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

I probably will buy it.

But I will probably stay in this thread because I'm also trying to decide between the Series 7 14" (13" chassis) or an ultrabook (either the Toshiba or the Asus).

Since both the S7 15.6" and the SE 15.5 are both at local retailers... I think they would compare well against each other.

 

So it's not October 2nd. More like Mid to End of October.

 

I was just making an observation that turned into that general premise. It's why I added the caveat that it is probably a better discussion for another thread... I had no idea the culture here was so stringent... again... I apologize.

 

it's not called macmall for nothing

 

Oh.... you mean the "mall" part? See this one other "scrumptious" opportunity for the same machine at PCMall.... "Only" $1439... *snickers*

http://www.pcmall.com/p/Samsung-Electronics-Consumer-Electronics/product~dpno~8865773~pdp.gijcded?src=search#activeTab=pdpOverview

 

Samsung Series 7 700Z (700Z3A) Laptop first look - Trusted Reviews

Still hoping for no keyboard flex on the backlit keyboard versions. Screen doesn't look THAT bad from the side angle photos but it is nowhere near an ips display.

 

It is October 2nd. But I think it's pushed back to mid-end of October from possible that a lot of people pre-order and if u order now it be back up since there could be a long line up. And each company get only so many of these notebooks.

 

Here at BB there's a new review with a positive comment on the screen:
Samsung - Series 7 Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 15.6" Display - Silver - NP700Z5B-W01UB

 

I think the best thing to do is to see and feel the unit in your own eyes and hands, i think there are no major difference between the displays (BB, amazon and tiger direct)

 

my only problem with them is that they are the ugliest notebooks i ve seen for a while....

 

Wow, According to me, It's the greatest (about design) PC I've seen since the VPC Z1 series! But i prefer the 700Z4A to the 700Z5A, however, it seems that the 700Z4A won't be available in UK (i've asking samsung about an availability in France, i'm waiting for an answer).
For those who are interested for the European prices, samsung tell me that about the 15,6" with 6750M:

@ares1511 - Thank you for your patience. We're pleased to confirm that the SERIES 7 CHRONOS will be released in in France with MaxScreen 15.6" from the end of October. The price for this particular model will be around 1,199 Euro and it may vary depending on product configurations and retailers. We hope you'll enjoy all these new awesome features as much as we do!

 

So now they are saying this wont be out until mid October? Plus nobody is making a youtube review of this laptop. I'm probably just going to end up buying the dell xps 15. I've been waiting long enough. this laptop doesn't even seem that promising.

 

"Hi all! This comes with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 2430M and AMD Radeon HD 6490M (for US model). Please keep in mind the specifications may vary between different countries and models.

Also, this will be ready by early October in US, with the price starting from $1,099.99 (14").

Please find more info from our official website (US):samsung.com/us/article/series-7-notebook-style-speed-and-power
SamsungNotebook"

SO, in US, it's still early october, no?

 

I puchased the Best Buy model. Came with a intel 6150 wifi, replaced it with a 6200. Bottom comes off pretty easy. There is two fans up near the hinge. Hard drive and battery are replaceable, only one Dimm slot.

 

Hi guys,

Those of you which bought it from Best Buy, does the model have MaxBright screen? I mean, maybe it's an entry screen, otherwise its very disappointing to retail a so-called premium notebook with such a bad screen with a contrast of 150 & something and narrow viewing angles.

What about the audio? I mean, how bad is it? Very weird, in the first press release they said something about a woofer, now it seems to be gone. Or, there may be a lot of configurations, country-specific. They said about 3 speakers, 2w x 2 stereo & 2w embedded woofer, now it's just 1,5w x 2 stereo. Well, I don't expect for the Chronos to be like the XPS, but just to have a reasonable sound. It's true, such thing is quite rare these days with such flat notebooks and not only (just take a look at Sony range, they force you to buy externals), but I believe that even a tiny woofer could make a difference.

I really hope that Samsung hasn't chosen the same path as Sony did, I mean just to give you nice designs with cheap & dated components at swollen prices (see that tedious manual stamina currently embedded in theirs flagships S & Z; now they're about to release a 15.5 S, but guess what, the lamentable manual stamina is still there, seems that's cheaper this way, while they're asking you to pay 1600 euros for it).

By the way, it would be nice for somebody who owns it to make a video review and post it on youtube. Thanks.

 

Looks like the 15 and 14" arn't given a 6750 due to the lack of space for the second fan.

 

Thanks you for the photo deerchaser!

I can't tell, but it looks like the CPU is a BGA package, soldered to the motherboard. (unfortunate)

Is there anything under the memory module? Like memory attached to the motherboard? Still trying to determine if there is a second hidden DIMM slot.

Thanks!

 

Do you think the optical drive could be swapped for a slot loading blu-ray drive?

 

Is the odd replaceable with a second hard drive

 

Anyone who has purchased the best buy model have anything to say about the ventilation? I'm personally more worried about the laptop being annoyingly hot than I am about the screen. I talked to a samsung rep on there phone and he described the cooling unit as "typical". I'm either gonna buy this or wait on the Asus ultrabook, from what i've read about the asus it will dissipate heat through the keyboard and have a couple of other newer type cooling technologies.

