Samsung ATIV NP540U4E-K01US Pro Reviews

The Samsung ATIV Book 5 is a good choice amongst portable Windows 8 touch-enabled notebooks. The Ultrabook, which currently sells for a street price of around $850, offers decent performance and battery life, and a sturdy aluminum construction paired with good looks. Both the keyboard and the touchpad work well and the audio quality is decidedly above average. The system's Achilles' heel is its highly reflective and very dim display, which restricts outdoor usability. The Ultrabook also gets a bit too hot under load for our liking. Users wanting to avoid the all-plastic construction of lower-end touchscreen systems but not willing to spend north of $1000 for a high-end, all-metal Ultrabook should be quite happy with the middle-of-the road Samsung Ativ Book 5 540UE4-K01.

The Samsung Ativ Book 5 is a respectable, subdued entry in the mid-range Ultrabook market. Everything about the system is conservative, from design to specifications. And for some, that may be a boon. This is a simple, functional workhorse best suited for users who just want to get some basic work done. Unfortunately there’s a serious flaw: performance. This laptop posted average or below-average scores in every category and felt sluggish during normal operation. Almost all the blame can be directed at the slow mechanical hard drive, but most competitors that have a mechanical drive suffer less. Samsung could have made up for this issue by offering a great display, amazing design, or some other benefit, but this Ultrabook is below average in these areas. Our review unit’s price of $850 is fair yet far from the least expensive option, even if you choose to step down to the $700 version with a Core i3 processor. A basic Asus Zenbook or Lenovo U-series will cost less, look better, and also, depending on the configuration, offer superior performance. The Ativ Book 5’s build quality, decent keyboard, and long battery life will make it attractive to some, but competitors provide more value.