Subjective performance in games was a mixed bag. Rebooting seemed to fix the problem, so I’m still not sure why Xbox store videos initially wouldn’t work. This included content which has already been downloaded to the built-in SSD. In my first pass, every time I’d try to play back a video using the store, I’d get a Microsoft error telling me the video couldn’t be played. The Xbox Video Store, however, proved problematic. The real flaws with the XE500 didn’t really reveal themselves until I started using it as I might use any tablet: consuming content. HD video playback via a WMV HD video stored on a local area network looked good on the display.
When attached to the keyboard dock, typing and editing documents, email and similar tasks worked with no major issues. Subjectively, the Samsung XE500 proved pretty responsive in most normal web browsing. The open question is whether anyone will really notice. The ATIV generally outpaces most tablets in PCWorld’s tablet performance tests, outpacing two of the ARM based Windows RT tablets in most tests (although the Surface RT edged out the Samsung in WebVizBench.) The Samsung also traded performance wins with the iPad 3, doing better in SunSpider and WebVizBench, but lagging a bit in Peacekeeper. The 10:46 of the Apple’s 3rd generation iPad is better, but the Samsung outpaces the Surface RT (9:05) and the Asus VivoTab RT (8:20). PCWorld Labs testing yielded a battery life of 9 hours, 14 minutes. The 30Whr battery offers a claimed battery life of up to 13 hours. The processor is Intel’s Atom Z2760, which is targeted for very low power applications, like tablets. But it’s Clover Trail processor is 32-bit only, and while it’s fine for web browsing, email and light duty office chores, you’d never mistake it for a full-featured laptop. It also runs the full version of Windows 8, not the semi-crippled Windows RT that runs on Microsoft’s Surface RT. But you can still dock it to its keyboard, carry it around and use it as a standard clamshell laptop. The Smart PC’s performance as a laptop leaves a lot to be desired, but it keeps up pretty well with the current crop of ARM-based tablets, both Android and iOS. The ATIV Smart PC is really a harbinger of things to come. Users expecting a laptop may end up disappointed. Even the CPU, the Atom Z2760 (“Clover Trail”) is Intel’s attempt to take on ARM-based CPUs.
The slender tablet, just 9.9mm thin, is only three ounces heavier than an iPad. Sure, it’s got a nearly full-size keyboard, but the keyboard is included as a detachable accessory. Whether Samsung is trying to confuse buyers into thinking they’re buying a laptop, or can’t make up its mind what it is, the Samsung ATIV Smart PC is (mostly) a tablet.
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