5. Toshiba NB500, £250
A budget netbook with a keyboard that's a joy to use and plenty of storage on a 250GB hard drive.
Design and usability
The NB500 gets zero points for styling originality, offering the
same boxy looks as its predecessors the NB520 and NB305. The only
'exciting' aspect (if you can really call it that) is the lid, which is
rubberised and available in a selection of different colours. Its 1.3kg
weight and 262 by 36 by 190mm dimensions are standard for a 10.1-inch
netbook.
At least the keyboard is a joy to use, with its large, sensibly laid-out
and pleasingly springy keys making touch typing a cinch.
Connectivity
There are three USB ports on offer, none of which, sadly, are
compatible with 'sleep and charge', so you can't charge gadgets while
the NB500 is turned off. There's also a VGA output for connecting to an
external display; we prefer HDMI as it's digital and also carries sound,
but wouldn't expect to see one on a model this cheap.
Ethernet, Wi-Fi and a headphone socket round off the connectivity.
Bluetooth is left off the list, presumably because -- like HDMI --
Toshiba has reserved it for pricier models.
250GB of hard drive space means plenty of room for music and movies.
Performance and battery life
The single-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor and 1GB of RAM
offer performance that's on a par with similarly-equipped rivals. That
means you can rely on the NB500 to tackle the simple things like email,
web surfing and updating your Facebook profile -- but don't expect much
more than that. Multi-tasking will push the netbook to its limits, and
the on-board graphics processor isn't suited for anything except the
oldest of games. Even HD videos on YouTube stutter along irritatingly.
The 1,024x600-pixel screen is bright, with rich colours, but doesn't excel when it comes to a wide viewing angle.
Battery life topped out at 4 hours and 23 minutes in our Battery Eater
Classic test. That's not hugely impressive -- the similarly-specced
Samsung NF110 managed 5 hours. Less intensive use -- the sort of tasks
the NB500 was designed for -- will give you a fair bit extra.
Should I buy it?
There are better equipped, better performing rivals out there than the Toshiba NB500.
4. Samsung NF110, £240
This curvy netbook sports a marathon battery and eye-pleasing screen.
Design and usability
The Samsung NF110 couldn't be further removed from the accepted
idea of netbooks as being boxy and boring. Its curvaceous, organic
styling and use of three colours in the body make it a bit of a stunner.
It's adequately light and compact at 1.3kg and 265 by 29 by 189mm.
The keyboard features isolated keys and, while they're small, their
spacing and responsiveness makes typing a pleasant experience.
Connectivity
There are no surprises when it comes to the NF110's socket
selection: you get three USB ports, Ethernet for wired networking, a
headphone jack and a card reader, plus a VGA port for connecting the
netbook to a television or monitor. The latter is a tad disappointing --
we'd have preferred a more up-to-date HDMI socket tackling external
video duties.
Wireless capabilities come in the form of Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi, and
storage duties are handled more than capably by a roomy 250GB hard disk
drive.
Performance and battery life
The NF110 sports a lovely screen. It's not the sharpest -- the
resolution is a standard, non-HD 1,024x600 pixels -- but the matte
finish means you can use it outdoors without pesky sun glare spoiling
the view. Colours and bright and punchy.
Audio quality is decent too, thanks to the larger-than-normal speakers.
They won't be giving hi-fi manufacturers any sleepless nights but
they're adequate for general listening purposes.
A single-core Intel Atom processor clocked at 1.66GHz handles processing
duties, backed up with 1GB of RAM. Performance is acceptable. Basic
tasks aren't a problem, so if you require your netbook mainly for email,
word processing and web browsing, it won't let you down. Ask anything
more of it -- HD video decoding or 3D games, for instance -- and it'll
fall over.
Battery life, however, is very decent. In our tough benchmark test the
NF110 lasted 5 hours, putting it up there with some of the
longest-running netbooks around. You'll get more life out of it with
normal use too.
Should I buy it?
The keyboard, screen, styling and battery life all combine to make this one of the better budget netbooks on the market.
3. Samsung NC110, £240
The spiritual successor to Samsung's first ever netbook, the NC110 is a budget model with bite.
Design and usability
This is a great-looking laptop. Available in a range of colours,
it sports a swish glossy lid, swooping curved profile and gorgeous
white keyboard with a chiclet design (every key is isolated).
This keyboard layout means you don't hit adjacent keys by mistake and
typing feels responsive. The large trackpad gives you plenty of room
too, so overall this is a lovely netbook to use.
At 259 by 34 by 180mm and 1.3kg, it's standard in terms of portability.
Connectivity
A 250GB hard drive means there's bags of space for storing
files. There's a 4-in-1 card slot on board too. On the socket front, you
get three USBs, including one 'sleep and charge' port for topping up
the battery on your mobile phone while the NC110 is turned off. There's a
headphone jack and a VGA output for connection to an external monitor
or TV. We'd have liked an HDMI for the latter but it's a rare find on a
budget model.
Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 round off the connectivity.
Performance and battery life
A dual-core Intel Atom chip clocked at 1.5GHz, backed up with
1GB of memory, provide the processor power behind the NC110. This is a
run-of-the-mill setup for a netbook -- our benchmarks showed it to be
marginally less speedy than the similarly equipped Toshiba NB520. It's
more than up to the task of web surfing, emailing and other simple
tasks, but it huffs and puffs when asked to perform anything more
intensive such as multi-tasking.
