Samsung NC110 review
A well-built netbook with a great keyboard, but it suffers from the usual netbook problems: limited power and a low-resolution screen
As we’ve come to expect from Samsung’s netbooks, the NC110’s battery life was outstanding. It lasted for over eight hours in our light-use test. Weighing only 1.5kg, it’s light enough to carry around all day, so it makes an ideal companion for browsing the web or checking email on the move. You could even watch a couple of movies: the internal speakers are surprisingly loud, but they lack bass.
The 10.1in screen’s 1,024×600 resolution is cramped, however, and we wouldn’t want to work on large spreadsheets or multiple documents for long. We’re not sure if it was the dull backlight or the matt screen finish, but the NC110’s colours were flat and contrast poor. A slight blue cast made skin tones cold.
If you have £300 to spend, you might prefer a tablet to a netbook. Unless you work a lot on office documents you wouldn’t miss the keyboard, plus tablets are far lighter and better suited to mobile use. Advent’s Vega is cheaper but can play HD video, for example, and if you spend a bit more, you could get the Asus Eee pad Transformer, which is far more powerful and comes with a keyboard.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | **** |
Processor | Intel Atom N550 |
Processor clock speed | 1.5GHz |
Memory | 1.00GB |
Memory slots | 1 |
Memory slots free | 0 |
Maximum memory | 2GB |
Size | 34x259x180mm |
Weight | 1.2kg |
Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
Pointing device | touchpad |
Display | |
Viewable size | 10.1 in |
Native resolution | 1,024×600 |
Graphics Processor | Intel GMA 3150 |
Graphics/video ports | VGA |
Graphics Memory | 64MB |
Storage | |
Total storage capacity | 250GB |
Optical drive type | none |
Ports and Expansion | |
USB ports | 3 |
Bluetooth | yes |
Wired network ports | 1x 10/100 |
Wireless networking support | 802.11b/g/n |
PC Card slots | none |
Supported memory cards | SDHC |
Other ports | minijack audio output, minijack microphone input |
Miscellaneous | |
Carrying case | No |
Operating system | Windows 7 Starter 32-bit |
Operating system restore option | restore partition |
Software included | Microsoft Office 2010 Starter |
Optional extras | none |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year RTB |
Price | £280 |
Details | www.samsung.com/uk |
Supplier | http://www.currys.co.uk |