Asus N55SF review

The industry may be looking to Intel’s Ultrabook concept as the way forward, but Asus’s newest offering shows it’s still possible to inject some novelty into larger laptops. The N55SF takes a 15.6in display and some seriously beefy components, and adds Bang & Olufsen speakers and an external subwoofer.

Visually, the N55SF is a classy affair. It breezes into view with a glossy black lid encompassed by a thick strip of chrome, and the chassis tapers to a delicate curve around its edges. The two-tone black and silver interior looks great, too.

There’s no mistaking the all-plastic construction, though. Next to HP’s Envy laptops or Apple’s MacBooks, all hewn from slabs of metal, the N55SF feels a bit ordinary. It’s only once you spend some time prodding and poking at it that the quality of the build shines through. The thick lid gives the display plenty of protection, and there’s only the slightest whimper from the base when you twist it viciously from side to side. The flipside to such solidity is weight: at 2.79kg it isn’t ideal for the daily commute.

But this isn’t a laptop with travel on its mind; it’s an entertainment laptop through and through. The Bang & Olufsen ICEpower speakers deliver far more clarity than most laptops, and the Asus SonicMaster software makes it quick and easy to tweak playback for music, movies and games. The real novelty is the separate subwoofer, a little accessory that plugs into the Asus’ side. The results are impressive. There’s still no semblance of real, ground-shaking sub-bass, but the extra speaker makes its presence heard, adding more depth and fullness to the sound.

That sonic performance is matched by a fine display. The 1,600 x 900 resolution is a welcome surprise – we’re used to 1,366 x 768 displays on today’s 15.6in laptops – and the matte finish does its bit to keep reflections and glare at bay. A measured contrast ratio of 550:1 and maximum brightness of 281cd/m[sup]2[/sup] see the Asus deliver bright whites and inky blacks, and while the low gamma of 1.9 leaves images looking a tad pale, it’s nothing we couldn’t learn to live with.