Asus EEE PC S101 Review

The Asus EEE PC S101 is the newest ultraportable on the block. The Asus EEE PC 701 was the very first ultraportable on the market and enjoyed tremendous success and spawned a whole new market for ultraportable notebooks or ‘netbooks’ as many like to call them, almost overnight. The later versions of the EEE PC namely the 900 / 1000 haven’t tasted as much success largely due to the entry of many other manufacturers in the segment like MSI, HP, Acer and most recently Dell. But that hasn’t deterred Asus from rolling out yet another EEE branded netbook. Say ‘Hi’ to the new EEE PC S101, clearly the best looking netbook we have seen yet, but the cosmetic upgrades do not come free. In fact they come at a premium of about $200. The EEE PC S101 is almost similar to the 1000H except for a few added features. Yet, we believe, it will carve out its own marketshare. In this review, we check out the EEE PC S101 and whether it actually commands the $200 premium over the EEE PC 1000H despite being the same under the hood.

Asus EEE PC S101 Specifications:

• Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.0 x 0.7 inches
• Weight: 1.1 kgs
• Processor: Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache
• RAM: 1 GB DDR2 667MHz
• Hard Drive: 16 GB SSD Drive
• Display: 10.2″ TFT at 1024 x 600 pixels
• Chipset: Intel 945GSE Express
• Graphics: Intel GMA 950 64 MB V RAM
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
• Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out, 4 in 1 card reader

Design and Build Quality:

The EEE PC S101 is clearly the best ultraportable notebook when it comes to design. At dimensions of just 10.3 x 7.0 x 0.7 inches and a weight of just 1.1 kgs, it is super sleek and light weight and possibly one of the best looking notebooks we have seen, atleast in this range. This is the part where Asus fully concentrated as if one wasn’t impressed by it’s design, he / she could have straight away gone for the EEE PC 1000H. The EEE PC S101 is much thinner than other notebooks in the netbook category and also much lighter. The reduction in the width and weight could be partly attributed to the LED backlit display.

The EEE PC S101 sports a new glossy lid which is very stylish and will definitely appeal to the fashion conscious. To some like us, it might also seem extravagant. The build quality has improved much and the S101 has a metallic feel to it. It also feels more durable than the previous iterations.

Display and Speakers:

The EEE PC S101 sports a 10.2″ LED backlit LCD display which supports a native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels - the standard for netbooks. The display quality is very nice and the colors are sharp. The brightness levels are adequate and the contrast good. It also provides decent viewing angles, both vertical and horizontal. The LED backlit display is more thinner and power efficient than the normal ones. The display quality is marginally better than that of the EEE PC 1000H.

The speakers of the EEE PC S101 are not as good as the Dolby speakers in the 1000H, but they do a decent job. The sound quality is good and the volume enough to fill a small room. Obviously, headphones are preferred for high quality music playback.

Keyboard and Touchpad:

The keyboard is quite good in the EEE PC S101, faring slightly better than the one in the EEE PC 1000H. The keyboard feels spacious and almost as big as a full size keyboard. The key spacing and key travel is perfect and the keys provide good tactile feedback, making it a joy to type on the EEE PC S101. Some keys like the Shift key are awkwardly positioned but that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

The touchpad is quite a revelation in the EEE PC S101. It is made of brushed metal which gives it a nice feel and makes it easier to operate. The touchpad buttons are nice too and are merged into a single metal bar with nice feedback.

One highlight and a distinguishing feature of the new EEE PC S101 over the EEE PC 1000H was the inclusion of the new multitouch touchpad. The multitouch features work quite well and offer great functionality. It supports a wide range of standard multitouch controls. All in all, the upgraded keyboard and touchpad form a very good package.

Performance:

The EEE PC S101 has pretty much the same configuration as the EEE 1000H - Intel Atom N270, 1 GB RAM, Intel GMA 950 with slight changes. It can play older games and can perform all office related tasks easily. It is perfect for students and office professionals. It is slightly more responsive thanks to the presence of the 16 GB SSD drive rather than a normal HDD. The boot speed is a tad faster. The presence of an SSD also improves the shockproofness and the power efficiency. The operating temperatures are also moderately low.

Other Features:

The EEE PC S101 has all the standard ports normally expected in netbooks - 3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out and a 4 in 1 card reader. The positioning of the ports is quite thoughtful and doesn’t interfere much with the design and look of the notebook. On the right, you find a USB port, and the Microphone and Headphone jacks. The left is almost clean with just 2 USB ports. The other ports, including the Ethernet and VGA port as well as the card reader are located on the back.

The Wi-Fi reception is nice and data transfer speeds are superb. The S101 is powered by a puny 2 cell battery and can’t even be upgraded to a 6 cell. The 2 cell battery provides about 3.5 hours with moderate usage. The battery life is decent but falls short of the 4-5 hours that many netbooks provide.

Pros:

• Stylish Design
• Nice Keyboard and Touchpad
• Superb Display

Cons:

• Expensive
• No Battery Upgrade

Conclusion:

The EEE PC S101 could a great buy for some and a waste of money for others, after all looks and style are totally subjective. If you are a sucker for style and sleek looks, go for the EEE PC S101. If you value functionality and features over style and looks, and want a better battery life and more disk storage, go for the MSI Wind or the EEE PC 1000H.

Our Rating : 3.75 / 5.