often muffled.
The Series 5 UltraTouch weighs 3.73lbs which isn't exactly light when compared to other Ultrabooks. I think the extra weight might come from the Gorilla Glass? So, if you don't need a touchscreen go for the Ultrabook instead.
Technical Specifications
13.3"³ LED HD, Touch Screen with 10 Finger Sensing 1366 x 768 (300 nit brightness)
Intel Coreâ„¢ i5 (3317U 1.7GHz)
8GB of RAM
Windows 8 Pro (64-bit)
128GB SSD
Gigabit LAN
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 (low power)
HDMI, Mini VGA, audio in/out
1x USB 3.0 and 2x USB 2.0
Multi-card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
315.1 x 218.9 x 16.6 ~ 19.9mm (12.4"³ x 8.6"³ x 0.66"³-0.78"³)
1.69kg (3.73lbs)
52Whr "“ 4-cell battery
The LED HD display resolution is 1366×768 has good color saturation and brightness. One weakness with the display is the narrow viewing angles. If you move your head to far from center, in any direction, the colors/images tend to distort a bit.
The keys on the keyboard "feel" nice enough. My main complaints with the keyboard are that the keys around the edges have a wall around them and are recessed. So, when using the keys on the edges (Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, Ctrl, etc,) I tend to bump into that little wall. Also the front edge of the palm rest has a sharp edge that I feel on my palms when typing.
The trackpad works as you would expect and is sized perfectly for this laptop. The left and right click buttons sound a bit cheap when pressed.
The Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch has two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI, mini-VGA, Ethernet, standard audio in/out, and a multi-card reader. Not sure why all three USB ports aren't 3.0.
The webcam is average at best. Forget about using the webcam in low light situations and while it is fine in a normally lit office the colors and contrast aren't great.
The battery life is pretty good at 5-6 hours of normal use but drops off a bit with heavier use. In other words don't expect 5 hours of use streaming HD video online with the brightness turned up high. The battery takes about 2.5 hours to recharge.
Overall the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch is a good laptop but for the price I would get the Series 9 or a MacBook Pro. If you are they type that likes having a touchscreen your options in the ultrabook this might just be the one for you.