Samsung Series 5 with Core i7, 8GB shows up in Germany for under €1000

Posted on 11 February 2012, Last updated on 11 February 2012 by

Samsung NP530Germany was one of the countries that never got that good value Ultrabook alternative the Samsung NP350 so maybe that’s the reason why the Series 5 Ultrabook has entered the market there at an interesting price point. In other countries, low Series 5 pricing could clash with the existing NP350.  €780 for the Core i5 version in Germany is a very good price and if you want to go up to Core i7 with 8GB RAM, there’s an option at around €1000 today. For those not familiar with Euros, it’s the same price as the Toshiba Z830 with the Core i5 CPU and 4GB of RAM. The Core i7 option is not showing in the USA.

Samsung 530U3B i7-2637M with 8GB, 516GB (500GB+16GB SSD) Windows 7 Home Premium (NP-530U3B-A02DE)

I had a chance to spend lots of time with the Series 5 Ultrabooks at CES thanks to a comfortable Samsung media lounge and I came away thinking that it would be just about the right Ultrabook for me. It combines ‘best of’ features, good Samsung engineering and the hybrid SSD seems to work pretty well. 25 seconds cold boot is well ahead of the Acer S3. Yes, it would be faster with a full SSD but because I’m doing a lot of video work, small SSDs could be restrictive.

My reports and videos are linked on the Samsung Series 5 datasheet.

You’ve got  an Intel Centrino Wifi module with Wi-Di, Gigabit Ethernet port, BT3.0+HS, full SD card slot, USB3.0, VGA via a dongle, a removable panel for HDD and memory swap (possibly battery swap too) and a competitive price. Try finding another device offering this much for this price? There’s no 1600×900 screen, no backlit keyboard and the battery is only a 45Wh part though. The HP Folio 13 offers more in terms of battery life but is more expensive. It’s trade-off between battery and processing power with this new Series 5 option.

The Core i5 version is $887 in the USA right now and I can thoroughly recommend it. Availability is expected in the next few weeks.

11 Comments For This Post

  1. michael says:

    I find Samsung is one of the few manufacturers using matte screens. How come the majority of others are going for glossy when there is so much of demand for matte?

  2. mitch says:

    I prefer matte screens too but is there really so much demand for them or is it just the loud few that’s demanding?

  3. Wouter says:

    the tech geeks command them, normal consuments don’t now even now the different kinds exist, and even then, it always looks like glossy screens are more colorfull, because of the reflection of bright lights of the store.

    I heard glossy screens can easily be made matte with screen protections. even though you lose a bit of brightness, you can choose the kind of screen you want if you take a glossy one.

  4. Paulo says:

    What can u tell about this ultrabook? I’m thinking of buying a Macbook Air 13” Core i7, 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD, but the configuration of this Samsung seems to be very good. If were you, what laptop would choose? Thank you.

  5. Chippy says:

    I’m bound to Windows in my work right now so it’s an easy choice for me.

  6. Juhwan says:

    Do you think it’s worth buying the Sandy Bridge version of this laptop when Ivy Bridge is coming out pretty soon?

    Also, would you recommend the 13″ or 14″ version of the Samsung Series 5 Ultra?

  7. Chippy says:

    Regarding Sandy vs Ivy, have a read of this. http://wp.me/p1GwEv-va Choice of 13 or 14″ depends on.your need for dvd + optional discreet graphics.

  8. Paulo says:

    I also saw a notice about the brand new SSD 520 made by Intel, which have a promisse to be 78% faster than actual SSD. Do you have any further information about it?

    My big dude is because i’m from Brazil, where laptops are too much expensive and i’m in Mexico for vacations. Here, laptops are sold 50% cheaper than in Brazil. As i said, i want to buy and Macbook Air 13” Core i7 4gb RAM and 256SSD, but with these latest news about ivy bridge and SS520 i don’t know if i wait to by a laptop or if i buy it now..what you recommend me? Thank you! Your website is the best :)!

  9. Aigak says:

    Hi, guys. Here is the first comprehensive overview and tests of Samsung Series 5 Ultra, including photos of internal parts: http://www.3dnews.ru/mobile/624914/index1.htm

    Basic things: matrices are indeed bright – over 240 cd/m2. Battery life however is standard – about 5 hours and a half for web surfing… What is not good or disappointing: both models have plastic chassises, exept of covers made of aluminium.

  10. Chippy says:

    Good review. It’s much as I expected and saw in my own tests. I couldn’t find any notes about the hybrid drive. How do you feel about that? I feel it’s a much better implementation than Acer S3.

  11. Aigak says:

    Alexei had only 2 days to test these two models, and he totally missed the point concerning expresscache :), so we would expect some new reviews to look at it. Also, there was no configuration with discrete video in 14″-incher at his disposal. That’s why the review is not complete…

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