Fujitsu LifeBook S6421

Fujitsu LifeBooks are premium business machine with a focus on portability and weight. However, its notebooks also carry a hefty premium which is offset somewhat by its standard three-year warranty package. The LifeBook S6421 bucks the trend with an affordable price tag. But due to the fact that the chassis remains unchanged from its predecessor, the feature set is a little dated, though still competent enough for most users.

Upside: One of the first things which strikes you when the laptop is open is how incredibly slim the LCD bezel is. Coined by Fujitsu as SlimEdge technology, this allows the 13.3-inch display to sit in a notebook with the form factor of an 12.1-inch machine. At only 1.9kg with a thickness of 26.4mm, it's among the slimmest and lightest thin-and-lights with an internal optical drive, despite having a chassis which was introduced over a year ago.

We also like the fact that the optical drive bay is modular and can be replaced with a weight-saver or second battery for a maximum uptime of 7 hours. To save power while on the road, an Eco button tunes down the screen brightness and processor clock speed to increase battery life.

Like the rest of its LifeBook siblings, the LifeBook S6421 comes with a spill-resistant keyboard, fingerprint sensor/TPM security chip combo and three-year coverage. But what we really like is its price tag of S$1,788, making it an affordable thin-and-light for the business traveler.

Downside: With most 13.3-inch panels now HD-ready, the 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution on the LifeBook S6421's display is a little old-school, though the 250nits brightness and 450:1 contrast ratio help make it more readable under bright conditions.

This LifeBook must have missed the memo that ExpressCard, HDMI and eSATA are becoming the industry standard, as it lacks these new connectivity ports. Another gripe is that the trackpad still lacks multitouch capability.

Outlook: With an affordable price tag and portable form factor, the LifeBook S6421 is highly recommended for the frequent traveler as long as the absence of ExpressCard, HDMI and eSATA is not an issue.