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LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Fujitsu LifeBook - LIFEBOOK A Series - LIFEBOOK AH531, WIN7HP,INTEL CORE i3-2350M,1 YR,DVD-RW,4GB(2GBX2),500GB(5400RPM) HDD,INTEL WLAN(BGN),BT,15.6WXGA,WEBCAM,US KB,6 CELL BATTERY
Overall Rating:
Rating Snapshot (36 reviews)
5 stars
17
4 stars
17
3 stars
2
2 stars
0
1 star
0
33 of 36(92%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Review 1 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
JM5806
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 25-39
Great laptop so far. Great Fujitsu support
Date:February 11, 2012
Have only owned laptop for a week at this point so its hard to make any real claims as to its reliability and complete performance.
What I can say is that the units wi-fi card was not working correctly when first purchased. Normally this would be a huge strike but I have to say that Fujitsu's laptop support was very thorough and competent. I had to spend an hour or two on the phone over 2 afternoons speaking to different support people until they could determine the unit needed to have new wi-fi card installed. They then created RMA# and emailed a convenient Fedex label that I could just bring with box and ship to have serviced. Unit was shipped back about 8 business days later.
Unit works perfectly since having it serviced. Just want to stress their customer support was the best I have received in this modern day age of automated customer support. While it was disappointing and inconvenient at first the fact they delivered a solution in a timely and professional manner goes a long way to make up for it.
Now to the laptop - I bought this particular model because I absolutely needed an expresscard slot to use my Universal Audio UAD-2 DSP audio card. Unfortunately expresscard slots have become a premium option usually only found on $1000+ 17" high end laptops. The AH531 sell for much less then this so it was an attractive option. Screen is bright. HDMI output seems to be working great streaming Breaking Bad Season 4 on a 50" samsung 1080p tv. The laptop itself is not the lightest by any means but its not over the top heavy. The plastic frame feels pretty solid to me. Blu-ray player in unit is awesome and in future will be very handy. Nice to have USB 2.0 jacks on both left and right side of unit. Laptop did not come loaded with tons of bloatware. I'm really into customizing my laptops so its always annoying to have to uninstall 10,000 preloaded pieces of garbage software. I can definitely feel a performance bump with the i5 processor. The Widi interface will be awesome if the standard gains more traction. Only beef with the laptop is that none of the USB ports are USB 3.0. However, you can potentially add a port by using the expresscard slot. They are not expensive. Cant comment much on battery life yet. Too early.
Overall sweet laptop with great customer service. Only downside was fact that wireless card was problematic in beginning. However, the customer support gives me confidence in buying from Fujitsu again in future.
-JM
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Review 2 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
4
out of
5
Dan P
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 40-54
Great laptop, but not as good as my last Fujitisu
Date:August 4, 2011
Pros: Weight, Features, Keyboard, Screen Size, display quality
Cons: finish, speakers, port location
I purchased my current AH530 about a year ago. This is my third Fujitsu laptop. I bought this one without looking at anything else since my first two were outstanding. Here's what I like and dislike:
Likes:
- Display quality (great)
- Keyboard (has numeric keypad)
- Lighter weight than previous models
- Good performance, though I wish it had a dedicated video card
- ExpressCard slot (needed for firewire).
- Great price - I bought it at a $100 discount.
- Keyboard (has numeric keypad)
- Lighter weight than previous models
- Good performance, though I wish it had a dedicated video card
- ExpressCard slot (needed for firewire).
- Great price - I bought it at a $100 discount.
Dislikes:
- TERRIBLE speakers. My first two laptops had great speakers and I never expected these to be SO bad.
- Port placement is aggravating. All the ports are on the side, so if you use a mouse (I do) a cable is probably in the way on the right, and cables are for sure in the way on the left side. Why didn't Fujitsu leave some of them on the back?
- A fourth USB port and a Firewire port would be nice. My previous two had a Firewire port built-in. Too bad you have to buy a card to get Firewire. That said, most $500 laptops don't have the Expresscard slot.
- The shiny finish always has fingerprints.
So far the reliability has been fine on this one and my last two were good. I cooked the motherboard after five years on the first one. The second one is still in operation and runs Windows 7 Pro decently with only 1GB memory.
One of the main reasons I purchased past Fujitsus were the component quality and that they were the only laptop I could find that was built in Japan. Unfortunately this new one is now made in China, so we'll see if the long-term reliability is as good as the others.
