Samsung Chromebook XE303C12-A01US

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Reviews for the Samsung Chromebook XE303C12-A01US

Samsung Chromebook
Source: Hardware Secrets Archive.org version
The Samsung Chromebook is aimed at a very specific kind of user: the one who is looking for a low-cost, simple and easy-to-use, light and thin laptop, exclusively for internet access. It can also be used for simple tasks as text editing, but always using online services. In other words, it can run anything that runs in a web browser.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/02/2014

60% Samsung Series 3 XE303C12-A01US Chromebook
Source: Comp Reviews Archive.org version
Just as with its pricing, the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook falls in between the competitors. It may not have the longest running time or best performance but it gets the job done and provides a good set of peripheral ports that are missing from its most direct competitor. The keyboard is certainly comfortable as long as you can live with the small size of the system.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/12/2014
Rating: Total score: 60%

Samsung Chromebook Review: Nice 2nd Computer for Web Users
Source: Notebooks.com Archive.org version
Who will enjoy a Samsung Chromebook? People with simple online needs that want an ultra-portable machine for a bargain cost. Of the Chromebooks now available, the Samsung Chromebook hits the sweet spot. The Acer Chromebook looks too barebones and the Chromebook Pixel looks like overkill for a web only machine. A few others make them, but none look and feel as good as the Samsung Chromebook.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/30/2013

80% Samsung Chromebook Series 3
Source: Gadgetspeak Archive.org version
While I saw a prototype unit a couple of years ago at Google, earlier versions of Chromebooks have passed me by. Rather different to a PC notebook and also different from a Google Tablet a Chromebook is a category of its own. Unless you require Windows programs then this certainly worth considering as it is fast in running and booting.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 06/12/2013
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 80%

80% Samsung Chromebook review
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
Traditionally, we'd have said that a Chromebook isn't good enough to be your primary computer, and in too crowded a market with smartphones and even tablets, to consider as a second computer. And actually, it could be a useful second machine, especially if your primary computer is a desktop tower or all-in-one, or even just a bulky, heavy laptop. It's a good chuck-it-in-a-bag-and-head-to-Starbucks-to-get-some-work-done machine. It is, ultimately, good at doing the thing it's designed to do. All you have to do is decide if that thing is right for you.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/14/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%

Chromebook Samsung Series 3 Review
Source: Ubergizmo English Archive.org version
Circling back to the initial question, I found it to be “good enough”, especially for $250. That is coming from someone who owns a MacBook Air and mostly run, you guessed it, the Chrome browser on it. Are you considering a Chromebook? What is holding you back? Share your thoughts with us and our readers!
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/25/2013

70% Samsung XE303C12 Chromebook review
Source: Good Gear Guide Archive.org version
Samsung's Chromebook is a great size for an everyday laptop. However, it makes use of Google's Chrome OS, so it's not like a regular Windows or Mac laptop, and it needs an Internet connection to function properly. It's worth considering if you already make extensive use of Google's services in your everyday work.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/20/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%

70% Samsung Chromebook 3: Cheaper, more productive alternative to a tablet
Source: PC World Archive.org version
This Chromebook is really designed for people who do little more than surf the web and create documents and spreadsheets, and who want something light, portable, and with a physical keyboard. It only has 16GB of internal storage, but never fear: Chromebook users get 100GB of free Cloud Drive storage for two years. While the Chromebook isn’t for everyone, it’s certainly a cheap and productive alternative to a similarly-equipped tablet. You don’t get a touchscreen, but you do get extra Cloud Drive storage, better performance, and a keyboard.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/19/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%

Review: The ultimate Chromebook challenge
Source: Reg Hardware Archive.org version
Has Google cracked the Chromebook second time around? Just about. Clearly you need to be in the market specifically for a cheap and smallish machine for day-to-day web surfing and some light media consumption, but assuming you are then both of these machines do a good job and the price is certainly right. In a nutshell, then, the Samsung is the purer Chromebook, but the Acer is the better cheap laptop.
Comparison, online available, Medium, Date: 02/19/2013

80% Samsung Series 3 Chromebook review
Source: Trusted Reviews Archive.org version
If you’re happy with a laptop that needs to be online to get the most from it, the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook 303C is worth considering. It’s slim, stylish, light, quiet, lasts a good while on a charge, offers a great typing experience and it's available for a ridiculously good price. For students and casual users especially, this non-Windows machine presents an excellent buy - despite niggles like rear-facing connectivity and a somewhat dull screen taking a little of the shine off.
Comparison, online available, Long, Date: 02/06/2013
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 100% performance: 80% features: 80% display: 60% mobility: 80% workmanship: 80%

