Netbooks have all but disappeared from store shelves, but
one or two manufacturers, such as Samsung, have refused to give up on them. Its
305U1A uses an AMD Fusion APU inside its diminutive 11.6in chassis.
Samsung 305U1A
With a height of 25mm, the 305U1A is thicker than an
Ultrabook. It’s also heavier, although at 1.2kg it's still incredibly portable.
You'll need to keep the power adaptor nearby, though, because it lasted only
four hours in our light-usage test, despite the low-voltage AMD E-350
processor. This is a dual-core chip running at 1.6GHz, but it can’t increase
its clock speed using Turbo Core. It struggled in our multimedia benchmarks,
even though it has 4GB of RAM, with an overall score of 13.
Graphics performance is also disappointing. Despite
supporting DirectX 11, the integrated HD6310 GPU isn't equipped to play modern
games at high detail settings. Our Dirt 3 test struggled along with a barely
playable 12.1fps, so you'll either have to lower your expectations in terms of
resolution or stick to older titles. It’s capable of playing HD video, however,
so you’ll be able to watch 720p content on the laptop or connect an external
display for 1080p playback.
The display is basic, although the 1,366x768 resolution is
an improvement over most 1 lin screens. Colors are vivid at maximum brightness,
but anything lower and they start to appear washed out. There’s limited screen
tilt and viewing angles are average, although the matt finish helps to diffuse
light reflections.
Connectivity
includes three USB ports, a full-size Ethernet port, a multiformat card reader
and a combined headphone and microphone jack.
The very short wrist rest makes typing uncomfortable; we
couldn’t type at speed unless we held our hands above the keyboard. Smaller
hands may not suffer as much, but the small keys will still make you feel a
little cramped. The keys are fairly bouncy and responsive, however.
The touchpad is less problematic thanks to its 16:9 foot
print, which matches the screen. It still feels a little small, but it’s
responsive on the Windows desktop and the smooth plastic surface creates very
little friction. It supports multitouch gestures, but it starts to feel a
little cramped when you have two or more fingers on the touchpad. The very
small buttons beneath don’t have a lot of tactile feedback, and the dead zone
in its center gives away some noticeable flex in the keyboard tray.
Connectivity includes three USB ports, a full-size Ethernet
port, a multiformat card reader and a combined headphone and microphone jack.
None of the USB ports supports the faster USB3 standard, however.
If your budget
will stretch a little further, HP’s fantastic Pavilion DV6 costs only around
£45 more and is much better value.
Considering it costs $13 more than the Asus X53Z a 15in
laptop with significantly greater performance and battery life - it’s difficult
to recommend the 305U1A. Even if you need something portable, its poor battery
life means you won’t be able to go far without a charger, and its performance
is below average. If your budget will stretch a little further, HP’s fantastic
Pavilion DV6 costs only around £45 more and is much better value.
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Info
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Price
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$479
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From
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www.misco.co.uk
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Details
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www.samsung.co.uk
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Summary
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Verdict
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The 305U1A is an extremely compact laptop, but you can get
better performance and battery life elsewhere
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Ultra-portable laptop
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AMD E-350,4GB RAM, 320GB disk, AMD Radeon HD 6310
graphics, 11.6in widescreen LCD, 1.2kg
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