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Review Samsung X60 Pro Notebook

Quadratic. Handy. Good? The Samsung X60 attracts by its angular and slim design. Especially the magnesium case impresses. What about the rest of the properties of this multimedia notebook? We take a close look at this elegant 15.4 notebook.

Samsung X60 Pro Logo

Case

The X60 Pro (also called X60plus) is in a manner of speaking a remake of the Samsung X60 with Core Duo CPU. In order to be up to the present mark, it is equipped with a powerful Core 2 Duo CPU and also a new video card produced by ATI - the Mobility Radeon X1700.

The X60 Pro wants to attract by an angular and geometric design. The very slim design impresses.

The case out of magnesium alloy, which on the one hand has very good haptics and at the same time allows astonishing stiffness at very small dimensions, convinces. The low weight of only 2.5 kg is another pro of the X60.

Even at a closer look one can hardly detect any weaknesses regarding workmanship. The surfaces are very pressure resistant and we could hardly observe any creaking noises plying the notebook. The only weakness we detected is the battery which wobbles a little bit, but this gets obvious only during mobile use.

Next to the battery there is a LED which displays the state of charge. It can be activated by slightly pressing it and displays the remaining capacity in 20% steps without the need of turning the notebook on.

Both of the long hinges allow to position the display without any see-saw. The force which one needs to apply for it is comfortable. The display comes with a ramshorn hook, but despite it a slight wobbling is possible, if the display is closed. The bolt which allows unlocking the display is comfortable in use.

The placement of the interfaces is alright. Ports which are likely to be used permanently at a desk, e.g., VGA out, LAN and two USB ports are either at the backside or at the left back corner. The audio ports (S/PDIF) are at the left side in the center and near the front. Furthermore, the notebook has a docking port at its bottom side.

Samsung X60 Pro Interfaces
Front side: Cardreader
Samsung X60 Pro Interfaces
Left Side: VGA-Out, Fan, Modem, Firewire, Audio (S/PDIF), PCCard
Samsung X60 Pro Interfaces
Back side: Power Connector, Battery, 2x USB 2.0, S-Video Out, LAN, Kensington Lock
Samsung X60 Pro Interfaces
Right side: Wireless Lan, On/Off, 1x USB 2.0, DVD Drive

The overall layout of the keyboard as well as those of singular keys is angular and fits well to the X60's total experience. Despite of this design the keys feel very good and are comfortable in use.

Typing strengthens this positive appearance. It can be characterized by a clear point of pressure, an average travel and a soft stop. They keys are all together of comfortable size and even the layout seems to be proper. The typing noises are rather decent.
Furthermore, we could observe that the keyboard is not completely firmly attached at some parts of its edges. Therefore, it's typing noise can be a little louder in this regions.

The Samsung X60's touch pad has a slightly coarse surface with good sliding properties even if the fingers aren't completely dry. Additionally, its form is nice and it has been placed nearly at the same level than the case.

In general it reacts well and allows to control the mouse pointer precisely, however, sometimes the mouse pointer still reacted unlike expected. Both buttons can be used at there complete extent without any problems without the need of applying too much force. There clicking noise, especially those of the right button might be a little too loud.

At the right side besides the keyboard there are some additional keys, which allow to control the AVStation software and the volume of the speakers.

Samsung X60 Pro Touch pad
Touch pad
Samsung X60 Pro Keyboard
Keyboard

Display

Samsung X60 Pro Display measurement
Color Diagram

The Samsung X60plus is equipped with a non-reflection (NonGlare) 15.4 inch wide screen display with a maximum resolution of up to 1680x1050. The fineness is therefore 128.6 dpi. Because of this, there is much space at the display which helps gaining overview, on the other hand the fonts are already rather small.

The maximum brightness was only 116.3 cd/m². Against our expectations these value was not measured in the center of the display, but in the left bottom corner. The illumination of 61.9% is also poor and this can be recognized even with the naked eye.

In general the measurement diagram does not discover any anomalies, only the usual slight deviation of the blue color curve, which leads to warmer colors.

92.5
cd/m²
97
cd/m²
72
cd/m²
93.7
cd/m²
104.1
cd/m²
85.2
cd/m²
116.3
cd/m²
112.5
cd/m²
94.6
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Maximum: 116.3 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 96.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 62 %
Contrast: 521:1 (Black: 0.2 cd/m²)

Because the minimum brightness (black value) is only 0.2 cd/m², the calculated maximum contrast of the display is very good 581:1.
Grade 6 in the Pixperan test of legibility is an average result regarding the display's speed of reaction.

