Samsung R560 15.4in Notebook

'Its most significant competitor, however, is Medion's Akoya S5610'
That is incorrect because Medion have a newer laptop out.
Instead of choosing the samsung r560, i chose the better specced and cheaper Medion P6612.
AT £580, with a newer 16" screen,p7350 processor,320gb hard disk,4gb ram,dvb-t tv tuner,blue tooth 2.0, wireless n, 3 usb, 1 esata/usb, 1 hdmi, laptop bag, usb mouse, 32 and 64 bit recovery cds, AND 3 years warranty.
Beat that !

That Medion offering does sound like good value but their brand is not very strong.. will they be trading in 3 years time?? That warranty will be worthless if they went under!

Personally, Id rather spend a bit more buying a product from an established brand with a proven track record of service, support, quality and reliability. The Samsung notebook may seem a little pricey at first glance but looking at the total cost of ownership, it is a much better proposition.

Also be wary of how they Medion can offer a notebook at such a low price.. what type of RAM are they using, what speed and make Hard disk, what panel etc.. the Samsung got a 9 for performance and the Medion Akoya S5610 only got 7.. I think that gives us a clue as to which notebook is better.

I still wouldn't feel completely comfortable buying a medion.. even if they are big in Germany.

Im surprised on how they can be fitting quality 3rd party parts to a low cost laptop, unless of course the strength of the Euro has something to do with it.?

TL1210 - Your choice my friend.
Medion are a german company, but sell their machines in USA, Australia, and all over Europe.
FYI this is my 4th Medion machine in 8 years - all have been excellent value and all are still in good working order (one at my mums, and 2 at work).
Also, there is an excellent independant aldi/medion support site set up by enthusiasts, where there are some knowledgable people who will help to sort out any problems you may have.
I think the inclision of a 3 year waranty on all their pcs sold through Aldi, should indicate to potential buyers, how confident Medion are about their machines :0)

Just a couple of comments. Firstly, although a number-pad on a notebook might be advantageous for some, a major down-side is that when typing, one's hands are permanently off-centre & positioned toward the left side of the screen. Secondly, from what I gather, the main advantage of using DDR3 memory (aside from the negligible speed increase) in a notebook is the lower operating voltage, which has a consequential effect on battery life.

Medion are sold out of 6612s.....