Few laptops challenge Apple in the style stakes, but the Samsung R780 gives it a go. With its dark red “Touch of Colour” gradients and swirling pattern finish, it leaps out among the crowd. Even without the styling, it’s a laptop that’s hard to miss, given its 17.3in screen.
You may have already noticed the price, which looks low for such a monster, but there are reasons. For a start, that screen isn’t Full HD, with Samsung opting for a less costly 1,600 x 900 resolution. That lessens the appeal of the included Blu-ray drive – you’ll be limited to 720p playback – but it isn’t a huge issue, as colours are gorgeous, contrast is good and the LED backlight is even and bright.
That large chassis comes with an equally large keyboard, stretching virtually from edge to edge. The Scrabble-tile design keeps the keys consistent in size, and the firm backing and light travel make it comfortable to use. We’re not wholly convinced by the trackpad, with a mottled coating that doesn’t like greasy fingers, but four tiny corner LEDs signal its position in the dark, and the buttons are responsive.
The other main reason for the low price is the choice of processor. On paper, you might expect the dual-core Core i5-430M in the R780 to perform worse than all but the Core 2 Duo parts. However, once again Intel’s Turbo Boost technology made a big difference in practice: it managed a decent 1.55 in our benchmarks, even edging older Core i7s in laptops such as the Sony VAIO F11. The Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics averaged 29fps in Crysis at Medium settings, showing solid gaming potential too.
Battery life is unspectacular, lasting 3hrs 36mins when idle and a mere hour when pushed, but the Samsung remains portable. It weighs 2.85kg despite its size, and comes with 802.11bgn wireless and a 500GB hard disk. The slight disappointment is the choice of Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit, meaning not all of that 4GB of RAM is recognised.
It may not be a true powerhouse like the Acer Aspire 8942G, but the £672 exc VAT price is far lower than you’d expect. The R780 is a joy to use, it’s more portable than it looks, and it’s streets ahead in terms of value for money.
Warranty | |
---|---|
Warranty | 1yr collect and return |
Physical specifications | |
Dimensions | 411 x 273 x 40mm (WDH) |
Weight | 2.850kg |
Travelling weight | 3.3kg |
Processor and memory | |
Processor | Intel Core i5-430M |
Motherboard chipset | Intel HM55 Express |
RAM capacity | 4.00GB |
Memory type | DDR3 |
SODIMM sockets free | 0 |
SODIMM sockets total | 2 |
Screen and video | |
Screen size | 17.3in |
Resolution screen horizontal | 1,600 |
Resolution screen vertical | 900 |
Resolution | 1600 x 900 |
Graphics chipset | Nvidia GeForce GT 330M |
Graphics card RAM | 1.00GB |
VGA (D-SUB) outputs | 1 |
HDMI outputs | 1 |
S-Video outputs | 0 |
DVI-I outputs | 0 |
DVI-D outputs | 0 |
DisplayPort outputs | 0 |
Drives | |
Capacity | 500GB |
Hard disk usable capacity | 466GB |
Spindle speed | 5,400RPM |
Internal disk interface | SATA/300 |
Hard disk | Toshiba MK5055GSX |
Optical disc technology | Blu-ray reader |
Optical drive | TSST TS-LB23A |
Battery capacity | 4,400mAh |
Replacement battery price inc VAT | £0 |
Networking | |
Wired adapter speed | 1,000Mbits/sec |
802.11a support | no |
802.11b support | yes |
802.11g support | yes |
802.11 draft-n support | yes |
Integrated 3G adapter | no |
Bluetooth support | yes |
Other Features | |
Wireless hardware on/off switch | no |
Wireless key-combination switch | yes |
Modem | no |
ExpressCard34 slots | 1 |
ExpressCard54 slots | 0 |
PC Card slots | 0 |
USB ports (downstream) | 4 |
FireWire ports | 0 |
eSATA ports | 1 |
PS/2 mouse port | no |
9-pin serial ports | 0 |
Parallel ports | 0 |
Optical S/PDIF audio output ports | 0 |
Electrical S/PDIF audio ports | 0 |
3.5mm audio jacks | 2 |
SD card reader | yes |
Memory Stick reader | no |
MMC (multimedia card) reader | yes |
Smart Media reader | no |
Compact Flash reader | no |
xD-card reader | no |
Pointing device type | Multitouch touchpad |
Audio chipset | Realtek HD Audio |
Speaker location | Base |
Hardware volume control? | no |
Integrated microphone? | yes |
Integrated webcam? | yes |
Camera megapixel rating | 1.3mp |
TPM | no |
Fingerprint reader | no |
Smartcard reader | no |
Carry case | no |
Battery and performance tests | |
Battery life, light use | 3hr 36min |
Battery life, heavy use | 1hr 0min |
Overall application benchmark score | 1.55 |
Office application benchmark score | 1.39 |
2D graphics application benchmark score | 1.60 |
Encoding application benchmark score | 1.38 |
Multitasking application benchmark score | 1.84 |
3D performance (crysis) low settings | 71fps |
3D performance setting | Low |
Operating system and software | |
Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit |
OS family | Windows 7 |
Recovery method | Recovery partition, burn own recovery discs |
Software supplied | None |
Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.