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Medion’s P6613 lasted nearly four hours in our light-use battery test, but at 3kg it’s also the heaviest laptop here, pushing the limits of comfortable portability.
With its 16:9 screen and multimedia features, it’s better suited to a more sedentary life, but it’s useful to be able to go without mains power for this long.
The design is fairly bland, although it has an unusual finish, which looks like brushed metal painted with gloss. The two-tone black and dark grey colour scheme is attractive; there are simple indicator lights and no multimedia buttons to spoil the clean lines. Apart from a slight flex in the screen, the case feels sturdy.
The keyboard is equally firm and uses the full width of the case to include a number pad. With NumLock off, the number pad keys double as page navigation keys. Our only complaint is the touchpad, which uses the same gloss surface as the case and so can get sticky; otherwise, it’s large enough and the buttons are light.
The P6613 is one of only two laptops here with an eSATA port, which doubles as a USB port, giving a total of four USB ports. It also has an HDMI output, an ExpressCard/54 slot and a generous 320GB hard disk. Draft-N WiFi is the only absentee.
Performance was near the top of the group. However, the P6613 really stood out in our gaming tests. Its score of 9.4fps in our Call of Duty 4 benchmark is poor, but the best in this round-up. It’s enough for less action-oriented games, such as strategy or adventure games, which will look great on the 16:9 widescreen display. The 16in screen has the joint-highest resolution here, with even backlighting and accurate colours. Furthermore, the matt finish eliminates reflections.
It may not have the 3G modem of Lenovo’s SL500 or the long warranty of Asus’s X59GL, but this is a great all-rounder. The Samsung R510’s better looks, warranty and lower price earn it the Best Buy award. However, if you can find the P6613 cheaper, it’s the one to buy.
