This is our second Samsung laptop, our first one being the Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X3A from 2011. The older one actually still runs very well save for the battery life which obviously degrades over time. Still, after about 8 years, we felt that it was finally time for an upgrade.
DESIGN
The latest model departs from its original sleek and futuristic design for a more industrialized Apple-esque look, which is still beautiful to say the least. It has a nice (light) weight which makes it a joy to carry around. The vent has been redesigned to bring the hot air out the back. The hinge has also been changed to accommodate the 2-in-1 feature of the laptop. Unfortunately, the hinges are not sturdy enough so the display wobbles a bit when you tap with your fingers or the included pen. The laptop does not come with Windows Hello, but it does have a decent fingerprint scanner embedded into the power button.
DISPLAY
While many reviewers say that it is not as bright as competing laptops, we spend most of the time using it indoors, so we did not find any problems with the brightness. The display shows nice colors and is sharp enough for typing, reading, and watching videos. If you think you'll be using it outdoors often, there are other laptops that are brighter (some Samsung laptops also have an Outdoor Mode that makes it brighter at the cost of battery).
It is also touchscreen-ready since it is a 2-in-1. It is a nice convenience to have.
SOUND
It's not very good. They are bottom-firing so they get muffled unless if you put your laptop on a stand (which is a nice way to help keeping it well-ventilated too).
KEYBOARD
It does not have as much key travel as other laptops from Dell and Lenovo, but is something that was easy enough to adjust to. We appreciated the backlight for when we use the laptop at night.
TRACKPAD
It is not the best trackpad, but because it uses Windows Precision drivers, it's still one of the better experiences for a Windows laptop.
PERFORMANCE
With a quad core 8th Gen i7 and 8 GB of RAM, there were no problems with day to day use (unless if you keep the laptop on battery saving mode which tries to keep the speeds at a minimum).
At full performance mode, we feel the fans kick in early quite often, but is not much of a problem so far. It's good to know that Samsung software was designed to prevent any of the internal parts from overheating or melting (something that's happened to our old HP laptop).
CONNECTIVITY
We haven't had any issues with WiFi or Bluetooth so far, and have fully adapted to using USB c for everything. The laptop comes with 3 USB c ports, 2 of which are compatible with Thunderbolt. It is nice to be able to use just one charger and cable for both the laptop and the smartphone. We can even use our Power Bank when we are in a pinch!
BATTERY
This has been the main reason for the upgrade, and we are probably able to get about 8 hours of use without being plugged in. Your mileage will definitely depend on how you use the laptop, but for basic day-to-day use (browsing the internet, streaming videos, making documents), the laptop is more than capable.
CONCLUSION
Overall, we have been very happy with this laptop, and while it is too soon to tell, we feel confident enough to say that this will last us at least another 8 years. Highly recommended!