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

Wow, you think there's any chance the poor screen/plastic bottom was specific to the Best Buy model, just like the non-backlit keyboard? The photos I saw of the bottom made it look like one piece of metal.

 

I'm guessing the fact that there's no brightness sensor on the Best Buy model could mean the screen is different too, but that's speculation.

 

I would be pretty surprised if Samsung did so many customization for Bestbuy. My guess is the 1149 model will also be plastic-like and with the low end screen. I am hoping the 14 with 15" model will have a better screen + 6750m, if it does that would be a near perfect notebook for me.

 

Is there any reason to think the screen will be different in the 700Z4A? It was presented at the same time and it was advertised as having the same display, despite whatever oddities with the US release date.

 

Any news on UK/European release date?

 

There's no logical reason that the screen would be any different for the 14" or 15". A previous poster who got the laptop was impressed by the screen, so Dreamwonder might have just been a little harsh. Lets wait for a few more reviews before we throw this computer in the dumps.

 

See also this review on the BB site, which confirms the poor viewing angles but sees the screen as a "pro":
Samsung - Series 7 Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 15.6" Display - Silver - NP700Z5B-W01UB

(Incidentally, my TigerDirect preorder has "backlit keyboard" in the item name, so I don't see any reason to think that this particular missing feature goes beyond BB.)

 

If that is the case regarding color gamut and the contrast ratio then then what's the advantage of this(besides size) vs the 15in Series 3 and 6 notebooks. One would think Samsung would do a bit more with screen on their premium line, specially since they make their own. I guess the question is will the reviews say the same thing or not, and will the Series 7 tablet have a better screen.

 

Another quickie update.

Just played a game of starcraft 2, 1v1 to see how well the new i7 (sandy bridge gen 2) and the 4950m handles it. Fraps gave 32fps when nothing much is going on. 28fps on a 200vs200 max battle, so pretty impressed with the newer i7. Tested on native res with default medium settings. Temperture is pretty awesome, warm but not hot for the game session. Also notice the upper mid keyboard region (near 6 7 8 9) got warm.

 

Could anyone that's bought it make a YouTube review video of it?

 

I stopped at Best Buy for an HDMI cable and brought a camera along.

The screen was nice, and although the palm rest didn't feel like metal, it felt sturdy.

Samsung Series 7 laptop pictures in spoiler

Spoiler

 

For those who've bought or tried the Series 7, what are your opinions on the trackpad? Is the two finger scroll smooth, and does the trackpad have a similar feel as the ones on a Macbook?

 

Fantastic!! How is the screen compared to the Macbook? Should we be worried or go ahead and preorder?

 

Agreed! with some mouse scrolling in the browser!

 

Just looking at the build construction up close, this looks like it's closer than the Envy 14 to being a true unibody design. You won't have as much keyboard flex.

I'm just curious about the screen's color gamut % and the touchpad's scrolling (Butter-smooth or just fidgety as with all other Windows notebooks?) and gestures.

 

After comparing both laptops (Samsung and 15" macbook pro) these are some of the basic comparisons:

Trackpad - Macbook pro (samsung can do all the motions like the pro but not as smooth and sometimes laggy)

Display - Tie
Samsung - Great matte screen, but Macbook pros display is brighter.
Macbook - Great glossy screen, but the bezel isn't as gorgeous and thin.

Keyboard - Macbook Pro (my samsung didn't have backlit plus the trackpad is placed off centered to the left)

Battery Life - Samsung

Built - Macbook (Samsung has plastic feel on the sides and bottom panel)

Speakers - Macbook slightly louder

Price - Samsung (Best value for around 1k)

 

I only looked at it for a few minutes, and it was running the demo stuff, but the screen seemed to be very good quality. I plan on buying one soon.

