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Samsung R540 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £527
inc VAT

A smart and well-built laptop, the R540 is powerful enough but lacks a dedicated graphics processor

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A glossy finish on the screen exacerbates the fussy vertical viewing angles, so you have to adjust the tilt carefully in brightly-lit rooms. It also has a slight blue cast that made images seem a bit duller than they should be, although contrast was good and overall image quality was acceptable. Sound from the internal speakers was refreshingly loud for a laptop, but as usual there was little bass.

Samsung R540

Samsung has managed to include a four-column numeric keypad to the right of the main keyboard. The flat-topped keys are large and separated from each other by a small gap which means you’re less likely to miss-hit adjoining keys. They have a light action with plenty of feedback for touch typists, and their layout is standard. The touchpad is smooth and responsive, with two separate buttons that have a comfortable, light action.

A battery life of almost four hours in our light usage test is average, and in any case the R540 weighs 2.4kg and so is too heavy to travel far. While it has the looks and build quality that we’re used to from Samsung, the current competition puts it in the shade. MSI’s CX623 may not have the R540’s looks, but its display is superior and it has all more features.

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Basic Specifications

Rating***
ProcessorIntel Core i3-370M
Processor clock speed2.4GHz
Memory4.00GB
Memory slots2
Memory slots free0
Maximum memory8GB
Size38x380x256mm
Weight2.4kg
SoundRealtek HD Audio
Pointing devicetouchpad

Display

Viewable size15.6 in
Native resolution1,366×768
Graphics ProcessorIntel GMA HD
Graphics/video portsVGA, HDMI
Graphics Memory128MB

Storage

Total storage capacity500GB
Optical drive typeDVD+/-RW +/-DL

Ports and Expansion

USB ports3
Bluetoothno
Wired network ports1x 10/100
Wireless networking support802.11b/g/n
PC Card slotsnone
Supported memory cardsSD
Other portsminijack audio output, minijack microphone input

Miscellaneous

Carrying caseNo
Operating systemWindows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Operating system restore optionbackup and recovery software
Software includedMicrosoft Office 2010 Starter
Optional extras£61

Buying Information

Warrantyone year RTB
Price£527
Detailswww.samsung.com/uk
Supplierhttp://www.amazon.co.uk

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