The Samsung R522 Satin's slim and light case looks very simple at first sight and there aren't any recognizable indications for an unusual design. Elements finished in high-gloss, such as the display lid and keyboard frame, aren't anything special anymore and optically breaks up the basically very unobtrusive design of the notebook a bit. First, at a second glance, also due to the barely different color, the fine structure of the wrist rests that remind of brushed aluminum become apparent.

The side parts, the bottom tray and even the interior display area are wainscoted in a black plastic, which make a stable impression. As to the manufacturing quality in view of accuracy of fit, gaps, resistance and pressure resistance there isn't much to complain about. As usual, the high-gloss coated surfaces are highly sensitive for small scratches, fingerprints and dust attraction. The case's torsional stiffness over the battery slot and the DVD drive, also as usual, can't quite keep up with the standard of the other areas and can be deflected somewhat under average pressure. This applies even more to the display lid, which can't prevent a wave-formation on the display whilst a similar action. However, these points aren't as relevant in normal use because such a demand with which we test will barely belong to the daily routine. Apart from that, the product alignment is rather more focused on multimedia than mobility and therefore smaller drawbacks can well be coped with.

The display hinges that hold the opened screen firmly also provide for a tight tension in a closed state, but in return don't allow a single-handed opening due to the somewhat stiff operation.

There isn't much in the way of a mobile use in comparison to most competitor models in view of the case's dimensions and its weight. The Samsung R522 belongs to the light 15" notebooks with 37.2mm (h) x 376mm (w) x 256mm (d) and a moderate weight of 2.51 kg. However, when you do take it with you, you will usually have to add the 520 g adapter and the one or other accessory in the total weight. Of course this applies to all competitors to a similar extent.

One positive characteristic of the Samsung R520 is the not perfect but very feasible configuration of interfaces. The basic needs are covered with 3x USB 2.0, VGA, Ethernet, a preparation for Kensington, cardreader (SD 17,6 MB/s, SDHC 17,7 MB/s) and audio in/out.

Cameras, MP3 players, USB sticks, printers as well as external hard disks, Bluetooth modules or UMTS extensions can be connected over the standard USB 2.0 interface. The transmission rate of 25.4 MB/s that we established is in the usual center span and there shouldn't be any restrictions. Users of older display will appreciate the analog VGA connection with a very good signal quality (tested with 1280x1024 pixels).

The ExpressCard slot that is proficient of both ExpressCard/34 as well as ExpressCard/54 extensions provides the option of equipping missing interfaces, such as Firewire 400/800 or additional modules like a TV card or UMTS modem.

The Samsung R522 already has the fitting interfaces, such as eSATA (eSATA/USB combi connection), for connecting faster external hard disks and shines with an excellent 88.4 MB/s that we assessed. This even surpasses the velocity of the internal hard disk and is predestined for velocity-demanding tasks like video editing or relocating larger amounts of data.

The HDMI interface can be used for two thinkable scenarios. For one thing, it opens the possibility of connecting external digital displays (if the external monitor doesn't have an HDMI connection, there are DVI or display port adapters available) and provides a good image quality even in higher resolutions. For another, there is the option of using the notebook as a player (for example movie DVDs) for flat screen TVs and thus transmit sound and image with only one cable.

Samsung uses, barely surprising, its own display in the R522. In favor of the trend, it has 1366x768 pixels whereby the aspect ratio is adapted to a 16:9 HD cinematic format and provides for no, or at least less, black bars in movies and games. With exactly 100 dpi, the point density of the 15.6" category at hand has a very eye-friendly ratio of object size to desktop surface and is thus to be evaluated as being very pleasant.

The glossy display surface that can be irritating with its good mirroring traits, depending on the surrounding conditions, proves to be not quite as eye-friendly. The darker the display content and the brighter the surrounding light, the higher are the restrictions caused by reflections. Indoors, you can adjust it quite well by avoiding windows or adapting the light accordingly. The fairly strong backlight can also do something for improvement by over-shining a part of the reflected objects with an average of 192 cd/m² and hence minimize this effect. How far this high brightness can still be perceived as eye-friendly is very individual and should be tested by potential customers for a longer time when in doubt.

The disadvantage of the high-gloss display can barely be influenced outdoors. The only thing that can help here is looking for a very shady place because the above mentioned effects are otherwise even magnified. On sunny days outside or with direct solar radiation, the display contents vanish beyond recognition because even the relatively strong backlight isn't capable of accentuating icons, windows, images or other contents in comparison to the reflected objects.

Apart from that, there is the possibility of using the ATI graphic processor (ATI Stream) for video converting, similar to Nvidia's CUDA engine. For instance, Cyberlinks Espresso or Powerdirector that already support this possibility could be considered. We didn't test this, though.

A further application field could be to use the notebook as an inexpensive substitute for editing OpenGL based CAD 3D projects. The GPU also supplies a good performance potential, as can be seen in the Cinebench R10 OpenGL Shading. However, you have to count with stability problems here because the Mobility Radeon is not optimized for these kind of tasks, in opposition to the Mobility Fire GL graphic cards built for this. The fact that we couldn't run the SPECViewperf10 benchmark (includes test sequences of Catia, Maya, Ensight, etc) also seems to confirm this. Only an extensive testing with the intended CAD program can help here at interest.

System Noise

The Samsung R522's system noise is very dependent on the application and ranges from very quiet over very audible to obtrusive. The established rates with low load reach from 31.7 dB(A) up to 33.7 dB(A) and are barely perceivable, also due to the agreeable fan characteristic. The hard disk lines itself up at the lower end of the scale with 31.9 dB(A) as well and is only to be heard when listening intensely.

The sound behavior becomes quite noticeable under medium load or when the DVD drive is used and does get a bit restrictive when watching a DVD, for example. This is also the usual level for graphic-biased games, video converting or similarly demanding tasks. The assessed peak value of 40.7 dB(A) is harder to reach and should be a rare thing in practical use. But when the system is demanded to such an extent, an annoying soundscape turns up after a short time.

Temperature

The heat development of the prototype is to be described a very low and reaches barely restricting values with a maximum of 45.6°C in the upper keyboard area after an hour of load. Only the 55.2°C measured selectively on the bottom tray deviate considerably and is caused by the heat dissipated by the fan that is found here. The values turn out overall lower with around 30°C at normal use though and they also sink to a notably lower 35°C in the area of the aforesaid fan.

With the R522, Samsung has achieved assembling a very round package that is well-useable for many tasks. The all-rounder is suitable for most games in the native resolution aside from the usual office and multimedia applications and only needs an adjusting of quality settings here and there.

The interface configuration, including the distribution, is almost exemplary for this category and has much room for extensions. In view of this, it remains inconceivable why a Bluetooth module hasn't been included.

The reflective display surface isn't as restrictive as in models made for mobility. Because the multimedia notebook will rather find its use as a desktop replacement, potential customers may find the average contrast values and weak colors annoying.

Too big compromises don't have to be made in view of workmanship, keyboard or interface performance. These are solid basic characteristics that are always positively striking in daily use. The touchpad that has turned out too small, the unpleasant noise development under a longer load and the loudspeakers with little multimedia potential isn't as pleasing.