"If a laptop, then Centrino" - such a slogan was put forward by Intel Corporation in 2003. Most mobile PC manufacturers followed this rule, releasing their Centrino models one after another. Thus, at the time of this review, there are already over 60 types of mobile PCs in the world that support newfangled technology. We also got a South Korean brother in our hands. The Samsung X-10/1.3G is a brand new laptop that launched earlier this month.

Specifications

Samsung X-10/1.3G is the first representative of the family of laptops from the South Korean company of the same name, made according to Intel technologies Centrino. The model contains:

  • 14.1" TFT screen supporting 1024x768 screen resolution;
  • 1300 MHz Pentium M processor with 1024 KB L2 cache;
  • chipset: 855PM;
  • Memory: 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM;
  • player: Combo 8xDVD - Samsung 8x8x24CD-RW;
  • video subsystem: GeForce4-460Go with 64MB of virtual memory;
  • hard drive: IDE 2.5" Ultra DMA 30 GB;
  • communication means: 56Kb (V.90) modem, 10/100 ALS, 802.11b;
  • Ports and connectors: 2xUSB 2.0, IEEE-1394, RJ-45, RJ-11, S-Video out, 1xVGA, Memory stick slot.

Equipment


The box of the laptop turned out to be very large. Inside it, you can see the X-10, which is neatly packaged in a plastic bag and rests on two foam bases. The rest of the space is occupied by the following:

  • Power supply with power cord;
  • Modem cord;
  • OEM CD Windows version XP Professional;
  • CD with Nero - Burning Rom;
  • CD with Power DVD;
  • Instructions for CD-ROM;
  • Brochure from Microsoft about the usefulness of WinXP;
  • Documentation in Russian.

Ergonomics, appearance, keyboard


The X-10 is light (1.8kg) and has very modest dimensions: 315.5x259x23.8mm, therefore it belongs to the category of slim laptops. The appearance of the model is impressive, the combination of silver and black plastic make the laptop serious and prestigious. The design is Porsche-like: the X-10 is a pleasure to touch, and the surface of the model is smooth and smooth on all sides and sides. The canvas of the 14-inch monitor is absolutely dark and looks noble. The keyboard is stylish black, the keystrokes are soft and silent. Looking closely, you can find 7 function keys, including the "battery symbol" (shows the battery charge level, "?" (newfangled and very relevant euro sign), etc. Using the function key, you can adjust the screen brightness and increase / decrease the sound power .


The location of the indicators and their lighting solution are well thought out, all of them are clearly visible and at the same time they do not blind with too bright bulbs. Some of the indicators (Num Lock, Caps Lock, Scroll and hard drive) are located in the upper right part of the keyboard, and two more (power and battery indicator) are displayed on the front end of the laptop. In addition, on the left above the keyboard there are indicators of the receipt of fresh e-mail, the operation of the built-in wifi controller and "reset" which instantly sends the laptop to hibernation.


USB connectors are located on both sides, which is convenient when connecting a mouse; the bad thing is that there are only two such ports, but I would like to have at least 4. The absence of a COM port is disappointing, since the number of devices for it is still produced quite a lot. There is also no infrared port, which is unlikely to please the owners mobile phones who love to surf the Internet on a cellular basis. Well, the rest of the input / output devices are presented in sufficient volume, there is even a slot for Memory stick cards, which allows you to quickly work with these cards.

The laptop's sound system is an integrated two-channel solution based on the AC "97 standard. The speakers are located on the front panel and have a high power reserve, there were no wheezing at maximum volume, and the sound is consistently clear.


The cooling fan is located under the case, has a quiet character, and turns on very rarely. Winchester behaves in the same way and does not make noise during operation. In general, the laptop does not heat up unnecessarily. Of course, if it is specially loaded with tests, it heats up from below, but if the work is limited office applications and the Internet, then a hot spot on a laptop may not be found.

Filling

You have a manager Windows devices XP

It's funny, but the video adapter is listed as GeForce4-440 MX, although in fact it should be - GeForce4-440Go. The thing is that I installed Detonator version 43, without which a good part of the game and game tests simply did not work.

Processors

We've written quite a lot about the mobile Intel Pentium-M processor, and yet a little theory won't hurt us. So, the CPU is made using 0.13-micron technology, contains 77 million transistors, uses a 400-MHz system bus, and has 1 MB of L2 cache. In addition to the extended cache, the mobile processor differs from the usual one in that it uses a number of functions to automatically reduce its power. The Pentium-M can disable unused blocks in the built-in memory, and also supports advanced Intel SpeedStep technology with a choice of multiple operating frequencies and power supply voltages. It's no secret that many computer applications when working, far from the full power of the computer is used (for example, 400 Hz CPU is enough to watch video in MPEG4 format), so the mobile processor successfully uses this property and each time resets its frequency to the limit. That is why in various informative sources and properties one could notice that the processor frequency is only 500/600/700/1000 MHz, and not 1300 declared.

