Review: Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T brings Ultrabook power, not polish
Samsung's Windows 8 convertible is long on horsepower, but short on build quality
Senior Writer, InfoWorld |
Samsung has been populating both its Windows-powered notebooks and Android-powered phones with its S-branded line of software applications. Among the most prominent of these is the S Note note-taking app, which I first encountered in the Samsung Galaxy Note. Like the Note, the 700T includes a stylus (stored in a handy corner-mounted pocket) for taking handwritten notes. These apps can be really useful, especially if you've already made them a part of your workflow with another Samsung device.
Samsung also includes its own software update utility, which installed both device driver and system BIOS updates for the 700T while I was testing it. All of those operations required a reboot, but the updater handled them without any problems. Also included is Intel AppUp, an app store that offers both free and paid software for easy installation. Finally, a newly released version of the 700T also features wireless LTE data courtesy of AT&T.
The Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T combines plenty of processing power with better-than-expected battery life. It has some nice touches, but misses the mark in some ways. Ultimately, one would expect more solidity and polish in a system of this class.
Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T at a glance
| Price | Starts at $1,199 MSRP; keyboard dock $149 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-3317U plus Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 (1600MHz) |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Weight | 1.96 lbs. undocked; 3 lbs., 8.5 oz. docked |
| Dimensions | Height: 11.97 inches. Width: 7.46 inches. Depth: 0.47 inches. |
| Display | 11.6 inches @ 1,920-by-1,080 LED display |
| Battery | 4-cell Li-Po / 49 Wh |
| Ports | 1 USB 3.0, 1 Micro HDMI, 1 microSD card, 1 audio jack |
| Radios | 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Touch UI | 10-finger multitouch |
| Management features | TPM module |
| Sandra 2013 score | 4.37kPt |
This article, "Review: Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T brings Ultrabook power, not polish," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in computer hardware and mobile technology at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.
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