Samsung finally manages to gate-crash into the netbook party with the introduction of their impressive netbook lineup in the middle of a market already dominated by majors such as Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Dell etc. Surprisingly affordable, these ultraportable laptops have become popular travel companions for people who do not want to drag a heavy notebook to presentations!
Their latest and the most affordable offering, the 10-inch Samsung N128 offers a great balance of features at a starting price of INR 13, 500 (equates to less than 300 USD!). So, is the Samsung N128 the most affordable netbook in the market ? Will it prove to be a worthy contender to the other netbooks? Is this netbook the one you've been waiting for? Read on to find out!
Specifications:
Processor: Intel Atom N270 @ 1.60GHz
Memory: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM @ 533MHz
Internal storage: 160GB 5400rpm SATA HDD
Display: 10.1 inch LED backlit WSVGA panel (1024 x 600)
Graphics: Intel GMA 950
Wireless: 802.11 b/g
Expansion: 3-in-1 media card slot (SD, SDHC, MMC)
Ports & connectors: 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, DC power-in, RJ-45/Ethernet (10/100), Stereo headphone/line out, Stereo microphone in, VGA webcam, Kensington lock port.
Dimensions (H x W x D): 28.5mm x 185.5mm x 263.8mm
Weight: 1.25kg (not including the weight of AC adapter)
Power: 6-cell Li-ion battery (4000mAh, 44Wh)
Warranty: 1 year standard International warranty
OS: DOS
Packaging & Accessories:
The consignment was shipped inside a handy cardboard box with the netbook wrapped in a polyethylene cover and secured in place by styrofoam nests on either sides of the netbook.
Default Packaging & Accessories, Build & Design
Packaging & Accessories:
The consignment was shipped inside a handy cardboard box with the netbook wrapped in a polyethylene cover and secured in place by styrofoam nests on either sides of the netbook.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
The AC adapter, battery and the power cable was sealed inside polythene packs and secured inside a separate cardboard box with the manual, warranty information booklet and a CD (which had the system softwares) thrown in.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
The packaging in short, was very robust.
Build & Design:
The Samsung N128 netbook is essentially a low-cost version of the new NCX0 series netbooks and features the same 6-cell battery and bluetooth being stripped off so as to cut down on the retail pricing. Like the Samsung NC series, the N128 uses matte plastics on the top of the screen cover as well as around the entire LCD.
Unlike most netbooks which feature glossy plastics all around, the N128 uses matte and whilst you're inside a brightly lit room with sources of glare all around, you wouldn't want all the glossy plastics to reflect the light being shone around!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
The Samsung logo is neatly etched in silver colour on top of the matte screen cover slightly offset towards the top-center of the cover.
Build quality is quite decent and the construction does feel neat & strong. You could possibly throw the netbook into a bag and not worry about it being tossed around. The hinge is quite strong as well. Overall, this is a solid little netbook!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
A holographic sticker briefly indicates some of the very good features of the netbook. I liked everything apart from the holographic part of it!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
Flip over the netbook and you would notice there're not many choices left for upgrades & future expandability which by the way, is NOT a concern - I shall tell you why! The only access panel provided, is for replacing the RAM. There're no access panels for the hard drive or the mini-PCI card slot. Not a total let-down to be honest which's why the low price!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
Since the specifications read 'SATA hard drive', I decided to unscrew the back panel to find out if there was a possibility of upgrading it. Surprisingly none of the screw holes had the 'Warranty void if tampered with' sort of seals so this was a safe bet! Unscrewing was easy as I type it - you've 12 phillips head scews. A mini screw driver did the trick and the back panel was held in place using the retention locks and came off quite easily.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
And as I thought it would be, the hard drive was a 2.5" one which was secured in place using a backplate screwed to the motherboard. Voila, the hard drive can be upgraded! Icing on the cake for a cheap netbook! You could as well spot the Wi-Fi chip, a small low-profile Al heatsink common for the G945 chipset and the Atom processor, a Delta centrifugal fan and a puny little speaker on the corner! The stock RAM was a 1GB DDR2 533MHz stick with Samsung chips and the stock hard drive was a Samsung Spinpoint HM160HI SATA drive.