The nVidia GeForce4-460Go graphics processor is created in the image and likeness of the GeForce4-460 chip (it has a memory bandwidth of 8 Gb / s, a fill rate of 1 Mtexel / s and a core clock speed of 250 MHz), but it supports a number of special technologies:

  • PowerMizer Technology - Gives notebook users control over power consumption by monitoring the power of the two most resource-intensive parts of the system: the CPU and LCD screen, as well as the power supply of the notebook.
  • Enhanced Full Screen Anti-Aliasing - First introduced only in mobile NVIDIA GPUs. The effect works without any performance loss in games or 3D applications.
  • Video Processing Subsystem (VPE) - improves the overall performance of the system, taking away the most resource-intensive tasks from the central processor: decoding, processing and playing video and DVD.

    Battery, power saving


    First of all, one of the most important characteristics of a laptop was checked - time battery life using the Battery Eater "2003 test, which continuously and maximally loads all computer subsystems at the maximum screen brightness level. The X-10 laptop has a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of only 2200 mAh. This is very, very small, given that most mobile phone manufacturers Centrino based PCs are not shy about installing 4000-6000 mAh batteries.

    The Battery Eater test was able to completely drain the X-10 in 42 minutes. In normal office work (Internet + Word), the user can count on a maximum of one and a half hours of battery life when the power saving function is turned on. Watching a movie and a video game with the same parameters can be enjoyed for no more than an hour. The result is deplorable, but it must be borne in mind that this problem can be solved by alternating the use of several power supplies (which is somewhat inconvenient) or replacing it with a more powerful "battery".

    Classic Tests

    To establish the performance of the X-10, classical tests were carried out in two modes: 1) when working with a connection to the mains; 2) during mobile operation using the energy-saving mode for batteries. Settings are standard.

    3dMark, marks (1024х768)
    3dMark 20003dMark 2001 SE3dMark 2003
    Work from the network7554 5447 237
    Battery operation6251 4140 156
    % difference17,25 23,99 34,59
    PC Mark 2002
    CPUMemoryHDD
    Work from the network4310 4524 493
    Battery operation1986 3173 492
    % difference53,92 29,86 0,20
    CPU Arithmetic Benchmark - SiSoftware Sandra"2003
    ALU, MIPSFPU, MFLOPSiSSE2, MFLOPS
    Work from the network4322 1731 2558
    Battery operation1987 797 1178
    % difference54,03 53,96 53,95

    Based on the tests, two conclusions can be drawn: 1) the built-in GeForce4-460 graphics processor copes well with the gaming load; 2) The Pentium M processor is superbly optimized for the power saving function and can reduce its power by half with a total performance loss of up to 35%. I also note the real endurance of the X-10. I deliberately left the X-10 on for the whole night (more than 6 hours) with the 3DMark "2001 test cycle. By the morning, I found that the benchmark was still working. Such stability indicates a balanced iron (however, initially there was no doubt about this).

    I did not conduct the SysMark 2002 test, so it is clear that the X-10 user will not have any problems with office applications. But he gave the main tests from SiSoftware Sandra in order to compare the power of the laptop in question with various desktop systems.


    Draw your own conclusions. In my opinion, the results are very worthy. The performance of the X-10 is roughly equivalent to a desktop Pentium4 1.6 GHz + GeForce4-440 MX, which is very, very good for a mobile PC

    Game tests

    As an avid gamer, I've given a lot of attention to video games, running classics from various genres on the X-10. To determine the performance, I used the Fraps utility, which displays the number of frames per second (fps) on the screen. All games were launched at maximum settings and a resolution of 1024x768. And this is what I got:

    In principle, all modern games on the laptop in question can be played comfortably, given that the settings can be lowered to medium and minimum levels. I did not do anti-aliasing tests, because. on a TFT screen, the picture is obtained practically without ladders (the effect of hardware full-screen anti-aliasing is obvious, as we talked about above).

    conclusions

    All in all, the Samsung X-10/1.3G is a very attractive and highly productive laptop capable of replacing desktop computer and in office and multimedia applications, including complex 3D games. For true mobility, the model lacks only the presence of a more capacious battery, which would make it a great assistant for long journeys. Another limiting factor is high price, which can scare away even a middle-class businessman who can purchase a more solid, in his opinion, system for the same money. Fortunately, these shortcomings can only be temporary, which we will hope for. And finally, once again, all the pros and cons:

      Flaws:
    • weak battery power;
    • lack of infrared port;
    • the presence of only two USB ports;
    • high price of $2000.
      Advantages
    • excellent design;
    • lightness and small size;
    • clear and loud sound from the built-in speakers;
    • noiselessness;
    • excellent performance in office and gaming applications.

    • It seems that Samsung is seriously engaged in the capture of the computer market. Recently announced that the company is going to become a leader in the production of hard drives by 2005, and now Samsung has presented at Russian market their laptop computers. Indeed, the laptop market is growing, and the desire to "bite off a bigger piece of it" is quite natural. For the first acquaintance, we chose a model on a new Intel platform Centrino Samsung X10.