Overall, a nice product.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
4
out of
5
morningstar
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 25-39
great machine for the price
Date:November 23, 2011
Pros: Design, Durability, Battery Life, Features
Cons: Keyboard, Features, Weight
Got this machine from a promotion. I really like it. I did a comparison to the HP G7 series and found that the windows experience index for this is 5.8 (Desktop performance for windows Aero) and 4.7 for HP G7-1260US. I went to micro center and found the screen of this machine the brightest and most color-rich comparing to machines with similar settings: Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo and HP. The color of the screen is very rich and eye pleasing. Frankly speaking, I like a higher resolution on this size of screen such as 1600X900, but you also need to pay a lot more for that. The performance of this machine is pretty good, plenty for every day task such as web browsing, office and movie play. Some people complained about the piano finish. However, I like it very much as it looks very slick.
The parts that I don't like are as follows:
(1) speaker is too weak (no bass at all).
(2) I don't like the number pad. I would rather want bigger keys. The arrow keys and control keys are too small.
(1) speaker is too weak (no bass at all).
(2) I don't like the number pad. I would rather want bigger keys. The arrow keys and control keys are too small.
Overall, this is a pretty good machine for the price. I would recommend it for a every day home use machine.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
3
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Value
4
out of
5
juve04
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 40-54
Good for the money
Date:September 10, 2011
Pros: Security, Durability, fast
Cons: Keyboard, Battery Life, Features, Weight, Design, sound, resolution, mouse pad
I bought my AH531 about two weeks ago and if it weren't because FRY's charges me $75 re-stocking fee I'd take it back.
Let me start with the case. It's horrible! It leaves finger prints everywhere.
The battery is horrendous, too. Fujitsu claims 4-1/2hrs but I hardlyt get 3 with low resolution and no bluetooth. Also, when the battery is low sometimes it doesn't tell you and it shuts the computer off without any warning.
The picture fades as soon as you move away from the center, and why did they place the mouse pad offcenter? And why doesn't allow you to scroll? You have to use the arrow keys. It's ridiculous. Also, the keys on the k-board are so flat that I find myself re-typing even though am a pretty on the k-board. My other laptop was a Gateway and it used to tell me if by accident I left the caps on, which is a nice feature when entering passwords, my Fujitsu doesn't do this, but I have to say that even though the volume is lousy it's a little better than my Gateway.
The goods: Pretty fast. Cheap. That's about it
Will I recommend this laptop to anyone? No a chance.
Let me start with the case. It's horrible! It leaves finger prints everywhere.
The battery is horrendous, too. Fujitsu claims 4-1/2hrs but I hardlyt get 3 with low resolution and no bluetooth. Also, when the battery is low sometimes it doesn't tell you and it shuts the computer off without any warning.
The picture fades as soon as you move away from the center, and why did they place the mouse pad offcenter? And why doesn't allow you to scroll? You have to use the arrow keys. It's ridiculous. Also, the keys on the k-board are so flat that I find myself re-typing even though am a pretty on the k-board. My other laptop was a Gateway and it used to tell me if by accident I left the caps on, which is a nice feature when entering passwords, my Fujitsu doesn't do this, but I have to say that even though the volume is lousy it's a little better than my Gateway.
The goods: Pretty fast. Cheap. That's about it
Will I recommend this laptop to anyone? No a chance.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Max Power
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 25-39
Great laptop for the price
Date:August 30, 2011
Pros: Design, Durability, Keyboard
Cons: Battery Life
I was able to find this on sale at Fry's for a really low price. I searched around on the internet for laptops with the intel i5 processor and most were more than $600. I was surprised to see this laptop the Lifebook AH531 with 4GB ram at Fry's for 100 less. I tried it out at Fry's and it seemed really nice. I got the 640 GB hard drive one. I've been using it for about a week and am really enamored with this laptop. It seems really solidly built. I just hope it lasts longer than my old HP one that barely made it 2 years. I have a tendency to beat up my comps so we'll see. So far, I am really pleased. It's fast and there's no bloatware. I can do everything I want to do without any problems. The battery life is better than I expected as well although I wish it would be more than 5 hours. 4 hours is decent enough.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
David
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: Under 25
Best bang for the buck
Date:August 8, 2011
Pros: Weight, Durability, Battery Life, performance
Cons: sound, gloss finish
Before buying this computer, I've been shopping for a while but couldn't find a satisfying deal. I finally saw this laptop which provides good performance, strong build quality for a very reasonable price.
