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Battery Life
Buy new SAMSUNG NP355V5C Series Laptop Battery,11.1V 49Wh 4400mAh computer batteries
7 hours and 5 minutes - this figure represent the maximum AA-PL9NC6B battery life of the Samsung 355V5C. This time was measured with the lowest brightness and disabled wireless modules. In most cases, this test result is far from reality. More genuine results are provided by tests resembling practical use, like when surfing the web via WLAN, with a normal brightness of 150 cd/m2, or playing a DVD with the maximum brightness. In the first case we determined a battery life of 3 hours and 15 minutes. The DVD playback test on the other hand led to 2 hours and 22 minutes. While these results could still be described as good for multimedia notebooks from two years ago, figures such as these are more likely to be encountered at the bottom end of the scale of contemporary notebooks. A very positive example in this case would be the Samsung 300E5A, which can be used to surf the web for more than 6 hours via WLAN. Swapping the included 48 Wh battery for a more potent alternative is also not possible with the review device.
Case
When it comes to the build, Samsung has allowed a few considerable blunders to sneak in. The sides, for example, don't have perfectly sharp edges, and the gaps between adjacent panels are not even in some places. The resistance to pressure on the other hand is reasonably good, while only the left and right sides of the keyboard can easily be dented inwards. The palm resting area on the other hand only gives way with a lot of pressure. Another positive is the optical drive, which is firm and doesn't wobble in its slot. In many cases this is an area of criticism for notebooks in this price segment.
The display is held in place by two hinges which aren't able to prevent teetering of the display. Nevertheless, these are still too stiff to allow the display to be opened easily with one hand.
The battery is located on the bottom of the device, and is held in place by two hooks, and can be removed if required. Access to the cooling system in order to clean it is not possible with this Samsung notebook.
With all the flash behind these new designs, it's easy to overlook something such as the Samsung Series 3 NP355V5C. Intel is powering the Ultrabook boom, but we've got an AMD processor in this 15.6-inch laptop. SSDs are the hot technology, but here Samsung has swapped speed for a huge hard drive.
Its size (32 x 372 x 243mm, or 1.26 x 14.65 x 9.57 inches) and weight are fairly standard for this kind of home laptop. At 2.5kg (5.5lbs) it feels a good chunk heavier than an Ultrabook, especially something such as Samsung's own Series 9, but it it's nothing unusual for a 15.6-inch laptop.
Connectivity
From the perspective of interfaces, all the most important connectivity options for multimedia use should be included. And the new USB standard 3.0 wasn't forgotten either. An ExpressCard slot for the addition of further interfaces such as FireWire or eSATA, has been omitted. (SAMSUNG AA-PA1N90W adapters)
All the interfaces have been spread across the sides of the notebook. Whereby there are two USB ports on either side such that two Y-cables can be used. The two USB ports next to each other can however get in each other’s way if the USB sticks are too wide. In an ideal scenario, the video and LAN ports would be located at the back of the notebook in order to avoid a mess of cables on the desk. The position of the four status LEDs on the other hand is favorable, and also don't annoy the user in dark surroundings.
Keyboard
What is negative however, are the rattling keys and the vibration of the keyboard base when the keys are pressed quickly. In addition to this, the relatively soft pressure point of the keys is also an area of criticism. Due to these characteristics, the keyboard gives a spongy typing feeling.
Touchpad
The touchpad provides more than enough space even for big fingers, with its dimensions of 98 mm x 50 mm. Fingers glides easily and smoothly across the matte surface. Precise navigation using the touchpad should therefore not have any obstacles in its way, if it wasn't for the frustrating multi-touch scrolling. This only reacts about every fifth time to the input commands. In this case the response can be improved using the Synaptics software though, by enabling the side scroll strip. Another negative aspect is the very loud clicking mouse buttons which also come with short travel.
Display
The 15.6-inch display has a WXGA resolution (1366x768 pixels) and an aspect ratio of 16:9. The pixel density works out to be 100 PPI (Pixel per Inch). This is in line with some of the competition. For comparison, we have the smaller Asus Zenbook UX32VD that reaches a very high pixel density for notebooks of this size with 166 PPI. The matte display AU Optronics B156XTN02.1 houses an affordable TN panel, which is illuminated by white LEDs. A choice of other displays is not provided by Samsung for devices from its Series 3 notebooks.
Unusual for Samsung notebooks is the very low brightness of the display. Despite the prefix SuperBright, the average brightness only reaches a mediocre 207 cd/m2. The illumination distribution of 89% on the other hand stands out positively since this prevents any discrepancies from being visible. The contrast ratio of 195:1 on the other hand is too low, and can be due to the quality of the very affordable TN panel. Compared to its rivals, the contrast can however be classified as high since hardly any device in this price segment has a contrast ratio exceeding 200:1. An IPS panel cannot be expected in this price segment in any case. As a special feature Samsung has installed Movie Color Enhancer, which automatically optimizes the displayed images while playing movies.
The sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces aren't covered by our review sample. This requirement should only apply to professional use though, who need it for editing images. Compared to the competition from Dell and Medion, the display of the reviewed device is ahead in most areas.
Outdoor use with the Samsung 355V5C is only recommendable in the shade, despite the matte display surface. With direct sunlight, the brightness of the display is quickly trumped, preventing recognition of the displayed images. And also with strong shadows, due to light from behind the screen, the contents of the display are difficult to discern.
The viewing angles are also not able to make a good impression due to the TN panel. An inversion of the colors is noticeable from every angle except the ideal viewing position. Thus the display is only really perfect for someone sitting directly in front of the notebook.
Speakers
Music is emitted from the two speakers located above the keyboard below a metal mesh. The audio sounds a little thin due to the missing bass frequencies, although it is able to score points with a high volume, which additionally doesn't suffer from the usual distortion characteristics. High and low frequencies sound relatively well balanced. Using the pre-installed Easy Settings software, it is also possible to adjust the equalizer setting as preferred.
For those that have an elevated requirement in terms of audio quality, the notebook provides the usual audio output via digital and analog ports for external headphones or speakers. (SAMSUNG AA-PB9NS6B batteries)
Verdict
Those that place a high value on manufacturing quality, should take a closer look at the Acer Aspire V3-551G, although the matte display would have to be sacrificed with this choice. The Medion Akoya P6812 on the other hand also has a matte display, and also offers a high performance graphics card and Intel CPU. The downside of this option is however the increased weight and bigger dimensions. In both the case of the Medion and the Acer Aspire V3, users will also have to come to terms with sensitive shiny surfaces. Matte throughout are the Acer TravelMate 5760G and the Samsung 300E5A. In the latter case, the expectations from the graphics card would have to be curtailed however. In addition, both of these options would also imply that a USB 3.0 interface will no longer be available.
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
