Sony's thin notebooks vs Samsung x360...

What do you guys see as the main differences? What wins?

 

the x360 can't compete with sony's equivalents because it's over 2 times slower.. and doesnt have a dedicated gpu.. but i really like the design of the samsung.. and it IS lighter than the tt (i am a samsung fan, ive bought samsung phones / mp3s / hdtv.. etc)

and the x360 really doesnt look like it's worth it right now, the majority of its price comes from its ssd, which we all know will drop fast within the next year

the sony's are currently far ahead of samsung, but i'm rooting for samsung .. i think they'll be able to compete with sony one day

 

the X360 is really nice but you should consider the X460 it looks really good and is actually pretty powerful PLUS you can get a really good deal on one rihgt now.

 

Vaios and the X360 are not the same, both are for different needs.

The X360 has the dual cores that take less power but cost a lot, so I would expect a lot of battery life on it. It claims to have 10 hours of battery life which is pretty impressive. Also the fact that it is lighter and thinner than most netbooks even while retaining its large screen.

 

What is the ballpark $ for the "pretty good deal" on the x460? You don't have to look it up, just an average... thanks.

 

try this one

http://www.buy.com/prod/samsung-x46...ghz-3gb-320gb-hdd-14/q/loc/101/209849659.html

 

I think it depends what you want. The X360 doesn't have an integrated optical drive if that matters to you. To me, the TT and Z have a bit more value that way at around the same weight class.

Thin is cool, but it's not like the TT or Z are a freakin' brick. If you want a MacBook Air experience, Sony hasn't had anything close really since the X505.

Cons for Sony at the moment? 64-bit OSes but crippled VT so you can't do 64-bit guests under VMWare and other virtualization programs. You pay the "Sony tax" - i.e. very stylish, good features, but not cheap.

Lately, my list of ultraportables which interest me:
Lenovo X301 (not bad, but I think its configurations are a bit limiting)
Lenovo X200s (lighter than the X200, and decent configurations)
Toshiba R600 (I was intrigued by the R500, but I hear this one is an improvement)
Samsung X360 (no optical drive kills it for me; I use it rarely, but do need it)

I really like the Z, but that lack of full 64-bit support will kill me later in the year, so I'm starting to research alternatives. I've always been unhappy with non-Sony notebooks in the end, but I may be forced to go down that road.

 

Yes the X360 should be compared to Macbook Air or the Lenovo X200. They are all lightweight with good battery life, except the Macbook Air which doesn't have as good of battery life. While neither of these have optical drives, personally I never use the optical drive since USB flashes are much preferable. And you can always buy an external drive for $50, it doesn't really need to be built in for an ultraportable designed for maximum mobility.

 

But to me if you're going to have a 2.8 - 3.0lb notebook and can get it with vs. without, I'd go for it with. The only exception is the TT which has the option of the extra HDD which I really do like.

Now, just for fun, I priced an X200, X200s, and X301 with Lenovo's sale through today. They are good deals right now. The X200 with the 128GB SSD, 4GB of memory, 2 year accidental warranty, etc., was like $2200. Both the X200s and the X301 I priced were around $3k. Not on sale they're not such a bargain.

The really sad thing is that the G, Z, and TT are cheaper in Japan. I spec'd out a G on SonyStyle Japan with the RAIDed 128GB drives (for the 256) and it was just under $3000.

 

Yeah, but some people never use the optical drive, and some only use it to install windows once and never use it again. So it's understandable why they would rather not have one when trying to get as light and thin as possible of a computer.

 

Oh, I agree. I don't use the optical drive often.

I'm tempted to pull the trigger on the X200 CTO. They have a coupon, and even though it's a tad heaver (by a half pound) than the X200s, I can get it for $1881.35 with this config:
Intel Core2 Duo processor P8600 (2.40GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista Business 6412
12.1 WXGA (1280x800), 2x2 UltraConnect II antenna , WWAN, Camera
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
TrackPoint
128GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA4
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology10
Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband Card (3G)65
ThinkPad X200 Series 9 cell Li-Ion Battery60

Similar to the Z610 they're selling at BestBuy, but with SSD ...

