Asus N10J A2 Review

Another day, another netbook. This time around, the father of netbooks, Asus, has launched a very powerful netbook with hardware specs rivalling mid end notebooks. The new Asus N10J A2 is probably the most powerful netbook available right now. It is actually a full notebook compressed to look like a netbook. It is very similar to the Asus N10JC which we reviewed some time back, it has almost the same design and build, but is just a bit more powerful. It certainly has raised the bar when it comes to netbook performance. It is also priced quite high compared to most other netbooks, you could easily procure a regular, more powerful notebook for the same price if you want to compromise on the portability. The Asus N10J A2 has almost everything going for it, just it’s high price is a deterrent. In this review, we check out the Asus N10J A2 and see if it really deserves the $800 it is priced at.

Asus N10J A2 Specs:

• Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.6 x 1.4 inches
• Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Processor: Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6 GHz, 512 KB cache
• RAM: 2 GB DDR2 RAM
• Hard Drive: 320 GB SATA HDD, 5400 RPM
• Display: 10.2 inch LCD display, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA 950 with 64 MB VRAM / Nvidia 9300 M GS with 256 MB VRAM
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Operating System: MS Windows Vista Business
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, HDMI, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out, 8 in 1 card reader, Expresscard slot
• Price: $800

Design and Build Quality:

The Asus N10J A2 sports a design almost identical to that of the Asus N10JC. The design is radically different though, from the rest of the EEE PC range. It incorporates a much more sophisticated and mature look suited to corporate users, than the playful looks of the previous EEE PCs. It has a metallic feel about itself and the body is composed of black and silver. It looks much better and tougher than most other netbooks. It has dimensions exactly the same as the Asus N10JC – 10.8 x 7.6 x 1.4 inches and weighs just about the same at 3.4 pounds. It is very portable and suited for frequent travellers, while also not compromising on the power like most netbooks do. The build quality is very good and the N10J A2 feels very solid and durable. In good hands, it should easily last for upto 3-4 years, except that the hardware will have become obsolete by then. All in all, there shouldn’t be any complaints on the design or build front.

Display and Speakers:

The Asus N10J A2 sports a 10.2 inch glossy LCD display with a native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. The resolution is better than the 1000 x 576 pixel resolution most current netbooks sport, we have to do less vertical scrolling during browsing or reading documents. The display quality is superb with optimum brightness levels. The screen also offers very good contrast. The screen has nice horizontal and vertical viewing angles, especially the horizontal ones. The glossy screen decreases visibility slightly in direct light, but is much more better looking than regular matte displays. The display is perfect for watching videos and movies. The only drawback of the display is that it is bordered by a very thick layer of bezel which increases the overall dimensions.

The Asus N10J A2 also sports Altec Lancing speakers which have good volume and sound quality. The volume is loud enough to fill a small room completely, and the quality better than most netbooks. You wouldn’t want to rely much on it though, use good headphones plugged in to the headphone port for better quality.

Keyboard and Touchpad:

The Asus N10J A2 sports a very nice keyboard, definitely among one of the best in netbooks. It is adequately sized and doesn’t feel cramped at all. The key spacing and travel is perfect. There is almost zero flex on the keyboard. The keys provide nice tactile feedback and a distinctive click. The keys are positioned according to standards except a few. It is perfectly suited for touch typists and takes very less time to get used to. It matches upto the keyboard of the HP Mininote 2133 which is touted as the best. Above the display lies a 1.3 MP webcam which has decent capture quality. It also supports face detection which works quite well.

The Asus N10J A2 also sports a spacious touchpad with nice sensitivity and responsiveness. The touchpad is smooth and the textured feel offers great navigational capabilities. There are two mouse buttons exactly below it and they are nice to click offering good feedback. There is also a fingerprint reader located exactly between the two mouse buttons. The keyboard – touchpad combo is really good in terms of usability.

Performance:

The Asus N10J A2 is powered by the standard Intel Atom N270 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz like most other netbooks, which is strange considering Asus has positioned into the premium segment. However it comes with 2 GB DDR2 RAM – compared to the measly 1 GB offered by others and a 320 GB SATA 5400 RPM HDD. It is more than adequate for most normal computing tasks. What the N10J A2 relatively excels in is the graphics department. It comes with discrete graphics – Nvidia’s 9300 M GS with 256 MB V RAM. The discrete graphics can be switched with the onboard GMA 950 by the flick of a switch. You can choose between better graphic performance and better battery life. The 9300 M GS highly improves the gaming capabilities of the Asus N10J A2. It is suitable for moderate gaming. It comes bundled with Windows Vista Business and is capable of running it without any lags or delays. The netbook falls slightly short though when it comes to processor power. It also comes with Asus Express Gate – its homegrown version of Splashtop linux for fast and easy access to basic functions like internet, email, music etc. All in all, when it comes to performance, the Asus N10J A2 triumphs over all the other netbooks.

Battery Life and Other Features:

The Asus N10J A2 has a 6 cell battery which lasts about 4 hrs and 25 mins with moderate usage and discrete graphics. It can be maximised to about 5 hrs 30 mins easily by switching to integrated graphics. The Wi-Fi reception is pretty good. It also has a wide selection of ports – 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, HDMI, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out, 8 in 1 card reader and an Expresscard slot.

Pros:

• Superb Performance
• Nvidia 9300M GS
• Superb Build
• Great Keyboard

Cons:

• Pricey
• Underpowered processor

Final Words:

The most powerful netbook on Earth. Go for it if you can.

Our Rating: 4 / 5.