post-review edit: after owning this laptop for 2 months, I've come to be very disappointed with the headphone jack. It's terrible quality and it takes great effort to find a position where it transmits sound to both ears. If it's sitting in place it's bearable, but if it's in my lap and I so much as tap my leg, the sound jumps in and out. It makes listening to music on the go unbearable. Deducted one star for it. At $800 (I bought it for $700 from amazon and have seen lower), I would not buy this laptop today.
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I bought this laptop about a week ago as a replacement for my MacBook from '10. I'm an engineering student and I got tired of the incompatibility of OS X with the majority of my CAD & engineering software. I was looking for a lightweight laptop with quality construction that would be able to run programs like SolidWorks and play HD video--no games. With this laptop, I found exactly what I was looking for.
The great part about this laptop is that all the components are really exceptional--except for the hard drive, which is crap. But see, that's precisely what I had hoped to find. When the hard drive is so awful, I didn't feel like I paid extra for a good component that I had intended to replace from the start. I went with a Crucial M4 128GB as the replacement drive. With the SSD installed, there's really no weak point to this system (except for the GPU, because there is no dedicated GPU). The standard voltage processor keeps programs running smoothly and the SSD makes programs load instantly. Power on to login in ~9 seconds. Temps stay low with no fan activity so it's totally silent. If you're just using the internet and playing music, it doesn't get above room temp. Great stuff.
Next I'll outline some key features in no particular order.
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Display: coming from my MacBook (not pro), the screen falls short. Same resolution but it doesn't look as crisp or colorful as the Mac--it's not a huge difference, but I noticed it when making the transition. I don't notice it anymore unless I have them side by side. Maybe it's the glossy screen vs. the Samsung's matte screen. The screen doesn't match the maximum brightness or the range of brightness available to the Mac. So, it's not a bad screen, but it could be better.
The slim bezel looks really classy & I like it a lot. The screen doesn't feel flimsy and the lack of a large bezel really makes the laptop look fantastic. The laptop overall looks beautiful & feels tough enough to leave in my backpack without worry. Some laptops I've seen in stores feel like they're made of plastic and I hate it. I don't get that with this one.
Oh, and 12.5" is the perfect size for a screen. 15" is too bulky for a work computer and the netbooks are cripplingly small. This is perfect.
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Keyboard: it feels SLIGHTLY smaller than a full-size keyboard, but I think it's the same as the Mac and it's not small enough to cause me to make mistakes while typing. I'm 6'4 with big hands, so you'll probably be okay. Function & arrow keys are nice to have. Keys feel responsive when pressed--it's almost exactly the same look, feel, and size of the keyboard on a similarly sized Macbook Pro. No backlight on the keys.
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Trackpad: I've seen worse on laptops, but the Mac's trackpad is significantly better than the one on this laptop. The laptop has drivers to allow for the same sort of "gestures" (2-finger scroll, 3-finger back) but it's not nearly as smooth as what I'm used to. I'm so glad it includes gestures though. It really does make everything significantly easier, even if the implementation has room for improvement.
Sometimes the trackpad doesn't detect my finger when I try to move the cursor. There's another problem that I run into where I try to drag a window and midway through, it 'drops' the window (for lack of better phrasing) and I have to re-click & drag. Same thing happens sometimes when I try to highlight a large section of text. The trackpad loses the position of my finger and the highlighting stops short of where I want it to be. It doesn't happen if I consciously press harder on the trackpad, but in normal use it happens enough to be annoying. The trackpad is this laptop's major flaw, but only by comparison to the Mac. By itself it's not a dealbreaker.
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Hard Drive: it sucks. 5400 rpm is as slow as it gets but it's the only weak point in the hardware of the system. Perfect opportunity to replace with a SSD. I really can't emphasize enough how much of a difference the SSD makes. The included hard drive is dead weight in this system and it really drags it down. You need a good replacement to unleash this laptop's potential. Read up on proper care of solid state drives if you're considering replacing the hard drive.
Just for perspective--with a SSD, this laptop 'feels' faster than a $1000 gaming computer running on a 7200RPM hard drive. The gaming computer will always outperform this laptop in games, editing software, and the like. BUT, when you're just running iTunes, Chrome, and other programs that don't require a ton of constant CPU/GPU power, this laptop will perform faster. I think that's pretty cool.
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CPU (processor): 2nd gen i5 & it's standard voltage, which means it's not scaled down for portability. I don't play games on it, but SolidWorks runs great and video is smooth as silk. Exceptional processor for a laptop, especially for one in this price-range/weight class.
