With the release of the Samsung NF210 netbook, the Korean’s tech geniuses’ latest release has made a believer out of our resident tech expert.
By Leo Stiles
I have to preface this review with a confession by saying that I have never been the biggest fan of netbooks. On the whole I have found them to be underpowered and of limited real use to all but the most casual of users. Early netbooks were terribly bare-bone affairs and often came equipped with 8 and 9-inch screens that I always felt were a tad too small to be practical.
Well it appears that I might have to eat my own words if Samsung’s latest netbook offereing, the NF210, is indicative of where this type of machine is going, as it excels in almost every area and should put up a fight against the flood of tablets that are hoping to make netbooks obsolete
Right out of the box the NF210 is immediately different to its ancestors, with a sleek, tapered design that appeals to the eye and also lets you know that this is something that is a step above regular netbooks.
The NF210 is a looker – no doubt about that
All laptops and netbooks are a clamshell design but this netbook has a more literal take on this idea, with a curved shape that leaves very few sharp edges. The only point where the machine does get a bit bulky is at the rear, which houses the battery and is the only thing that takes away from the excellence of the design.
The left and right sides of the NF210 contain the usual array of ports and connections with ethernet, audio and SD card ports joined by a very generous three USB ports. In fact, the only thing I would have like to see is a HDMI port but this is hardly a deal breaker.
As good as the external design is, it is the screen and the keyboard inside that impress the most. The screen is a perfectly sized 10.1-inch LED screen capable of resolution of 1024×768, something which is very welcome. Athough the screen can seem a little bit washed out at first, a tinkering with the display settings fixes this.
Viewing angles are excellent all round and taking this netbook out in the sun reveals the screen’s star quality – the anti-glare finish that deals with bright lights and near-direct sunlight to leave the screen perfectly viewable at all times.
Even with all these goodies, it is the keyboard that has impressed me the most. The keyboard is actually regular-sized too; something that I wasn’t expecting. Indeed, the keyboard doesn’t waste a single millimeter of space and is housed isolation-style with each of the keys springing up out of the chassis. The keys themselves are very solid and springy and you should have no trouble using them for some serious writing.
Performance review
Performance wise, this Intel Atom powered machine isn’t going to set the world on fire and you should really forget about picking this up as a budget gaming machine. However, all tests with installed applications and the usual things like Office and video/audio playback were handled with ease. The machine is also pre-installed with Windows 7.
The battery performance is also fantastic and although it’s claimed that the machine can last for up to 10 hours without hooking it up to the mains, our tests threw up an average of 8.5 hours, which is a fantastic number all the same and contributes to making the NF210 such a stellar mobile performer.
Aspecial mention also has to go to the quick-start feature of the netbook, which just as promised, allows you to wake the laptop from hibernation in three seconds. Just open up the lid and hit the power button and away you go.
The last few things worth mentioning are the speakers, which I found surprisingly punchy, and the generous amount of storage space, which at 219GB should be enough for most needs.
The Samsung NF210 has a recommended retail price of €399 but many online retailers are offering the machine at prices as low as €340 including VAT so if you are looking to pick up one of these, shopping around is advised. This might sound a bit expensive but for my money, I’d say it’s worth it for what you are getting in the box.
It’s fair to say that Samsung’s latest mini marvel has really made me re-evaluate what a netbook is and while I’m not sure that the NF210 isn’t really a very portable laptop; if Samsung insist on calling it a netbook then it is the best one I’ve used to date.
With its stylish and robust design, excellent keyboard and amazing battery performance, simply put, the NF210 is the best in its class.
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