Our Samsung R720 Review

Samsung R720

Design and Screen

Looking at the Samsung R720, we had an instant feel-good vibe. The Samsung R720 boasts an elegant design utilizing a matte black colour rather than the traditional piano black we’ve seen on Samsung models. The design looks plain, almost bare upon first look, but as we’ve examined it from different angles, we grew fond of its rounded curves and huge frame. One thing that caught our attention is the great ventilation the new design provides. While many Samsung models were prone to overheating, the Samsung R720 is relatively cool even in a summer hot room.

We couldn’t but feel awe in the presence of the R720’s screen. At 17.3 in, it is one of the biggest screens in the laptop market. The standard 16:9 widescreen mode makes the Samsung R720 ideal for watching movies without any of those annoying black bars on top. The colours are effervescent with great contrast and brightness levels. On the downside, the glossy surface can be problematic in direct sunlight, but it still fares better than many competitor laptops in the same price range. We found this laptop to be highly portable as it is one of the lightest 17-inch laptops out there making it easier to sit outdoors browsing the internet and getting a tan.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The Samsung R720’s trackpad is one of its strongest features. It starts with the trackpad’s design that utilizes a blue LED light around the edges. This outlines the sensitive trackpad area and separates it from the wrist rest spot. This is particularly great for people working at night. The LED light is automatic turning off and on for power saving when the trackpad is not being used.

The Samsung R720’s keyboard secures the wrist in a comfortable position. As our fingers typed an email away, we noticed the obvious advantage of a large-frame laptop. The keys were spaced and offered great feedback, and a unique numerical keypad was included as a bonus. This of course made the Samsung R720 a winner in the keyboard department.

Samsung R720

Performance and Battery Life

Moving on to the performance department, we had to put the Samsung R720 to our non-official multi-tasking test. This time, we decided to step up our challenge by playing an AVI movie, a huge playlist in iTunes, and running a full virus scan for our hard drives. The Pentium Dual Core Processor did not disappoint. As the virus scan progressed, video playback was still impeccable and the music didn’t overload the laptop.

Game lovers will love the Samsung R720 for its ATI Radeon graphics card. Though not top-notch, the card provides the user with the ability to run the majority of games in the market. For a laptop at such a price tag, the graphics card is a real treat.

With such performance and graphics card, we expected the Samsung R720 to be a battery monster. We were glad to find out that the power saving utilities available made it possible to run the Samsung R720 with heavy multimedia usage for an hour or two. While it is not the best in terms of battery life, it still does a great job.

The built-in connectivity for the Samsung R720 includes: Bluetooth, 4 USB ports, an HDMI port, and Wi-Fi. It competes nicely with other laptops in the market by giving the user everything he needs to stay connected.

What We Liked

We liked the Samsung R720’s large frame, superb keyboard, and graphics card for gaming.

What We Disliked

We disliked the Samsung R720’s plain design and screen performance in direct sunlight.

Our Final Verdict

The Samsung R720 is worth the price tag it currently has. Bringing a surprising balance between performance, user needs, and battery performance, the Samsung R720 is great for gaming and web browsing. If you overlook the somewhat plain design of the Samsung R720, you will have a great laptop for your home and office.

Compare Laptop Features

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	Samsung R720
General
Dimensions	41.1 x 27.2 x 3.26 cm
Processor
Processor	Intel Premium Dual Core T4300
Processor FSB	800/1066
Memory
RAM	4 GB
Storage
Hard Drive Size	320 GB
Hard Drive Type	SATA
Hard Drive Speed	5400 rpm
Optical Drive	DVD Super Multi Dual Layer
Graphics
Graphics Adaptor	ATI Mobility Radeon® HD4330
Screen Type	16:9 HD SuperBright© Gloss LED
Screen Size	17.30 in
Screen Max. Resolution	1600 x 900 pixels
Connectivity
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g
Ethernet	10/100/1000
HDMI Ports	1
Multi Card Slot	3-in-1 SD SDHC MMC
Power
Web Cam	1.3 Mega Pixel
Input
Pointing Device	Touch Pad
Software
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Premium
Cost
Typical Cost (£)	600

Samsung R720 Full Specification

General

Processor

Memory

Storage

Graphics

Connectivity

Power

Input

Software

Cost

Images of the Samsung R720

Samsung R720

Samsung R720