Fujitsu Lifebook P3110 review

Fujitsu is better known for its business products, so the Lifebook P3110 came as something of a surprise. The glossy, sparkly lid with chrome piping around the edge looks quite attractive, and the rounded edges of the case make it more stylish than most business designs. Its 30x285x209mm dimensions and 1.5kg weight make it eminently portable and, thanks to an Intel CULV processor, it lasted over seven hours in our light usage battery test.

As with most ultra-portables, some sacrifices have been made to achieve its size, weight and battery life. There’s no optical drive, for starters, and there are fewer expansion ports than you’d expect on a larger laptop. There are only three USB ports, no FireWire or eSATA ports, and a single VGA video output, even though the onboard graphics chip is capable of playing HD quality video.

Thankfully, there’s still a memory card reader, and a 320GB hard disk provides reasonable storage. While the processor is slower than its higher-voltage cousins, the P3110 still managed respectable scores in our benchmark tests, and felt snappy in everyday use.

The screen has a glossy finish that gives colours more punch, but the downside is that in rooms with bright overhead lights, you’ll struggle to find an angle at which the reflections don’t spoil the picture. This isn’t helped by the fact that the screen’s vertical viewing angle is rather tight, meaning that you’ll have to adjust it carefully to find a good picture. When you do, you’ll find that it’s quite cold, with a blue cast that dulls flesh tones. Still, the 1,366×768 resolution doesn’t feel cramped, and office documents looked sharp and clear. The onboard graphics aren’t capable playing modern 3D games, but HD video on YouTube or 1080p home videos played with no hitches.

The keyboard uses the entire width of the case, and has a fairly standard layout, with a double-height Enter key and the Control key in the bottom-left corner. The keys have flat tops but a small cutaway on each side means there’s a gap between them, reducing mishits, and they have a light but crisp action that gives plenty of feedback. The touchpad is a disappointment however: it’s far too small, and the single see-saw button is stiff and has no give near the middle, so you have to press right on the end.

At this price, the P3110 seems to offer great battery life in a portable, stylish package, but the display and the touchpad let it down. The Sony Vaio Y11M1E/S may cost almost £50 more, but it has a larger screen, an 11-hour battery life, and a more comfortable touchpad. In addition, it has a FireWire port, an ExpressCard slot and a built-in 3G modem, and so is better value for money.