Review: Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T brings Ultrabook power, not polish

The Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T is an attempt to deliver a convertible Ultrabook with the power of a desktop. Although I don't see this system replacing a behemoth like my own eight-core, five-drive desktop, it will provide more than enough horsepower for most business-class users. That said, it could benefit from some features found in other Ultrabooks, such as a battery in the keyboard dock.

Samsung has placed most of the important buttons and slots along the top edge of the 700T: audio plug, power button, USB 3.0 port, microSD slot, and maybe most crucial, the processor heat vent. Venting the heat up top is a smart touch; there's no fear of baked laps with this machine, not even if you're using it in tablet mode with the unit flat on your thighs. For secure business applications, the 700T includes a TPM chip, but no fingerprint reader or smart card slot.

[ Check out these other Windows 8 Ultrabook reviews on InfoWorld: HP Envy X2 • Acer Iconia • HP EliteBook Folio 9470M • Dell Latitude 6430u • Acer Aspire S7 • Lenovo X1 Carbon • Dell XPS 12 | Ultrabooks duke it out in InfoWorld's slideshow | Stay ahead of advances in mobile technology with InfoWorld's Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]

I wasn't all that impressed with the build quality of the keyboard dock. It has a plasticky, slightly cobbled-together feel, a major contrast to, say, the rigidly engineered metal dock of the HP Envy X2. The power connector fits both the main unit and the keyboard dock, but it's housed in a really tiny, fragile-looking plug that I was in constant fear of ripping loose or breaking. The keyboard has no backlighting, but typing on it is comfortable. However, you have to be sure to strike the space bar dead center or it won't register.

Unlike the HP Envy X2 or the Acer Iconia, there's no second battery in the dock, so you're limited to the battery life available in the unit itself. This seems like a major omission, given the high-powered, battery-hungry Intel Core i5-3317U processor in this system. (Those other systems have low-power Atom processors.) But the battery life for this unit is quite good, all things considered. My Netflix rundown test yielded a solid 5 hours and 20 minutes. The fan runs a bit loud when the CPU is put under load, though.