Samsung NP780Z5E-T02UK 15.6-inch Notebook (Intel core i5 2.6GHz Processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8 Professional)

Samsung NP780Z5E-T02UK 15.6-inch Notebook (Intel core i5 2.6GHz Processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8 Professional)

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Product Description

Samsung NP780Z5E-T02UK 15.6-inch Notebook (Intel core i5 2.6GHz Processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8 Professional) - Samsung 780Z CI53230M 156 IN TOUCH 8GB 1TB Portable Notebook W8P NP780Z5ET02UK... See more product details

Customer Reviews: Samsung NP780Z5E-T02UK 15.6-inch Notebook (Intel core i5 2.6GHz Processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8 Professional)

Excellent Laptop, although not Perfect, 14 May 2013

By Raff "Raff"

This review is from : Samsung NP780Z5E-T02UK 15.6-inch Notebook (Intel core i5 2.6GHz Processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8 Professional) (Personal Computers)

This is a lot of money to spend on a laptop, and while it is generally excellent, there are a few niggles worth mentioning.

I won't mention Windows 8 much - it is what it is. In fairness, the set up was seamless and it recognized my printer and everything else on the network without having to do a thing. Enter your wireless network key and that's it pretty much.

I'm not a gamer, so haven't played games on it, but I needed the discreet 3d graphics and touch capabilities for programming work.

First the good points:

- Excellent touch screen, crisp, full HD (1080p) with good viewing angles and vibrant colours. Not quite IPS quality, but better than most laptops at this price point.

- Slim design. Obviously it's a 15.6" screen, so it can only be so narrow, but it is less than an inch tall when closed. My 15" laptop case is actually too big for it.

- Nice style, brushed metal and very elegant. The aluminium is darker than the type used on Mac Books. Looks quite austere in a good way. The recessed off button is very smart - it's actually carved in the shape of the classic power icon. If a professional image is important, you certainly won't be embarrassed yanking this thing out of your bag at a meeting.

- Good range of ports - 2 x USB2, 2x USB3, HDMI, VGA, ethernet and SD card.

- Amazing battery life - you'd expect a laptop with this performance and screen to last 3-4 hours max. For general office tasks/programming/browsing you can expect 6-9 hours out of the Samsung, or a whole day's work. Also, it appears to charge quickly too.

- Strong wireless receiver. I get a better signal compared to my other devices (iPad, Chrome Book etc.) I was worried I'd have problems being on a different floor to the router, but it actually hovers between 4 and 5 (max) bars.

- Quiet machine. A little noise from the big 1Tb HDD occasionally if you listen hard, and in general use I seldom hear the fans. I was happily using it sat next to my wife while she was watching TV and no complaints. My old laptop was too noisy for that.

- Big responsive touchpad. I generally hate touchpads and use a mouse, but I was actually able to get some work done with this one (although I'll still be buying a Bluetooth mouse!).

The bad points:

- Metallic keys with 'etched out' letters look fancy but are hard to read. It doesn't help that I'm not used to the keyboard, but at certain angles and light you can't see them! Plain black and white would have been better.

- Flaky software linked to the ambient light sensor mean that the screen dimming and keyboard backlight will simply annoy you rather than make life more comfortable. In a dim room I found the screen dims itself too much, so I disabled the facility.

- While the HDD is generous in size and quiet, it's just a standard 5400rpm job - cheap as chips for Samsung, and it's very stingy to not have a hybrid SSD drive at this price point. I'll probably change it for a full SSD once the warranty has expired.

- This laptop is fairly heavy. Don't be fooled by the slim profile - that excellent battery life is thanks to a humongous Li-po battery, and I presume this contributes to the weight. Also, you have the glass cover on the touchscreen.

- Stingy warranty. One year for a premium product is not good. Of course, only having a one year warranty does no preclude a manufacturer from some liability outside of 12 months. I'd really push the point if things went wrong within 2 years.

- Rear cover is apparently hard to take off for HDD change (check YouTube). The easily accessible bottom screws belie the annoying clips keeping the back on, although it can be removed without damage if a little care is taken.

Overall, I'm pleased with the laptop, and while expensive, once you've specced-up an equivalently high-end Sony or Dell, you won't be spending significantly less and won't have as nice a screen.


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