In short, does it run hot or what?

 

Is the HDD 7mm or 9.5mm thick?

The other RAM slot may be under the keyboard. What does CPU-Z report about the two modules? Are they both branded modules?

John

 

Its been already told by samsung that the first 4GB of ram are motherboard soldered.

 

So is it 4GB soldered on across the models? In that case I could swap the 2GB out for my 4GB in the 6GB model, unless they played dirty with the 6GB model and soldered the 2GB so that the max for that model won't be as high as their priciest model (8GB).

 

Didn't pull the HD, no other dimm slots. There is memory chips under the removeable chip on the motherboard. Still on the fence if Im keeping this. Wifi performance isnt that great, speed bouncing around. Tried two different 6200 cards. Thinking it's the antennas.

 

4 gb soldered + whatever in the dimm slot

 

It runs cool to the touch but im not a gamer. I just returned a Dell XPS 17 i7. Had it 2 days, hot and loud, the fan rattled. This was the 1080p non-3d with 2x500 WD drives, GT 555 3gb. Screen sucked, matte coating was very coarse.

 

You like the matte screen on this better than the 1080p that dell xps 15 or 17 has? That dell 1080p screen has been rated very highly.....

 

100%, the dell anti-glare screen was like looking thru a window screen, very textured. The 17" 1080p AG screen has very mixed reviews. The 15" is awesome, whole different animal.

 

Would it gain much speed benefit if I put an SSD into the Series 7 with express cache? I have a spare intel 510 lying around and wondering if the reduced storage space tradeoff would be worth it. .

 

tiger direct just lowered the price

List Price: $1,149.00
Instant Savings: - $69.01
Price: $1,079.99

 

Same price at TigerDirect Canada but we can't preorder.

 

Tax + Shipping at TD puts the price over Amazon's, and I have Prime at Amazon so I guess I'll stick with Amazon. I need more reviews to convince me to place an order, though.

 

Finally got a looksee in person at my local BestBuy. Not that impressed to be honest.

 

Returned the 7 series, back to the macbook

 

Was at the Time Warner Center in NYC and stopped by Samsung Experience center - thought that I had an excellent chance to see all variants of Series7 in person... Well, guys there haven't even heard about this model or when it will be released or what's up with Best Buy version. The only notebook they had were Series9 and Chrome. I hope their engineers are a bit more informed than this

 

I checked it out at BB, keyboard didn't flex when typing, only if you mashed the keys hard, which I don't do anyway when typing. I looked at a few other laptops and was most impressed by the samsung. The screen is great if looking directly at it, but it is not that great viewing from the sides, above, or below. It is still way better than pretty much all of the other notebooks next to it at best buy. I'll be keeping my pre-order at amazon. I think to get a better screen in a laptop this size with a quad core you would have to pay way more for a MBP, and even then I don't think it would be THAT much better unless you were primarily viewing it from the sides. The MBP I looked at nearby at best buy had a lower screen resolution and a glossy finish, comparing the 7 series with that MBP I am sticking with the samsung... They were selling that MBP for like 1700 too.

 

Another thing about plastic palm rest: after one year or so the metallic color will fall off and there will be ugly black color areas on the palm rest.

 

If the screen is indeed of poor quality, I wonder if it would be possible swap for another? Like the one inside the Dell L502x? I am also considering the HP Elitebook 8540w, especially for build quality.

 

I cancelled my TigerDirect preorder. I'm pretty sure their models won't have ExpressCache. Here's why:
- It's listed as a "factory option."
- Their page says nothing about it.
- When I asked their reps, they said they didn't have any information either way.

Based on the fact that the TigerDirect item page usually lists every single feature they can possibly come up with, I'm guessing they've left ExpressCache out, which is why their preorder price is dropping. Just a guess.

 

It's Oct 2nd !!! So is this the release date for the laptop in best buy only or thru out the US at all vendors?? I also read somewhere that the release date might be Oct 16th.
Anyone have any clue??

 

The screen model number LTN184KT01F01 returned by HWINFO is strange, since it closely matches the following display:
http://www.laptopscreen.com/English/screen-part-number/LTN184KT01/
Compatibility: LTN184KT01
Size: 18.4-inch WideScreen (16.2"x9.1")
Resolution: WSXGA+ (1680x945)
Type: Glossy
Backlight type: CCFL 1-Bulb


The closest name-match I could find is this:
http://www.laptopscreen.com/English/screen-part-number/LTN156KT01/
Compatibility: LTN156KT01
Size: 15.6-inch WideScreen (13.6"x7.6")
Resolution: WXGA++ (1600x900) HD+
Type: Matte
Backlight type: LED


Dell XPS 15x L502x replacements are here:
http://www.laptopscreen.com/English/section/search/index.php?section=products&model=XPS%2015%20L502X&brand=Dell
Compatibility: Dell XPS 15 L502X 40 pin Video connector
Size: 15.6-inch WideScreen (13.6"x7.6")
Resolution: WUXGA (1920x1080) Full HD
Type: Glossy Backlight type: LED


Will it fit and will it work? Who knows... Hopefully, this helps in one way or another.