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RAM (memory): 4GB is plenty for all but enthusiasts and some graphic designers. No expansion slot, but I don't really care. Wish I knew if it could be upgraded to 1-DIMM of 8GB, but you really don't need more than 4GB.
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Sound: I don't have a pair of great headphones so I can't speak for the sound card, but the speakers are pretty crappy. It's enough to show people videos or for once-in-a-while use, but they're no replacement for standalone speakers. The sound from MacBook speakers is an improvement, but still bad. It's laptop speakers in an ultra-portable laptop... what do you expect? I wouldn't be mad if they had left out the speakers altogether to cut down on weight.
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GPU: integrated with the i5 processor, the HD 3000 is enough for HD video but probably not enough for gaming. I don't use it for games so I can't speak on that behalf, but it hasn't held me back at all.
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Optical Drive/USB slots/etc: 2 USB slots, not USB 3.0. Not a big deal. The usb slots are on opposite sides of the laptop (one per side). No optical drive--had to install windows 7 with a thumb drive. Downloaded the drivers from here:Nothing to say about the other slots. USB and headphone slots are the only things I make use of.
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Battery: I get about 5 hours on a full charge while connected to WiFi. I use the 80% max charge option to save battery life but if I took it to full and took the screen to minimum brightness, I could probably push it to 6-7 hours. Not replaceable but I hope Samsung is right and it lasts for a few years.
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Conclusion:
The laptop isn't perfect, but I would argue that it's the best in its price range (with a SSD). All in all, I paid $879 for this laptop (including SSD), which is a few hundred dollars less than its Apple counterpart (the MacBook Air). This laptop does everything I need it to do and more, especially for the price. I'm really happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~REPLACING THE HARD DRIVE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Remove all the screws holding the back plate to the laptop. Two screws lie underneath the rubber pads. I used a philips head 0x50 screwdriver. BE CAREFUL--IT'S VERY EASY TO STRIP THE SCREWS. I cut it close a few times because I rushed through it. Take your time.
2) Now the back plate has to be pried off. This part sucks; it took me around 15 mins to finally get it. Pry off a corner and slip something underneath. Slide it around the edges and you'll hear pops when you do it right. Latches are placed around the edges and they need to be unsnapped to get the backplate off. The backplate splits the fan vents in half, so be mindful of that when you're looking for a leverage point.
3) With the backplate removed, you need to remove the screws holding down the hard drive. Carefully remove it from the SATA connector and unscrew the cover from the hard drive (the thing with the rubber pad on it).
4) Install the new hard drive and use the cover to screw it back into place.
5) Snap the backplate back on, replace the screws & rubber pads and you're all set. Remember, you'll need a USB drive to perform a fresh install of Windows 7.
I hope this helps someone who is as picky with computer purchases as I am.
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Love this laptop, using it to write this review. I got it because we recently started started going paperless at work and wanted my own notebook to carry with me and do my work. Its absoultely perfect for the job. Most people notice the aesthetics first, its a very attractive machine. Even though the series 3 is the budget series of Samsung, this notebook does not feel cheap in any way. The next thing people notice is the weight and size. It's got the same form factor as an 11.5 inch laptop thanks to Samsung's trademark thin bezels, so you get more screen for the same form factor. The weight is perfect, i carry it around with me all day without problems. Also like the keyboard, its a full sized keyboard with chiclet keys. Also has arrow buttons, which is a huge plus for me. With a full version of Windows 7 and the horsepower of the i5 and 4GB RAM, it runs better and smoother than any other laptop Ive ever owned. Overall, a great purchase for a great price. Would buy again in a heartbeat.
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i am a freelance graphic designer and primarily use this notebook to take to client meetings to give them progress reports (secondary use is pretty much all internet). while this computer is not powerful enough to substitute for a desktop when using programs like illustrator and photoshop, it does run these programs well enough for my purposes (haven't really noticed significant lag time...maybe a bit with 20+ layers open but nothing ridiculous). these are pretty much the only programs i run on the computer besides office; i haven't started any new projects using this computer but i do make adjustments to projects that i have already started on my desktop and this computer handles that really well. now for the pros and cons:
PROS:
* super light i'm a pretty small person and a couple pounds can make a huge difference when i'm carrying something around all day. at just about 3 pounds this notebook is hardly noticeable in my bag.
* super small this thing is tiny, which coupled with the weight makes this an extremely portable notebook.
* attractive this may not be important to everyone but this notebook looks really nice, and as a graphic designer it is important for me to present a good appearance to my clients. it has a sleek, modern design, a nice brushed metal look on the cover and keyboard, and nice, compact keys with rounded corners.
