Fujitsu's LifeBook S2210 and P7230 laptops reviewed

It'd probably be tough to find anyone eying an ultralight laptop that hasn't given either the S2210 or P7230 (pictured after the jump) at least a glance, but just in case you're only moments away from pulling the trigger on either, you might want to reconsider. Unfortunately, it sounds like both of Fujitsu's latest LifeBooks underperformed in the areas that mattered most, and as PCMag put it, shoving a full-fledged PC (with an integrated optical drive, no less) into a three- to four-pound frame requires quite a few tradeoffs. Reviewers found the choice of processors somewhat necessary considering the tight spaces, but the sluggish performance within Vista was irritating to say the least. Additionally, upgraded machines tended not to be good values, as boosting the RAM, hard drive capacity, and optical drive drove the price "beyond the reach" of most business laptop customers. Still, the highly portable nature of both machines is impossible to knock, so if you're willing to be a tad more patient whilst working, and don't mind unusually small keyboards, both machines should handle whatever you throw at it -- albeit at its own lethargic pace.

Read - Fujitsu's LifeBook S2210 Review
Read - Fujitsu's LifeBook P7230 Review

[Ondra Soukup @ Apr 15th 2007 9:49AM]

P-series is really getting better and better, I'd like to see something like this from Apple.

[nikster @ Apr 15th 2007 10:08AM]

install XP on them and it will fly.. the problem is the terribly broken Vista...

[Apreche @ Apr 15th 2007 10:33AM]

I just bought a P7230. My only concern was that the Core Solo U1400 would be too slow. It's not. You can do just about everything except heavy-duty 3D work without slowdown. I haven't had a video skip yet while playing.

Also, the 10.6" screen with 1280x768 resolution is awesome, and so is the battery life. That's the primary reason I chose it over the much more powerful, and equally priced, Lenovo X60. The X60 has a 12" screen with 1024x768 resolution.

Best part about the P7230 is that almost everything "just works" in Ubuntu Linux. If you're looking for an ultra-portable, I can't recommend this one enough.

[Brian @ Apr 15th 2007 12:39PM]

Apreche, you can get the X60 with a 12" SXGA+ (1400x1050) screen now. They're beautiful.

I agree about the Core Solos. For the vast majority of people, 3d tech/data crunching/hard core gaming isn't an issue with ultra-portables. I'd like to see slimmer laptops w/ better battery life instead of shoving Core 2 Duos in everything.

[Chris Sammartano @ Apr 15th 2007 4:17PM]

A couple of years ago I bought a lifebook - it died within the week. Brought it back and got a Toshiba Satellite, which is still running.

Thought maybe I was just unlucky, but I got a MacBook Pro last fall, within a month the hard drive fried. Manufacturer? Fujitsu! Yikes!

C. Sammartano

[d @ Apr 15th 2007 8:10PM]

Are these new? Didn't I see these reviewed on cnet last month?

[Wilson @ Apr 17th 2007 1:37PM]

Fujitsu laptops look nice but they are poorly designed inside. Make sure you get the super duper extended warranty.

[Raymond @ May 1st 2007 11:16PM]

Bought a unit of S2210 in Malaysia which offers only Vista option. Everything looks good so far except I found that the cursor movement will be jittering with some of the applications windows opened such as the Adobe Reader 8 and also Yahoo msg. It also happened with some others when I have a few windows opened. I’m using 1G RAM and when this happened the RAM usage(performance in task manager) did not shoot up. Checked this with the Salesperson and put the graphic shared memory to 128MB, still the same. And we tested all the S series demo units at the shop (AMD or Intel) and found the same issue. The T and A series were ok. Anyone experience the same and any idea how to solve this? Have sent an enquiry to Fujitsu and waiting for their reply too.