Fujitsu LifeBook S7220 review

Fujitsu's LifeBook S series of laptops is designed to offer a balance of high-end performance and portability. According to Fujitsu (note the absence of 'Siemens' these days) the 2.2kg, 14.1-inch LifeBook S7220 is 'your best friend on the move'.

There are various configuration of this laptop available. Our review sample, with an Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU, costs around £1,200.

Design
The S7220's design is utilitarian rather than stylish. The lid section has a splash of piano black along the top, lending a dash of panache to the outer casing. The white keyboard with mercury-coloured surround may not appeal to all tastes.

Fujitsu is very good at ensuring its laptops travel well. The S7220's lid and base sections hold together very well in transit, thanks to a solid clasp. The build quality is generally strong, although there's some flex in the lid section.

The touchpad is rather small, but it includes a fingerprint reader with scroll capability

Weighing 2.2kg and measuring 334 by 37 by 243mm, the S7220 falls into the thin and light rather than ultraportable (sub-2kg) category. But what you lose in portability, you gain in screen size.

Measuring 14.1 inches across the diagonal, the S7220's screen has a native resolution of 1,280x800 pixels. The display has a matte finish, making it possible to work indoors with a light source (such as a window) to the rear without being bothered by reflections. Viewing angles are fine in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Our only real complaint is that the screen lacks vibrancy.

The large keys on the spill-proof keyboard are well designed for fast touch-typing. We type with a fairly light touch, and didn't notice any flex in the keyboard during general use. Heavier-handed typists may notice some give, however.

A row of near-full-size function keys sits above the number row. Above this are five large buttons, one of which is the on/off switch. The remaining four are shortcut buttons. One takes you to the Fujitsu Web site, while a second opens the Windows Mobility Center, where you can adjust system settings. The third button locks the laptop so that you can safely walk away while it's running.

You'll find ports and connectors on all four edges of the S7220

The fourth shortcut button activates the laptop's power-saving mode. This disables the optical drive, PC Card slot and flash card reader, LAN and modem, and lowers the display's brightness. Screen brightness in power-saving mode is extremely low, and you may not be able to work effectively for any length of time. You can always adjust the brightness manually with a Fn key combination, though.

Beneath the keyboard is a touchpad. It's responsive, but rather uncomfortable to use, as it's on the small side. There are no vertical or horizontal scroll capabilities built into it. Between the two mouse buttons is a fingerprint sensor, which also offers scrolling functionality.