Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 Review Roundup
I wasn’t lucky enough to get a new Samsung Chromebook to review it. That’s the downside of being a tech blogger living outside the USA. So what I’ve done here is a get you a collection of Chromebook reviews to go through, and some major points from all these reviews.
The Good
- Palm rest is now made of inlaid metal, which makes the palm rest, at least, feel sturdier
- Lighter – on par with 13 inch Ultrabooks, for half the price of an Ultrabook
- Keyboard- One of the best we’ve tested lately, puts thousand-dollar Ultrabooks to shame, says Engadget
- Trackpad – Better than the first generation, works smoothly
- That 300-nit screen — the same brightness level you’ll find on a $1,000 Series 5 Ultrabook
- 1080p YouTube videos (new for Chrome OS) run smoothly
- It boots up in five seconds and awakes from sleep in less than two.
- Login screen great for multi-user environments
- A new full-size Gigabit ethernet port half-hidden underneath a cover on the left side
The Bad
- Looks more somber than the last-gen model
- The volume is dim, even at the highest setting
- Battery life down from 10 hours to 6 hours
- A relatively high price
So, the trackpad and the keyboard seem to be the highlight. The new processor is helping Chrome OS work better, especially while handling HD videos and browsing with more tabs and windows open. However, it is eating up the precious battery time.
The matte display seems to be another point that many reviewers liked. It makes a lot of sense for a device that was built for On the go computing.
The redesigned and Chrome OS seems to be doing very well with reviewers, they all agree that Chrome OS now feels more like a real operating system.
The Price The Price!!
The price, well, the price is where not everyone is happy about. $549 / $449 for 3G/Wifi is too much for a computer that can do so little seem to be the concern.
If you ask me, this particular Chromebook is for those Chrome OS fans (individuals, companies and educational institutions) who have tasted Chrome OS and Chromebooks already and need a more powerful Chrome OS experience. They will buy it, and some Chrome OS fans.
A cheaper version of Chromebook (may be more than one) is definitely getting ready. The Daisy, could be the Sony Chromebook that will work for those waiting for a cheaper Chromebook.
The Reviews
One thing that I didn’t like about many of these reviews is, they are not reviewing a Chromebook, but reviewing just another computer. What do you think?
One Response to “Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 Review Roundup”
It would seem based on this new UI, Google may be looking to do what Apple has. Create a PC OS that is integrated with a Mobile OS. Wouldn’t be surprised to see ChromeOS replace Android in the near future. Would certainly give Android a refresh with all the fragmentation issues it currently has.