Fujitsu LifeBook A357 (i5-7200U, SSD, FHD) Laptop Review
The Fujitsu LifeBook A357 is a 15.6-inch business notebook. It is intended for both private and professional users. We are already familiar with this device. We reviewed an identically built sibling model, the LifeBook A557, in the past. The competing devices include the Lenovo V330-15IKB, the Acer Extensa 2540 and the HP 250 G6. The LifeBook also has to compete with other entry-level business notebooks such as: The HP ProBook 450 G5, the Lenovo ThinkPad E580, the Acer TravelMate P2510-M, the Dell Vostro 15 3568.
Because both the LifeBook A557 and the LifeBook A357 are identically built, we shall skip the sections that deal with the case, connectivity, input devices and the speakers. You can find all the appropriate information in the review of the sibling model.
Ports
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A557 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Average of class Office (22.7 - 198.5, n=34, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Extensa 2540-580K (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP 250 G6 2UB93ES (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Dell Vostro 15 3568 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo V330-15IKB (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A557 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Average of class Office (25 - 249, n=30, last 2 years) | |
| HP 250 G6 2UB93ES (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Extensa 2540-580K (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo V330-15IKB (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Dell Vostro 15 3568 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Display - The A357 comes with an IPS display
The matte 15.6-inch display of the LifeBook operates with a native resolution of 1920x1080. Both the contrast ratio (667:1) and the display brightness (240.8 cd/m²) are too low. That being said, the Fujitsu notebook is roughly on the same level as other notebooks in this price range. Only the ThinkPad E580 offers a brighter screen. In most cases, the laptops we review manage to achieve a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a screen brightness of at least 300 cd/m². Positive: The screen does not suffer from PWM flickering.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 260 cd/m²
Contrast: 667:1 (Black: 0.39 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.23 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.89, calibrated: 4.2
ΔE Greyscale 4.22 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
53% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
34% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
36.54% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
53.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
35.37% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.62
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo V330-15IKB TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP 250 G6 2UB93ES TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Acer Extensa 2540-580K TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Dell Vostro 15 3568 TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Fujitsu Lifebook A557 a-Si TFT-LCD , LCM, 1920x1080, 15.6" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 11% | 12% | 8% | 11% | 20% | 6% | 11% | 18% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 35.37 | 39.32 11% | 39.83 13% | 38.04 8% | 39.11 11% | 42.44 20% | 37.59 6% | 39.39 11% | 41.85 18% |
| sRGB Coverage | 53.2 | 58.8 11% | 58.5 10% | 57.3 8% | 58.8 11% | 63.2 19% | 56.5 6% | 59.3 11% | 62.9 18% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 36.54 | 40.65 11% | 41.15 13% | 39.31 8% | 40.41 11% | 43.94 20% | 38.84 6% | 40.69 11% | 43.24 18% |
| Response Times | -1% | -33% | -36% | 21% | -19% | 6% | 28% | -38% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 38 ? | 40 ? -5% | 48.4 ? -27% | 52.4 ? -38% | 42 ? -11% | 45 ? -18% | 41 ? -8% | 39 ? -3% | 55 ? -45% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 27 ? | 26 ? 4% | 37.6 ? -39% | 36 ? -33% | 13 ? 52% | 32 ? -19% | 22 ? 19% | 11 ? 59% | 35 ? -30% |
| PWM Frequency | 25000 | 22030 ? | 2500 ? | 25000 ? | 27000 ? | 28410 ? | 200 ? | ||
| Screen | -54% | -5% | -10% | -53% | -3% | -45% | -59% | 23% | |
| Brightness middle | 260 | 230 -12% | 292 12% | 252 -3% | 184 -29% | 215 -17% | 215 -17% | 195 -25% | 287 10% |
| Brightness | 241 | 200 -17% | 272 13% | 249 3% | 178 -26% | 198 -18% | 217 -10% | 195 -19% | 260 8% |
| Brightness Distribution | 87 | 77 -11% | 84 -3% | 88 1% | 80 -8% | 78 -10% | 92 6% | 89 2% | 83 -5% |
| Black Level * | 0.39 | 0.45 -15% | 0.3 23% | 0.22 44% | 0.38 3% | 0.32 18% | 0.68 -74% | 0.44 -13% | 0.22 44% |
| Contrast | 667 | 511 -23% | 973 46% | 1145 72% | 484 -27% | 672 1% | 316 -53% | 443 -34% | 1305 96% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.23 | 11.84 -126% | 5.8 -11% | 6.9 -32% | 11.29 -116% | 5.15 2% | 9.14 -75% | 12.23 -134% | 4.21 20% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.73 | 20.47 -165% | 22.4 -190% | 18.4 -138% | 19.48 -152% | 10.89 -41% | 15.46 -100% | 20.85 -170% | 8.81 -14% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.2 | ||||||||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.22 | 12.22 -190% | 2.3 45% | 6.9 -64% | 12.43 -195% | 4.25 -1% | 10.08 -139% | 13.39 -217% | 2.68 36% |
| Gamma | 2.62 84% | 2.12 104% | 2.12 104% | 2.43 91% | 2.34 94% | 2.61 84% | 2.07 106% | 2.5 88% | 2.5 88% |
| CCT | 6104 106% | 13073 50% | 6223 104% | 7524 86% | 13823 47% | 6603 98% | 10158 64% | 15759 41% | 6066 107% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 34 | 38 12% | 37.6 11% | 36.3 7% | 37 9% | 40 18% | 36 6% | 38 12% | 40 18% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 53 | 59 11% | 58 9% | 57.2 8% | 59 11% | 63 19% | 56 6% | 59 11% | 63 19% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -15% /
-34% | -9% /
-5% | -13% /
-10% | -7% /
-30% | -1% /
-0% | -11% /
-28% | -7% /
-33% | 1% /
14% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8623 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Right out of the box, the DeltaE 2000 color deviation of the display is 4.83. Therefore, it is not very far from the desired value (DeltaE less than 3). The display does not suffer from a bluish cast. The color reproduction can be improved through calibration. After calibration, the DeltaE color deviation sinks to 4.2 and the grayscale looks significantly more balanced.
