Advent 5612 review

Take a look at the Advent 5612's price and you'd be forgiven for doing a double-take. But it isn't a misprint - this really is a 15.4in laptop for little more than your average netbook.

Start by perusing the Advent's specifications and it's clear where the cash has been saved. The Intel Celeron T1600 processor is the slowest of all the processors here, and with a lonely 2GB stick of DDR2 RAM occupying the only memory slot, the Advent lagged behind with 0.76 in our benchmarks. Then again, that's twice the speed of a netbook.

Gaming performance was next to non-existent thanks to the basic Intel GMA 4500M graphics, a chipset that left the 5612 staggering through our Crysis benchmark at a slideshow-esque four frames per second.

Keep the lid closed and the 5612 looks almost stylish, thanks to the glossy black lid highlighted with a single grey pinstripe. There's even a practical touch in the shape of twin lid clasps to keep the screen firmly shut in a bag.

But, once you've tilted that lid back, the Advent is less than pretty. The two-tone gloss and matte-black finish jar unpleasantly against a silver surround and trackpad. Such ugliness would be forgivable if the 5612 were just a tad more usable. Alas, ergonomics aren't where the 5612's strengths lay. The keyboard has a positive action, but the keys' square shape and rattly feel don't instill confidence. The trackpad is also far from perfect, waylaid by stiff buttons.

Elsewhere, the Advent puts in an unremarkable performance. The 15.4in display is bright enough, but has narrow viewing angles, a bluish tone and poor contrast. It's a similar story with the speakers which, while not entirely awful, produce a tinny, lightweight tone.

The final nail in the Advent's coffin is battery life. Light use saw the 5612 manage a mere two hours, and 1hr 20mins under heavy usage.

While there's no doubt that building a 15.4in laptop for just £304 is impressive, Advent has had to cut a few too many corners to get there.

Author: Sasha Muller