Samsung Series 3 NP370R4E Notebooks

In 2012, Intel bet its counter offensive against the tablet on Ultrabooks. Since than, the emphasize in laptop design these days is to make them thinner and lighter. In addition to Ultrabooks, manufacturers released SleekBooks, SlimBooks and other similar models, which were basically which almost me Ultrabook specifications but could not properly be called such because they missed on requirement or other. Even more traditional laptop designs have shed some weight.

My favorite of these new generation "Thin & Light" laptops are Samsung's Series 3 NP370R4E Notebooks. These 14-inch laptops come in slim cases which are just 0.9 inches thin, and weigh in a just under 4 pounds. This actually puts them in the category of an Ultraportable. 

Thin & Light models in previous years would be all of 1.25-inches thick and weigh in a almost 5 pounds. To keep the weight down on these models, Samsung has removed the optical drive. That may be a concern for some users, but from my standpoint optical drives on laptops are obsolete and rarely used. If you need an optical drive from time to time an external USB model would seem better suited. 

Quick Specs:

Samsung Series 3 NP370R4E-A04PH - Php22,900

• Windows 8
• 14-inch, 1366 x 768 display
• Intel Pentium 997 processor (1.6 GHz)
• Intel HD 4000 graphics
• 2 GB of RAM 
• 500 GB hard drive
• WiFi, Bluetooth, SDCard reader, USB 3.0 and HDMI out

Samsung Series 3 NP370R4E-S06PH - Php30,900

• Windows 8
• 14-inch, 1366 x 768 display
• Intel Core i3-3120M (2.5 GHz)
• Intel HD 4000 graphics + Radeon 8750M Graphics with 1 GB of RAM
• 2 GB of RAM 
• 1 TB hard drive
• WiFi, Bluetooth, SDCard reader, USB 3.0 and HDMI out

Samsung Series 3 NP370R4E-S05PH - Php36,900

• Windows 8
• 14-inch, 1366 x 768 display
• Intel Core i5-3210M (2.5 GHz)
• Intel HD 4000 graphics + Radeon 8750M Graphics with 1 GB of RAM
• 4 GB of RAM 
• 1 TB hard drive
• WiFi, Bluetooth, SDCard reader, USB 3.0 and HDMI out

Why pick these models over a Sleekbook or low cost Ultrabook? The thicker 0.9 inch case allows for better cooling as compared to the 0.5 to 0.8 inch cases of the Sleepbooks and Ultrabooks. This in turn  allows the use of Mobile processors rather than the lower clocked Ultra Mobile processors used in laptops with thinner frames.

Lower cost Intel Sleekbooks and Ultrabooks use processors like the Intel Core i3-3217U, which is clocked at a slower 1.8 GHz than the Core i3 and i5 processors used on the Samsung Series 3 NP370R4E. The larger frame also allows for the use of a second graphics card for intensive 3D applications instead of just relying on the Intel HD 4000 graphics chip.

The new generation of "full sized" laptops make a good choice for someone will to give up 0.2 inches in thickness and half a pound in weight, for a little more grunt under the hood.