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Stylish isn’t an adjective that applies to the Lifebook S760. Matte plastics in a mixture of colours and lots of sharp angles make it clear that this is an ultra-portable laptop aimed squarely at business users.
As with most business-focused machines, the 13.3in display has a matte coating to keep reflections to a minimum. Although the screen has an impressive tilt of over 180 degrees, viewing angles were very tight. Looking at the screen from any angle other than square-on made colours look distorted. The backlight wasn’t very bright either, but colours were accurately reproduced. Two speakers mounted above the keyboard produce average quality audio. Bass notes were audible but had no strength. The speakers point upwards, so volume was low from any position other than sat directly in front of the laptop.
A circular scroll pad has been placed next to the main trackpad for faster web and document browsing. Although you have to move your hand to use it, it’s a lot faster and smoother than using the touchpad. The touchpad is average size, but it was responsive. The buttons are small because a fingerprint reader is placed between them, but they have a solid feel. Unfortunately the keyboard is more disappointing. The traditional keys are tightly grouped and the white keys look out of place with the already muddled black and silver chassis. The real problem is that they feel spongy when typing.
Thanks to an Intel Core i5 520M processor, the Lifebook S760 managed an impressive 89 in our multimedia benchmarks. Even intensive tasks such as video encoding shouldn’t be a problem with this much power. There’s no dedicated graphics chip, but the integrated processor can handle HD vide which can be output via HDMI or VGA for connecting to a larger external display or projector.
There are three USB ports, one of which will charge devices even when the laptop is powered down, plus an ExpressCard slot. A built-in motion sensor is designed to protect the hard disk should you drop the laptop. We found the default setting slightly too sensitive, but it was easy to decrease this in software.
Given that it weighs just 1.6kg, the integrated DVD re-writer is a surprising, but convenient inclusion. However, you’re unlikely to be able to use this on the move, as you’ll need to use the modular bay for a secondary battery, which will set you back between £100 and £150. The reason for this is that the main battery lasted just three and a half hours in our light-use test. If you’re running any demanding applications – and taking full advantage of the Core i5’s power – battery life will shorten considerably.
Although we’ve seen ultra-portables that last longer, few have this much processing power. The problem is that this power will cost you dearly and you can get cheaper laptops with almost the same amount of power and longer battery lives.
