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The Samsung Series 5 Ultra 530U3B offers excellent value for money, and if you're looking for an Ultrabook on a budget, this is well worth considering.
It's neither the most powerful nor the most stylish looking Ultrabook we've seen, but the usability of the keyboard and touchpad, along with the connectivity, are definite plus points.
We liked
The benefit of 500GB of storage space on a laptop as thin and light as the Samsung Series 5 Ultra 530U3B is not to be sniffed at, even with the availability of both external and cloud storage. It's a definite plus in our book, as is the excellent keyboard/touchpad combination.
Usability is something we've come to expect from Samsung after testing many of its laptops, and it's certainly the highlight here.
However, the strongest argument in favour of the Samsung Series 5 Ultra is its value for money - at a shade under £800/$900, this is an exceptional deal.
We disliked
Unfortunately there's little to make the Samsung Series 5 Ultra 530U3B really stand out from the Ultrabook crowd. The design didn't reach out and grab our wandering eyeballs the same way the Asus Zenbook, HP Envy Spectre and Apple MacBook Air did, and although the chassis looks thin, it's thicker than other available Ultrabooks.
We also felt that the performance and battery life were weaker than they could have been. Overall, we prefer the Samsung Series 9.
Final verdict
Samsung has produced a well-rounded and affordable Ultrabook in the Series 5 Ultra 530U3B.
Thanks to a spacious keyboard, comfortable touchpad and anti-glare screen, this would suit anyone looking for a mobile workhorse.
The inclusion of a 500GB hard disk drive is something we haven't seen in an Ultrabook yet, and impressively, Samsung has managed to keep the weight down to 1.8kg.
Lastly, although power and battery life are sacrificed, the price-point of the Series 5 Ultrabook is particularly attractive and gives this machine a real chance against its better styled and more powerful rivals.
