Samsung X520: Review

Samsung X520

Welcome to Samsung’s mobile notebook – the new slimline and travel-light X-Series

Samsung‘s expanding selection of notebooks now includes the X-Series – a range of ultra-mobile notebooks, complementing the company‘s other existing genres: professional, entertainment and style-conscious. Ultra is the operative word for the X-Series, closely followed by such terms as ‘portable‘, ‘lightweight‘ and ‘slim‘. The X520 is at the top of the stack. When the aesthetic qualities – which are certainly worth a mention – rub off, you have a notebook that’s been designed for the demands of the everyday user, not for those of the demanding digital artist.

Significant aspects of the notebook’s build include a nine-hour battery life, one HDMI connection, three USB 2.0 ports and a 3-in-1 memory card reader for quickly connecting to the notebook’s hard drive, allowing you to download freshly shot images. Its many qualities make it travel-friendly, weighing in at just over 2kg. It has a thickness of 32.4mm when it’s completely closed, and you’re not going to find any problems transporting the notebook about with you. Which is exactly what this notebook is designed to do – give you computing on the move. While the notebook comes through strong in aesthetics and portability, it does lack in processing power as a result. The notebook comes loaded with Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel GMA (Graphics Media Accelerator) 4500HD processors.

Performance: The X520 has a GMA (Graphics Media Accelerator) 4500HD and a Dual Core 2 Duo processor for distributing content over two hard drives

The Samsung website promises ‘enhanced performance’ and an ability to handle demanding software. However, when attempting to use programs such as 3D-editing applications alongside Photoshop, the notebook struggles to maintain a fluid performance. Running Photoshop on its own, even, causes the notebook to lag. For example, the Brush tool should perform with natural movements, but instead they stutter and paint gets left behind. Similarly, working with Photoshop’s Liquify filter to bend and reshape objects, applying a complex and intensive Liquify to your project slows down the notebook’s performance and lengthens the rendering times. One way we could increase its reaction times was by increasing the memory usage of RAM using Photoshop’s Preferences. We were able to use more of the 1.6GB RAM available to give Photoshop the full attention from the notebook’s processor. This speeds up features such as the Brush tool and applying filters, and it allows you to paint with a fluidity that is bearable.

The notebook has a 15.6-inch LED display in HD resolution, and has superb brightness that is a visual advantage when playing video and displaying imagery. The silver trim around the edge tops-off the overall visual appeal of the notebook and its Touchpad has a smart matte-black finish that is sensitive to every flick and tap. The build quality is good too, and aims to resist knocks and bumps as you’re travelling. The outer casing is solidly built, and the notebook’s ultra-thin dimensions are very attractive traits for the more visually inclined. This all adds up to a package that is attractive for use as an entertainment device when travelling, for catching up with admin tasks on the move and for presenting portfolios to potential clients with that impressive screen. If you want the power to run demanding  software programs, like Photoshop, effectively then take a look at the brand’s Professional range instead.

slimline design: Lightweight and ultra-thin best describes the appearance of the X520, saving weight on your hand luggage as you travelslimline design: Lightweight and ultra-thin best describes the appearance of the X520, saving weight on your hand luggage as you travel

If you have high image-editing requirements for a portable computer, then this isn’t for you. The slow processor makes a struggle out of the simplest of tasks in Photoshop, but by boosting the performance preferences we were able to focus more of its power to Photoshop. For a notebook of its price we would like a faster performing processor nonetheless.  As it stands, the X520 is top of its series, especially for portability and looks, though it underperforms in key creative areas and power. Use it for working on the move and for showcasing work, and it is certainly an accomplished HD outing.

www.samsung.com