Samsung N110 Review

The new Samsung N110 is the latest ultraportable to hit the overcrowded netbook market. The first attempt by Samsung at making a netbook was hugely successful – the Samsung NC10. It had very few shortcomings like a short touchpad etc. On the bright side, it was the first netbook to provide more than 6 hrs of battery life. With the new Samsung N110, Samsung has not only overcome the few problems of the Samsung NC10 but has also improved on its better aspects like battery life, performance and design etc. Other than these improvements, the Samsung N110 is almost similar to the Samsung NC10. In this review, we check out the new Samsung N110, compare it with the Samsung NC10 and see how it stacks up against the other netbooks in its range. 

Samsung N110 Specs:

• Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Processor: Intel Atom N270 at 1.6 GHz 
• RAM: 1 GB DDR2 RAM
• Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA HDD, 5400 RPM
• Display: 10.2 inch LCD display, 1024 x 600 pixels 
• Graphics: Intel 945 GSE with 128 MB VRAM
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0
• Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out, 3 in 1 card reader

Design and Build Quality:

The new Samsung N110 sports a revamped design, much more stylish than the Samsung NC10. While the Samsung NC10’s design was pretty good and clean, it didn’t win any accolades when it came to the style aspect. In stark contrast with the Samsung NC10’s simple design, the Samsung N110 sports a nice glossy black design which looks much sleeker than the NC10’s. It has dimensions of 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches – exactly the same as those of the Samsung NC10 and even weighs the same at 2.8 pounds. The build quality of the new Samsung N110 is very nice and feels durable. The chassis is very sturdy and there is minimal flex even near the display and keyboard areas. All in all, the Samsung N110 gives you nothing to complain about, atleast in the design and build quality aspect.

Display and Speakers:

The Samsung N110 sports a 10.2 inch LCD display just like the Samsung NC10 but a glossy one. It has a native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels which is preferable to the newer standard of 1024 x 576 pixels. The new glossy display is much more attractive than the matte display in the Samsung NC10, but the legibility under direct light is reduced. The vertical and horizontal viewing angles are also decent, atleast enough to accomodate an audience of about 2-3 people. The Samsung N110 also comes with a 1.3 MP webcam which has nice video capture quality. The built in microphone also works quite good. 

The speakers located at the bottom of the Samsung N110 have nice sound quality. The volume levels are also pretty decent. I would recommend that you use earphones though, if you are a hard core audiophile.  

Keyboard and Touchpad:

One of the best things about the Samsung NC10 was its large and spacious keyboard which was much better compared to the cramped netbook keyboards. One of the best decisions that the Samsung N110 designers did was that they retained the Samsung NC10 keyboard. It is very spacious and is about 94% the size of a regular laptop keyboard – just as much as the Samsung NC10. The key positioning and spacing is almost perfect. The keys offer superb tactile feedback and the key travel is nice. The keys have a superb feel and all the keys have standard sizes. It is among the best in all ultraportable keyboards, a blessing for touch typists.

Possibly, the only complaint from the Samsung NC10 was its short touchpad which was too small compared to the other netbooks. Samsung seems to have remedied it, the Samsung N110 has a much bigger touchpad which is near the average size. It can now easily span the whole display with a single swipe. The touchpad has nice sensitivity and response. The touchpad surface is smooth and a nice feel. There is a single long touchpad button below the touchpad which can be clicked on the left or right to indicate the left or right click respectively, just like the Samsung NC10. The buttons also offer nice feedback. It also has a vertical scroller to the right of the touchpad which helps in browsing long documents or web pages.
 

Performance:

The Samsung N110 sports exactly the same configuration as any other netbook in that range, including the Samsung NC10 – an Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6 GHz (with 512 KB L2 cache), a 160 GB SATA HDD at 5400 RPM, 1 GB DDR2 RAM etc. The graphics department is powered by the Intel GMA 945 offering 128 MB of VRAM. The integrated graphics are slightly better than the standard Intel GMA 950. It comes bundled with MS WIndows XP Home. This hardware is capable of handling all basic and casual / office tasks and can also handle multimedia playback. It can also manage light games at low settings. The performance is more or less the same as other netbooks in its class. Performance shouldn’t be a deciding factor when you choose between different notebooks in the ultraportable category as they perform very similarly, you should rather check out the other features.  

Battery Life and Other Features:

The Samsung N110 is powered by a 6 cell 5900 mAh battery – more powerful than even the NC10’s battery. It is capable of powering the N110 for about 8 hrs woth moderate usage and Wi-Fi turned off. You can also extend it further by lowering the display brightness and system volume. This is probably the best battery life ever offered by any netbook. The Samsung N110 also comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. The Wi-Fi reception is pretty good and the speeds are nice.

The Samsung N110 sports all the standard ports that almost all other netbooks – it comes with 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out and a 3 in 1 card reader.

Pros:

• Nice Design and Build
• Awesome Battery Life
• Nice Keyboard and Touchpad

Cons:

• Nothing really.

Final Words:

The Samsung N110 is a very good option for those who want the best endurance coupled with a good design and performance at an affordable price.  

Our Rating: 4.5 / 5.