 

ok so jus checked back on youtube ( Get to know the Samsung SERIES 7 CHRONOS (14 inch) - YouTube) regarding 14"chassis(15"screen) and this is what a samsung rep replied couple of mins back :

Thanks for your patience. The SERIES 7 CHRONOS 15" (body 14") will come in two versions (i5 Intel Core Processor), one with integrated graphics and the other one with hybrid graphics (discrete). All SERIES 7 CHRONOS 15" (body 14") with discrete graphics come with the AMD Radeon HD6750M. Since model availabilities and date release may vary between countries, please contact our local team directly for more assistance by visiting the "support" section on our official website.

so looks like we are gonna get 6750 in 14" chassis... awesome news guys...
jus have to wait till they are released now..

 

Again, it depends on whether it's released in the US or not. These kinds of models have a tendency of skipping the US market. I still haven't been able to get a straight answer from them about this.

 

Thanks for the comparison.
One question, is Samsung's screen a bit bluish compared to Macbook Pro's?

 

Yes.
For example, the Galaxy S II was released here in Asia long before it is being released in US (which is just recently I think).
Also I think it's about the consumer's behaviour and the policies. We here don't have such thing called "return policy". Most of the goods here are not refundable and returnable after being sold. (Except when the thing you bought has some serious manufacturing flaws, you can go back and argue with them)

 

ya very true cos a comment before from the same person was like in US version its 6490..

 

I guess the best answer for screen quality would be to try to check it out in person and see if it is for you or not(unless somehow the Best Buy model has a lower quality screen).

 

A weird thing about the bottom panel. If you look at these photos from engadget, you'll see the sides and bottom of their model look like one piece of metal:
Samsung Series 7 Laptops - Engadget Galleries
But if you look at Samsung's photos here, you'll see a line running along the side where the metal part stops and the plastic begins:
Samsung Series 7

Difference between models? Last-minute manufacturing issue? Hard to tell.

 

Actually, the side-view in that photo seems to be the 13" model. Can anyone with a Best Buy laptop check if they've got a seam running along the side like that?

 

Quite strange since the mbp screens are scoring around 250 nits and the samsung is supposed to be 300 nits, could the screen be of lower quality in the cheap version aswell ?

 

id like to see how much bigger the 15.6" is compared to the 15" and the 14"

(like stacked on each other comparison pics)

 

"We do not currently have a release date for this in the UK, but keep checking the website for updates and also check with PC and mobile retailers as they will know weeks before it goes on the shelf."

That was 'Samsung UK' reply on facebook.

And that's from Samsung Notebook FB account

"We're pleased to announce that the SERIES 7 CHRONOS will be released in the UK around the end of October and the price will start from 799￡(GBP)."

"We're pleased to announce that the SERIES 7 CHRONOS will be released in the UK around the end of October and the price will start from 799￡(GBP). For your information, since we do not control our retailers stocks and availabilities, the best way to get the most accurate information is to contact the retail service centers directly."

 

um you do realize trackpad is off centered cuz of numpad.
it's still directly under center of keyboard which is where you thumbs are naturally.....

 

Today I had a chance to check out the Best Buy model at the Victorville, CA store. None of the employees knew anything about it, but I gave them the sku number from the website and they had 4 in stock. They were nice enough to take one out of the box because they were curious as well. Here is my evaluation based on comparisons to the current Macbook Pro 15 at the store:

The overall finish is a slightly darker "gunmetalish" grey which is slightly mocha/brown in hue. I also noticed a prominent pinkish/magenta cast in the reflected highlights off of the body. I'm hoping this is just from the interior fluorescent lighting in the store because it was a little off-putting. It's not the type of thing you want if you need to do any critcal color-balancing/correction in Photoshop. Overall I like that it's a little darker finish, because the MBP's palm rest area can be a little bit too reflective in daylight situations...you've got this bright silver reflection off of this surface and almost straight into your eyes which makes it even harder to see the screen. (I have to use my 2009 MBP quite a bit in outdoor daylight situations while on location photoshoots).

I tried, but I was not able to power it up, so I wasn't able to evaluate the touchpad's operation, boot time, or the screen quality, though the matte screen looks like it will do a decent job of cutting down on reflections.