The processor provides good graphics quality and speed. There is just enough memore and comes with large HDD. The battery life is good while the computer is pretty light.
From having owned over 5 laptops I believe the sound quality on this one could have been a bit better and there could have been more easy to access buttons instead of keys combination for common functions like sound control, display mode, etc. Still for the price these are very small details.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
billyj
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 55+
so Far so Good!
Date:December 17, 2011
Pros: Weight, Design, Security, Durability, Battery Life, Features, Keyboard, Screen Size
Cons: speakers
I have been using this laptop for only a few weeks and all is well. I am at present working on a A series Lifebook and it has given me excellent service for over 2 years. That is why I bot a new AH531. I stay with a company that I can depend on.I also read a product review about the AH531 from Germany where writer said the laptop was made in Augburg Germany a hugh computer testing center .The only complaint is with the speakers as there is no volume
available. The mouse pointer was poor in past but resolved for better with the AH531.The speakers show improvement as well!
available. The mouse pointer was poor in past but resolved for better with the AH531.The speakers show improvement as well!
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Review 8 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
James
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 40-54
Great Machine Real Value
Date:January 23, 2012
Pros: Design, Security, Durability, Battery Life, Features, Keyboard, Screen Size, price
Cons: so so display
I love my new AH531 Notebook. It is my second Fujitsu Laptop and I have found this one to be every bit as strong and well built as my first one (model A6030). The keyboard is even better as the new one has no flex to it at all and has a great 10 key built in. I love the performance and the lack of bloatware which drives me nuts on other manufacturers models. If I have one issue it is that the screen, while great, is not as bright and clear as the one on my A6030. If Fujitsu could sell an AH531 with a A6030 screen in the $500 range, that would be my third Fujitsu!
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Review 9 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Value
4
out of
5
SatisfiedUser
Good Notebook
Date:March 13, 2011
Pros: Weight, Design, Keyboard, Screen Size, core i5 processor
Cons: speakers
Just got the AH 531 today and I like it a lot. Blu-ray playback works great, hooked it up to my Samsung 46" HDTV through the HDMI port and the picture and sound were great. I love the keyboard, and the screen is bright and clear. The new Core i5 processor is very fast and so is the integrated graphics. My only wish is that they would have put in better speakers. They are tinny, with no bass. This is easily fixed with a good pair of headphones, but some better speakers would have made me recommend this laptop without any reservations.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
3
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
dhmark
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 55+
Great value, some flaws
Date:August 2, 2011
Pros: Features
Cons: Durability
The product has great value for the money. It is least expensive computer I found with expresscard if you need a firewire. The touchpad occasionally freezes, requires reboot. Runs nice and cool compared to my older notebook. Setup instructions OK but not exactly right. You have to make your own original backup discs.
Flaws: glossy black finish is a smear and fingerprint magnet. Speakers are really weak. It is not super sturdy, plastic is light and bendable. Narrow viewing angle for screen requires fine adjustment.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Bordy
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 40-54
Awesome Value and Awesome Performance
Date:September 26, 2011
Pros: Weight, Design, Security, Durability, Battery Life, Features, Keyboard, Screen Size
Cons: glossy finish fingerprint magnet
Purchased this laptop at Fry's a few days ago. The AH 531 model I purchased has the second generation Intel i3 2310M processor, with the 2.1 GHZ dual core processor; 4GB RAM, 500 GB HD. Extremely satisfied with this computer. I am coming from a 2 yrs old Intel Celeron 565 processor. This computer is awesome for the everyday user, lightning fast, well built, light weight, long battery life, easy to set up. Highly reccomend this computer to everyone!
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Review 12 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
PRLaw
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 40-54
Value and consistency as its best
Date:January 28, 2012
Pros: Weight, Features, Screen Size
Cons: Keyboard
I started To use Fujitsu about 2 years ago when we opened a medical office. We bought 2 laptop, two tablets and 3 scanners. In the las month I bought 2 additional pcs to replace some deskstop and I am very satisfied with the quality of the product specially the tablets and the laptops. Shipping is free and you can have your PC in 3 business days. Watch for their specials as they offer great value. Fujitsu is a brand that knows how to build PCs.
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Review 13 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
1
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Bobb
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 40-54
BD ROM only
Date:August 26, 2011
Cons: lack of writeable optical drive????