 

Why not just buy a Z690 from Sony with the $300 warranty and 10% "student" discount. You'll get it for about $1630 after tax, WITH 3 YEAR WARRANTY. (2.4ghz, 2gb ddr3, 160gb hdd, vista biz. 64-bit)

Buy a 128gb SSD for ~$200, 4GB DDR3 for ~$60, and have a better, laptop with a 1600x900 resolution screen, dedicated graphics, and one that doesn't look like a turd.

 

You should go for it the X200 it's small but built like a tank that's also like a flagship model.

 

Well covered here ... I *hate* 1600x900. I had the Z590UAB and returned it. I got a Z90 from Japan with 1366x768 and the RAIDed 64GB drives (128GB total). My Z90 is in the shop (waiting for word from Sony Japan; they didn't fix it right the first time), and I had the Z610 from BestBuy as a "loaner" (paid the restock fee). That one is a good deal.

But the lack of virtualization is going to kill me at some point. Love my Z90 - best tradeoff of features and power to weight. But I am getting antsy and it's clear Sony's not going to enable VT.

To me, the X200 is a bit better despite the half pound due to it having 1280x800 vs. the 1440x900 of the X200s (and X301).

 

You do realize the X200 doesn't have an optical drive right?

"Samsung X360 (no optical drive kills it for me; I use it rarely, but do need it)"

 

Oh, I do.

But I just modded that config - easy to change the drive. I can get the X200 for $1609.35. That's just crazy.

Compared to the specs of the Sony (which again, I love that RAIDed system), it's much less, easily upgraded, and supports VT.

Haven't pulled the trigger yet.

 

What lol? You said no optical drive kills it, then are looking at the X200 which also has no optical drive.

 

What lol? You said no optical drive kills it, then are looking at the X200 which also has no optical drive.

 

I'm trying NOT to spend $3k+ on another laptop. I'm weighing cost vs. features. If the only thing I'm NOT getting is an optical drive which I really only use at home and can get an external one cheap, maybe it is time to give up the ghost.

The only other one which would kind come close is the Toshiba R600, but we're back at $3000 and no one knows if it supports VT.

 

actually, i think what he is saying is he is gonna buy it with the optical drive and put a hard drive in that spot....right?

 

How is the X360 $3k+? You just said the X360 has no optical drive and that kills it for you, since the X200 doesn't have one either, it obviously doesn't kill it for you. That's the point being made.

That doesn't make any sense. The X200 doesn't come with an optical drive..

 

The X200 (not X200s) has better specs than the X360 hands down - at half the price and slightly more weight. It's called being practical. I'd sooner get the Toshiba over the Samsung. Samsung doesn't have the best track record here in the USA.

 

That has nothing to do with your initial statement.

"(no optical drive kills it for me; I use it rarely, but do need it)"

 

It's like anything else - you take a tradeoff somewhere. Nothing is perfect.

The X200 is definitely not the sharpest looking kid on the block.

Still mulling it all over ... I think not having my Z is really a bad idea at the moment lol

 

I think you're still missing the point..

And I disagree with you about Samsung, who won the most innovation awards at CES last month by a big majority.

 

The reviews over at Amazon aren't very flattering of the X360. I saw no 64-bit drivers over at Samsung's site.

 

I guess this has turned into you justifying why you want an X200 no? (Even though, as I was trying to point out all along that you didn't get, you contradicted yourself by saying the X360 having no optical drive is a killer when the X200 doesn't either!)

Also, if you bothered to read any of the Amazon reviewers, they have no idea what they're talking about and know nothing about ultraportables (all the feedback can apply to the X200 to sorry to say). Here's one:

"Without dedicated video memory, it doesn't matter how much ram you have or what processor is in the computer- you won't be able to run even basic 3D applications. Look elsewhere for a laptop with dedicated video memory."

