Samsung Series 7 Laptops - 15.0" and 15.6" Models (NP700Z4 & NP700Z5)

[dp3000]

I think the laptop will have Widi 2.0 (all depends on what wifi card they choose to use i think?) but maybe not Wimax. Not needed for me because 1) We have no such thing in the UK and 2) i tether my phone to my laptop and charge it using usb.

Anyway, apparently the speakers are located in the hinge of the laptop. source

Samsung Series 7 Chronos laptop first look video review | Which? Tech Daily - News and views without the hype

[c0mplex]

I think the laptop will have Widi 2.0 (all depends on what wifi card they choose to use i think?) but maybe not Wimax. Not needed for me because 1) We have no such thing in the UK and 2) i tether my phone to my laptop and charge it using usb.

Anyway, apparently the speakers are located in the hinge of the laptop. source

Samsung Series 7 Chronos laptop first look video review | Which? Tech Daily - News and views without the hype

If its in the hinge like the MBP, hopefully it will sound as good as the MBP does.

[c0mplex]

Definitely Samsung 7 series have more powerfull processor and graphics, but the difference is negligible in the real world. High-powered processor in such a portable device like laptop/notebooks, runs hot and noisy and very hard to keep it cool when overclocked. Remember, laptop/notebooks are not complete gaming consoles. So if you play high-end 3D games frequently, better way, purchase a XBox, PlayStation (Blue-Ray) or other gaming console. And play any high-end 3D games along with HDTV or Home Theater.

By the way, Samsung QX411 (with nVidia GeForce GT 520M dedicated graphic chipset) provides a pretty good significant boost in gaming performance, albeit at mid-low resolutions. It is fast enough to handle any photo editing suite, including the most demanding one: 'Adobe Photoshop CS5. The QX411 comes with automatic switchable graphics technology. Means when the dedicated GPU is not in use or the system is unplugged, the laptop automatically reverts to an Intel integrated graphics chip to save battery life.

Depending on your need, the extra processing and graphical power that the Series 7 has over the QX411 is either of great use or is completely necessary. Sure, you can get a console to play games, but some of the most popular games on PC are exclusive to the platform while also being perfectly playable on a laptop. League of Legends and Starcraft II are great examples. But if you plan on just web-surfing, checking email, and watching movies on it, the i7 processor and Radeon HD 6750M GPU are kind of an overkill.

I think what is undoubtedly the biggest selling point the Series 7 has over the QX411 a lot of other laptops in this class is its 1600x900 screen. Those who do work on their laptops find the 1366x768 resolution very bothersome. At 1366x768, programmers can't see as many lines of text at a time while coding, students have to alt+tab through all their studying material, and graphic designers can't view the multiple images their editing at the same time. There are just a lot of benefits to having extra screen real estate.

[tytung]

This laptop is going to be my next laptop.
However, I saw a video somewhere (forgot where) that it only has windows index of less than 4...very low
Also, the screen looks blueish to me:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget....iesseven13.jpg

[Sadiki]

As has been said before in this thread, judging a screen based off photos in unreliable at best. Even in comparison to other screens.

Anyway, even if bluish, colour can be adjusted like any other screen. Worry about viewing angles, contrast and colour gamut.

[URPradhan]

I'm just slightly baffled at the complaints I'm hearing here. Boggles my mind that people are still saying they want better speakers in a thicker package. For goodness sakes, get an XPS and stop whining! Complaining about speakers on a thin/light notebook whose quality we have yet to confirm is the equivalent of screaming at a dealership that the Corolla doesn't come with $3,000 speakers standard. Come on, people. You're essentially paying $1,300 for a thin/light notebook whose equivalent specs would cost $2,000+ with Apple.

MBP is MBP. In history many brands tried to imitate MAC but failed to stand aside. And this time its a try from the Korean company. I do not think people will stop buying MBP after Samsung series 7 release. Thickness is not only about speakers, its about better thermal management and better internal layout for the long life of the internal components (=laptop). Always thin can not be better.

