Asus vs. Samsung

[noj11jon]

I am currently trying to decide between this Asus:

http/www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394971,00.asp?tab=Specs

and this Samsung:

http/www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394305,00.asp?tab=Specs

Due to a sale at BestBuy they are currently exactly the same price, though the Samsung is usually $150 more expensive. This leads me to believe that the Samsung is a little higher quality (as I would like to think people aren't normally paying $150 more JUST for the Samsung name). However, if you compare the specs, internally they are essentially exactly the same. Same processor, same memory, the Asus has a little more storage but either has more than enough for me as it is. Externally, the Samsung definitely looks sleeker and has a nicer screen, but the Asus has a 15.6" screen (compared to the Samsung's 14"), and has a 10-key as well. The reviews claim that the Samsung's touchpad is a little buggy, but I always use a mouse anyway.

The extra 1.6" and the 10-key are making me lean towards the Asus. Yet the fact that the Samsung is generally $150 more leads me to believe that it must be of higher quality someway. I am a little weary of Asus as I have never purchased from them before (though I have heard good things). And while I have never purchased a Samsung laptop before either, I have had great experiences with every piece of Samsung electronics I have ever purchased (2 phones and a blu-ray player).

Can anyone weigh in on the overall quality of Samsung and Asus laptops, or experiences with these two specifically? Feel free to throw out other options as well if you feel strongly, so long as they are comparable features/price ($600 range).

I guess I should also mention that I will use this primarily for school and work. I don't game at all on my laptop. I do do a lot of multitasking, and watch the usual youtube/netflix/etc videos. The only thing's I do that are somewhat demanding are programs like VirtualBox and Solidworks for work. Honestly my biggest criteria is quality, I want something that is durable and will last for at least four years.

Thanks!

 

[lobar]

My advice is Samsung. I have almost the same lap top at work. Asus has a bunch of issues, plus it's touchpad is not the most comfportable one.

 

[jsrudd]

I second the Samsung.

 

[Pyree]

ASUS

I suspect the higher price of the Samsung laptop is due to the size (14 inch and lighter, miniaturisation= higher price).

If you can, buy later. Should be cheaper after holiday.

 

[mbagrad3]

noj11jon,

Wow, I'm so glad that I found this post while researching information online which compares these 2 laptops as well!!!!! I can't believe that you are in a toss up with the same 2 laptops that I am also considering!!!! That is really ironic & neat at the same time! Also, your needs seem to really line up with mine as well! How funny.

Please update this post & let us know which one you ended up purchasing! I would really like to see which one you decided to get! While checking out these 2 models in my local Best Buy yesterday, I began to lean more & more towards the ASUS due to it being the one with the better keyboard (IMO). The keyboard is just amazing. I was able to type quickly, smoothly flowing along & quite accurately with hardly any errors in a quick word pad test I conducted on these 2 computers. The well laid out numeric keypad should also come in handy for my needs as well & is definitely a bonus in my book.

While there's much more to consider (of course) than just the keyboards, I realize that the typing experience is quite important for me in deciding which one will suite my needs since will be primarily using this new laptop for work related projects & what not. As mentioned, the numeric keypad should also be quite handy for my needs as well. Also, the Best Buy guys also seemed to lean more towards prefering this ASUS we're discussing here over the Samsung, stating that ASUS appear to be fairly well maid, and most of the components are built in house, in addition to being able to replace the battery externally, down the road, if need be. The Samsung has a built in battery which means that if it needs to be replaced, you will need to send the entire system in, in order to have it replaced, thus leaving you without your computer for a while & a possible more expensive repair bill in the process. Also, the Samsung apparently seems to be made up of many numerous parts from all different kinds of manufacturers (according to a Best Buy geek) who I had quite an extensive conversation with during my 3 hour visit to the store yesterday checking these computers out.

Since I need something right now, I decided to go ahead & purchase the ASUS. I bought it on the spot but really enjoy the form factor of the Samsung & am still contemplating whether or not I made the best decision over the 2. Since I can return it for a full refund during the next 30 days, I want to spend that time wisely making sure that I purchase(d) the right one for my needs & with long term reliability in mind.

So I really hope that more people continue to chime in on these 2 options & to read an update as to the 1 that you end up purchasing.

Thanks in advance everyone for the suggestions for us that are in search of all of the information and or opinions of these options.

 

[noj11jon]

Sorry for the delayed replay...holidays. That is actually convenient, because I too needed it right away so I went ahead and purchased the Samsung. I guess we can compare here.

So far I really enjoy it. The concerns I was having with the screen/keypad are not an issue. When I saw it side-by-side with the Asus, with it's larger screen and 10-key, it did make the Samsung look a little small. But now that I have it I've completely forgotten that bigger was an option. It's the same size as the laptop's I've always owned, so it's not as if it is a downgrade.

I really like the keyboard. I was told it was exactly the same as a Macbook's. Not sure if that's true but at the very least it's highly similar. If you can use/like the Mac's keyboard, you will definitely be fine with this one. Touchpad is nice too, at least in terms of features. It has all the Mac things like multi-finger scrolling and zooming. The sensitivity is not perfect. I use a mouse most of the time anyway so that's not a huge issue for me, though I have been traveling a lot for the last couple weeks so I have been using the pad more than normal and it has gotten me by. The more I use it the more it grows on me.

On other things that may have been prior concerns... I like the screen. Being glass is nice, and I haven't had any viewing problems from an angle or otherwise. Battery life has been impressive. I'm coming off a Dell which never got more than 3 hours on battery in it's life. I put this on a battery-prolonging mode that only charges it to 80%, and I get 6 hours coming off of that. I believe it was over 8 with a full 100% charge. I don't think having the battery built-in will be a problem. I feel like it will hold up well enough for the 4ish years I plan to use it.

There was some Bestbuy bloatwear as well as some other stuff I removed pretty quickly. Samsung has their own set of hardware settings tools, some of which work better than others (I can't even get Samsung Display Manager to launch, e.g.). As far as internal components, yeah BestBuy kinda gave me the same spiel they gave you. Sounds nice, but I'm not quite sure what the upside is. It seems to me that if they computer is under warranty it will be repaired, and otherwise you will have to pay for someone to fix it, regardless of what parts are inside. I trust Samsung's to at least be made with something of fairly high quality, even if it's not their own brand of parts. Only time will tell I suppose.

On the whole I have no regrets and can recommend it. I'd imagine they are both good computers, perhaps you would need them side-by-side to really determine which is better.

 

[Intense gamer]

Samsung and Asus are very good.It depends what you want it for.But really, can't go wrong on any of them.