    Specifications Samsung X10
    (declared by the manufacturer)

    CPUIntel Pentium M processor based on Centrino technology (tested model 1.6GHz)
    ChipsetIntel 855PM
    Memory2 SO-DIMM PC2100 (266 MHz) or PC1600 (200 MHz) up to 2GB (on tested model 256MB)
    Screen14.1" TFT LCD XGA 1024×768 (24bit)
    Graphic artsNVIDIA GeForce 440 Go, 64 MB DDR
    Maximum external monitor resolution1920x1200 32bit
    AudioBuilt-in AC"97 2.2 Compliant CODEC, CS 4202. Built-in 1W speakers
    HDD30/ 40/ 60 GB (IBM, Hitachi, Fujitsu) (on the tested model Hitachi_DK23EA-60 60 GB capacity)
    Optical devices8xDVD-ROM/ 8xRW/ 8xCD-R/ 24xCD-ROM DVD+CDRW Combo (tested model Samsung CDRW/DVD SU-408B)
    PCMCIA1x Type II Ricoh R5C590
    Network devices
    • fax modem 56 kb/s V.90 (AC"97 S/W Modem, RJ11 output)
    • 10/100 Ethernet UTP network card (3Com 3C920-V3, RJ45 output)
    • wireless network card Wireless LAN (interface 802.11b, type Mini-PCI, Hermes-I, Ruby)
    • built-in dual band antenna
    Safety
    • hardware fingerprint recognition device (optional, present on the tested model)
    • built-in software boot password
    Interface ports
    • VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin
    • 2 USB ports with USB 2.0 support
    • 3 audio jacks: microphone, headphones, S/PDIF output
    • video output (SVHS)
    • LAN RJ-45
    • Phone RJ-11
    • IEEE 1394
    • Memory stick slot
    Power supply system
    • adapter 13 Wt DC/3.0 A
    • battery SSB-X10LS3 (3 cells, Smart Li-Ion Battery 11.1V 4400mAh)
    • more than 2 hours battery life (with standard battery)
    Dimensions and weight
    • 315.5х259х23.8 mm
    • 1.8 kg (with built-in battery)

    So, the first thing that catches your eye is the unusual graphics. So far, the Centrino laptops I've owned have either integrated graphics or an ATI M9 graphics controller. And Samsung chose NVIDIA. What will we see. Security devices based on fingerprint scanning are no longer exotic (I, for example, wrote about this in an ASUS review), in my opinion, it is the best way to protect information in a laptop (not taking into account resistance to hacking and the likelihood of errors) It's hard to forget a finger :).

    Delivery set:

    • laptop itself
    • power supply with cord
    • telephone cable
    • warranty card
    • System Software CD (drivers, utilities, electronic user manual)
    • System Recovery CD (Windows XP Pro)
    • FingerPrint Recognition Software CD
    • CD with Cyberlink PowerDVD XP4.0
    • Nero Burning Rom V 5.5 kit with instructions
    • XP Pro First Time Booklet
    • quick guide to fingerprint recognition software in Russian
    • booklet "Windows Registration" in English

    The only downside, in my opinion, is the lack of a printed user manual.

    First Impressions

    The first impression of the laptop lightness. Moreover, this feeling appears even before you take the computer in your hands. After trying to analyze the sensations, I came to the conclusion that the reason is the small thickness (23.8 mm less than an inch), well-chosen colors and thoughtful design of the top cover.

    In general, I liked the laptop right away, so I apologize in advance if it seems to someone that I am abusing photos, both of my own making and those provided by Samsung. In my opinion, the Samsung X10 is worth a look.

    At the front end are the main indicators and the Memory Stick slot.

    The rear end surface is not so saturated with connectors. The reason the battery, which occupies a "central place". To his left are:

    • S-video output
    • S/PDIF output
    • power supply connector

    It's worth noting that Samsung has abandoned the usual practice of "combined" S/PDIF output. In my opinion, this is the right decision. The headphone output should, in theory, be located in an easily accessible place, closer to the front of the computer. For the optical output, the very place is on the rear end. To the right of the battery Kensington lock slot.

    As a result of the “unloading” of the rear end, the connectors migrated to the side surfaces.

    On the left are:

    • ventilation grille
    • telephone line connector
    • LAN connector
    • connector for connecting an external monitor
    • USB port
    • PCMCIA slot
    • IEEE 1394 connector

    In general, for "stationary" work with a laptop, most of the wires will fit on the left. I can not say that this is the most successful option, but at least logical.

    Right audio jacks, combo drive and another USB port. It is pushed a little far, but it does not create any particular inconvenience. And of course, such an arrangement is better than the “standard” on the rear end.

    Ergonomics and work

    The first thing that attracts attention when the lid is open is a rather “coarse-grained” coating.

    On the top panel immediately striking is the extremely original location of the fingerprint scanner. Of course, I understand that this is an option, and I did not want to make an extra hole in the panel. But why is this option set INSTEAD of scrolling? Why can't I get Both in the "upper" model? Unclear.

