It is well known that there is a heated battle waging between both Samsung and Apple when it comes to phones and tablet devices. Recently Samsung released a popular commercial that features the stereotypical Apple loyalists waiting in line for a new Apple device while Samsung users were already enjoying the “next big thing” which was already out. However, Samsung didn’t stop stepping up their game with the commercial, in fact they released a new laptop called the Series 7 Chronos.
This new laptop has the same exact specifications as Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro along with some other similar features however one thing that was drastically different was the price. With the Apple MacBook Pro costing customers a whopping $1,800, the Series 7 Chronos came in at only $1,300.
Design
It’s clear that Samsung utilized some of the minimalistic features seen with the MacBook Pro in their construction of this new laptop. With the aluminum lid, similar sides, and even the same latch free lid, there are some clear similarities between the two.
On the flip side there are a few differences as well. The Series 7 Chronos has a much darker case which makes it appear a bit more bold. On top of that, there seems to be a mixture of both plastic and metal parts. The plastic parts are on the edges and bottom which is obviously an area that helped Samsung cut some costs.
The 15.6-inch SuperBright LED screen looks gorgeous and Samsung claims it produces ” the sharpest images with 300nit brightness, which is up to 36% brighter than normal laptops”. It’s also an Anti-Reflective screen and supports an 1600 x 900 resolution.
Another difference is the weight; Samsung’s laptop pulled in at .05 above 5lbs while the MacBook Pro landed at a hefty 5.6lbs.
Keyboard/Touchpad
Here the Samsung laptop did itself justice. Not only does this new laptop have a backlit keyboard, something that many users desire, but the light brightness is adjustable! Unfortunately there is a small eyesore due to the off centered touchpad. Many perfectionists will constantly be annoyed by the touchpad being pushed over due to the number pad on the right.
Screen and speakers
While the overall screen has a fantastic matte finish that reduces glare, there is a problem when you view the screen at a different angle than direct. The colors become distorted and disgusting when viewed at an off angle which will disappoint many users.
The speakers on the Series 7 Chronos don’t disappoint however. They provide fantastic sound quality for built in speakers and are fairly loud for being located at the bottom of the laptop.
Battery Life
The Samsung laptop only had enough juice for about four and a half hours of play time, which is significantly less than comparable brands such as the Sony VAIO Z and the Dell XPS 15z.
Performance
Overall this laptop specs are great, as could be expected from the quad-core 2.2GHz Core i7-2675QM processor, 6GB RAM, and AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics. Multiple tabs along with processes running in the background will not slow it down at all.
To wrap it up, Samsung Series 7 Chronos looks very well and comes with great features for a laptop. The good thing is that this might turn into a new alternative on Apple’s Macbook Pro laptops and the price-$1,300 it’s not his only argument.
“SAMSUNG CHRONOS 7 : NO TRANSFORMATION AT ALL”
It’s the same packaging, the same bored tweaks-predictable in every miserable manner. The Korean designers are still stuck in their drunken osteoporosis.
And selling at current retail price-it offer no bang for the buck at all.
Chronos 7 will never transform present laptop users who would prefer other better choice in the market.
One business/corporate strategy that Samsung has seen perennial flop is the laptop section.
JEONG CHUN PHUOC
Asia Pacific IT Analyst
He can be reached at Jeongphu@yahoo.com