Samsung N230 review

Speaking of video and photos, the screen has a matt finish which reduces the impact of colours. As with many netbook LCD panels, we found vertical viewing angles very tight, so you have to adjust the screen’s tilt carefully. The backlight is a bit dull however, with dark patches in the corners, but once you view it square-on, colours are accurate and contrast is passable.

An integrated Intel graphics chipset provides just enough muscle to decode 720p video, but will struggle with Full HD. In any case, the 10.1in screen only has a resolution of 1,024×600, so it won’t even be able to display 720p content in all its glory. A surprisingly loud and full-bodied pair of internal speakers means you can watch movies without having to connect a set of external speakers.

There’s not even an HDMI output, so you can’t connect the N230 to an AV amplifier. Expansion is limited to three USB ports, a network port, a VGA analogue video output and two audio jacks. The LAN port only supports 100MB/s Fast Ethernet, but the wireless chip supports fast 802.11n. The one cutting edge feature is support for Bluetooth 3.0, which piggy-backs on the 802.11n wireless connection for up to 24MB/s transfers.

While the impressive battery life makes this worth considering for those who travel long distances, the poor screen lets it down. Toshiba’s NB305 lasts almost as long away from the mains, and has a far better screen, while the Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 has a larger screen resolution and a nine-hour battery life. What’s more, both are cheaper than the N230.