50% Samsung Chromebook review
Source: It Pro Archive.org version
Cheap and cheerful - the Chromebook is a bargain for those who just need a device for basic word processing tasks and to browse the web. We can see why it’s taken off in the education market. Despite it appearing to be more secure than the Android platform, we find hard to recommend the Chromebook at this time for business use as the functionality remains limited.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/06/2013
Rating: Total score: 50%

70% Samsung Chromebook
Source: Wired Magazine Archive.org version
WIRED Pricing hits the sweet spot: $250 for the Wi-Fi-only model. Keyboard and trackpad are responsive and comfortable. Great for watching streaming video, video chatting, and working in the cloud. Good battery life. Supports multiple user logins and office Docs editing. Chrome Remote Desktop app allows you to get into your other computers (Macs or PCs) easily. Updates arrive over the air automatically. TIRED MacBook Air styling is more of a head-scratcher than a head-turner. Display is low-res and materials are far from top-notch. No keyboard backlight. No Bluetooth device support other than mice and keyboards.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/30/2013
Rating: Total score: 70%

70% Samsung Series 3 Chromebook 303C review
Source: Pocket Lint Archive.org version
The Samsung Series 3 does elevate the Chromebook concept a step further, and it's the best one we've seen, hence a slight improvement compared to the Series 5 550's score, but we're still not totally sold. It's a mix of good and bad, which makes for an untimately average experience.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/12/2012
Rating: Total score: 70%

83% Samsung Chromebook review
Source: PC Pro Archive.org version
Chromebooks were always going to struggle to challenge proper Windows laptops or netbooks for straightforward appeal or flexibility, and Samsung and Google’s first effort entirely failed to recognise that fact. Overpriced and limited in scope, the original model was one for early adopters only.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 12/07/2012
Rating: Total score: 83% price: 100% performance: 50% features: 83% workmanship: 83%

85% Samsung Chromebook Series 3 Review
Source: Digital Trends Archive.org version
Hardware-wise, the Series 3 is a solid laptop. However, as with all Chromebooks, the sticking point is the software. With this model, you have the advantage of the low $250 price tag. That amount isn’t much for a machine that can do basic tasks fairly well, especially if you know you’re going to use it in areas where connectivity isn’t in question.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/21/2012
Rating: Total score: 85%

80% Samsung Series 3 Chromebook review
Source: T3 Archive.org version
Samsung and Google are trying to sell the Chromebook as an ‘additional’ computer and at £229, the price is definitely right for a great looking laptop that covers most of the a computing bases but still has some way to go before it can be considered an operating system on par with what Apple and Microsoft currently serve up.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 11/20/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

80% Samsung Chromebook Series 3 (XE303C12)
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
The Samsung Chromebook Series 3 may not rival the latest ultrabooks in processing power, or offer the touch interfaces of tablets and smartphones, but it offers a reasonably priced laptop for those who can get by with web access and cloud-based storage and tools. For budget buyers that don't need much more than a way to get online, the Chromebook is even more affordable than the Editors' Choice Acer Aspire 5349-2635, and is a more palatable option than the more expensive Samsung Series 5 Chromebook 550 (XE550C22-H01). It's also several hundred dollars cheaper than the Microsoft Surface RT tablet, which may have a slick design, but suffers from many of the same limitations. Whether you're a writer pounding out verbiage at Starbucks or a college student researching a term paper, the Samsung Chromebook Series 3 may be all you need, at a price that's hard to ignore.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/12/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

80% Samsung Series 3 Chromebook review
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
And actually, it could be a useful second machine, especially if your primary computer is a desktop tower or all-in-one, or even just a bulky, heavy laptop. It's a good chuck-it-in-a-bag-and-head-to-Starbucks-to-get-some-work-done machine.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/09/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

Samsung Chromebook review (2012)
Source: Engadget Archive.org version
No matter how cheap Chromebooks get, they will always be a polarizing class of product: there are some people who couldn't be paid to use a laptop where everything is done in the browser. That said, $249 seems like an appropriate price for this sort of device -- more so than $450, certainly, which is what the last-gen model sold for.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/07/2012

70% Samsung Chromebook (XE303C12, Wi-Fi) Review
Source: Computer Shopper Archive.org version
Given its $249 price, excellent keyboard, attractive design, and light weight, it’s hard not to recommend the new ARM Chromebook—for users going into the purchase with their eyes open. The latter is a key point: It’s not for everyone, due to the still undercooked Chrome OS, which brings some frustrations and limitations.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/01/2012
Rating: Total score: 70%

