A Windows 7 tablet? This isn’t the first we have seen a company try and stuff a full operating system in a form factor meant for a smaller footprint, and we might add this is not the first attempt by Samsung. That being said, this one is packing a second generation Intel Core i5 processor as well as an 11.6-inch screen that will have to contend with its Super AMOLED cousins. It is by far one of the most intriguing Windows tablets and has earned a nice following of people looking for where to buy Samsung Series 7 Slate devices.
Design and Features
As the name implies, this is a Series 7 device which is a step between the Series 5 and Series 9 slot of Samsung laptops. That being said, we have a tablet that weighs 2.06 pounds and has a waist of 0.51-inches.
Samsung has used quite a bit of metal in the design of the Series 7 Slate which lends to the weight. Thankfully, said metal is scratch resistant and smudge resistant.
Starting out the features is Intel’s Core i5 processor with integrated graphics and Windows 7 Professional 64-bit running the show. The display is 11.6 inches, carries 400 nits of brightness with a 16.9 ratio and a 1366 x 767 HD LED backlit resolution. Included RAM is 4GB of DDR3 and unfortunately cannot be expanded. Moving along, there is a 128GB SSD (mSATA), 3W stereo speakers with subwoofer, 2.0MP HD webcam up front and 3.0MP HD rear webcam.
Connectivity includes 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 +HS, WiDi capable and Wired LAN though the docking station. There are a series of ports including HDMI, headphones out (3.5mm), 1 USB port, multi-card slot and doc station connector.
Performance
With an i5 processor, the Samsung Series 7 Slate provides awesome performance. The processor is more than able to handle Windows 7 Home Premium and we were able to complete quite a few advanced tasks such as opening Photoshop and editing videos in Adobe Premier Elements. Multitasking is great as well and overall we had no issues with the computer slowing up when we threw multiple things at it. Efficient multi-tasking is an important factor to people who are looking for where to purchase Samsung Series 7 Slate tablets.
That being said, due to the integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, you won’t be playing too many graphically intensive games such as Modern Warfare 3 or so on. That said, watching 1080p HD Flash content is a breeze and videos overall are very smooth. In fact, performance wise, we did not miss our laptop at all and with the dock as well as wireless keyboard and mouse, this proved to be a true laptop replacement.
That being said, such blazing performance comes at a cost, the cost of the battery unfortunately. Under normal usage, we got about 4 and half hours of charge out the Series 7 Slate. Compare that with the average of 7 hours for most Android and iOS tablets and you start to get a little discouraged. Granted, this is a tablet for a very specific market, those who want a laptop in a tablet body, so in the end we’re comparing apples to oranges.
Both cameras are mediocre. For web conferencing you can get by with the front facing camera, but trying to use the rear facing camera is not only nearly impossible due to the tablets weight, but with only 3MP it is impractical. It is still available if you insist but we would resist.
The dock, keyboard and mouse are great accessories and really lend to the idea that this could be a true laptop replacement.
Conclusion
As stated before, the only tablets we can compare this to are Windows 7 tablets as the average person looking to buy an iPad or Android tablet would never consider the Series 7 Slate. If you need a Windows 7 tablet, this is one of the best money can buy. However, you will have to part with such things as weightlessness, thickness and of course extended battery life.
Those who find themselves in the airport often may want to shun the Series 7 Slate, but if you do have the money (starting at $1149) this is one of the best Windows 7 tablets we have tested, and we can easily recommend that you consider the option to buy the Samsung Series 7 Slate.