Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B-A02

Ultrabooks are popping up everywhere these days , and as the market becomes increasingly saturated , once "a" factor has given way to more sober assessment . The Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B - A02 ( $ 1099 list ) is the latest to enter the crowded arena . It has a lot going for it , from good looks to its fine display in his comfortable comfortable keyboard and touchpad . But in terms of performance , it falls short of comparable systems in its class , and given the amount of money you expect the user to provide the money for it , they can do better .

Design and Features
The 5 Series measures 12.4 by 8.6 inches ( WD ) , with its thickness from 0.58 inch at its thinnest point to 0.68 inch at its thickest . 3 pounds weight puts it towards the lighter end of the spectrum ultrabook , a place between Zenbook Asus UX31 - RSL8 ( $ 1,049 list , 4 stars ) ( 2.86 pounds ) and the HP Folio 13 ( $ 1,048.99 list , 4 stars ) ( 3.25 pounds ) . The light weight can be attributed primarily to its aluminum chassis , with fiberglass underside . In general , the 5 Series is decked out in an elegant silver finish , and , like most Ultrabooks , kills it in the looks department .
The 13.3 - inch display has a maximum resolution of 1366 by 768 , which , although good enough for 720p video , is not as crisp as the Zenbook UX31 - RSL8 . The screen is bright ( 300 nits ) and comes in a matte finish , which may turn off fans of the glossy screen but is actually pleasant for outdoor use , especially in sunny environments . You might want to stick to lit areas in general , as the lack of a backlit keyboard can make use of the Series 5 in the dark pretty hard .

In addition to this shortcoming , however , the tiled keyboard is easy to type on. In addition to its speed and responsiveness , it shows minimal flexing during typing , which is notable given the shallow profile . And although I would have preferred to see a Caps Lock light rather than the momentary notification pops up on the display every time you switch back and forth , it probably does not constitute a fatal flaw . The palm sized portion is comfortable for the most part , though generously sized touchpad since taking up a third of them , the occasional stray thumb is unavoidable . Otherwise , the touchpad is comfortable and provides the right amount of tactile feedback for two finger scrolling and pinch - zooming . The buttons of the left - and right- click on the bottom of the touchpad , on the other hand , does not feel as powerful and dramatically clacky .

The speakers at the bottom of the display is surprisingly strong. When playing a test track ( " Crew Love " by Drake ) , I actually had to lower the volume by a notch because I was disturbing others in the labs . I would not categorize the sound as the room - pasta , I suggest DJ 's - Pina a party armed with only the Series 5 , but as far as Ultrabooks go , the speaker is louder than most I've encountered . Be it for movies or music , they make for a pleasant experience .

Port selection on the Series 5 is pretty tall . The right side has two USB 2.0 ports and a multiformat card reader ( SD / SDHC / SDXC / MMC ) . On the left side of the system you'll find a USB 3.0 port and a headphone input / microphone . There is also a mini VGA port ( which can be used along with the included dongle ) and a full - size HDMI port , so you do not need to fuss with any dongles whenever you connect the Series 5 with a larger screen . Alternatively, you can ditch the cables together and use the built - in Intel Wireless Display technology ( WiDi ) to beam 5 Series audio and video to an HDTV outfitted with an aftermarket adapter , like the Netgear Push2TV ( $ 99 list ) .