Confused is understandable when reading "reviews." Bear some points in mind when reading reviews on vendor sites. Every line of every manufactured product is going to have some lemons that get past quality control as well as some (particularly with electronics) that are going to fail early in use. That's what warranties and post-sale support are supposed to be for. There is nothing like bad support to turn a disappointed customer into a raging internet crusader. The corollary is that the more expensive the appliance, the angrier and more vociferous the customer will be. Viking being the poster-brand for how that works. The rap on Samsung has been poor warranty and customer support. Jakvis here has noted that Samsung seems to have improved parts availability of late, but there still seem to be frequent complaints about warranty service.

That is where extended warranties come in to play. You have to read them carefully and thoroughly. Some provide excellent coverage. I'm thinking, for example, of Miele's warranty on its induction range -- it provides a complete replacement, covers all parts and labor, and even covers electrical surge damage. Others provide lesser or even illusory coverage where maybe you get store credits and some kind of discount on a replacement range. (Before you get excited about the Miele, you may want to know that the is priced at $7k in the US and about 15% higher in Canada.)

Another corollary is what 3katz4me said about skepticism on the long term reliability/durability of appliances with extensive electronics. If I were going to buy an induction range now, I find 3katz's analysis pretty persuasive, but a couple of points bear more discussion.

First thing is, for me, one of the most attractive features of the Elux is the fine control of lower level heat. The Samsung slide-in models have only ten burner heat settings with no half step adjustments. The Elux has quarter-step adjustments at the low end and half step adjustments in the mid range. That is a big deal for my cooking because of the simmering and pressure cooking that I do. Also a biggish deal with griddles. As others here have often pointed out (plllog for one), one whole step may be too low for your pancakes on the griddle while the next step is too high. Not everybody cooks that way, of course, and some folks are perfectly pleased with ten power settings. If interested, you can see those postings in the threads about the Kitchenaid and JennAir slide-in induction ranges (ten steps) and the Miele slide-in induction range (12 steps.)

Second, the slide-in style is more than a matter of appearance for me. Some folks are indifferent when it comes to control locations I have a very strong preference for having the controls down front. I hate reaching over and around pans to get to the burner and oven controls. That is personal preference, but something to consider. As a practical matter, every stove design represents trade-offs between engineering compromises, design choices and budget. Sometimes, to get one thing you have to give up something else. For example, I have a strong preference for front-mounted rotary digital control interfaces (i.e., knob controls for burners) but all the current knob-controlled induction ranges in North American have only ten power steps. Except for: (a) Viking which is supposed to have potentiometer-style knob control which I would like a lot but not enough to pay $9k for a stove; (b) the $7k Miele which has 12 settings; and (c) the sub-$1500 Frigidaire, which has 19 settings. Always trade-offs.

Here's another example of trade-offs. The Samsung induction slide-in models have the oven vent is at the front of the stove below the oven control panel. Other stoves do this, too, such as the much less expensive Frigidaire Gallery induction slide-in which has this front-venting, too. But here is a point. That Frigidaire (FGIS3065, IIRC) is often sold for less than $1500. If I were currently shopping for an induction range, I might find the front venting oven tolerable on the $1500 range when I would not do when looking at ranges that $2500 and up.

Comparing that Frigidaire slide-in to its freestanding stablemate from Electrolux (they being the same company), I might find I prefer to save $300 to 400 for the Frigidaire slide-in with its front-mounted controls (and knobs for the burners) over the $1800 Electrolux freestanding range. OTOH, I might prefer the Electrolux for its more granular power settings (¼ steps on the Elux versus ½ steps on the Frigidiare), its larger oven with more features, and a burner lay-out that I like better. You see how this works?

That brings me to your question about possible alternatives to the Samsung. In turn, that leads me to ask about budget. I ask because because there are two Samsung induction slide-in models. One is the roughly $3k Chef Collection model (NE58H, I think) with the dividable oven. The other is the less expensive standard oven version (NE58K, I think) which seems to run (IIRC) between $2200 and $2500 depending on when and from whom you buy it

If you are on the higher end of that budget range, I would suggest looking at the Bosch slide-in induction, HIIP054u. It's oven vents to the rear, it has decent interim step settings for the burners, there are timer controls for each burner, and it's oven has a full-power third heating element for convection, and its burner arrangement seems to allow for three largish pots at a time.. The trade-offs are that the oven is smaller (just under 5 cu. ft), the burner controls are on the cooktop, and not everybody likes the incrementing tapping style of raising and lowering power settings. If you can wait a month or so, Bosch is about to release a new version (apparently called the HIIP055u). There is also the new LG induction slide-in, the LSE4617, which used to be $3600 but now seems on offer for a bit under $3k. Similar to the Samsung with 10-step knob controls but has a rear venting oven. The oven is just a skoonch larger than the Bosch's (and the one in Elux's slide in, too -- a stove I've left out for budgetary reasons --- IIRC, it is being priced over $3500). The oven is about 15% smaller than on the Samsung slides-ins. Fairly new, so not much of a track record, good or bad. In the past, LG, like Samsung, has had complaints about post-sale customer service and support.

If it matters to you, the Bosch has countertop-overhangs (like the Samsung slide-in) while the LG apparently does not.

In the middle, between the two Samung models, is the KitchenAid/JennAir slide-in from Whirlpool. The KA and JA differ in cosmetics. Neither have countertop overhangs. They have larger ovens than the Samsung, vent to the rear, and a control pad in the cooktop surface. Like the Samsung, only ten burner power settings. Unlike the Bosch, the controls are touch sliders rather than incremental tapping. There are several threads on these models with most folks happy with their purchases so far. If interested, you can skip the first 2/3 of the longest thread here because it is about waiting for the model to be released. Only the last third of the thread has reports from users now that the ranges are on the market.

The other slide-in in this price range is the GE PHS920. I'm not saying much about it because it has a large market share and there have been lots of detailed discussions about it here if you want to research opinions and experiences.