If you’ve been following our reviews of Windows 8 laptops, you know we haven’t been too kind to the slider form factor. It’s not like we set out to pan these machines, but time and again we’ve found that the propped-up display ruins the typing experience. Keep that in mind as we begin our review of the Slidebook S20, MSI’s flagship Win 8 device, priced at $1,200 in the US. It’s a bold move from a company whose bread and butter is not ultraportables, but gaming systems. In fact, the 11.6-inch S20 is the outfit’s only high-end Windows 8 Ultrabook. So the company must have quite a bit of confidence in that form factor, then, if it didn’t bother with dockable tablets or some other kind of convertible design. Could that mean the S20 has something all the others don’t?

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MSI Slidebook S20 review: MSI’s flagship Windows 8 Ultrabook has a flawed design

If you read our latest laptop buyer’s guide, you may have noticed we included a lot of high-end PCs. Which makes sense: we’ve been quite busy reviewing flagship devices since Windows 8 went on sale last fall. We’re talking the best Microsoft’s partners have to offer: twisting screens, dual screens, 8-second boot-up times. That’s been fun, and we’re pretty sure those are the more interesting products to read about, but even so, we decided it’s high time we started reviewing some more mid-range systems — you know, those models that don’t cost $1,200.

So, in the coming months, you’re going to see us review more of these everyman systems, in addition to those lustworthy flagships. First up: the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch. We’ll admit, we’re a little tardy here, as this went on sale late last year, but if you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically last year’s Series 5 Ultrabook with a touch panel appended. For the money ($800 and up), you get some modest specs (Core i3 / i5 processors with hybrid storage and a 1,366 x 768 screen), though if our research is correct, those are the same basic specs you’ll find on most competing models. Given that, any display snobs can show themselves the door now, before we even get started. But what if you’ve been looking for a more affordable Windows 8 system? How does Samsung’s entry stack up?

Filed under: Laptops, Samsung

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Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch review: a solid, if slightly overpriced, mid-range Ultrabook

If you read our latest laptop buyer’s guide, you may have noticed we included a lot of high-end PCs. Which makes sense: we’ve been quite busy reviewing flagship devices since Windows 8 went on sale last fall. We’re talking the best Microsoft’s partners have to offer: twisting screens, dual screens, 8-second boot-up times. That’s been fun, and we’re pretty sure those are the more interesting products to read about, but even so, we decided it’s high time we started reviewing some more mid-range systems — you know, those models that don’t cost $1,200.

So, in the coming months, you’re going to see us review more of these everyman systems, in addition to those lustworthy flagships. First up: the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch. We’ll admit, we’re a little tardy here, as this went on sale late last year, but if you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically last year’s Series 5 Ultrabook with a touch panel appended. For the money ($800 and up), you get some modest specs (Core i3 / i5 processors with hybrid storage and a 1,366 x 768 screen), though if our research is correct, those are the same basic specs you’ll find on most competing models. Given that, any display snobs can show themselves the door now, before we even get started. But what if you’ve been looking for a more affordable Windows 8 system? How does Samsung’s entry stack up?

Filed under: Laptops, Samsung

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Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch review: a solid, if slightly overpriced, mid-range Ultrabook

If you read our latest laptop buyer’s guide, you may have noticed we included a lot of high-end PCs. Which makes sense: we’ve been quite busy reviewing flagship devices since Windows 8 went on sale last fall. We’re talking the best Microsoft’s partners have to offer: twisting screens, dual screens, 8-second boot-up times. That’s been fun, and we’re pretty sure those are the more interesting products to read about, but even so, we decided it’s high time we started reviewing some more mid-range systems — you know, those models that don’t cost $1,200.

So, in the coming months, you’re going to see us review more of these everyman systems, in addition to those lustworthy flagships. First up: the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch. We’ll admit, we’re a little tardy here, as this went on sale late last year, but if you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically last year’s Series 5 Ultrabook with a touch panel appended. For the money ($800 and up), you get some modest specs (Core i3 / i5 processors with hybrid storage and a 1,366 x 768 screen), though if our research is correct, those are the same basic specs you’ll find on most competing models. Given that, any display snobs can show themselves the door now, before we even get started. But what if you’ve been looking for a more affordable Windows 8 system? How does Samsung’s entry stack up?

Filed under: Laptops, Samsung

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Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch review: a solid, if slightly overpriced, mid-range Ultrabook

It’s sort of wild to think that at this time last year we had only reviewed a handful of Ultrabooks. So few, in fact, that we could count them on one hand: Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and Toshiba. HP made five, with the Folio 13, an ultraportable that was aimed at the business market, but that ended up being our top all-around pick thanks to its stellar battery life, comfortable keyboard and wide port selection. Since then, of course, HP’s gone a little overboard with the ultraportables, with glass ones, metal ones, expensive ones, budget ones. Ultrabooks that aren’t actually Ultrabooks! It’s a vast, sometimes confusing selection.

Now, though, almost a year after we reviewed the Folio 13, HP is back where it started with another business offering. The EliteBook Folio ($1,049 and up) has a 14-inch screen this time, and is the first Ultrabook in HP’s high-end EliteBook line, typically aimed at corporations and other businesses with IT departments. We know, we know: “pre-boot authentication” aren’t exactly the sexiest words in the world, and indeed, we usually just review laptops aimed at consumers. The thing is, though, the EliteBook Folio isn’t your typical corporate box: with a magnesium frame and soft-touch finish, it’s attractive enough that it could pass for your personal laptop. So does it perform well enough to use as a work-play machine? Read on to find out.

Continue reading HP EliteBook Folio 9470 review: a business Ultrabook turns out to be one of our favorites

Filed under: Laptops, HP

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HP EliteBook Folio 9470 review: a business Ultrabook turns out to be one of our favorites