Samsung Embarks On 'Odyssey' With Its First Gaming Laptops
Samsung seems to have its fingers in everything. From memory to storage to tablets to smartphones, the company has a broad catalog of products. Now, Samsung has announced that it has thrown its hat into the gaming laptop ring.
The new Samsung Notebook Odyssey laptops will come in 17.3- and 15.6-inch varieties, and both will be configurable with up to a 45W Intel 7th generation (Kaby Lake) Core i7 processor. Although Samsung wasn’t specific with its CPU model offerings for the Odyssey notebooks, we can conclude from the reported power ceiling that it will likely be the Intel Core i7-7700HQ.
Memory and graphics options for the two Odyssey laptops are also different, with the 15.6-inch model offering up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a GTX 1050. The 17.3-inch model features up to 64GB of RAM, and the graphics options are notably marked “TBD” on the company’s website. However, both models feature a 1920 x 1080 anti-glare display.
Storage options also vary between the two notebooks, with the 17.3- and 15.6-inch models offering up to 512GB PCIe SSDs with a 1TB HDD and up to 256GB PCIe SSDs with 1TB HDDs, respectively. The larger version also offers triple storage configurations with two SSDs and a HDD, whereas the smaller (15.6-inch) model offers only dual drive setups (one SSD, one HDD).
Both of the Odyssey laptops feature an LED-backlit keyboard, but the 17.3-inch model offers RGB colors and per-key lighting. Additionally, the 17.3-inch Odyssey features volcano keycaps, whereas the smaller model sports crater keycaps.
Clearly, the larger Odyssey is meant to be the flagship model, with more robust storage, memory, and features, which includes Thunderbolt 3 support. The 15.6-inch version doesn’t offer the USB Type-C interface.
Pricing and availability for the new Samsung Notebook Odyssey laptops aren’t yet known, but the announcement signifies a new player in the mobile gaming PC market. If the company’s track record in other avenues is any indication, these new notebooks are poised to make an impact.
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| Header Cell - Column 0 | Samsung Notebook Odyssey (17.3-inch) | Samsung Notebook Odyssey (15.6-inch) |
|---|---|---|
| SCREEN | 17.3-inch Full HD (1,920 X 1,080), Wide-View Angle Display, Anti-Glare Type | 15.6-inch Full HD (1,920 X 1,080), Wide-View Angle Display Anti-Glare Type |
| PROCESSOR | Up to 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor | Quad Core 45W | Up to 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor | Quad Core 45W |
| MEMORY | Up to 64GB | Up to 32GB |
| (DDR4, 4 SODIMM, Single Memory Door) | (DDR4, 2 SODIMM, Single Memory Door) | |
| STORAGE | Up to 512GB PCIE SSD + 1TB HDD | Dual SSD + HDD, Triple Storage | Up to 256GB PCIE SSD + 1TB HDD | SSD + HDD, Dual Storage |
| GRAPHICS | TBD | NVIDIA GTX1050 (40W Full PERFORMANCE) GDDR5 4GB/2GB |
| INPUT | Volcano Keycap (0.5mm) / 2.5mm stroke / Customized real RGB LED color for individual keys | WASD Key highlight / LED BACKLIT KEYBOARD / CRATER KEYCAP: CURVED KEYCAPS |
| BATTERY | 93Wh | 43Wh |
| CMF | BLACK | BLACK / WHITE |
| WEIGHT | 3.79kg | 2.53kg |
| HEIGHT | 35.6mm – 37.7mm | 24.0mm – 28.2mm |
| PORTS | Type-C (Thunderbolt3) | USB 3.0 (4EA) | HDMI | LAN | 3-in1 | HP | MIC | USB 3.0 (1EA) | USB 2.0 (2EA) | HDMI | LAN | 3-in1 | HP & Mic Combo |
Derek Forrest was a contributing freelance writer for Tom's Hardware. He covered hardware news and reviews, focusing on gaming desktops and laptops.
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daglesj Most sites reporting on these are laughing at the design and eye rolling a plenty at the garish tech and design choices on these machines. Sorry Samsung, got it wrong again it seems.Reply -
realnoize Why limit the 15.6 inch model to a GTX1050? Why not offering options? Most "gaming" laptops on offer from competitors offer at least a 1060. I'm not saying you can't game on a 1050, it's powerful enough for a decent gaming experience at 1080p, but you'd think a company wanting to get into the gaming laptop market would offer something a bit more powerful.Reply
But I feel that as with Samsung tablets and phones, while being good, it'll be overpriced because of the Samsung name.
And really, lol big time at the design. -
Jeff Fx A new Odyssey gaming system! A little different than the old one.Reply
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey -
wifiburger Reply19115751 said:Why limit the 15.6 inch model to a GTX1050? Why not offering options? Most "gaming" laptops on offer from competitors offer at least a 1060. I'm not saying you can't game on a 1050, it's powerful enough for a decent gaming experience at 1080p, but you'd think a company wanting to get into the gaming laptop market would offer something a bit more powerful.
But I feel that as with Samsung tablets and phones, while being good, it'll be overpriced because of the Samsung name.
And really, lol big time at the design.
because it's not about what you want , it's all about what discount Samsung got on those 1050 and results from market demands -
jonahkirk Samsung has made gaming laptops before. My son has a Series 7 Gamer Edition 17" beheamothReply