SAMSUNG Series 9 NP900X3C-A04US 13" Ultrabook

Pros: This really is a beautiful machine. The chassis build quality is solid. It's among the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market. The screen is brighter than any other laptop I evaluated - and, in its class, it has a higher screen resolution than everything but the Sony Vaio.

Cons: I had read that Samsung had bad support before I bought this, but thought: I'm technically minded, that's not the end of the world. Whoops!

The laptop came with a loose Control key (the plastic connector was broken). Just trying to open a support request was an ordeal, due to multiple bugs on Samsung's website. I finally gave up on submitting a request online, and called.

My only option? Send the entire laptop to Texas so they can evaluate the damage. That would take 2+ weeks, plus shipping costs - all for a $2 key that can easily be repaired by the owner.

After an hour or two and multiple escalations I got to their business support, who agreed to send me a new key. I never received the key, however.

Be warned.

Other Thoughts: I had a MacBook Air before this. There have been a lot of attempts by PC manufacturers to compete with the MacBook Air, but the Samsung Series 9 is the first one I've seen the matches the design and build quality while not blatantly attempting to copy Apple's design (ironic, since we're talking about Samsung).

That said, while my MacBook Air had to go into the shop five times (it was a first generation machine), it was always a painless process. Only once did they have to send it away - and even then, it was back within a week. And that was a month after my AppleCare expired, and they didn't charge me a dime to replace the logic board and chassis (essentially, a brand new laptop at that point).

It's a shame. Samsung should have a real competitor here. But on hindsight, as much as I like this machine, I wish I'd RMA'ed my Samsung and bought another MacBook Air just for the support.