Samsung XE550C21

Dedicated GeForce graphics featuring Nvidia's Optimus ; Bright, matte screen ; DVD burner ; 2x USB 3.0 ; Good battery life

Outdated CPU ; Mediocre casing ; Small opening angle ; Poor viewing angle stability ; Moderate sound

So it is possible to install a DVD burner in a thin ultrabook without enlarging it after all

A different platform, yet the interior life is almost identical. The input is almost identical to the professional ThinkPad E125

Matte, bright screen ; Agreeable keyboard ; Easy to clean surfaces ; JBL's 2.1 sound system

High operating temperature ; Unbalanced interface distribution ; Poor image contrast

The operating temperature during load beyond 90 degrees Celsius on both CPU cores and 89 degrees Celsius on the GPU which are definitely too high in our opinion. That will likely be unhealthy for the hardware in the long run

high performance ; fast graphics card ; low noise emission ; high quality input devices ; excellent speakers ; comparatively good battery stamina

poor stability ; screen has low contrast and narrow viewing angles ; system throttled under load ; no SSD

We were baffled by the maximum sound levels produced by JBL's small 2.1 sound system. Even the sound quality is good enough to make externa speakers unnecessary

Solid, portable hardware; multiband 3G radio; file browser support; great battery life; great keyboard

100MB/month data allocation is ludicrous; needs more plugin support; too pricey

At its price, though, the Chromebook loses its luster; there are just too many things that it doesn’t do, and too few things you can’t get from running the Chrome browser on a regular machine. It’s a good secondary device for a vanishingly small...

The model we’ve reviewed here will cost you a cool $859.99 USD and is available everywhere fine Ultrabooks are sold. We’d recommend, as always, heading out to your local notebook dealer to see how this unit feels before picking one up for yourself....

Effortlessly light ; Cheap, even by Chromebook standards ; USB 3.0 and HDMI compatibility

Software still stuttery from time to time ; Creaky plastic ; Odd, inconvenient port placement

This Chromebook performed like a Chromebook

Great user interface ; Bright, pleasing matte display ; Excellent performance (for the price) ; Long battery life

Chrome OS still lacks functionality ; Poor connectivity

This laptop is a good choice for consumers who need portability but can’t spend a lot of money. Chrome OS is still limiting, but it does what it’s designed to and the Series 550’s hardware is an extremely good value.

Click to EnlargeThere's no doubt that the Chrome OS has improved by leaps and bounds. And Samsung's Chromebook Series 5 550 is a pretty slick vehicle for the platform, especially for those who have basic needs. The comfortable keyboard and bright...