Samsung X60 Pro Outdoors
Operation Outdoors

On the record the X60 is equipped with a NonGlare display, i.e. it has a non-reflecting surface. However, among the non-reflecting displays, I would count it among somewhat more reflecting displays. Especially, if the vantage point deviates a lot from the optimal vertical vantage point, slight reflections can still be observed despite of it.

Outdoors the display's surface has a positive impact on possible reflections. However, it gets obvious that the display's illumination is a little too weak, because in bright environments the displayed content appears rather dark.

The stability to the vantage point is in general relatively good. Vertically as well as horizontally the area of operation is wide. Especially at acute angles the contrast diminishes.

Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point
Samsung X60 Pro Stability to the Vantage Point

Performance

In the Samsung X60 Pro either a T7200 or a T7400 CPU provides service. Therefore, the notebook has sufficient reserve capacity even for future demands. The reviewed notebook was equipped with 2048MB PC5300 main memory too, which had a positive impact on the performance. A maximum of 3GB main memory is possible, but this clearly increases the costs, because 2GB Ram modules are still rather expensive.

Regarding the video card, a ATI Mobility Radeon X1700 video card with 256MB video ram is installed. By means of it, this notebook becomes a multimedia notebook, which is besides video and graphical applications capable of handling even current games without any problems. Regarding performance the X1700 clearly exceeds the ATI’s X1600, which is its predecessor, and also its competitors of NVidia (Geforce 7600) - at least regarding the 3DMark05 benchmark comparison. In the 3DMark 06 comparison it was marginally worse than the Geforce 7600.
NVidias direct reply to the X1700, the Geforce Go 7700 should still be clearly better than the X1700.

The especially big hard disk with a capacity of 160GB and 5400 revs, has comparably good transfer rates and access times, which are nearly as good as those of some 7200 revs models.

Further information about the video card can be found here or in our comparison of mobile video cards. Detailed information about the Core 2 Duo CPU can be found here.

Please also look at our benchmark list of mobile processors or at our benchmark list of mobile video cards, in order to compare this notebook to other configurations.

Samsung X60 Pro Benchmark Comparison
Benchmark Comparison 3DMark
Samsung X60 Pro Benchmark Comparison
Benchmark Comparison PCMark
3DMark 2001SE Standard
20821 points
3DMark 03 Standard
7054 points
3DMark 05 Standard
4193 points
3DMark 06 Score Unknown Setting
1829 points
Help
PCMark 04 Standard
7376 points
PCMark 05 Standard
4859 points
Help

Further reviewed:

Cinebench 2003
Rendering (Single) : 373 CB
Rendering (Multiple): 675 CB
Shading (CINEMA 4D): 412 CB-GFX
Shading (OpenGL Software Lighting): 1668 CB-GFX
Shading (OpenGL Hardware Lighting): 4140 CB-GFX

Call of Duty II
800x600, AA off: 35-50 fps
1024x786, AA off: 30-45 fps
1024x786, 2xAA: 20-35 fps
1024x786, 4xAA: 20-25 fps

Emissions

Samsung X60 Pro Noise
Noise emissions

Loudness

During idle mode or nearly no load, e.g., during surfing or text processing, the fan stays deactivated most of the time and the notebook is pleasingly quiet. Sometimes the fan is turned on and causes a noise level of about 36.8 dB, but because of it swishing noise one can still live quiet well with it .
Under load the maximum a maximum loudness of 44.3 dB is reached, which can be heard clearly, but, because of its low frequency, it is hardly disturbing.

Noise Level

Idle
33.1 / 40.7 / 36.8 dB(A)
HDD
37.1 dB(A)
DVD
36.8 / dB(A)
Load
0 / 44.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light    (15 cm distance)

Temperature

The magnesium alloy of the X60's case does not only ensure a good flexural rigidity, is also ensures that the temperature emissions are distributed more or less evenly over the whole surface. Interestingly enough the maximum temperature of the X60 could not - as usual - be measured at its bottom side, but at the top side at the left edge of the keyboard marginally above the fan. 42.4°C maximum temperature are yet alright and do not disturb using the notebook, because of its locations at the notebook's outer edge.

Upper side

palmwrist: 31.2°C max: 42.4°C avg: 34.3°C

Bottom side

max: 41.4°C avg: 36.2°C

Speakers

The speakers are left and right above the keyboard behind a rather fine perforated metal cover. Their sound is satisfying, even at maximum volume the sound was clear. Basses are missing, which is rather usual for notebooks without separate sub-woofer.

