I’ve got two PCs coming in for a full review over the next two weeks and I’m happy to take questions. The detachable Samsung Galaxy TabPro S will be with me in the next 24 hours and the Intel NUC kit with latest Core i5 and Iris Graphics is expected by the end of the week. Although these two PCs use the same CPU design, they are targeted at totally different use-cases.

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S

Surface Pro 4, Lenovo Miix 700, HP Spectre X2 even the iPad Pro. These tablets want to replace your laptop and I have no doubt that they can. You’ll need to make a few compromises over the laptop form factor but yes, they are powerful enough. Latest Core m5 and m7 CPUs are about where we were with Ultrabooks two generation ago so you’ll have no problem with most business-focused office work, basic video editing up to 1080p and the usual range of multitasking. I’ve tested all the above and I’m now about to test the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S which fits into this category.  [I haven’t fully tested a Huawei Matepad yet so can’t comment on that.]

Up until now the Lenovo Miix 700 has been my favorite in this class although the Surface Pro 4 certainly outdoes all of them when it comes to long-term load performance. The advantage of a 15W TDP Core i5 shows up quickly.

In preparation for a full and detailed review for Notebookcheck that will take me over a week to complete I’ve checked out some of the detailed specifications. The Super AMOLED display is likely to be the highlight with infiniate contrast and the potential to boost low white-coverage (low APL) brightness in high ambient light situations. This could be the best outdoor tablet ever.

Indoors, the lack of keyboard backlight might be an issue and the fixed screen angles aren’t going to be great for lapping.

My key question is value. Why are Core m based 2-in-1s so expensive? The strategy of combining ‘Core’ marketing with higher prices seems to be the same as was done with ‘Ultrabook’ and high prices. I know it can help manufacturers get over the initial cost issues of designing and selling a new form-factor but we’ve dealt with this form factor for 3 years now. It’s time to cut the cost of Core m devices because they aren’t barrier-free for your average all-day multi-tasker. The Core m3 version with 4 GB of RAM is a silly 950 Euros in Europe now.

Intel NUC6i5SYH

This Core i5 barebones kit also has a Skylake CPU inside but that’s about the only similarity to the TabPro S. The Intel Core i5-6260U comes with Intel Iris graphics and can be fitted with M.2 and 2.5 inch SATA storage and up to 32 GB of RAM. There’s a fan inside. This is a kit that has potential for gaming, video editing and all-day office working.

The main questions for many people with be ‘how noisy is it’ and ‘can it play games.’ Yes, you’ll be able to get some ‘low settings’ gaming done on this but where non-Iris graphics modules tend to support older and less graphics-intensive games the Iris versions can handle a little more. I’ll be doing some games testing so if you have any specific tests, let me know.

The NUC6i5SYH has already been through the Notebookcheck lab tests and it’s on its way to me now. Again the review will take about a week.

If you’ve got specific questions about either of these Skylake-based PCs, let me know in the comments below and I’ll take them into consideration.

Vodafone gave me the new Samsung Gear S2 Classic 3G smartwatch and a free data contract at CeBIT yesterday. Why? Because the Samsung Gear S2 Classic 3G is eSIM-enabled and Vodafone Germany have just started supporting eSIM devices, ahead of the final GSMA standard. eSIM enables smaller connected devices and faster (cheaper) provisioning. Here we are with  the first commercial eSIM product, and process, out of Germany.

eSIM does away with the little bits of plastic that contain your carrier profile and the fiddly little holders that take up too much space in smartphones. The kit here is part of a press-pack and I’ll be provisioning the Tizen OS Samsung Gear S2 soon but first, some information about what’s coming.

In Oct 2010 I was fortunate enough to get one of the first Galaxy Tabs in Europe. The review video (and live review video) was done quickly and has since amassed over 280000 views. Today I posted a video overview of the Galaxy Tab S2 (8.0 and 9.7-inch) and it’s incredible to see how much has changed. We are talking good productivity levels, fast ‘real’ web and high-end connectivity that beats most of the Windows tables out there. The LTE 32GB version launched for €500 in Europe but is already below €450 now. That sounds like a lot but I paid 799 Euros for the first 3G Galaxy Tab! It was worth it then because it was one of the first ‘mobile internet’ tablets that really worked for me but having tested the Galaxy Tab S2 I’m sure that I would get €450 of value out of it. Here’s a summary of why I think it’s one of the best options out there for most people. My video review for Notebookcheck is embedded below.

The 11-inch  Samsung Chromebook 2 update is official in the USA. Samsung have a product page (videos too) and  reviews from some big tech websites are already out there.  This upgrade from Samsung’s Exynos ARM-architecture CPU uses the Intel Celeron N2840, brings AC WiFI and gives you a free software pack. It costs $250 and looks like it could be very popular in Q4. It’s still fanless, still has the 30Wh battery inside and the design remains the same.

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We hit the German trains in about an hour and head in the direction of Hannover and CeBIT 2014 where we’re expecting to have more business-focused PC experience compared to last weeks consumer-focused MWC. First out of the gate is this Samsung ATIV Book 9 Style that Mobilegeeks has the scoop on.

The Samsung ATIV Book 9 comes with a full-HD screen, 128GB SSD and is available in black or white.  Unfortunately there’s only a 4GB version available and no pricing has been given.  Full specs. below.

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The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus is here and I’ve been using it for four days. It’s a fantastic little machine with a few things that you’ll have to watch for; Micro ports being one of them, the screen being another. Yes, that 3200×1800 screen has not one, but two down-sides.

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One of the best Ultrabooks of the 2012/2013 phase was the Samsung ATIV Book 9. It got even better with Haswell and a QHD screen in the following version. It’s a stunning bit of kit that I’ll be testing fully over the next week or two.
In the meantime, enjoy this overview video and feel free to ask questions. Price is currently about $1399 for the 128GB/4GB/QHD/Core i5 version. It’s not cheap and one could argue that for that price you shouldn’t have to carry adaptor cables but despite that, the quality, efficiency and style should fit with a lot of customers.

I’ve got one of these with 3G and I can vouch for it as a very good Clovertrail-based 2-in-1. I’m putting together a more detailed article about the ‘old’ Clovertrail tablets but as I was scanning through prices I found this Samsung ATIV 500T which stands out as one of the best deals by far in Europe. 399 pounds buys you the Tablet with Digitizer and Keyboard dock.

Update: It looks like the price is getting hidden because it’s out of stock. View all prices and you’ll find the Amazon offer at 399.

Samsung ATIV 500T1C

US Price currently $579 at Amazon.

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