An exceptional budget laptop must have one or two things that distinguish it from the rest of the competition. With the Samsung RV520-W01 ($649.99 list, at Best Buy), its the impressive battery life and wireless technologies such as WiMAX and Wireless Display 2 (WiDi2) that don't often come with 15-inch laptops in this price range. Its processing prowess isn't as powerful and its design isn't as appealing as those of the HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl ($649.99 list, 4.5 stars) or Lenovo IdeaPad V570-1066A9U (price, rating), but it's still a solid, well-equipped laptop that won't blow anyone's budget.
Design
The RV520-W01 inherits the chassis design from its predecessor, the Samsung RV511-A01 ($599.99 list, 4 stars). It's made entirely out of hard plastic, in contrast to the aluminum lids found on the HP dv6-6013cl and Lenovo V570-1066A9U. Still, it isn't as ordinary as the designs found in the Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 ($699.99 list, 4 stars) and Toshiba Satellite L655-S5161RDx ($699.99 list, 3.5 stars); the RV520-W01 sports a textured line pattern that adds depth to its silver lid. Compared with the 5.6-pound HP dv6-6013cl and 5.3-pound Toshiba L655-S5161RDx, the RV520-W01 makes a better travel companion, too, as its 5.2-pound frame is the lightest in this group.
A 15.6-inch widescreen is a wealth of screen real estate, enough to tile two applications side by side or kick back and enjoy a full-featured film?without having to sit too close. Budget laptops like this are limited to a 1,366-by-768 resolution, though. Spending extra money on the Dell XPS 15z ($1,534 direct, 4 stars) would give you to higher resolutions, like 1,920-by-1,080. The typing experience is comparable to that of the HP dv6-6013cl, since both laptops have similar chiclet-style keys and an adjacent numeric keypad. The keys on the Acer AS5742-6811 are of a similar chiclet style, but are larger and packed closer together. I'm a huge proponent of silent and soft mouse buttons, which the RV520-W01 didn't quite deliver. The softest pair of mouse buttons belongs to the Lenovo V570.
Features
Wireless Display 2 (WiDi 2.0) and WiMAX are two of the most notable features, since they're not often found in budget laptops. With WiDi 2.0, you can stream content from the RV520-W01 to a larger flat panel without the use of a physical cable, with a wireless range of up to 50 feet. This is the second iteration of Wireless Display, which means the laptop can now stream 1080p video (without choking), as well as protected content from your DVD collection. A Netgear Push2TV receiver is required and a separate purchase, though. Think of WiMAX (or 4G wireless) as a Wi-Fi connection that blankets an entire city. There are more than 60 cities that have WixMAX towers erected, including New York and San Francisco, and monthly rates are cheaper than many home DSL packages. WiDi 2.0 and WiMAX can also be found in the Lenovo V570-1066A9U.
The 640GB, 5,400rpm hard drive is larger than the 500GB one found in the HP dv6-6013cl and Toshiba L655-S5161RDx. The rest of the RV520's features are in line with its peers, including the 3 USB ports, a DVD burner, and HDMI. There's a 1.3 Megapixel webcam above the screen, and an SD slot that'll take care of most digital camera formats. In addition to WiMax and WiDi 2.0, the laptop also has Wi-Fi 802.11n built-in.
Best Buy also has an extended warranty program, which offers customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than 4 repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the laptop against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new consumer PC purchased through Best Buy.
Performance
Sandy Bridge technology comes with battery life improvements. On MobileMark 2007 battery tests, the RV520-W01 lasted 6:25, which is almost two hours longer than the SamsungRV511-A01 (4:31), even though they both use the same exact 48Wh battery (albeit different Intel technology). It also outlasted the HP dv6-6013cl (5:17), Toshiba L655-S5161RDx (5:40), and Lenovo V570 (.
Every little bit counts when the price severely limits what can be placed into a budget laptop. The Samsung RV520-W01 delivered excellent battery life and the newest in wireless technology. If your taste in design is more exquisite, the HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl and Lenovo IdeaPad V570-1066A9U can fulfill those needs and more, for around the same price.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Samsung RV520-W01 with several other laptops side by side.
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