By means of our color profile, the color reproduction can be improved. However, before downloading it, you should make sure that your laptop has the same display model (manufacturer + model number) as our review device, because otherwise our color profile can result in worse color reproduction. Displays from different manufacturers can often be found within notebooks from the same model range.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 27 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 16 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 11 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 65 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). | ||
Fujitsu has equipped the LifeBook A357 with an IPS panel with stable viewing angles. Therefore, the screen content can be read from any position. Outside, the screen is readable in the shade or under an overcast sky.
Performance - The LifeBook is made for office use
The LifeBook A357 is a 15.6-inch business notebook. It offers more than enough performance for such usage scenarios as office work and Internet browsing. Our review device can be had for anywhere between 550 ($636) and 580 ($671) Euros. Other hardware configurations are also available. The prices start at 400 Euros ($463).
Processor
The LifeBook comes with a Core i5-7200U. It is a mid-range, dual-core (Kaby Lake) ULV CPU from Intel with a TDP of 15 watts. The processor has a base clock of 2.5 GHz and a boost clock of 3.1 GHz (for both cores). The CPU offers more than enough performance for such usage scenarios as office work and Internet-browsing. In the Cinebench R15 benchmarks, the processor operates at 3.1 GHz. The processor performs identically both when the laptop is running on battery power and when it is plugged in.
We check if the Turbo boost can be used over an extended period by running the Cinebench R15 multi-core benchmark in a continuous loop for 30 minutes. The results stay consistently on the same level. There are no drops in performance to report.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Office (395 - 544, n=8, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA (Edge) | |
| Acer Extensa 2540-580K (Edge 41) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW (Edge 41.16299.248.0) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-7200U (127.7 - 223, n=69) | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A557 (Edge 38.14393.0.0) | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE (Edge 42) | |
| Acer Aspire 3 A315-41-R7BM (Edge 42) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS (Edge 41.16299.611.0) | |
| Lenovo V330-15IKB (Edge 41) | |
| HP 250 G6 2UB93ES (Edge 41) | |
System Performance
The laptop is very responsive. We did not encounter any problems. The LifeBook has more than enough computing power for such usage scenarios as office work and web browsing. A small increase in the overall performance can be achieved by installing a second RAM module, thus enabling dual-channel mode.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3433 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 4231 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4565 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 3106 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
Fujitsu has put a 2.5-inch SATA-III SSD from Micron in the LifeBook A357. It has a capacity of 256 GB. Only 200 GB thereof is available to the user. The rest of the storage space is occupied by the Windows installation files and the recovery partition. The transfer rates are in good order.