[BlackLS3]

This laptop is going to be my next laptop.
However, I saw a video somewhere (forgot where) that it only has windows index of less than 4...very low
Also, the screen looks blueish to me:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget....iesseven13.jpg

Well, if you happen to find that video, I'd love to see it. I fail to see how a Windows score of less than 4 is even within the realm of possibility for this machine.

Also, judging the LCD via pictures of a prototype when you don't even know what the screen settings were is a worthless exercise.

[badtzwang]

Well, if you happen to find that video, I'd love to see it. I fail to see how a Windows score of less than 4 is even within the realm of possibility for this machine.

Also, judging the LCD via pictures of a prototype when you don't even know what the screen settings were is a worthless exercise.

I saw the same video with the 3.5 Windows Rating. Here it is ... I can only assume that its because its a prototype laptop.

Hands On Samsung 7 Series Chronos at IFA Berlin 2011 - YouTube

[zeth006]

MBP is MBP. In history many brands tried to imitate MAC but failed to stand aside. And this time its a try from the Korean company. I do not think people will stop buying MBP after Samsung series 7 release. Thickness is not only about speakers, its about better thermal management and better internal layout for the long life of the internal components (=laptop). Always thin can not be better.

Except I never said thin is always better. My point has always been that it's most desirable in this day and age of light and portable machines. Increasing the weight and size just to augment speaker quality only leads to this notebook becoming less distinguished from its $500 plastic Costco counterparts.


Seriously. Part of the problem with HP's Envy is HP allowed the Envy to lose its sense of identity. They tried to keep a low price, recession notwithstanding, to cater to people who in the long term don't give a rat's about the kind of details many high-quality notebook buyers care about, and they ended up having to make compromises in the process. The result is we got a half-baked solution called the Envy 14 2nd generation. They compromised on lid thickness for price and didn't bother to invest in their own unibody machinery or set up joint ventures with companies that have the technology. They also got rid of the high-quality display, which pretty much outs the Envy as my next notebook. They even kept the optical disk drive in response to a few outcries even as more and more companies are going down the path of ditching it and making an external one optional. [See Apple rumors about plans to ditch the ODD and LG's P330]


Now I know that putting cheaper speakers is literally speaking, its own compromise. But let's face it. We don't need audiophile speakers, especially if installing a stronger subwoofer would require making the machine thicker. Let's think about it for a second. Speakers are rightfully the last area people really care about. My own desktop Logitechs cost me $80 and they beat the crap out of any laptop speakers out there in SQ and power. I'm even coming across portable laptop speakers that cost $20 and sound better than the MBP's oh-so-nice speakers. Furthermore, I think a good chunk of us listen to our music on headphones and external speakers. It really should make you wonder whether it's worth it to turn the Series 7 into a brick just for better speakers when the laptop speaker functionality is easily displaced by other portable solutions.


Installing laptop speakers of reasonably decent sound quality while maintaining a sub-1inch form factor is a good compromise to make when you consider how more people are going to want power and extreme portability in a package. Most reviews I've come across showed the Envy's speakers were decent SQwise, but just lacked bass. The MBP's speakers didn't sound as nice on tunes that don't utilize bass, but had higher bass levels.


Now the Series-7? It would seem to me based on initial reviews and vids Samsung got it right. They did raise the price to compensate for a "Superior LCD" and the engineering that follows a superthin design. I need to read more reviews on the display, but knowing Samsung, they probably didn't cheap out on it. They're the one company on Earth that seems to have a lot of patents, core technologies, or at least a pretty wide access to supplies for advanced smartphone and TV screens; I'll bet some of that technology was ported over to laptop screens.


Bottom line: If you want an XPS, get an XPS. Screaming about a thin notebook having ok speakers is tantamount to more/less asking Samsung to make compromises in form factor and price. If the XPS is thin enough for you, just buy that instead.

[zeth006]

As has been said before in this thread, judging a screen based off photos in unreliable at best. Even in comparison to other screens.

Anyway, even if bluish, colour can be adjusted like any other screen. Worry about viewing angles, contrast and colour gamut.

Indeed. I'm going to wait. The Radiance Display didn't look any better than a regular LCD display when I first saw it in photos and Youtube. I didn't get to see how great it was until I actually powered my Envy 14 up.