Its graphics performance, like all Atom-powered netbooks, is weedy -- 3D
graphics aren't worth bothering with here. Even HD video decoding is a
struggle, with 1,080p YouTube movies stumbling along at an unacceptable
frame rate. It's a shame because the 10.1-inch, 1,024x600-pixel screen
serves up punchy colours.
Audio quality through the speakers is fine but you're better off rigging up your headphones if you want good performance.
The battery life topped out at 4 hours and 52 minutes in our Battery
Eater Classic benchmark test, which is impressive. This test is very
intensive, so you'll get a lot more use out of the NC110 in real life
situations. In fact, Samsung claims 10.7 hours.
Should I buy it?
The stylish design and keyboard are the Samsung NC110's standout
features, but it performs adequately for a budget model and should
definitely come under consideration if you're looking for a cheaper
netbook.
2. Toshiba NB520, £270
Toshiba's Atom-powered netbook offers plenty of thrills for the price, including top-class speakers.
Design and usability
If it's excitement you're after, the NB520's styling might not
be for you. Its coloured, rubberised lid coating is a nice touch, but
the abundance of matte black plastic elsewhere is pretty unappealing. At
1.3kg and 262x36x190mm, it's average in terms of portability.
That said, the sturdy build quality, accurate trackpad and well-spaced
keyboard are huge plus points, and arguably more important than snazzy
looks.
Connectivity
As with most netbooks, there are three USB ports on offer here.
Handily, one is a 'sleep and charge' port that'll top up your phone or
MP3's battery even when the NB520 is turned off. There are 3.5mm
headphone and mic sockets too, and an SD card slot, as expected. Video
output is limited to a VGA port -- there's no HDMI port here. That's a
shame as it would have been useful for hooking up the netbook to your
HDTV.
Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 round off the connectivity, and a 250GB hard drive provides plenty of storage space.
Performance and battery life
The NB520's dual-core Intel Atom processor runs at a
speedy-sounding 1.5GHz. There's 1GB of memory too. Together this makes
the netbook fairly adept at juggling basic tasks like email, web
browsing and document editing. Push it further and it struggles, while
its 3D graphics talents are disappointingly limited in comparison to its
AMD-powered stablemate, the Toshiba NB550D. Needless to say, don't opt
for this model if you plan on playing any 3D games, as they may well
cause it to explode.
Dual-core processors are notoriously power-hungry, but Toshiba has
neatly sidestepped this problem by fitting the NB550D with a 10-cell
battery. The extra capacity allowed the netbook to last an impressive 5
hours and 15 minutes in our Battery Eater Classic benchmark.You'll get
much longer out of it in real-world use.
The 1,024x600-pixel, 10.1-inch screen doesn't excel in terms of size or
resolution. But it does come with a semi-gloss coating that makes
colours appear richer than on a matte screen, without being annoyingly
reflective at the same time.
The Harman Kardon speakers deliver far louder sound than we've come to
expect from a netbook: you might actually use them to listen to music,
for once!
Should I buy it?
The NB520 doesn't excel when it comes to raw power, but given
its cheap price tag it, performs well. Plus the classy speakers are very
welcome indeed.
1. Toshiba NB550D, £270
A well-rounded 10.1-inch model that boasts powerful graphics performance.
Design and usability
The NB550D isn't the most inspiring netbook in terms of its
looks, with dull matte black plastic dominating the exterior. Only the
pleasingly rubberised lid offers a splash of metallic colour (copper and
blue are the choices).
At 1.3kg and 262x36x190mm, it's not especially light or skinny, but it
does feel sturdy and built to last. The keyboard is nicely spaced too
and, while a touch on the noisy side, the springy keys feel comfortable
and responsive.
Connectivity
An HDMI output lets you swiftly hook the NB550D to an external
monitor or HDTV. It's joined by a trio of USB ports. One of these is
'sleep and charge', allowing you to charge a phone or MP3 player while
the netbook is turned off. Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 are also on
board, as are a 3.5mm headphone jack and SD card slot. There's an
impressive amount of storage space on offer thanks to the 250GB hard
drive.
Performance and battery life
The NB550D packs a 1GHz dual-core AMD C-50 processor and it's a
beauty. In standard benchmarking tests it slightly outperforms Toshiba's
Intel Atom-powered NB520, but when it comes to 3D video performance it
absolutely destroys its rival. Don't get us wrong -- it won't ace Modern
Warfare 3 with all the settings turned up to high -- but it'll handle
lighter 3D games adequately. That's something most netbooks will not do.
Video decoding is similarly impressive, with 1,080p HD YouTube clips
ticking along nicely. You won't be able to view these at full resolution
on the non-HD 1,024x600-pixel screen, of course, but you can output
them to an HD telly or monitor, thanks to the HDMI port.
This graphics grunt does have some effect on battery life, which is
shorter than on many of the NB550D's peers: it topped out at 4 hours and
7 minutes in our intensive Battery Eater Classic test. That's not
terrible for a dual-core model, mind you, and with normal use you'll
probably get a lot longer out of the battery.
The Harman Kardon speakers also mean sound is beefier and clearer than
on the average netbook -- in fact the audio performance here trounces
some full-size laptops.
Should I buy it?
Look past the unappealing styling and the Toshiba NB550D is a
truly impressive netbook. Its processing, graphics and audio performance
outstrip rival models and make it an outstanding all-rounder