Haven't bought it yet, but this looks like just what I need. One thing I can't tell...is the optical drive really only BD-ROM? My current laptop, which I'm looking to replace, is BD-ROM plus DVD RW. If you can't write to DVDs or CDs, how do you create Windows back-up files, etc?
ROM only is a deal breaker for me. Hard to believe that such a well equipped computer at this size would leave that out. Can anyone confirm?
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Response from Fujitsu:By Patricia Cavagnari, eCommerce, September 2, 2011
Depending on the configuration you purchase, you can either have a Dual Layer Multi Format DVD Writer, which reads & writes DVDs & CDs, or you can have an integrated Blu-ray Disc Player/DVD Writer that allows you to watch Blu-ray movies, but also burn or play CDs and DVDs.
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Review 14 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Dave
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 40-54
Superb - bought 2!
Date:March 22, 2011
Pros: Design, Durability, Features, Keyboard
Cons: Battery Life
Price was right, and Fujitsu PCs are very high quality. One of greatest things about this PC is the LACK of bloatware! The touchpad is superb and the graphics are the best I've ever had.
I'm used to Dells, and this is far and away better.
Web camera is probably the weakest part of the system, with speakers next. Other than that, great.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
DrBC
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 25-39
Worth its weight in gold
Date:February 11, 2012
Pros: Design, Durability, Battery Life, Features, Keyboard, Screen Size
Cons: Weight
This PC is well worth the money. I purchased this as a replacement laptop PC and it has far surpassed my expectations. It has a crystal clear screen and very fast processor. The audio is much better than other laptop computers I have had in the passed. The HDMI output makes it easy to connect it to a TV and watch shows and movies in HD.
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Review 16 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
rafmar
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: 40-54
Lifebook AH531
Date:February 29, 2012
Pros: Weight, Design, Durability, Battery Life, Keyboard, Screen Size
I have it for 1 month already. Overall it's a great quality product. It is surprisingly quiet and handles most of the tasks easily. The screen is a little blurry and the viewing angle is not perfect. Other than that no complains. Battery holds for more than 4 hours which is more than enough for most users.
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Review 17 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
3
out of
5
Reliability
3
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Jenna
Gender: Female
Computer Skill: Advanced
Age: Under 25
BD ROM only or it can also Read write to CD/DVD?
Date:August 29, 2011
Pros: Features
According to the tech spec it says : The Blu-ray ROM drive can play BD-R/RE or BD-ROM as well as read or write to CDs and DVDs.
There was a review that mentioned the optical drive is just BD ROM and cant write to CD/DVD
Not sure what is true. I bought this laptop but have not opened the box yet.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Response from Fujitsu:By Patricia Cavagnari, eCommerce, September 2, 2011
Depending on the configuration you bought, you can either have a Dual Layer Multi Format DVD Writer, which reads and writes DVDs & CDs, or you can have an integrated Blu-ray Disc Player/DVD Writer that allows you to watch Blu-ray movies, but also burn or play CDs and DVDs.
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Review 18 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
3
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Bargain Hunter
Great for Home Work
Date:December 26, 2011
Pros: Weight, Durability
Cons: sound
The notebook is lightweight with good quality, and speed.
The sound is adequate (not as good as my old Toshiba). Surprisingly good graphics.
I use the notebook to access multiple systems to work from home (hospital networks) and have not had a problem.
Definitely a good buy for the money!
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Review 19 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
5
out of
5
Reliability
5
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Lumber
Gender: Male
Computer Skill: Intermediate
Age: 25-39
Great Products!
Date:October 20, 2011
Pros: Weight, Design, Features, Keyboard, Screen Size
Cons: Battery Life
We have been purchasing Fujitsu Laptops for about a year now for our Business. We have around 15-20 of them in use now. We have had awesome responses from our users. You can not beat the price for what you get. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a new laptop
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Review 20 for LIFEBOOK AH531 Notebook
Overall
Performance
4
out of
5
Reliability
4
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Value
5
out of
5
Fujiowner
pretty good, but minor flaws
Date:January 20, 2012
USB ports are faulty. Don't like mouse pad. Mouse pad 'floats' the curser. Mouse is sometimes too sensitive and other times is not sensitive enough.
No other problems YET. Too new to know. But I'd love to fall in love with this thing. That will come with time.
No other problems YET. Too new to know. But I'd love to fall in love with this thing. That will come with time.
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