Samsung XE550C21

Cheap ; Light ; Simple to use ; Secure ; Reasonable keyboard

Web apps only ; Some build issues ; Lacklustre screen ; No 3G option in the UK ; Insufficient power for HD or gaming

Traditionally, we'd have said that a Chromebook isn't good enough to be your primary computer, and in too crowded a market with smartphones and even tablets, to consider as a second computer.

Good performance ; Responsive touchscreen ; Good usability ; Good image quality

Battery life ; Screen resolution could be better ; Some flex in lid

Dedicated GeForce graphics featuring Nvidia's Optimus ; Bright, matte screen ; DVD burner ; 2x USB 3.0 ; Good battery life

Outdated CPU ; Mediocre casing ; Small opening angle ; Poor viewing angle stability ; Moderate sound

So it is possible to install a DVD burner in a thin ultrabook without enlarging it after all

Core i7 power ; Built-in Blu-ray drive ; Excellent JBL speakers

Average battery life ; No 1080p screen ; Heavy chassis

The Samsung Series 5 550P is an extremely capable 17-inch desktop-replacement machine. Several features, such as the built-in Blu-ray drive and dedicated Nvidia graphics make it ideal for multimedia purposes. The standout keyboard and HD-capable screen...

A different platform, yet the interior life is almost identical. The input is almost identical to the professional ThinkPad E125

Visual appearance ; - Materials and build quality ; - Compact and comparatively light ; - Well equipped, including optical drive ; - Non-glare display, very bright ; - Not very noisy during every-day use

Average viewing angles ; - Ho-hum performance of CPU und GPU ; - Unpleasant graphics card switching ; - Slow hard drive

That Samsung switched to AMD's Trinity architecture for this 14-inch version instead of sticking with Intel like on the 13.3-inch models. We believe that this change only brings about disadvantages for the potential customer - more because of the...

Matte, bright screen ; Agreeable keyboard ; Easy to clean surfaces ; JBL's 2.1 sound system

High operating temperature ; Unbalanced interface distribution ; Poor image contrast

The operating temperature during load beyond 90 degrees Celsius on both CPU cores and 89 degrees Celsius on the GPU which are definitely too high in our opinion. That will likely be unhealthy for the hardware in the long run

Excellent feature-set ; Simple interface

Web browser can be slow

Samsung's most appealing Blu-ray player is under $200, handles a swathe of features including 3D, USB playback, Web browsing, streaming video on demand and apps. The interface is generally easy to navigate and the player works quickly and quietly....

Elegant design ; USB 3.0 and HDMI ; Matte screen ; Good brightness & illumination ; Easy maintenance ; Application performance ; Battery life

VGA adapter no longer included ; Screen?s limited opening angle ; Contrast and high black value ; No Turbo during load ; No full-blown solid state drive ; Increased temperature rates

That Samsung still equips the ultrabook with a conventional hard disk. However, it has a positive impact on the starting price

Simple enough for anyone to use, stable, secure, some good web apps are available, Google's services are very well integrated and useful

Not that fast, horribly over-priced, too limited for most users, to heavy, limited file support

A sturdy, well-made laptop that offers a lot of people everything they need in a operating system. It is, however, too big and too heavy to be a great travel laptop. Plus, file support is just too limited.