Feb 4, 2011

A complete small laptop - Samsung NF110


Samsung has produced some excellent laptops such as the Samsung SF310 and upcoming Samsung ZX310, but the NF110 shows the South Korean electronics giant hasn't lost its touch at the budget end of the market. This is one of the most complete small laptops available to buy, boasting great design, fantastic usability, great portability and even a few next generation features to keep the tech lovers on their toes.

Off the bat portability is top notch and the 1.3kg chassis is a pleasure to carry around for hours on end. More importantly, perhaps, the 497 minute battery life offers over eight hours of productivity on the move, which means you won't have to worry about lugging the charger round with you.
The NF110 is compact but, at 39mm thick, is one of the chunkier netbooks on the market. However this (combined with the great build quality) makes it suited to even arduous travel, although you'll need a case to protect it from the inevitable bumps and bashes.
The 10.1-inch screen boasts the netbook standard 1024 x 600 pixel resolution but differs from many devices out there in that there's no shiny screen coating. This means the screen doesn't produce irritating reflections in bright light, making the NF110 especially suited to work outside or under harsh office lighting.
The keyboard is a touch cramped for our liking, and those with very large fingers will have to adapt to the slightly close setup, but ultimately the netbook provides a very comfortable typing experience that the majority of people will find a joy to use.
Stylistically the NF110 sticks out in the crowd thanks to a snazzy black lid and pearl white interior. There's also a decent amount of red trimming, which might put some off, but we are massive fans of the curved sides of the chassis.
An Intel Atom provides limited power and, as with all netbooks, you'll struggle to run all but the most basic of applications, but those simply looking to edit word documents and check their email are well catered for.
802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet provide the latest in networking technology, while a multi card reader makes it easy to import photos from a camera, for example. Or you could stream them using the included Bluetooth 3.0, a new technology that provides quite a bit of future-proofing.
Finally we were impressed by the loudness of the NF110's speakers. They won't have Bang & Olufsen quaking in their boots, but compared to your average netbook sound volume is certainly improved.
There aren't really any flaws to speak of here. Portability is great, a must for a netbook, and usability and design also impress.
Source: T3