* keyboard these keys don't have a lot of travel which i actually didn't like at first but now that i've used the notebook for a few weeks i've changed my mind. i also like the font type and size for the lettering on the keys very clear yet subtle.
* processor the i5 is a really good processor and handles photoshop, illustrator, word, and a couple of internet tabs open at the same time.
* ram 4gb of ddr3 is more than enough for most people, and from what i've read an additional 4gb can be added which helps "future proof" this notebook.
* matte screen i love not constantly having glare on my screen and i also find that the matte screen is easier on my eyes. there is also a con to the matte screen so please read that.
* noise level this notebook is really quiet compared to others i looked at. when the fans aren't on i can't hear anything (some others emit a high-pitched noise like that of old televisions) and when they are on they produce a faint humming noise that i soon forget about until they turn off. the keys are also fairly quiet i don't think typing would disturb others in a classroom or library.
CONS:
* matte screen the only down side to the matte screen is that the colors aren't as vibrant as on other screen types. my desktop uses a semi-matte screen, also made my samsung, and i notice that the colors are a bit more vibrant. that being said, even as a graphic designer this does not have a significant impact on my work as: a) the vibrancy difference is minimal, b) i don't use this notebook to create designs, only to show them and make minor modifications, and c) colors will look different on virtually every screen. i have not yet messed around with the display settings so that may have an impact but no matter what you do the colors will not look the same as they do on a glossy or semi-matte screen. however, there is no noticeable color bleed on this matte screen which would have been a deal breaker for me.
* indicator lights my eyes are very sensitive to light and motion so the first thing i do on a new computer is turn the screen brightness down and turn off the indicator lights on the keyboard...except in this case i was unable to turn these lights off. i called samsung and they confirmed that the lights cannot be turned off so i'm going to cut some tiny pieces of electrical tape to put over them until a third party solution is available. on the plus side, the screen brightness control is great (i use 3/8 8 is instant eye pain and 1 has me squinting to see).
* no dedicated graphics card i would really prefer a dedicated graphics card but in this price range it's nearly impossible to find a notebook with this feature. for the average computer user this won't be an issue but if you are using graphic intensive programs a dedicated card can help with lag time and be even more useful when newer versions of such programs come out as they will most definitely be more demanding.
* no usb 3.0 not a big deal now but may be annoying in the future. if necessary i'll get an adapter.
OVERALL
really nice computer in terms of processing power, ram, portability, and style. i would recommend this computer for: graphic designers as a supplemental portable, students as a primary computer that can also easily be carried to class (boy do i wish they made computers this light when i was in college), and for any person who wants a portable computer for everyday stuff (word processing, internet use, etc) that has a good enough processor and enough ram to be useful for years to come.
edit 12.10: i forgot to mention that when i got this computer the function keys didn't work. i solved this problem by downloading the "easy display manager" from this samsung downloads page:
Honest reviews on Samsung Series 3 NP350U2B-A01 12.5-Inch Laptop
What a great little laptop. I wanted thin & light but did not want something underpowered. So far I am extremely impressed with this system. The screen is bright and at 12.5" feels big enough to do most anything. It is very thin and at 3 lbs really does feel very light, in fact any ligher and it might slide around the desk when you use it. The core i5 2410m is quite fast and has the upgraded HD 3000 video, so far all of the graphics and video work has really impressed. I considered a system with an SSD however I do like having the space that the 500GB HDD provides.
The system did not come with an over abundance of bloatware applications pre-installed so it was usable right away without having to uninstall unneeded junk. The Fast Start technology seems to work as it does wake back up very quickly. I am anxious to try the wireless display but need to buy one of the TV adapters to make it work.
I would definiately buy this again.
12/17/2011 Update:
I found I was occasionally having trouble with the wireless connection when unplugged. I changed the windows power settings to have the wireless network use maximum power when on battery and it seems to have fixed the problem.
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I wanted a reasonable sized, light, easily transportable notebook computer that would be fast enough in normal usage to not feel slow. This Samsung works. It is subjectively fast, light enough (3.1 lbs) to carry easily, and has the capacity to do everything I want to do. The keys don't have much travel but are easy to get used to. At full brightness, the screen is fine. At 12.6 inches, it's big enough. Even with the power cord, the whole package is still under 5 lbs. Wish it had more USB ports--2 means I have to use a small 4-hole port. I got an external DVD writer/player for when I have to use a DVD to get software installed. I prefer to not have to carry the additional weight of a DVD around when my need for it is rare. The very smoothly opening lid is a nice touch, adding to the all around good visual and tactile impression of this notebook.
