Looking for a work-centric budget laptop from a well-known manufacturer? Machines from Samsung’s R-series typically fit the bill, including the recently released 15.6-inch R522.
Overall build quality is impressive, with the hardwearing plastic case looking durable enough to withstand daily rigors. High-gloss outer lid, as with the rest of the R-series models we’ve seen, attracts fingerprints like there was no tomorrow.
The display sports a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution. Brightness is good, although the “budget” affectations certainly rear its ugly head on the display, with noticeably lacking image quality. If gorgeous pictures aren’t a big part of your concern, though (and folks on the hunt for budget machines typically aren’t), it shouldn’t be that big a deal.
Large square keys with raised centers ensure that typing is a comfortable experience. If you like noisy typing (I personally do), you’ll enjoy the sound of the keys. Otherwise, it will irritate you to no end. The touchpad, sporting the same 16:9 aspect ratio as the display, is very impressive and precise. If someone can come up with a netbook with touchpad controls this good, I’ll finally buy a netbook.
This budget portable is intended for office functions. As such, it comes with an integrated graphics card, paired with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T6400 and 4GB of memory. It can play media, although don’t expect anything special. Don’t even bother with games. For processing intensive business-type applications, though, it should meet all requirements without hitch.
One major point of concern is connectivity. For a new machine, it’s odd to find it using older Wi-Fi 802.11g standards, with no support for 802.11n. There’s also no Bluetooth. It does come with gigabit ethernet, along with three USB slots and an eSATA port.
A capable work laptop, the Samsung R522 is a great choice for those looking to restrict their hardware spending. If your needs are modest (no multimedia hankering and gaming fixation), you’ll be fine.
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