    Moreover, when working, the finger continually “out of habit” tries to press the scroll key. The rest of the touchpad is comfortable. The keyboard is fairly standard. Only the cursor control block includes a menu key and the Fn key. Frankly, I like it better when these places are left unused less likely to miss. Of the original solutions, I note the possibility of calling up information about the power supply on the screen (when you press "Fn + F2" in the upper left corner, the power supply symbol from the mains or from batteries lights up for a while, then the battery level in percent) and enable / disable from the optical keyboard exit.

    Keys shortcut applications, enable/disable wireless communication and a block of auxiliary indicators are located as standard at the top of the panel.

    In general, working with a laptop is pleasant. It is, however, really lightweight. The specifications indicate a weight of 1.8 kg with a standard battery. But in my tests, as you can easily see, I visited a laptop with an increased capacity battery with a charge indicator.

    Therefore, I could not resist the temptation to check the manufacturer's data. Here's what I got: the weight of Samsung X10 without battery 1.65 kg, with extended battery 2 kg. By the way, if I bought this model, I would probably stop at a standard battery. And not because of the savings of 200 grams (which, however, is also important), but because of the appearance. Still, it spoils the cylinder protruding from behind.

    Another, I'm not afraid of this word, design find by Samsung is the power supply. I haven't seen anything better.

    It's not about originality, it's about ease of use. The cord leading from the power supply to the computer is wound onto the unit's case through a slot. At the same time, the body profile is made in such a way that the coil “goes” under the bend of the cover, making room for the next one. Moreover, the plug has a protrusion with which it is fixed in the same slot.

    And all this design absolutely does not interfere with connecting the power cord! To be honest, this uncomplicated product caused some kind of childish delight in me. How well done!

    Restoring the operating system and installing drivers

    Since this is the first laptop from Samsung that has been in our tests, I will dwell on the possibilities of system recovery. The kit includes two discs System Recovery CD and System Software CD. The first one contains the Russian version of the operating Windows systems XP professional. The disk is bootable; when it is used, a regular installation of the system takes place. The second disk contains drivers and utilities. Drivers can be installed individually or as a set.

    I note that installation support Intel processor Pentium M (Banias) is automated here (CPU checkbox), while in early samples of notebooks based on the Centrino platform, this procedure had to be done manually, and in a rather tricky way. From the same disk, you can install a set of utilities.

    Fingerprint recognition system

    The system software is on a separate CD. Unfortunately, it is not Russified. True, there is a booklet in the kit, which describes in Russian what actions must be taken to activate one or another function of the system. Functions are standard login, registration on sites, file encryption. The only problem is that the program command center is in ... German. Personally, because of this, I could not get to the bottom of all the possibilities. Thank God that software for fingerprint scanning in English. Although this combination is mysterious. I honestly tried to find some language settings not found. But protection at system startup still managed to be tested.

    So, when you start the system, you are prompted to scan your fingerprint or enter a password.

    Either one or the other is enough for the system, so if you hurt your finger, you will be able to start the computer. The password is entered after scanning the fingerprints and does not have to match the operating system login password. I did not make any particularly active hacking attempts, but I can say that the system functions independently of the BIOS and does not allow booting from any media without personal identification. Authentication errors happen, but no more than two attempts were required to download. In general, at first glance, the system is quite successful.

    Warranty and service. Website

    Notebook warranty is standard for Samsung 3 years (1 year full warranty and 2 years free repair). The list of service centers is given on the Russian website. True, it does not indicate which centers serve laptops. After calling a couple of times at random, I heard that Samsung laptops are out of service. In general, with service centers I would like more specifics. There, on the site, you can send a description of the problem to Samsung a sort of online support. True, the “control question” was not answered during the working day. We wait.

    There are addresses of stores selling Samsung products (however, I'm not sure that laptops are sold in all these places), information about models and their specifications. Unfortunately, I did not find any drivers or user manuals. The disadvantage is significant. In general, the level of user support cannot be called sufficient. I hope that the situation will be corrected in the near future. But there is a forum on the site, from which I learned that, according to the forum moderator, a typo was made on the Russian site in the characteristics of the matrix the color depth is 18 bits, while in fact the color depth is 24 bits. Whether this is actually the case is not yet certain. official information no.

    Modernization

    The laptop just asks for the hands of a real Russian self-taught master. Each hatch on the bottom cover is provided with explanatory inscriptions.

    So increasing the amount of memory, replacing a hard drive, or installing mini-PCI cards should not cause any difficulties. Another thing is that it makes sense to take such actions only after the warranty period has expired.

    Laptop testing

    For comparison, let's take a model on the Intel Centrino platform with integrated graphics ASUS M2N, as well as a model with ATI M9 graphics Bliss 501C.


    In terms of offline performance, the laptops are almost equal. In terms of battery life, the Samsung X10, which has the smallest amount of energy, overtook the Bliss 501C. On the one hand, it's good apparently, graphics from NVIDIA has less power consumption. On the other hand, the Samsung laptop showed these results when working with a high-capacity battery, which, by the way, is included in the package. I don't know the specifications of a "standard" battery, but the claimed 2-hour battery life is clearly short for this class of laptop.

    Now work from the power supply.

