Samsung Series 7 Gamer (700G7A) review

In everyday use, the Series 7 Gamer was comfortable to type on when we were sat at a desk, although its large weight and size made it less than ideal for perching on your lap. The keyboard has a numeric keypad and flat keys that have plenty of bounce, with all the punctuation keys in the places we would expect. The entire keyboard tray is backlit with blue LEDs, making it easy to use in the dark. If it wasn’t already clear this was a laptop aimed at gamers, the WASD keys light up a different colour to the rest of the keyboard.

A sizable touchpad is ideally matched to the large screen, with a smooth surface that let us navigate the Windows desktop easily. We would have preferred if the buttons below it had used two physical buttons rather than a single bar, but there was at least a minimal dead zone in its centre.

Given the size of the chassis, it’s unsurprising that the Series 7 Gamer is overflowing with connectivity. Two USB3 ports, two regular USB, 3.5mm audio in and outputs, DisplayPort, VGA and HDMI video outputs and a multi-format card reader should be enough to connect all your peripherals, as well as an external monitor.

The Series 7 Gamer may cost a massive £1,399, but spec for spec it looks better value than its nearest equivalent – Alienware’s £2,000 17x. It’s an understated no-compromise laptop, and it wins an Ultimate award.