Labs

There are three compact notebooks in the sub-£1,000 section of this month's labs, and the Samsung Q45 is the most expensive. But reading the specs, there's nothing to get too excited about. Powering the system is an Intel 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo T7100 processor and 2GB of RAM, which is helped along by 160GB of storage. On its own this might have impressed if the Acer 6292 hadn't managed a faster processor for £40 less, and the disparity became clear in our 2D results with a score of 0.88 compared to the Acer's 1.00.

If style alone could win awards, however, the Q45 would be our choice of the three cheaper ultraportables. The glossy top looks smart and, while it can't match the £1,400

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Sony TZ21WN for desirability, it does make the Acer look dowdy and the Toshiba U300 slightly cheap. Open up the lid and the smart graphite finish continues the theme, with understated blue status and power LEDs surrounding the keyboard.

For typing, the Samsung comes out top once again. Its keys, while light and a little rattly, are better spaced and laid out than those on the Acer, and less bouncy than those on the U300. In fact, the ease with which you can touch-type is nothing short of remarkable. The only downsides are that the Page Up and Page Down keys flank the Up cursor key, which makes document navigation a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, and that the Windows key is on the wrong side.

Battery life is more impressive. With an identical capacity 4,800mAh lithium ion battery but a slightly less power-hungry processor than the Acer, it managed to score an extra half-an-hour in light use (5hrs 15mins), and another 15 minutes in intensive use (1hr 21mins) for the second-best score this month. And although the integrated graphics wouldn't run our 3D benchmarks, the 12.1in glossy screen is bright and crisp.

All in all, the Q45 is a very capable machine, and its extra flair and superior ergonomics offer a reasonable return on the premium you'll pay over the Acer.