    Unfortunately, the Bliss 501C passed the SysMark 2002 test by half. He is the leader in this half. Samsung X10 confidently, although not by much, outperforms ASUS M2N with integrated graphics.

    Quite an unexpected result in Business Winstone Samsung X10 lost to ASUS M2N. It looks like the GeForce 440Go doesn't like this test very much.

    Now 3D graphics. Based on experience and common sense, we can assume that ASUS M2N will be far behind, and Bliss 501C will slightly overtake Samsung X10. Let's see if we've got bugs. So, MadOnion 3DMark 2001 SE (32 bit color, 32 bit Texture Format, 24 bit Z-buffer depth, Frame Buffer Double buffering)

    No, they didn't. The results are quite expected.

    Grand total. conclusions

    Contrary to the well-known proverb, Samsung's first pancake of laptop construction was by no means lumpy. Samsung X10 is a very worthy model. A light and thin computer, leaving a feeling of friendliness, will suit both a woman and a man, and a student, and a businessman. True, a student is unlikely to pull his purchase after all, $ 2910 in the company "Oldie" for a model in a configuration that has been tested this is a lot. And $2050 for the "younger" model (processor 1.3GHz, RAM 256MB, hard drive 30GB) is also not cheap. To promote the brand, it would be possible to put prices lower. Apparently, Samsung believes that their brand does not need to be promoted. Well, at least this model turned out to be very successful. The only drawback is not entirely clear choice between scrolling and scanning fingerprints.

    Samsung has been toying with the idea of ​​foldable smartphones for nearly a decade. It's been eight years since they first showed off the flexible display, but it's finally ready to turn the concept into reality. We have news from China that the Galaxy X will be launched later this year.

    Release date and price

    It's been a tough year for Samsung: a lot of trouble with Galaxy Note 7 and a corruption scandal in Korea, but according to GSM Arena and SamMobile, the company still managed to work on an exciting innovation codenamed Valley Project, and not just focus on incremental improvements in the technical characteristics of its devices.

    It's likely that the Galaxy X won't become popular right away, but if it proves popular, we might see more models with flexible screens in the future. Samsung may integrate this technology into their flagship devices if users adopt the technology and there is significant market demand.

    Design

    The overall design of the Galaxy X may contain elements of the Galaxy that we're all used to, but we don't know what might change due to the flexible screen. The camera, buttons, and placement of the fingerprint scanner can really make a difference in how a device looks. The overall shape will obviously change, and rounded edges could make the device more ergonomic.

    Having such a device with a display size that can fit in your pocket would be cool, but then the price of such a device due to manufacturing and R&D costs may make it out of reach for most consumers. We have yet to see if the Galaxy X will sell well or poorly.

    We know that Samsung is working on foldable phones based on its patents and we think it will most likely come out in 2017, but now we have confirmation from China that the Galaxy X will launch in the third or fourth quarter of this year. .

    Galaxy X: Display

    The Galaxy X will have a 4K resolution display (according to SamMobile), but not much is known about the display spec yet. There are rumors that the display area will extend beyond the front of the device towards its edges, which we may have already seen on the Galaxy S7 Edge.

    Everyone wants to have big screen, but no one is comfortable wearing it. This paradox in the world of smartphones will help to solve flexible screens.

    Below you can see the patent for flexible screen. That's what we mean when we talk about the Galaxy X. You can actually bend the screen without breaking it in half, which makes it useful. The service life of this type of screen can be a real problem. Constant bending and pressure can damage the screen, especially if you sit down with your phone in your back pocket. I hope Samsung can design a behavior model regular user and we will see a worthy device on the smartphone market.

    Success story or failure of Samsung with flexible screens?

    Below you can see an old example of Samsung's attempts to curve the screen. Can the Galaxy X also be that bulky or will it be a thin and elegant smartphone? The success of an idea depends on the execution and ability of Samsung to design according to the needs of users.

    Galaxy X Features

    The Galaxy X is likely to feature biometric security technologies, including a conventional fingerprint scanner, a facial recognition scanner, and an iris scanner.

    Contents of delivery:

    • Notebook
    • Battery
    • Charger
    • Additional software
    • Documentation

    Many of you have probably already seen ads for Samsung X-series laptops from the new Be a Leader ad campaign. This series includes four models, these are: X05, X10, X15, X30. Today we will talk about the X10 plus model, which is a modification of the X10 laptop, but differs more fast memory(DDR333 instead of DDR266) and a more powerful NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 video adapter (GeForce FX 440 was installed in the previous modification).

    The design of the laptop immediately attracts attention, a silver body with rounded edges, plastic inserts in dark blue on the sides. The design of Samsung laptops has a common idea, so the products of this company stand out from the general background. The material of which the case is made is plastic, only top cover Made of aluminum-magnesium alloy to protect the display. The quality of the coating, as well as the assembly, does not cause any complaints. The dimensions of the device are 315.5x259.7x23.8 mm, and the weight with a 2200 mAh battery is 1.8 kg. With 4400 mAh battery - 2 kg.

    We tested a Samsung X10 plus laptop with the following configuration: Intel Pentium M 1.4 GHz (Banias), 256 MB random access memory DDR333, 40 GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 video adapter with 64 MB DDR memory, DVD-CD/RW optical drive.


