The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook, still in its packing material. Samsung's strong sense of aesthetics is evident in the Series 5. Its gently curved corners and clean lines define a notebook that could be mistaken for a design by Apple's Jonathan Ive, except perhaps for the two-tone color palette (white on top and black on the outside in our review unit; Titan Silver is another option) and the packaging: Apple's boxes and wrapping just look more elegant. The Wi-Fi model lists for $430 and the 3G model lists for $499.

The Samsung Chromebook Series 5 presents Google's browser-based operating system in a flattering light. The Series 5 is light, weighing only 3.3 lbs, a bit less than an HP Pavilion dm1z ultraportable and a bit more than the 13" MacBook Air. It's slim too, measuring 8.6" x 0.79" x 11.6." Its screen, which measures 12.1" diagonally, has a resolution of 1200x800. It's powered by a 1.66-GHz Intel Atom Processor N570 and comes with 2-GB standard system memory (DDR3), a 16-GB solid-state drive (mSATA), and 802.11 b/g/n wireless connectivity. It also comes with a built-in microphone and an integrated camera, which happen to work well with Google Talk for voice calls or video chat.

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