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Samsung Series 3 NP355V5C review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £571
inc VAT

Samsung proves mobile gaming is possible on a budget, even if desktop performance isn’t quite so impressive

We’ve seen Series 3 laptops before, but only with Intel hardware inside. The NP355V5C is the first one with AMD components, and Samsung seems to have chosen wisely. The A10-4600M is currently AMD’s most powerful Trinity mobile APU, and it’s been paired with dedicated graphics for both desktop and 3D performance.

Samsung Series 3 NP355V5C

From the outside, there’s little difference between this Samsung Series 3 and others we’ve seen before. The silver metallic finish looks sleek, even if the plastic construction isn’t particularly luxurious. It weighs 2.5kg and is 30mm thick, so it’s about average for a 15in laptop and you’ll be able to carry it without too much strain.

At the sides, you get two USB ports, two faster USB3 ports, HDMI and VGA video outputs, twin 3.5mm audio jacks, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a DVD re-writer. There’s also a multiformat card reader at the front, too. This laptop gives you plenty of connectivity.

Samsung Series 3 NP355V5C

Samsung has managed to squeeze in a numeric keypad by shrinking the keys slightly, but the QWERTY keys are full size, which meant we didn’t find typing too troublesome. The keys themselves are springy with plenty of travel, which should suit most people, and we can’t bemoan the lack of a keyboard backlight considering the price of the laptop.

The spacious touchpad is a great match for the 15.6in display. It uses the same aspect ratio and is made from smooth plastic that lets your fingers glide across its surface. There’s more than enough room to cover the entire desktop in one swipe, and multitouch gestures were always recognised accurately. The touchpad buttons beneath it are chunky and responsive, making audible clicks each time you push one in so you’re always sure they have registered.

Samsung Series 3 NP355V5C

Samsung has fitted a pair of stereo speakers above the keyboard tray, but they’re best described as functional. The mid-range is clear, but the high-end sounds sharp and there isn’t much bass, and we still recommend headphones for anything more involving than the average YouTube video.

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Basic Specifications

Rating****
ProcessorAMD A10-4600M
Processor clock speed2.3GHz
Memory8.00GB
Memory slots2
Memory slots free0
Maximum memory8GB
Size33x373x243mm
Weight2.5kg
SoundRealtek HD Audio
Pointing devicetouchpad

Display

Viewable size15.6 in
Native resolution1,366×768
Graphics ProcessorAMD Radeon HD 7660G + 7670M
Graphics/video portsHDMI, VGA
Graphics Memory512MB

Storage

Total storage capacity1,000GB
Optical drive typeDVD+/-RW +/-DL

Ports and Expansion

USB ports4
Bluetoothyes
Wired network ports1x 10/100/1000
Wireless networking support802.11n
PC Card slotsnone
Supported memory cardsSDHC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro/Duo
Other portsminijack audio output, minijack microphone input, 2x USB3

Miscellaneous

Carrying caseNo
Operating systemWindows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Operating system restore optionrestore partition
Software includedMicrosoft Office 2010 Starter Edition
Optional extrasnone

Buying Information

Warrantyone year RTB
Price£571
Detailswww.samsung.co.uk
Supplierhttp://www.amazon.co.uk

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