    The lid of the laptop is corrugated, it houses the company logo.


    The battery latches on the bottom of the X10 plus are rather tight and take a lot of effort to open/close. Perhaps this is a problem of a single sample. There is also a mini-PCI slot, two slots for memory modules (in our case, one of the slots was occupied), a hard drive compartment, all of them are covered with covers with explanatory inscriptions.

    At the front end of the laptop is a slot for Memory Stick memory cards, unfortunately, without support for Memory Stick PRO. There is also a laptop lid latch and two indicator lights, namely, the battery charge and the device operation indicator. They are visible both with the laptop lid open and closed.

    Almost the entire rear surface of the X10 plus is occupied by the battery, to the left of it there is an S-Video output, an optical S/PDIF output and a power supply connector. On the right is only the Kensington lock connector (port for connecting a combination lock).

    On the left side surface there are connectors for connecting to the telephone network, to the local network, a VGA port for connecting an external monitor, one USB 2.0 port, a PCMCIA card slot and a 4-pin IEEE 1394 connector.

    On the right side surface there are audio connectors, an optical drive, one USB 2.0 port.

    Connectors are located well, access to them is free. What upset me was the presence of only two USB ports, as well as a card reader that can only read Memory Stick cards.


    The working surface of the laptop is comfortable to work with. The keyboard layout is standard, the blue keys have little travel, they are a little taut, so users who are used to soft keys will have some time to get used to working with this keyboard. Of the inconveniences, the menu keys and the Fn function key included in the cursor control unit can be noted.

    Located under the keyboard Touchpad with two keys and a scroll wheel. It is convenient to work with the wheel; optionally, a fingerprint scanner is installed in its place.

    Above the keyboard are shortcut keys. application launch, key to turn on/off the wireless adapter. There are also service indicators and a laptop on / off key.


    The X10 has a 14.1” display with a maximum resolution of XGA 1024x768, color depth of 18 bits (262,144 colors). The screen is bright and contrasting, the viewing angles cannot be called large, but they are sufficient for comfortable work. The brightness of the screen (8 levels in total) is adjusted by pressing the key combination - "Fn" + up or down key. An external monitor can be connected to the laptop via the VGA connector. It supports resolutions up to 1920x1200.

    The sound system is implemented in the form of two speakers of 1 W each, which are located on the bottom of the working surface. This arrangement leads to the fact that when working with the keyboard, the speakers will be covered with hands. The sound is loud, but the quality leaves much to be desired, so you should use headphones or external speakers to watch a movie or listen to music. There is no built-in microphone in the X10, but it is possible to connect an external one.

    The combined optical disc drive installed in the notebook is Samsung CDRW/DVD SU-324B. The drive works without any problems. Its characteristics are as follows:

    • CD read 24x
    • CD-R write 24x
    • CD-RW write 8x
    • DVD-ROM read 8x

    The card reader in the Samsung X10 plus, as mentioned above, only works with Memory Stick cards. To work with cards of other formats, it is recommended to purchase a PCMCIA format card reader so as not to occupy the USB port.

    The laptop is built on the Centrino platform. Processor - Intel Pentium M 1.4 GHz (Banias), 256 MB SO-DIMM DDR333 RAM, two slots, one of which was free in our case. Hard disk 40 GB manufactured by IBM (4200 rpm), disk buffer size is 2 MB. An integral part of laptops based on the Centrino platform is the presence of a wireless adapter, Intel PRO / Wireless LAN 2100 3B mini-PCI (802.11 b) is installed here.

    The video adapter installed in the laptop is NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 with 64 MB DDR memory. This card is not the most powerful, its performance is enough to work with most applications, but this video adapter is not suitable for modern 3D games.

    Below you can see the test results of the card, for comparison, the test results of the Asus A4G laptop (Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor, 512 MB DDR333 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 64 MB video card), Asus W1N (Intel Pentium M 1700 MHz processor, 512 MB DDR333 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 64 MB video card) and Sony Vaio V505EX (Intel Pentium M 1.5 GHz processor, 512 MB DDR333 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 32 MB video card).


    From the test results, we can see that X10 is ahead of Sony Vaio V505EX (Radeon 9200), but loses to Asus A4G (Radeon 9600) and Asus W1N (Radeon 9700).

    In our version, the laptop came with Li-ion battery, with a capacity of 4400 mAh (the operating time declared by the manufacturer is up to 4.5 hours), with a charge indicator. The most interesting thing is that you can see the charge level only by removing the battery. This battery protrudes from the chassis as a small cylinder and adds 200g to the weight of the notebook (for a total notebook weight of 2kg). The battery fastening is reliable, there is no backlash. There are also options to ship the laptop with a 2200 mAh battery that does not protrude from the case and reduces the weight of the laptop by 200 g (the total weight of the laptop will be 1.8 kg). Batteries with a capacity of 2200 mAh are available for sale, the average price in Moscow is $ 60, 4400 mAh at a price of about $ 90.


