back to article Samsung X520 notebook

With smooth, curved edges and an eye-pleasing design, the 15.6in X520 slips into Samsung’s new X-series range. There are two other X-series models: the 11.6in X120 and 14in X420. The focus is on mobility here and, as such, all feature so-called CULV - Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage - processors and integrated graphics from Intel. …

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  1. Stuart Halliday
    Grenade

    simplez...

    I'm surprised that the Register hasn't figured out this little dodge.

    You can get nine hours by switching off the internal monitor as well as all the other power consuming features!

    OK, you've got to use an external monitor but technically you can still do work and the computer is on so it counts.

    I use this method to use my netbook as a mp3 player. Lasts for ages.

  2. Tim Wolfe-Barry

    Nice review, but...

    Could you not have run the comparisom tests with the Acer Timeline 4810, or even Packard Bell Butterfly? Accepted the Acer is a 14" screen, but it's at about the same price-point and is targeting the same type of user (Mobile, extended use...) so it would be really useful to see the benchmarks for all of them together...

  3. Matt 13

    almost excited!!

    damn! and there was me hoping for a decent battery!! My UX1 on extended battery will sometimes hit 5 hours under normal use - 80%backlight, wifi, web, MSN and outlook

    and my T2300 win7 asus test laptop with a CCL 15" display is currently boasting 4:42 on the battery guage - and this machine is 3 years old!

    Id have hoped that using current, state of the art low power chippery that battery claims were based somewhere in reality! especally as mentioned the Dell and the PB can manage some quite astonishing and realistically achevable times (not running freedos from ram on an external monitor type tests!!)

    Ive seen a few machines now that ship 4gb RAM with 32bit windows! its not as if 64bit win is driverless or unsupportable like it used to be! I suppose in this case it works with the batterylife claims... heres something we will offer, but you cant use!! :)

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Err...

    But I already have a Toshiba NB200 that easily provides 9 hours...

    Mines the one without the spare batteries.

  5. TheRealRoland
    Boffin

    Comparison with Atom N280?

    What i'm interested in is the comparison with 'the best' of the N270/N280 netbooks; quotes like 'it's no speed demon' don't mean a thing.

    These machines slowly creep towards the 13 - 14 inch screen sizes, which used to be called laptops in the past....

  6. mainr
    Thumb Up

    x420

    I bought the x420 mainly for my wife for web browsing (firefox 3.5 on win 7). I had heard about the 9 hour battery and that was the deciding factor. In fact it gets around 5 hours from the battery with bluetooth switched off but using the wireless which is about the same as my nc10. The main difference between the x520 and x420 (other than the screen size) is the lack of an internal optical drive (external one powered by dual usb is provided) and numeric keypad on the x420. I have found the shiny screen to be a distraction. The laptop seems incredibly light. The lid is also very thin and flimsy so i wouldn't give the laptop to a child to use as i would be afraid of the screen getting damaged. Overall though I am very impressed.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    How much?

    and for not much short of the price of a Dell XPS, and for not much less weight, I get what exactly ?

  8. J 3
    FAIL

    Is it just me...

    ...or is this just an overpriced POS? Apart from the 500 GB hard drive, what makes it any better than a "netbook"? (assuming the large size is not a requirement, of course, in which case there are plenty of better laptops around for less money)

    @Stuart Halliday

    Well, I suppose long life battery is an attractive to travelers/mobile folks more than anyone else. I myself don't see me in an airplane or subway carrying a monitor along. Which I would have nowhere to plug into, obviously. At home? If I have to use a power outlet and video cable for the monitor, I guess using the power cable for the laptop is much less of a hassle and much more portable...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    "the battery will last a nine-hour road trip from Paris to Barcelona."

    But apparently not a nine-hour road trip from Denver to the Buffalo Gap National Grassland...

  10. John 62
    Megaphone

    This laptop is for the presbyopic

    1366x768 on a 15.6" screen should be great!

    Loud haler because otherwise they'll need a hearing aid along with their reading glasses

  11. jason 7
    Stop

    Nah.....

    ....I'll stick with my new Dell Inspiron 13z, similar spec but smaller, lighter and has a proper graphics chip in it.

    Only two niggles I have it...no HDD status light (surprised how much I miss it) and (sigh) glossy black lid.

  12. Matt 142
    Linux

    Only 9 hours?

    I just got a 12-cell batt for my acer aspire one which I've modified by adding bluetooth, touchscreen, internal usb hub, 1.5GB RAM.

    The battery life? 10.5 hours.

  13. batfastad
    Jobs Horns

    Asus 1005HA-P

    Bought an Asus EEE 1005HA-P in the US back at the start of the summer, gives me consistent 8hr battery life and weighs just over 1Kg. It did do a couple of 9hr stints but it has now dropped a bit. Oh yeah, only cost me £240 as well

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