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Samsung Chromebook XE500C21 - Intel Atom

Based on 41 reviews

Excellent:

3
Good:

5
Average:

7
Bad:

26

Pros

Solid, portable hardware; multiband 3G radio; file browser support; great battery life; great keyboard.
Boots quickly, resumes instantly, Applications automatically updated, Easy to import settings from webbased programs.
Chrome OS offers fast startup, Cloud storage makes it effortless to replace a laptop, Awesome matte (antiglare) screen.
Lightning fast boot times. Losing files to a hard drive crash isn't a concern. Big, bright 12-inch screen. Excellent battery life. Improved HD video playback. Samsung throws in a 4GB SD card.
Small; long battery life; instant-on Web access.
Ideal for dedicated Google apps users. Battery affords 7.5 hours of surfing time, even with the bright 12.1inch screen at full bore. Builtin developer mode lets you tinker with the barebones Linux guts underneath.
Solid build quality and comfortable keyboard, Super long battery life, Bright, outdoorviewable display
Good keyboard and clickpad, Fast boot and resume.
Speedy boot, wake-up times; excellent battery life; lots of free apps

Cons

Does not run standard Windows applications, Loses most of its utility without Internet connection, Pricey
It's "a browser in a box", Essentially a paperweight if you lose WiFi or 3G access, Minimal local storage.
More expensive than Windows-based netbooks. Media player is very primitive. Clickpad is a bit wonky. No Ethernet or Bluetooth. VGA requires a dongle attachment. File management is hard to grasp. Web Store doesn't have enough apps to make the Chrome OS
Expensive for its featureset; requires a consistent Internet connection.
Too many open tabs test the Chromebook’s resources. Only 100 MB of free monthly 3G service most likely means signing up for a new data plan. $500 leans towards the high end for a webonly notebook. Selection of web apps in Chrome web store leaves a l
Flaky touchpad, Videoout requires an adapter, Hampered by Chrome OS' limited functionality
Poor performance, Severly limited utility.
No significant offline access to apps; no Java support

By Tech-Reviews UK on January 10, 2012

After my time with the Samsung Chromebook Series 5. I must say I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen. I spend a lot of my time online viewing various web pages, Youtube, listening to music and this little device didn’t disappoint in...

90
By GadgetSpeak on October 17, 2011

It seems about 18 months ago when Google first showed their Chrome operating system, this notebook from Samsung is the first that I have seen that uses it. Can we get used to an operating system that relies on the...

72
By Computeractive on October 13, 2011

A good-quality laptop but the stripped-down operating system was frustrating, and it's useless without a net connection...

60
By SlashGear on September 23, 2011

In many ways the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 – and indeed Chromebooks in general – makes perfect sense. Being able to throw open the lid of your notebook and get online in seconds, with little in the way of config or battery concerns, is a...

-
By Maximum PC on September 02, 2011

Update: Since this review was written for the September 2011 magazine, Google has rolled out a ChromeOS update that enables Netflix playback and VPN (though not Cisco AnyConnect) support. If you’ve used the Chrome web browser, you’ve used...

70
By IT Reviews on August 01, 2011

Sadly the good build, usability, battery life and instant-on features don't do enough to make the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook a device we'd want to recommend. If your computing life revolves solely around the cloud, you might consider it - but...

60
By ConsumerSearch on August 01, 2011

Samsung's Chromebook Series 5 netbook earns no middle-of-the-road reviews; writers either love it or hate it, based almost entirely on Google's ChromeOS operating system and its limitations. ChromeOS depends on Internet-based services and apps...

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By Notebook Review on July 27, 2011

The Samsung Series 5 ChromeBook offers some exciting advantages for a $499 laptop. For starters, you get contract-free access to the Verizon 3G wireless network and 8+ hours of battery life. Add to that a nice 12-inch matte display that is very easy to...

50
By Ars Technica on July 22, 2011

Although the simplicity and portability of the Chrome OS cloud model are intriguing, the software environment simply isn't competitive with more conventional Linux netbook platforms. There are too many limitations and compromises that undermine the...

-
By Pocket-lint on July 18, 2011

An easy to use laptop, that is hindered by a need to always be connected and a price that is too high...

70