    The operating time of the laptop with 4400 mAh batteries, when playing a movie from a DVD disc, was 2 hours 37 minutes. When testing battery life with the Mobile Mark 2002 test suite, the laptop ran 194 minutes, and the productivity rating in office applications is 123 .

    The heat dissipation of the X10 plus is moderate. During operation, the working surface does not heat up, warm air is removed from the left, so no discomfort is felt when working with the mouse. Noise during operation is almost inaudible, the fan rarely turns on, mainly when working with resource-intensive applications.

    conclusions

    First of all, I liked the X10 plus laptop for its small size and weight. The presence of an external video adapter from NVIDIA can be seen as a nice addition rather than a definite plus. The presence of a scroll wheel adds convenience in working with documents, but, unfortunately, if the user decides to purchase a model with a fingerprint scanner, he will lose this convenient feature.

    The disadvantages include the presence of only two USB ports and a card reader that only works with Memory Stick cards. Also, some users may not like the fact that a larger battery protrudes from the case, but then you have to choose between battery life and appearance.

    average price in Moscow for a Samsung X10 plus laptop in a configuration that has been tested (at the time of publication of the review) 1650 dollars.

    Specifications Samsung X10 plus
    (declared by the manufacturer)

    • Processor Intel Pentium M 1.4 GHz
    • 14.1" color TFT matrix (XGA) 1024x768
    • Chipset (chipset) Intel 855 PM
    • video card NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 64MB DDR
    • Support up to 1GB DDR333 RAM
    • 40GB HDD (4200rpm, Ultra DMA100)
    • Built-in optical drive DVD/CD-RWCombo (8x 24x/24x/24x)
    • Built-in V.92 56K modem and 10/100 network card
    • Adapter wireless network 802.11b standard (mini-PCI module)
    • Built-in Memory Stick Card Reader
    • Communication ports: 2xUSB2.0, 1xIEEE1394, 1xPCMCIA Type II, VGA, Headphone-Out,
      Microphone-In, S-Video, S/PDIF
    • Rechargeable battery (6 cells, 11.1V, 4400mAh)
    • AC" 97, 2 speakers 1W each
    • Touchpad cursor control with scroll wheel
    • Pre-installed operating system Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition (Russian version)
    • Notebook dimensions (LxWxH) 315.5x259.7x23.8 mm
    • Notebook weight 2 kg

    The line of SAMSUNG X10 notebooks based on Intel Centrino technology, presented on the Russian market in May 2003, was first shown at CeBIT 2003 in March. Shortly before this event, numerous premieres of these notebooks took place in most European countries, as well as in China and Hong Kong. Thus, the SAMSUNG X10 series appeared almost immediately after the announcement of Centrino technology.

    At first sight

    The first thing that catches your eye when you look at the SAMSUNG X10 laptop is its original, stylish design. Unlike laptops of this class by domestic manufacturers, which are mostly made on the same MITAC platform and differ from each other only in logos, the SAMSUNG X10 laptop has a unique, inimitable design. The laptop is made in a silver color with a metallic tint, and, apparently, made of lightweight durable alloy. The quality of the paint coating on the case seems to be quite reliable, in any case, you can be sure that after a while there will be no scratches on the case. Of course, to reduce the uniqueness of the design of SAMSUNG X10 laptops only to a stylish appearance it would be wrong. The advantages of this model are its ultra-thin body and low weight, which is combined with high performance and functionality. With an LCD matrix size of 14.1 inches (working resolution 1024x768 pixels), the thickness of the model does not exceed 23.8 mm, and the weight is 1.8 kg.

    At the same time, it should be taken into account that in terms of its functionality, a laptop can compete with a full-size workstation (see Table 1).

    The secret of such a thin case lies in the fact that the laptop uses an LCD display with a thickness of no more than 5.2 mm and a combined DVD / CD-RW drive with a thickness of 9.5 mm of its own production.

    We note right away that the laptop has passed all the necessary stages of certification by Intel, that is, it is rightfully considered a laptop based on Intel Centrino technology. Recall that in order to obtain such a certificate, it is necessary that the laptop has all three required platform components: an Intel Pentium M processor, an Intel 855 family chipset, and an Intel PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 IEEE 802.11b wireless module.

    The SAMSUNG X10 laptop is built based on the Intel 855PM chipset. The notebook comes with a 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium M processor (SAMSUNG X10 1300 model) and 512 MB of DDR266 RAM as standard. Also in the line of laptops there are models with a processor clock speed of up to 1.6 GHz. The SAMSUNG X10 comes with a 60 GB Fujitsu hard drive.

    The notebook is equipped with a high-performance graphics subsystem NVIDIA Ge Force 4 440 (64 MB DDR memory).

    The functionality of SAMSUNG X10 is emphasized by a large number of various input-output ports. So, the laptop is equipped with two USB ports 2.0 connectors on the left and right side panels, a VGA connector for connecting an external monitor, an S-Video connector, an IEEE-1394 interface connector, and a type II PCMCIA slot. In addition, there is an RJ-45 connector for connecting to an external 10/100Base-TX Ethernet network and an RJ-11 connector for connecting an integrated modem to the telephone line. On top of that, on the front panel of the notebook there is a device for reading flash cards (card reader) of the Memory Stick standard, as well as connectors for headphone connection, microphone, and S/PDIF optical audio output.

    It should also be noted that there is a convenient two-button touch screen (TouchРad) with scrolling, for which special software is supplied with the laptop that allows you to lock the screen, adjust its sensitivity, etc.

    Communication options samsung laptop The X10 is provided with an Ethernet 10/100Base-TX 3Com 3C920 network controller, a wireless adapter for connecting to a wireless network using the 802.11b protocol, and a soft modem.

    The LED indicators on the front of the notebook are divided into two groups. Four indicators are located above the keyboard and are available only when the laptop is open, and two more indicators laptop power on and battery level are placed on the front edge of the front panel.

    To activate or block the wireless module, there is a special button with a light indicator. This allows you to scan the wireless network as needed, which significantly saves battery power consumption.

    The SAMSUNG X10 laptop uses a battery with a nameplate capacity of 24,420 MWh. Such a low battery capacity is due to its small size. Place a large battery in such slim body It is simply impossible, so the manufacturers installed a rather tiny battery in the laptop, which, of course, has its negative consequences: it is not necessary to expect that such a small battery capacity will provide long-term offline operation. However, it is necessary to make a reservation and clarify that we are talking about a standard battery. An extended capacity battery is optionally available, which is slightly larger and has a capacity of 48,840 mWh.

    The BIOS of the SAMSUNG X10 laptop is not very powerful. In any case, the hard setting of power consumption modes (Maximum Performance Mode, Automatic Mode, Battery-Optimized Performance Mode, Maximum Battery Mode), provided by Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology, is not implemented in the BIOS. The only option available is to disable or enable Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology. However, here everything is not as obvious as we would like. To enable Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology, you must set the Gv3 Enable value of the Intel Speed ​​Step parameter. This is because Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology was previously known under the code name Geyservill III, which, although rare, is still used today. So, after the Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology is activated, the power consumption mode is set through the power scheme settings (Power Schemes) in the Power Options dialog box. Note that when the Intel Speed ​​Step parameter is set to Disable (that is, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology is disabled), regardless of the choice of power scheme, the processor operates at a clock frequency of 600 MHz, not 1300 MHz, which, in principle, is not quite logical.

    Test Methodology

    Since the SAMSUNG X10 laptop based on the Intel Centrino platform implements the Enhanced Intel SpeedStep energy saving technology, which, in fact, is an integral part of the Intel Pentium M processor, the question arose under what conditions to test when activating or blocking this technology? On the one hand, the concept of Intel Centrino technology is precisely to provide the user with maximum mobility, that is, the possibility of an unprecedentedly long battery life. This opportunity is provided through the latest technologies power savings (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep, Deeper Sleep, IMVP, etc.) implemented at the processor and chipset levels. On the other hand, the use of energy-saving technologies cannot but affect the performance of the laptop.

    Performance and battery life are two poles that limit the potential of a laptop. At the same time, the user should have a choice what is more important for him at the moment: to get maximum performance at the expense of battery life or, conversely, maximum battery life at the expense of performance. In addition, laptops do not always operate offline, and when working from an external network, the use of energy-saving technologies makes no sense, therefore, in this mode, the maximum performance factor is of paramount importance.

    In order to evaluate the capabilities of the notebook both in the maximum performance mode and in the maximum power saving mode, we tested both with the Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology enabled and disabled.

    Testing was carried out under the operating system Windows XP Pro SP1 (English version). In addition, all the latest Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) available at the time of testing were installed on the laptop. The operating system was also tuned for maximum performance. Of the additional utilities and drivers used:

    Utility Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility version 5.0.0.1018;

    Intel Application Accelerator version 2.2.0.2126.

    The laptop was tested with a working resolution of the matrix (1024X768 pixels) and a color depth of 32 bits.

    To test the SAMSUNG X10 notebook, the Future Mark MobileMark 2002 test package was used.

    The MobileMark 2002 test was run in the Battery and Performance Test mode, which allowed us to evaluate the performance of the notebook when working with office applications (performance rating) and battery life.

    To implement the maximum performance mode in the Windows XP operating system, the Always On power scheme was installed. In addition, to obtain correct results, the time to turn off the monitor, hard drives, and switch to standby mode.

    To implement the maximum power saving mode in the Windows XP operating system, the Max Battery power scheme was installed. In addition, the time to turn off the monitor and enter Standby mode was blocked, and the time to turn off the hard drives was set to 3 minutes.

    We also note that during testing, the brightness of the LCD matrix was set to the minimum level, which, however, turned out to be quite enough for work.

    Test results

    The results of testing the laptop SAMSUNG X10 for each of the power schemes are presented in Table. 2.

    Always On Schema

    As you might expect, the highest performance and lowest battery life are in the Always On scheme. When this scheme is selected, the processor clock frequency is set to the maximum value and does not change when the processor is loaded. This can be verified using the System Monitor utility included with the Windows XP operating system.