Battery Runtime

The measured battery runtime is, considering it is a multimedia notebook, average and partly below-average. Under load it is possible to use the X60 Pro with 5200 mAh battery for only nearly an hour. Under load with maximum energy savings settings and with minimum display brightness the runtime is slightly above 3 hours.
WLan and DVD playback should be possible for about 2 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 18min
WiFi Surfing
2h 20min
DVD
1h 58min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 04min
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 43.3 / 48.4 / 49.1 Watt
Load midlight 71.9 / Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Verdict

The Samsung X60 is not really cheap, however, the quality of the used materials and the workmanship are alright. The magnesium case convinces through its robustness and flexural rigidity and at the same time the low weight and the small dimensions.
Additionally the notebook's design appears to be elegant and of high-quality.

The input devices too, especially the keyboard, left a good impression. It is clearly structured, has big keys and also good and desired typing comfort.

The display is not as good as the other rather good properties of this notebook. Especially relatively the low brightness and the illumination should be improved. On the contrary, the stability to the vantage point, the contrast and the non-reflecting surface were well able to convince.

The performance of the Samsung X60 Pro is excellent. The Core 2 Duo processor and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1700 provide very good performance in the fields of applications and 3D. The 160GB hard disk too could reach good ratings in our benchmarks.

The noise emissions could convince especially during idle mode. Even if the fan is on, it does not really disturb, because of its low frequency noise.

The battery runtime is not so good, and limits the time for unplugged work in practice to about two hours.

Samsung X60 Pro
Samsung X60 Pro "Boxxer"

Many thanks to the company Notebook-Shop.de, which provided us with the notebook for this review. You can configure and buy the notebook here.

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Samsung X60 Pro
Reviewed: Samsung X60 Pro "Boxxer"

Specifications

Samsung X60 Pro Boxxer
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
, DDR2 PC5300 SDRAM, max. 3072MB, 2x1024MB
Display
15.40 inch 16:10, 1680 x 1050 pixel, WSXGA NonGlare TFT Display, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel 945PM
Storage
160 GB - 5400 rpm, 160 GB 
, 5400 rpm, Hitachi Travelstar HTS541616J9S: 160GB, 5400rpm
Connections
PCCard Typ I/II, Mikrofon, Kopfhörer (S/PDIF), 3x USB 2.0, S-Video Out, VGA-Out, Firewire, Kensington Lock, LAN, Modem, Docking Connector
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 33 x 361 x 265 ( = 1.3 x 14.21 x 10.43 in)
Battery
, 5200 mAh Lithium Ionen Akku
Additional features
HDD: 160GB, 5400rpm, Hitachi Travelstar HTS541616J9S, AD 1986A HD Audio, DVD +/-R (DL) TSSTcorp TS-L632M,
Weight
2.54 kg ( = 89.6 oz / 5.6 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
2499 Euro

 

Samsung X60 Pro Image
The Samsung X60 Pro or plus...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
Even the touch pad fits well to the total appearance.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The display is regarding brightness and illumination clear behind our expectations,...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...however, contrast and stability to the vantage point are alright.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The performance could convince, thanks to a Core 2 Duo CPU and an ATI X1700 video card.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
Single components can be easily exchanged, because of maintenance openings.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The fan as well the speakers...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...attracted attention by their "positive" noise emissions.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The 5200 mAh battery has only a moderate runtime.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...it also convinces in use.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The keyboard does not only optically fit to the X60...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
Furthermore, the notebook comes with a docking Port.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...tries to please the eyes by its angular and slim design.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
However, convincing were...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...its workmanship...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...its robust and flexural rigid magnesium case.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
It combines low weight with small dimensions.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The noble appearance is also supported by the surfaces...
Samsung X60 Pro Image
...which feel alright and seem to be of high-quality.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
The interfaces are well placed.
Samsung X60 Pro Image
Nice feature: LED charge control directly at the battery.

Pro

  • Very good Workmanship
  • Robust Case out of magnesium
  • Low weight
  • User-friendly order of interfaces
  • Keyboard comfortable in use
  • Good stability to the vantage point
  • Good performance
  • Low noise emissions
  • Good sound of the speakers
  • Contra

  • Wobbeling battery
  • Display's low brightness and illumination
  • Increased surface temperature at the top side
  • Average battery runtime
  • Similar Notebooks

    Price Comparison

    Ciao Samsung X60 Pro

    Bewertung

    Samsung X60 Pro Boxxer - 08/31/2007
    J. Simon Leitner

    Chassis
    88%
    Keyboard
    90%
    Pointing Device
    90%
    Connectivity
    84%
    Weight
    82%
    Battery
    59%
    Display
    60%
    Games Performance
    85%
    Application Performance
    98%
    Temperature
    69%
    Noise
    82%
    Add Points
    94%
    Average
    82%
    82%
    Multimedia - Weighted Average
    J. Simon Leitner, 2007-02- 5 (Update: 2013-05- 8)