 

This is just absolutely ridiculous. Samsung needs to make it clear if we're buying the actual Series 7 or some washed-down version.

 

Well, even for the UK model (thus, possibly for all European versions) the woofer is gone.

Elegantly powerful and durable -700Z5A 15.6" High Performance Notebook-Notebook Computers-High Performance | SAMSUNG

So, 1,5w x 2 solution means poor audio, contrary to the initial statement (3 Speaker: 2W x 2 Stereo Speakers + 2W Embedded Woofer - see attachment). SoundAlive my as.s.

With a SuperBright 300nit brightness, 16 million colors and an anti-reflective screen, films and pictures look rich, vivid and crisp, with noticeable improvements in color-depth.

Samsung’s SoundAlive™ technology then ensures that audio playback matches the visual quality to provide a mesmerizing audiovisual experience.

What the fck could be so RICH, VIVID & CRISP with an 150:1 contrast screen, does it mean that the display is not the worst in the market or what? How about MESMERIZING AUDIOVISUAL EXPERIENCE with 3w speakers?

Very weird such a behavior from Samsung, maybe it's a load of hocus-pocus out there. This is not a nice thing to do, to advertise something and then offer less.

The first press release showed very attractive specs. Well, not anymore. I don't mind waiting a bit more in order to get a good notebook, with proper display, audio, fan & heat management, etc.

Wake-up Samsung, we're not gullible enough to swallow it!!!

 

I'm very turned off by the way Samsung has handled this release, the model at Best Buy shouldn't even be considered a Series 7.

I have heard nothing about the 13/14" version and it seems the only one anybody is selling is the watered down 15.6" version.

What happened to October 2? Is this 13/14" version with a good display, express cache and backlit keyboard going to be released "mid Q4" now?

What a waste of time. I wish Lenovo would come out with a Thinkpad Ultrabook or an X2

 

SIW gives different display model number LTN156KT068 [ 15.3" (34 cm x 19 cm)], which makes more sense, but there is no detailed information available on it.

 

Didn't Samsung say from the beginning that the October 2nd release date was for Best Buy?

 

I should have ExpressCache since it's been label as same as one on Amazon. The only one that say to not have expresscache was the BestBuy model. But I guess it's already to play it safe.

 

Hi all,

I've been following this thread very closely as I have high hopes about this laptop and would just like to give my insight.

As is the case for some of you here, I am trying to find a replacement for my Dell XPS M1530. I have had this laptop for 3.5 years now and I think it’s more than time to change it. However, as I have been doing my research on what to replace it with, nothing, besides the MBP, has caught my attention: either other laptops were too heavy, too thick, too cheap (in terms of quality), too small battery, awful graphics card, etc...
I was looking for an all-around laptop that has a good gpu (I occasionally play games), good battery time, that I could take along all the time (so thin and light), and a decent screen. Basically a product just like the XPS M1530 was!
Since there wasn't any other laptops that fitted this description (that is to say that in almost 4 years no one had the great idea to do a laptop good for everything, besides Apple... Gee I wonder why these sell so well), I had set my sights on the upcoming MBP, due in February or March 2012.
Then Samsung came up at the IFA in Berlin with the 7 series! The laptop seemed to have everything I wanted/needed in a laptop: thin, light, good screen, good audio, i7, good gpu, and a good battery. In one word, on paper, it was perfect. It was due for October, which was perfect for me.

And then the dream machine was just an illusion: first reports denote a bad screen, and a watered-down version shows no express cache, no backlight keyboard, etc. The initial spec sheet has changed since the Berlin show (which was not that long ago, which is to say, how the hell could have they not known that they weren't going to be able to live up to expectations and their initial spec releases), and is now still good but disappointing.
Although the final version hasn't hit the stores yet we could still be surprised and for the extra $200-ish between the BB model and the "normal" model we could have EC, backlight keyboard, a better screen and better audio, a better gpu but honestly i highly doubt that. I mean I would gladly pay the extra $200 but it seems WAY too cheap to have such a substantial upgrade from the BB model.

Simply put Samsung has disappointed, although I still wish for the IFA-specked Serie 7 Chronos and would buy it in a heartbeat if it came out as such.

 

Btw, there's one thing i don't really understand about your comparison of this Chronos with the MBP. I mean I get that they are similarly specked but the MBP came our last march, 7months ago. So obviously the Samsung should be better than the MBP, but don't forget that the next MBP is due next February, and by then the Chronos will be outdated. It took Samsung 7 months to make a laptop which is, theoretically, as good as the MBP, a few months before Apple replaces the MBP.
If I don't end up buying this Chronos I strongly believe that the only other option that fits my needs is the upcoming MBP, which will be clearly better than the Samsung, as, once again, the specs of the Samsung are 7months old (in terms of Gpu especially).

 

My point exactly. I have a 3 years old Vaio FZ31Z and searching for a replacement. This seemed to be the perfect chioce. Not anymore.

It looks like Samsung would have had a second thought about its margin with this notebook, as if they didn't make enough money with it, and have chosen to downgrade some components. Shameful.