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN | Lenovo V330-15IKB Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP | Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW Toshiba KBG30ZMT128G | HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006 | HP 250 G6 2UB93ES Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ | Average Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 143% | 7% | 15% | 11% | -9% | 409% | |
| Write 4K | 72.1 | 102.2 42% | 81.8 13% | 51.6 -28% | 81 12% | 48.2 ? -33% | 162.6 ? 126% |
| Read 4K | 25 | 39.92 60% | 33.33 33% | 27.1 8% | 31.48 26% | 16.3 ? -35% | 70.8 ? 183% |
| Write Seq | 413.2 | 1187 187% | 131.1 -68% | 471.6 14% | 452.1 9% | 404 ? -2% | 2814 ? 581% |
| Read Seq | 488.9 | 1072 119% | 910 86% | 499.3 2% | 486.5 0% | 466 ? -5% | 3063 ? 527% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 161.5 | 155.6 -4% | 122.1 -24% | 283.2 75% | 184.6 14% | 160.9 ? 0% | 412 ? 155% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 184.8 | 226.4 23% | 199.3 8% | 257.9 40% | 203.9 10% | 181.9 ? -2% | 543 ? 194% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 432.3 | 1283 197% | 133 -69% | 476.6 10% | 483.2 12% | 444 ? 3% | 3548 ? 721% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 531 | 3291 520% | 935 76% | 533 0% | 537 1% | 524 ? -1% | 4700 ? 785% |
Graphics Card
The LifeBook does not offer a dedicated graphics card. Intel’s HD Graphics 620 is responsible for image rendering. Intel’s graphics chip supports DirectX 12 and runs at up to 1000 MHz. The results in the 3DMark benchmarks are on the normal level for this kind of GPU. An increase in performance can be achieved by installing a second RAM module, thereby activating dual-channel mode.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1637 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 48086 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 6036 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 889 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The CPU-GPU combination of the Fujitsu notebook can run many games smoothly, but only at low resolution (1280x720) and on low settings. This applies to titles that have low system requirements. An increase in gaming performance can be achieved by activating dual-channel mode. Modern AAA titles such as Monster Hunter or Shadow of the Tomb Raider are not playable.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 44.4 | 26.2 | 21.6 | 6.7 |
| BioShock Infinite - 1280x720 Very Low Preset | |
| Acer Aspire 3 A315-41-R7BM | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 330-15ARR 81D2005CUS | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE (Dual-Channel) | |
| Lenovo V330-15IKB | |
| Acer Extensa 2540-580K | |
| HP ProBook 450 G5-2UB53EA | |
| Average Intel HD Graphics 620 (24.6 - 67.8, n=113) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E580-20KSCTO1WW | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook A557 | |
| HP 250 G6 2UB93ES | |
Emissions & Energy Management - The Fujitsu laptop lasts for a long time
System Noise
The LifeBook A357 does not produce too much noise. When idle, the fan often stands still, which leads to silent operation. Under full load, the fan spins up. During the stress test, we measured a sound pressure level of 36.9 dB(A).
Nevertheless, we find fan control to be somewhat erratic. Even under low load, the fan spins up a little. This type of behavior is not something we would expect to see from a device like the LifeBook A357. The temperatures do not justify this sort of behavior, either. Here, Fujitsu should issue a software update to address this problem.
The behavior of the fan can be changed in the BIOS settings under “FAN Control”. There are two options: “Normal” and “Silent”. We could not determine any difference between the two fan settings in terms of system noise.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 30.3 / 30.3 / 30.3 dB(A) |
| DVD |
| 36.1 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| 37 / 36.9 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 30.3 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
The LifeBook A357 completes our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running continuously for at least one hour) with similar results, both when plugged in and when running on battery power. The processor operates at 3.1 GHz for the first minute. Subsequently, the clock rate sinks to 1.3 GHz and stays consistently at that level. The GPU runs at 950 to 1000 MHz.
The notebook does not become excessively hot. During the stress test, the 40 °C (104 °F) mark is never exceeded. The stress test is an extreme case scenario, which is very unlikely to occur in real life. We use it to test system stability.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.2 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 38.8 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.5 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.1 °C / 88 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-3.5 °C / -6.3 F).
Lautsprecher
Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (70.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.3% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 8.2% higher than median
(-) | mids are not linear (16.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (33.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 95% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 3% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 92% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 7% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 6% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 92% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 4% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 95% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Energy Consumption
The laptop does not draw a lot of power regardless of the load. When idle, we measured a maximum power draw of 6.9 watts. During the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running continuously for at least one hour), the energy consumption peaked at 34 watts. The rated output of the AC adapter amounts to 65 watts.
| Off / Standby | 0.16 / 0.4 Watt |
| Idle | 3.65 / 6.8 / 6.9 Watt |
| Load |
29.1 / 34 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
Battery Life
Our practically oriented Wi-Fi test simulates loads that are consistent with surfing the Internet. The “balanced” power plan is selected, the energy-saving functions are disabled and the display brightness is set to 150 cd/m². The LifeBook achieves a battery runtime of 7 h 51 m.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The Fujitsu LifeBook A357 is a business notebook with modest hardware. The internals are housed in a matte black plastic case, which is very unremarkable. The laptop offers enough computing power for business applications and Internet surfing. An SSD creates a very responsive system.
The notebook does not become hot under any conditions and operates either silently or quietly. Nevertheless, the fan noise proves to be annoying, because the fan spins up unnecessarily on many occasions.
With the LifeBook A357, Fujitsu delivers a durable office notebook at a reasonable price. We did not observe any fatal flaws.
Thankfully, the LifeBook belongs to the breed of notebooks that come with a dedicated maintenance hatch. Therefore, the SSD or the RAM can be replaced without any problems. The A357 comes with an IPS display with good viewing angles. The contrast ratio and the screen brightness are too low. However, given the price, this is quite acceptable. Moreover, quite often, notebooks in this price range have displays with very poor viewing angles.
The keyboard of the laptop leaves a good impression and is suitable for long typing sessions. It does not feature a back light. The one-year warranty deserves criticism. We were expecting a warranty period of at least two years.
Fujitsu Lifebook A357-A3570MPH06DE
- 10/11/2018 v6 (old)
Sascha Mölck
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