LOL...

 

I was looking at the reliability quotient ... I've owned my share of ultraportables and can sort out the crap of what people say vs. what's real. Considering my lineage with Japanese-only notebooks (Sony: U70, G1, G1, SZ90, Z90; Sharp PC-MW70J), I know what to look for in specs, etc. vs. what I want. None of 'em have been perfect and all have had some sort of tradeoff.

Look at it from another angle: if I was to settle for a laptop with no ODD, the X200 would be basically half the cost, more powerful, supports 64-bit, and easily upgradeable. Uglier? Yup.

The TTs resolution, while the same as the Z I have, is too small for that screen. So if I was to get another notebook it'd have to be 1366x768 or 1280x800 which narrows the market down even further.

Then you look at various factors (warranty? reliability? support? overall features?) since all of these ultraportables differ by shades of degrees in some cases.

Sadly, even though the Toshiba R600's performance is under that of the X360 (which in "real" reviews is doing well), it's got everything else and is closer to my G in terms of weight. You pay an extra $700 for the ODD, of course, but also gain 64-bit support guaranteed.

I do like the fact the X360 has a 9-cel battery (the R600 doesn't), but don't like the fact there is no business-class warranty that you can get from everyone else. As someone who travels, I always get accidental damage policies. 1 year isn't a lot of peace of mind.

If you buy on Samsung's site you get a 30-day return policy and I didn't see a restock fee. So that's nice as well.

 

Okay. Well this has turned into you justifying why you want the X200.

 

Not really; I doubt I'll buy it.

But it's valid to look at the realistic side of things: I think the warranty of the X360 is a big negative and there's no option for an extended one. Sony offers one for the TT, so does Toshiba for the R500/R600.

These are excellent reviews of the X360:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/noteb...ung-X360-13-3in-Notebook---World-Exclusive/p1
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Samsung-X360-Notebook,review-1161.html
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/samsung-x360-34p.aspx

Need an optical drive? Vaio TT, Toshiba R600, Lenovo X301, Vaio Z, Vaio G
Need more horespower? Lenovo X200, X200s, X301 or the Vaio Z
Need full 64-bit support (including VT)? Lenovo X200, X200s, X301 or Toshiba R600
Need a better warranty? Anything other than the Samsung
Like 'em stylish? Sony TT/Z or Samsung ... no question
Need long life? Most of 'em have it; not all have a 9-cell option
Need faster hard drives? That's an interesting one ... it depends on what you compare. The TT, G, and Z have the RAID SSD option which is very fast. Everything else depends on what drive they put in.

I think it's a pretty fair way of looking at all of these. The X360 holds its own, but it depends on what your needs ultimately are.

 

You don't need to justify your purchase anymore, just buy what's best for you man.

 

I don't like the trackpad and buttons on some Samsung lines and for me that is a deal breaker. I owned a Q45 and judging by some owners feedback it looks like Samsung haven't really improved in this respect with the x360. Some people might not have any complaints with it though. For me though i don't like rough touchpads and the touchpad buttons i found to be a bit stiff.

Design wise there are some other things which i don't like as well.

The Samsung has some advantages in that it has better battery life with like for like batteries. I think that the Z is more of a complete package though. At 3.45lbs the Z is also hardly heavy weight.

Samsung seem to have a better reputation outside of the EU.
Warranty support is dependent on where you live.

 

FYI, called Samsung ... they plan on offering an extended warranty here in the USA but the program isn't in place yet. How can you launch a product but not its extended warranty? Unbelievable.

I also called Toshiba about 64-bit VT support ... their tech support had no clue. I'm not going to spend $3000 to find out it doesn't support VT and pay a 15% restock.

At this rate, I might as well stick to what I know.