70% Samsung Chromebook Series 3 (XE303C12) Review
Source: Laptop Mag Archive.org version
While previous Chromebooks were too pricey and limited in functionality, the Samsung Chromebook Series 3 comes closest to capturing Google's original vision. With a cost of $249, this notebook gets people online on the cheap and provides a comfortable keyboard and touchpad. The 1.7-GHz Exynos 5 dual processor and 2GB of RAM can't run some of the games in the Chrome Store, but these components should satisfy many user's needs.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/01/2012
Rating: Total score: 70%

Samsung Chromebook Review ($249 ARM-based model)
Source: Liliputing Archive.org version
Samsung’s Chromebook XE303 is one of the cheapest laptops you can buy. But it’s an incredibly capable little machine for a $249 laptop. It’s thin, it’s light, and it feels very fast — even if it doesn’t actually have as much raw processing power as many laptops on the market. If you need to run desktop apps such as iTunes, QuickBooks, or Photoshop, the Chromebook might be a compliment to your primary computer, not a replacement for it.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/01/2012

80% Samsung Chromebook Series 3 Review
Source: Stuff TV Archive.org version
While the Chromebook concept is better on paper than it is in practice, we still admire the fact that Samsung and Google have made a usable, well-built laptop for less than £230. The astonishing battery life makes it ideal for workers on the go, and its relatively cheap price and walled-garden OS is attractive to parents. But stick to Windows or Mac computers if you want anything more.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/01/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

Samsung Chromebook (XE303) Review: Testing ARM's Cortex A15
Source: AnandTech Archive.org version
The move to ARM doesn't fundamentally change the performance or usability of the Chromebook. It's still a slow (relative to more expensive notebooks), limited use notebook. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be aware of what you're getting into with this thing. The display is functional but not very good. Build quality is decent but the new Chromebook is still a plastic notebook.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/31/2012

Foreign Reviews

Legitimer Netbook-Nachfolger mit einigen Eigenheiten
Source: Netzwelt DE→EN Archive.org version
Positive: low price; non-glare panel; good keyboard
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/19/2013

80% Review 2 Chromebooks getest
Source: Computer Totaal NL→EN Archive.org version
Comparison, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/22/2013
Rating: Total score: 80%

Comment

Model:

The Samsung Chromebook Series 3 belongs to a series of Chromebooks released by Google in early 2013. The notebook is held together by an sturdy, all plastic silver casing. The small, 0.69 inch (18 mm) thick notebook weighs only 1.1 kg, making it lightweight enough to be comfortably portable.

It has an 11.6 inch TN display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. IPS technology, which would allow users to view the screen from all angles, is not used. Color temperature and grayscale are not accurate either. Due to the small size of the screen, users probably won't try watching FHD movies, anyway. Because of its small size, the notebook does not have a standard keyboard. The Chromebook Series 3 has a Chiclet keyboard that may take some getting used to for people accustomed to desktop keyboards.

The Chromebook has a Chrome OS operating system that is equipped with Samsung’s Exynos 5 dual-core ARM processor (1.7 GHz) and 2 GB of RAM. It runs smoothly and quickly with lighter applications. The interfaces include HDMI out, a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port, a headphone and microphone jack and a card reader. There's only 16 GB internal flash memory in the device. However, Chromebook owners can access their Google Drive to get a free 100 GB upgrade. The Chromebook has a great battery life of up to 10 hours of video streaming.

ARM Mali-T604 MP4: Four core version of the T604 with support for OpenGL ES 3.0 and DirectX 11.

Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

5250 Dual: Dual-core Cortex A15 with an ARM Mali-T604 graphics card.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

11.60":

This is a standard display format for tablet computers or small convertibles. You see more on the screen than on a smartphone but you can't use big resolutions well. On the other hand, mobility is not a problem.

Samsung: Samsung Group is the largest South Korean conglomerate and was founded in 1938. Samsung Group employed 489,000 people in 2014 and is one of the world's largest companies in terms of revenue and market strength. The name Samsung means "Three Stars" in Korean and represents the three sons of the company's founder. The company was founded in 1938 as a grocery store. With its subsidiary Samsung Electronics, founded in 1969, Samsung took up the production of electrotechnical items, focusing on consumer electronics and household appliances at an early stage. Other branches in which the large corporation is active include mechanical engineering, automobiles (Hyundai), insurance, wholesale, real estate and leisure. Samsung manufactures a wide range of electronic products, including smartphones, televisions, home appliances and semiconductors. The company's Galaxy line of smartphones is one of the most popular in the world. Samsung is also a major player in the semiconductor industry, making memory chips and processors for many other electronics manufacturers.

74.79%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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