Build Quality: The chassis, although not a true unibody design, seems very solid and compares well to the MBP. The bottom plate is indeed plastic, but actually feels sturdier than the MBP's extremely thin aluminum bottom plate. And the palm-rest area is plastic as well, but you really can't tell by the looks of it. Samsung said that they did this on all of the Series 7 models to reduce the heat transfer to your hands when typing. I hope this isn't a bad sign...they must have experienced relatively high heat levels when testing for them to incorporate this. Overall, my impression was that it was at least as sturdy/solid-feeling as the MBP, and that's a good thing. Because of the "sturdiness", it actually felt a little bit heavier, and it very well may be, as I had no way to verify this.

The Samsung is probably about 2mm thicker than the MBP even though the specifications say otherwise. I placed the Samsung on top of the MBP and it was almost identical in width side-to-side, but actually about a 1/2" shorter from front to back. It has the same cooling vents (á la the MBP) on the rear of the chassis hidden behind/below the screen hinge.

The touchpad is nearly identical to the MBP in terms of looks, size, and texture. However, the "click" action is slightly lighter and takes less force to actuate, which I prefer.

The equally configured 15" MBP (2.2Ghz Core i7/6750m) is $1999 as opposed to $949 so it's quite a bargain if the screen is up to snuff. Of course, on this model you don't get the backlit keyboard, and you're trading a few different ports: FW800 & Thunderbolt/Mini Displayport + USB 2.0 on the MBP, vs. HDMI, USB 3.0, & MHL/Micro-USB "VGA" port on the Samsung.

If only the Samsung had an ExpressCard34 slot (missing on the MBP 15 as well, but included on the 17" model), the Samsung could be the perfect machine for me! With the ExpressCard34 slot, you can add nearly any type of interface you might need: FW400/800, eSATA, USB 3.0, CF card reader, or nearly any combination of these in one. I'm a professional photographer, and I use most of these interfaces on a daily basis, so they are important to me.

Anyhow, I hope this gives a few people a little bit more information. For the price, I'm going to keep my pre-order intact for the 15.6"/EC/Backlit KB/6GB version.

Good luck everyone!

 

Mmm... More waiting. At least it's coming. Thanks for the info

 

I hope that this is the case, and that the non-Best Buy versions have a better screen. If so, for $200 more you get a backlit keyboard, the Express Cache 8GB SSD, and (hopefully) a better screen.

...but I have my doubts.

 

When you talk about the 15" model in 14" chassis, do you mean 15.6" ?

I'm actually confused now since I can only find information on 2 models, a 14" and a 15.6" as seen in Series 7 Notebook: Style, Speed and Power | Samsung Articles & Insights

 

- 700Z3A(14"): HD6490M

- 700Z4A(15"): HD6750M

- 700Z5A(15.6"): HD6750M

 

But does the matte finish lower the brightness a little or atleast gives the impression of a lower brigthness?

 

From the pics, it also looks like the smaller 14" version has an off centered trackpad to the left like the 15". I just prefer it centered, but I'm sure it wouldn't bother the majority =)

 

Hi all,

to keep confusion going on, here r the versions listed for Germany:

Samsung Notebooks Laptops billiger notebook.de


have fun,

fraggle

 

This looks like the Series 7 Gamer version. (1st one on page)

14", 15.6", 15.6" but no 15"

 

I also checked out a display unit (15.6") at Best Buy, I have a friend that works in the Mobile department, so I was able to get someone in computers to take off the demo limitations, like blocking the use of the function keys, meaning I could adjust the brightness to full.


Here are my impressions:

It is a darker, gunmetal color, which I think looks really nice. It is definitely different from what I was expecting based off of the pictures I have seen online, so you may need to adjust your expectations accordingly. tHE j0KER captured to color in his pictures (Post # 561), so take a look at those to get a better idea.

There is absolutely no blue tint to the screen. It just looked like that in some photos online because cameras have a hard time with screens. This should not be a concern to anyone.

The screen can get very bright, and seemed brighter than the MBP, but I didn't have them side-by-side, I just walked back and forth a few times. The matte screen is great.

