The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is a sleek laptop, but Chrome OS underwhelms. Updated, 10 June 2011
Google Chrome OS is here. The Series 5 from Samsung is the first of the so-called Chromebooks, and I'm not sure it's exactly what we all had in mind when Google announced Chrome OS two years ago. Back then, our imaginations pictured computers that were thinner and lighter than those with enough horsepower to run Windows. We thought we would see computers running on ARM processors, not just x86. We were promised it would look like the Chrome browser with "a new windowing system".
Frankly, I'm not sure we really knew what to expect. But if someone had told us, back then, that the first Chromebook would be a large and simple netbook that does little more than run only the Chrome browser, I don't think we would have made such a big deal about Google producing its own operating system.
Samsung Series 5 Chromebook: The hardware
The Samsung Series 5 is a 12.1in netbook with a pretty sleek, very rounded design. In fact, one could say it's the first true netbook, as it is perhaps the first mass-market laptop designed solely to get you on the ‘net. It's powered by an Intel Atom N570 dual-core CPU, has 2GB of RAM, and a 16GB solid state drive. The left side houses a small power plug, air vent, and headset/mic jack, with a USB port and a proprietary port for a VGA dongle hidden behind a plastic door. Another USB port and a SIM card slot, behind another plastic door, lie along the right edge. An SD card reader graces the front. It's all fairly basic, as laptop hardware goes. There's no Ethernet port, no Bluetooth, no digital video output, and the keyboard isn't backlit.
What's there is pretty useable, at least from a hardware perspective. The keyboard's keys are large, spaced out well, and easy to type on. The clickpad is quite big and tracks nicely. The HD webcam works as well as most, but of course you're limited to using it in web apps (which means no Skype).
The display has a glossy border, but the screen itself has a matte finish that reduces reflections. It gets pretty bright, but the colour gamut and contrast doesn't seem that impressive, and something about the white balance looks a little... odd. Everything seems to have a slightly bluish tinge to it, most noticeable when you're looking at light grey areas. There's something soft about the way Chrome OS renders fonts, too.
Used to a particular Function key shortcut? There are no function keys. There's no delete key either, for that matter, though you can hold down ALT while pressing backspace to delete characters in front of the cursor. Google has excised the Caps Lock key in favour of a Search key, too. Used to touchpad gestures? The only one supported is two-finger scrolling. There's no pinch-to-zoom, no swiping to go back or forward.
Google has touted some of the benefits of a laptop that essentially does nothing but run a maximised Chrome browser. They say it boots fast, and it does. You go from cold off to usable in about 12 seconds, and resuming from sleep only takes a second or two. There's little chance of a virus infection when you can't really run executables and the entire file system is encrypted. The battery seemed to last at least 8 hours in my testing, though its hard to make a comparable benchmark when all the system does is run a web browser.
The Series 5 Chromebook certainly suffers from the general sluggishness we've come to expect from Atom-based netbooks even though there's no heavy-duty Windows operating system in the way. Sure, lighter web apps like Evernote run fine, but even Angry Birds from the Chrome web store is a choppy mess in HD mode (which isn't actually high-definition). That's right: your smartphone can run Angry Birds more smoothly than this laptop.
I think Samsung might have been better off opting for a processor with a little more oomph, like AMD's Fusion E-350; it would have knocked an hour or so off the battery life, but video playback, CPU performance, and graphics-accelerated web features would be much improved.
The hardware has a few rough edges in addition to the performance problems. The covers over the ports on the left and right side feel really flimsy, as though they'll tear off within a few months. The sound quality from stereo speakers is truly awful, even for a very small and inexpensive laptop, and they emit a little "pop!" almost every time I play a new piece of media or adjust the volume. The whole unit feels a bit heavy for its size. 1.5kg doesn't sound like a lot, but a laptop this size, this thin, looks like it should weigh less.
Next page: The Chromebook's software, and living on the web >>
Comments
justin said: what would be compatible to use an external cddvd driver for this
Ssjkudos said: IMO it all boils down to price and performanceIf you can get a sleak durable netbook for 300 that loads instantly and glides through video streaming and heavy flash applications ie the full web and combines that with adequate cloud based apps for BASIC office functionality I think youre on to a winnerAt the moment based on the review no hands on experience it needs a speed boost and maybe the web apps need a little maturingWhile tablets are more expensive then mid range laptops dont match their browsing experience and dont work well with desktop designed websites there is definitely a gap for the Chromebook
Phil Oakley said: But people dont seem to see that you can Chrome the browser and the OS are very very powerful Hopefully soon youll be able to play a game like Call of Duty or Halo in Chrome Thats just how powerful Chrome isAnother thing to think about is the rumour that Google will add functionality in Chrome OS to use native Android apps That opens the possibilitys further than ever before Soon well have Photoshop in Android which will becompatible with Chrome OSIm going to buy a Chromebook Im absolutely fed up with Windows and to a lesser extent Linux I spend most of my time on the web anyway - and if Android app support is coming that changes everything
Richard Turpin said: ButIt dosnt DO Anything
Pcologist said: I can agree with most of that but the Ubuntu bit instead of Windows 7 is a defiinate retrograde step Why go backwards with the operating system for goodness sake
Thatcunt said: For 350 you can get an ASUS UL30 - 13 screen ULV Core Duo 3GB Ram 320GB Hard Drive with Windows 7 10 hour battery lifeInstead of shutting down I just close the lid - it wakes in about 10 seconds OK The first thing I load is Chrome Browser but I can still access all my local files sync my ipad copy files to my Desire import photos in Raw formatGoogle seem to have lost sight of what people really on their computers
CummyShaftStain said: iLove Google but seriously The ChromeBook Come on for realWhy spend more on a laptop with a glorified Android OS when you could spend less and have a full featured netbook with Windows7 Whack Ubuntu on it and there ya go a full blown OS and it even has The Cloud capability Google stick to your Android and your search I have respect for Google in that respect theyve kicked Microsofts BING to the the moon but come on All this money and you get a stripped down OS which only features a web browser and thats it
computer repair braintree said: It looks gorgeous cant wait to get my hands on it