LONDON -- No, it's not a huge Galaxy Tab. The Ativ One 5 Style is the latest all-in-one touch-screen PC from Samsung, and it's hoping to be your TV, media center, and office. Daft name aside, it's styled like the company's Galaxy tablet range, boasts a full HD touch-enabled 21.5-inch display, and a quad-core processor.
Samsung hasn't said when the Ativ One 5 Style will be available or how much it will cost, but check back for all the latest news.
Design
From the front, the Style looks rather like a giant Galaxy Tab. Like the Tabs, it's a crisp white, glossy affair with a thick white bezel surrounding the screen. Around the edge is the same chrome-effect band Samsung uses on most of its Galaxy tablets and phones.
If you're a dedicated Samsung fan with Galaxy Tabs, Notes, and S4s lying around, it'll be right up your street. If you prefer the metal design of Apple's iPhones and MacBooks, then you probably won't be a fan -- instead, take a look at Apple's skinny new iMacs. I personally found it quite attractive. The white is somewhat overpowering, but it wouldn't look out of place on the side in your living room, rather than being hidden away in a dusty office.
It's supported by a similarly white stand that again plays host to the chrome edging. It's a solid-feeling base that didn't give much in the way of bending or flex in my brief hands-on. I'll be putting its sturdiness to the test in the full review, though. The screen can angle back slightly, but it has quite a narrow range of motion.
The back of the Style is a wide expanse of more of that glossy white plastic. Tucked into the shiny plastic are all your ports. You'll get two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an audio jack, SD card slot, an Ethernet port, and HDMI out. There's also an HDMI input, allowing you to hook up a games console or Blu-ray player, effectively using the Style as a TV.
ScreenThe touch-screen display is 21.5 inches on the diagonal and boasts a resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels -- that's full HD. It's perfectly poised to play back full HD videos from YouTube or from a connected Blu-ray player, while being sharp enough for most day-to-day computing tasks.
The Windows 8 interface seemed satisfyingly crisp with sharp edges around icons and clear text. If you really want an ocean of pixels, take a look at Samsung's newly announced Ativ Book 9 Plus -- it has a whopping 3,200x1,800-pixel resolution. The display seemed bright and bold, though, so it should be fine for videos, social networking, and other family needs.
Windows and specs
It uses the full version of Windows 8, which allows you to install any normal desktop software, rather than rely solely on what you can find in the app store. Windows 8 is getting a major upgrade soon, which Microsoft has confirmed will be available for free to existing Windows 8 users -- the Style, therefore, will be eligible to receive it.
It's running on a quad-core processor courtesy of AMD. I haven't been able to perform any of my usual benchmarking tests yet, so I'll have to leave my judgement for the review. Hopefully it packs enough juice to tackle the tasks the average family will throw at it in their living room.
Outlook
With its glossy white Galaxy Tab stylings, the Ativ One 5 Style will likely only appeal to those of you who like the rest of Samsung's product lineup. It's a fairly compact all-in-one that should sit comfortably on any surface and has enough features to keep a family or student in a dorm satisfied. Let's hope Samsung pairs it with a reasonable price tag.
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