Samsung Intros New Business Class Notebooks Discussion

Samsung has introduced a new line of business notebooks with screen sizes ranging from 12.5" to 15.6".

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These look pretty good, the overall build quality and price will be the most important factor for me to decide though.

Btw, I didn't know samsung made bussines laptops. Is this new for them? I've only seen consumer models from that brand.

 

business class = no island style keyboard?

 

These look like knockoffs of Thinkpads with worse battery life to boot. First Samsung copies the MacBook Air now Lenovo...

 

It's good to see Samsung adopting pointing sticks and 3 Mouse Buttons on their business laptops. Navigating and Typing just isn't the same without it (if you've tried and liked it).

 

Actually Samsung was the ODM for Dell laptops and until recently they had a agreement with Dell not to sell laptops in the USA. That agreement but have ended as Samsung laptops are being sold in the USA now.

 

No, HP is moving their business class notebooks to island style keyboards. But to address your question more fully, a business class laptop is first and foremost sold with the understanding that the product will be supported for a number of years (which means it will continue to get BIOS and driver updates even after the notebook has been replaced by a newer model) . Differing build qualities are offered, but generally a business class laptop is going to be built to withstand more abuse than a consumer class laptop. The next big difference is warranty support. Most business class notebooks come with a better warranty, they may also offer on-site service or even same-day or 4-hour service for certain parts (if you live in the right area and are willing to pay for it).

The biggest question I'd have about these Samsung laptops is what their warranty service is like. Do they offer on-site options?

 

The press release also mentioned these Samsung business notebooks have metal hinges and a reinforced chassis.

The biggest highlight of these notebooks IMO is the 15.6" version, which comes with a 1600x900 display. It's strange to get excited over a low resolution like that but it is far better than the 1366x768 found on most 15.6" notebooks.

No pricing information yet on these notebooks, of course . . .

 

Samsung has been producing notebooks aimed at business users for some years. However, the P series have been based on the R series with the shiny parts given a matte finish while the X series contained more metal. Samsung are capable of producing the right hardware but, as already noted, are they capable of providing the longer-term support that business users expect?

John

 

Also, it is more difficult to get into business segment than consumer segment. Even if Samsung will be able to provide good business support, many businesses aren't willing to change from their old brand -- they tend to have established support relationship with their old brand already. Currently, their offering of consumer laptops (in US) are pretty limited -- IMO that it is better to start from consumer laptops first.

 

Not necessarily. Look at the Thinkpad X120e or the new HP business notebooks for example. Business laptops cater to the needs of people that do business, the business look is often important, but more important traits include being supported for a longer time than consumer products or build quality. The ability to get spare parts for a long time after the product has been discontinued is also important.

I think Samsung can make the computer, but can they support it to the much higher expectations of their target customers.

This. A lot of companies I have worked with are "Buy Thinkpad/Dell/HP/etc" when it comes to standard issue laptops.