Samsung X360-34P Review

The Samsung X360 34P is Samsung’s official entry in the ultra slim laptop club which was until recently led by Apple’s Macbook Air and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X301. It also had some other laptops like the Voodoo Envy 133 etc. Just when we thought that category was not cool anymore with netbooks being the category where everyone was focussing, Samsung attempts to reignite all the action again by releasing the ultrathin, super sleek X360 34P. Now it may be late as the Macbook Air and Lenovo Thinkpad X301 have released well over an year back, but it offers the best performance in its class, alongwith a superb battery life. In this review we check out the Samsung X360 34P and see if it is a better option than the Macbook Air and the Lenovo Thinkpad X301.

Samsung X360 34P Specs:

• Dimensions: 12.2 x 8.9 x 1.2 inches
• Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 at 1.4 GHz
• RAM: 3 GB DDR3 RAM at 1066 MHz
• Hard Drive: 128 GB 1.8″ SSD Drive
• Display Size: 13.3 inch Wide SuperBright LED Backlit Display, 1280 x 800 pixels
• Graphics: Intel GMA X4500 with 128 MB VRAM
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business
• Ports: 3 USB v2.0, Ethernet, HDMI, VGA out, Headphone, Microphone, 7 in 1 card reader (MS, MS Pro, SD, SDHC, MMC, MMC Plus xD), ExpressCard

Design and Build Quality:

The Samsung X360 34P has a rather simplistic design. The lid is covered about 70% by the red brushed metal while the rest of the notebook body is composed of glossy black plastic. It is super sleek and ultra thin with dimensions of just 12.2 x 8.9 x 1.2 inches. It weighs just about 2.8 pounds which is lighter than the Macbook Air or the Lenovo Thinkpad X301. Weight wise, it is in the same league as netbooks. One thing that the Samsung X360 managed to do very correctly was adding a good array of expansion ports- it has 3 USB v2.0, Ethernet, HDMI, VGA out, Headphone, Microphone, 7 in 1 card reader (MS, MS Pro, SD, SDHC, MMC, MMC Plus xD) and an ExpressCard slot. The ports are placed quite thoughtfully around the body and gell in with the design. The build quality of the Samsung X360 is quite good and easily matches upto the Macbook Air and the Lenovo X301. The chassis is solid and shows little flex even around the display and keyboard area.

Display and Speakers:

The Samsung X360 sports a excellent 13.3 inch widescreen LED backlit display with a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The resolution is almost perfect for a screen this size and doesn’t strain your eyes at all. The display quality is superb and the brightness and contrast levels are also great. The display has awesomely wide viewing angles, much more than most other displays in its class. The display is perfectly suited for watching movies and videos and can eaily accomodate an audience of 4-5 people, thanks to its superb viewing angles. The Samsung X360 also has a 1.3 MP webcam just above the display. The capture quality is pretty decent and will easily suffice for casual video conferencing and video calls.

The Samsung X360 also sports two speakers which offer nice sound quality. They lack a bit in the volume department though. The speakers are powered by Samsung’s proprietary Enhanced Digital Sound tech which enhances the sound quality a lot, but it still wouldn’t manage to appease the serious music addicts, so they will have to buy headphones and connect them to the headphone port, which is a must in any laptop. YOu can switch the speakers between Music and Movie modes.

Keyboard and Touchpad:

The Samsung X360 sports a superb keyboard which has an standard layout with nice key spacing and travel. It is ideal for touch typists. The keys have a nice feel, they are coated with a antibacterial coating, and also offer nice feedback. The keys project upwards from the keyboard base. It is one of the best in class keyboards.

The touchpad is very responsive and has nice sensitivity levels. The touchpad surface is very smooth and aids in fast navigation. It also offers a good grip. The touchpad also supports basic multitouch gestures like – pinching, swiping etc. The mouse buttons located below the touchpad also have nice feedback and feel nice. There is also a vertical scroller to the right of the touchpad.

Performance:

The Samsung X360 comes with a Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 clocked at 1.4 GHz. The C2D U9400 is a superb processor which supplies the right amount of power and power efficiency needed for an ultraportable. It can manage all the basic tasks and applications. It can also run the Windows Vista Business easily with no lags or delays. It may not be as powerful as desktop processors, but it has very low TDP. The Sumsung X360 also has 3 GB DDR3 1066 MHz RAM which is enough for Vista + a few applications. It comes with a 128 GB 1.8 inch SSD Drive, optionally you can also get a 120 GB hard drive, saving some cash but trading away speed and power efficiency. The graphics department is handled by the trusted Intel GMA X4500. The GMA X4500 is the commonly used integrated graphics chipset used by most notebooks currently and offers decent performance with low power consumption which is key in any ultraportable. It cannot handle any of the newer generation of games but can run the older ones with low settings easily. It is also suitable for video playback. The 128 GB SSD is low on power and also offer great data transfer speeds. As an added advantage, it is also shock resistant.

Battery Life and Other Stuff:

The Samsung X360 is powered by a 6 cell battery which lasts about 5 hrs 30 mins easily with moderate usage. You can increase the battery life to about 6 hours easily by using it a bit more conservatively. You can also get the extended nice cell battery and get more than 9 hrs battery life. The Samsung X360 also has decent Wi-Fi reception.

Pros:

• Nice Build Quality
• Superb Display
• Ultralight and Sleek
• Long Battery Life

Cons:

• Expensive

Final Words:

The Samsung X360-34P is a great option in the ultraportable segment and offers a much better option to the Macbook Air and the Lenovo Thinkpad X301. It is a bit expensive, but definitely worth it atleast when compared to the above two.

Our Rating: 4 / 5.