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First Take: Samsung Series 5 Chromebook, the future of Netbooks? (hands-on video)

Low-priced, fast-booting, and always-connected, Samsung's first Chrome laptop offers an alternative--and possibly truer--take on the concept of a "Netbook."

Headshot of Scott Stein
Headshot of Scott Stein
Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR | Gaming | Metaverse technologies | Wearable tech | Tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Scott Stein
2 min read
Watch this: Samsung Series 5 Chromebook

Updated, 2:30 p.m.: First look video added.

Today at the Google I/O Conference, Samsung and Acer formally announced actual Chrome OS-running laptops. We've already gotten full details on Samsung's model, called the Series 5, and it seems at first glance to offer a tempting combination of performance and price, provided that Chrome OS is everything it's promising to be.

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook (photos)

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Right off the bat, the most appealing part of the 3G version is its two-year included 100MB/month data plan via Verizon. It's the only 3G laptop we can think of that comes with free data, albeit a pretty small amount.The Series 5 starts at $429 for a Wi-Fi-only model and $499 for Wi-Fi/3G. Available in two colors, "Titan Silver" or white, the Series 5 looks like a sleek Netbook, not unlike the prototype Chromebook sent by Google last year. While Samsung's press release provided a healthy dose of specs, certain details were left out, which we discovered via the Amazon preorder page.

Here are the stats:

  • 11.6 inches by 8.6 inches, 0.79 inch thick
  • 3.3 pounds
  • A full-size keyboard
  • Multitouch touch pad
  • 1.66 GHz dual-core Intel Atom N570 processor
  • A 12.1-inch SuperBright display at 300 nits, with a 16:10 aspect (no pixel resolution given)
  • Instant-on from standby, and an 8-second boot time
  • 16GB SSD drive
  • 2GB RAM
  • HD Webcam
  • Two USB ports
  • 8.5 hours of battery life
  • SD/SDHC/MMC/SDXC card slot
  • stereo speakers

Our updated take: While we initially found the Series 5 to be an intriguing option based on Samsung's initial erroneous report of a Core 2 Duo processor, we're a little less bullish on an Atom-based 12-incher with only 16GB of onboard storage. Chrome OS might be lighter than Windows XP, but we'd still prefer more media storage space. The package sounds a lot like the Lenovo 12-inch Ideapad we reviewed a while back. At this price, you could also get a 11.6-inch Wi-Fi AMD E-350-powered ultraportable running Windows 7.

The Series 5 will be available June 15 from Amazon and Best Buy.com, in the U.S. as well as the U.K., Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. It's currently available for preorder.

Related links
• Acer Chromebook: A solid-state Netbook for $349
• Video: Google unveils Chromebooks
• Complete coverage: Google I/O