Samsung SF310 review
Apart from the underpowered graphics card and average screen, the SF310 a great all-rounder thanks to a long-lasting battery, decent performance and an excellent design.
Specifications
15.6 in 1,366×768 display, 2.5kg, 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-370M, 3.00GB RAM, 320GB disk, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
The keyboard has large, isolated keys that have great tactile feedback. Even key spacing made typing easy, and very few function or punctuation keys have been slimmed down to fit. Dedicated shortcut keys for volume and WiFi are conveniently placed at the top of the keyboard tray, but otherwise the entire layout is very minimal. The touchpad and buttons are combined into a single unit, which looks great but isn’t particularly easy to use. Because the entire touchpad acts as a giant button, accidental clicks were very common. There isn’t a raised edge to make it obvious where the buttons are, so it’s also very easy to scroll without meaning to.
The brushed metal-effect wrist rest and contrasting white body look great, particularly against the black keyboard tray. A flip-down cover hides two USB ports, one of which can charge your devices after the laptop is turned off, as well as an HDMI port. The audio, VGA and network ports are all uncovered. It would also make more sense if the single uncovered USB port on the other side was the sleep and charge socket, as you wouldn’t need to open the cover quite so much.
The SF310 might be slightly larger than other 13.3in laptops to accommodate the unique styling, but it’s still a portable machine with a great deal of performance. At a little over 2kg it’s light enough to take on the move, and has enough battery life to last almost all day. Aside from an average display, it’s a decent machine with looks that are sure to turn heads.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | *** |
Processor | Intel Core i3-370M |
Processor clock speed | 2.4GHz |
Memory | 3.00GB |
Memory slots | 2 |
Memory slots free | 0 |
Maximum memory | 8GB |
Size | 30x371x256mm |
Weight | 2.5kg |
Sound | Realtek High Definition Audio |
Pointing device | touchpad |
Display | |
Viewable size | 15.6 in |
Native resolution | 1,366×768 |
Graphics Processor | Nvidia GeForce 330M |
Graphics/video ports | VGA, HDMI |
Graphics Memory | 1,024MB |
Storage | |
Total storage capacity | 320GB |
Optical drive type | DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Ports and Expansion | |
USB ports | 4 |
Bluetooth | yes |
Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
Wireless networking support | 802.11b/g/n |
PC Card slots | none |
Supported memory cards | SD, SDHC, MMC |
Other ports | eSATA (shared with USB socket), minijack audio output, minijack microphone input |
Miscellaneous | |
Carrying case | No |
Operating system | Windows 7 Professional 64-bit |
Operating system restore option | backup and recovery software |
Software included | CyberLink DVD Suite |
Optional extras | £80 |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year collect and return |
Price | £722 |
Details | www.samsung.co.uk |
Supplier | http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk |