Samsung Q320 laptop - hands on review

We’ve been seeing more and more laptops with ultra widescreen 16:9 aspect ratios recently – with many proving ideal for movie playback and media use. Samsung’s Q320 is the latest – a 13.4-inch machine that looks like an ideal choice for the portable worker.

The Q320’s screen has a glossy coating that stretches right to the edges of the machine, giving it a frameless appearance. It’s also highly reflective, and near impossible to keep clean from fingerprints and other grime.

Colours are vivid, and the 1366 x 768 pixel resolution is sharp, and there’s more than enough space for viewing a couple of windows simultaneously. It’s also great for watching films, the widescreen ratio keeping intrusive black bars at the top and bottom of the display to a minimum.

Open it up and aside from the screen it’s the quality of the Q320 that impresses the most – the plastics are all tough and a matt finish gives it a tactile feel. Chrome highlights complement the black chassis nicely, and it’s rounded off by an excellent keyboard. All of the keys are large and move with a positive typing action, and they’re firmly attached and quiet during use. They also feature a matt finish, resisting wear and dirt well.

We haven’t had the opportunity to benchmark the Q320 fully yet, nor try out graphics performance, but keep an eye out here for a full review.