The Samsung logo is neatly etched in silver colour on top of the matte screen cover slightly offset towards the top-center of the cover.
Build quality is quite decent and the construction does feel neat & strong. You could possibly throw the netbook into a bag and not worry about it being tossed around. The hinge is quite strong as well. Overall, this is a solid little netbook!
A holographic sticker briefly indicates some of the very good features of the netbook. I liked everything apart from the holographic part of it!
Flip over the netbook and you would notice there're not many choices left for upgrades & future expandability which by the way, is NOT a concern - I shall tell you why! The only access panel provided, is for replacing the RAM. There're no access panels for the hard drive or the mini-PCI card slot. Not a total let-down to be honest which's why the low price!
Since the specifications read 'SATA hard drive', I decided to unscrew the back panel to find out if there was a possibility of upgrading it. Surprisingly none of the screw holes had the 'Warranty void if tampered with' sort of seals so this was a safe bet! Unscrewing was easy as I type it - you've 12 phillips head scews. A mini screw driver did the trick and the back panel was held in place using the retention locks and came off quite easily.
Default Packaging & Accessories, Build & Design
Packaging & Accessories:
The consignment was shipped inside a handy cardboard box with the netbook wrapped in a polyethylene cover and secured in place by styrofoam nests on either sides of the netbook.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
The AC adapter, battery and the power cable was sealed inside polythene packs and secured inside a separate cardboard box with the manual, warranty information booklet and a CD (which had the system softwares) thrown in.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
The packaging in short, was very robust.
Build & Design:
The Samsung N128 netbook is essentially a low-cost version of the new NCX0 series netbooks and features the same 6-cell battery and bluetooth being stripped off so as to cut down on the retail pricing. Like the Samsung NC series, the N128 uses matte plastics on the top of the screen cover as well as around the entire LCD.
Unlike most netbooks which feature glossy plastics all around, the N128 uses matte and whilst you're inside a brightly lit room with sources of glare all around, you wouldn't want all the glossy plastics to reflect the light being shone around!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
The Samsung logo is neatly etched in silver colour on top of the matte screen cover slightly offset towards the top-center of the cover.
Build quality is quite decent and the construction does feel neat & strong. You could possibly throw the netbook into a bag and not worry about it being tossed around. The hinge is quite strong as well. Overall, this is a solid little netbook!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
A holographic sticker briefly indicates some of the very good features of the netbook. I liked everything apart from the holographic part of it!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
Flip over the netbook and you would notice there're not many choices left for upgrades & future expandability which by the way, is NOT a concern - I shall tell you why! The only access panel provided, is for replacing the RAM. There're no access panels for the hard drive or the mini-PCI card slot. Not a total let-down to be honest which's why the low price!
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
Since the specifications read 'SATA hard drive', I decided to unscrew the back panel to find out if there was a possibility of upgrading it. Surprisingly none of the screw holes had the 'Warranty void if tampered with' sort of seals so this was a safe bet! Unscrewing was easy as I type it - you've 12 phillips head scews. A mini screw driver did the trick and the back panel was held in place using the retention locks and came off quite easily.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 768x576.
And as I thought it would be, the hard drive was a 2.5" one which was secured in place using a backplate screwed to the motherboard. Voila, the hard drive can be upgraded! Icing on the cake for a cheap netbook! You could as well spot the Wi-Fi chip, a small low-profile Al heatsink common for the G945 chipset and the Atom processor, a Delta centrifugal fan and a puny little speaker on the corner! The stock RAM was a 1GB DDR2 533MHz stick with Samsung chips and the stock hard drive was a Samsung Spinpoint HM160HI SATA drive.
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