The entire unit is put together very well. It is very solid. Make sure to get your hands on one before you get too concerned over the plastic hand rest. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy.

You can open the screen without needing to hold the body down, which is something I specifically look for in a laptop.

This unit did not have a backlit keyboard.

The trackpad is great. Like was mentioned before, the click is easier to press than the MBP. I didn't run multitouch through its paces, but scrolling was fluid. I don't really have a preference as to the "feel" of a touchpad, other than it being smooth, which it was. I tried out some bulky Vaio they had near by, with a rough textured touchpad and that was odd.

I can't say anything about the heat, since I wasn't doing anything other than web browsing. The unit was cold.



This is an incredible machine, and the price is awesome. Unless you want Mac OS, you should get this over the MBR any day. You can get 2 for the price of 1 MBR, so it's almost silly to compare them.



I've had a pre-order in at Amazon for a couple weeks now ($1150 model), and have not received any word from them about a ship date. With October 2nd coming up this weekend, it looks like there's a good chance they're not getting it then.

 

The amazon $1150 model doesn't have backlit keyboards, according to those pictures

 

Does the unit that tigerdirect sell have express cache?
Samsung NP700Z5A-S02US Series 7 Notebook PC - Intel Core i7-2675QM 2.2GHz, 6GB DDR3, 750GB HDD, DVDRW, Backlit Keyboard, AMD Radeon HD 6750M, 15.6 LED Display Pre-Order Now (Ships Early October) at TigerDirect.com
it doesn't say anywhere on the site.

 

Samurai321,

Thanks for the great info! Great to hear regarding the screen brightness compared to the MBP (assuming this was a glossy screen as well)? Did you happen to compare the Horizontal and Vertical viewing angles???

Regarding heat, the MBP 15 on display was noticably warm on the bottom while just using Safari at full brightness.

Another small oversight on the design of the Samsung is that when opening the laptop, your thumb or finger will almost always land directly on the web cam due to the screen's thin bezel. The MBP is identical, but since the bezel is wider it's not as much of a problem. I do really appreciate the thin bezel on the Samsung though!

I'm glad you got to play with a working model. Thanks again for the info!

 

The Best Buy model of the Series 7 comes with an AMD Radeon HD6490M, not an HD6750.

It compares better to the $1799 Macbook Pro 15(2GHz Core i7/Hd6490M)

Still an awesome deal.

 

Accorging to the Samsung spec sheet for this model# that was posted earlier in this thread, and by several other tech sites, Yes, it does have Express Cache.

But there has been so much confusion regarding the exact specs (even by Samsungs own reps) that it will be difficult to confirm until someone actually recieves this retail unit in hand!

 

DOH! You are correct! Thanks for that.

So you have to move up to the $1150 model to get the 6750M, which also gives you the backlit keyboard and 8GB SSD/Express Cache. Still not a bad deal me thinks.

 

You know what I find funny... I see so many PC people insult MacBooks yet they use them as a basis of comparison.

Same thing with the MBAirs.

How did Apple become the measuring stick if they weren't quality products to begin with?

Maybe I should take this to another thread but I've always thought Apple built nicely designed notebooks... and it's not until how many years later that PCs are catching up. The Envys were a good try but still didn't truly match in battery life and anything Sony is just as if not more expensive.

 

I was very much considering getting an MBA until I saw this one coming out. If the Samsung (not the Best-Buy one) turns out to be as good as initial reviews say, it's gonna be hard to stay away. It does actually look pretty tempting even without the backlit keyboard, but my expectations for typing in the dark are too high for that now.

 

I plan on getting the amazon one backlit keyboard or not... Hehe, when you type with the Dvorak layout seeing the letters on the keys matters much less.

 

To be honest, backlit or not, I can type without looking at the keyboard, and even if I looked, the light from the screen would be enough to recognise the keys. It's just all eye candy

 

I use the backlit keys sometimes when I am in the dark using special characters that I don't use very often. Screen light works, but its faster with both..