Samsung R20

As incredible deals go, the R20 is up there with the best. It looks and feels like a premium laptop, and thanks to a decent range of components, it rarely performs as you might expect a budget laptop to. It's also significantly lighter and faster than the Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Li 1718 (web ID: 120473), making it an obvious choice for the Value Notebook spot on the A List. Its battery life is similar to boot, and the only areas in which the Fujitsu Siemens outdoes the R20 are with its screen size (although not its resolution), and a solitary extra USB port. Samsung has done a terrific job in making the R20 available at this price and specification - it's almost perfectly balanced, and for less than £500 we're happy to forgive it a few foibles.

Author: Dave Stevenson