Samsung NC10 Netbook Review

I know many of you don’t like them, but I think netbooks are very useful. I don’t like surfing the web on a smartphone when I’m in a public area as those are too small. However, a netbook is very cheap and it provides everything I need, and I’m sure there are a lot of journalists who love reporting from an event using these mini notebooks. Here is the Samsung NC10 which is regular netbook with sleek design.

The Samsung NC10 netbook measures 10.27 x 7.3 x 1.19-inch while weighing 2.8 lbs. Nothing unusual here, netbooks are supposed to be small and lightweight and this one doesn’t make an exception. The Samsung NC10 is powered by an 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of DDR2, 160GB HDD SATA, and a 5200mAh 6-cell battery which provides up to 6 hours of battery life. Well, the specs are OK, and normal until the battery. This is just great, the battery life is excellent. Just imagine: 6 hours of continuous run - what more could you ask?

The Samsung NC10 netbook features a 10.2-inch WSVGA SuperBright widescreen with a 1024 x 600 resolution. The good thing is that it’s sunlight readable therefore you won’t damage your eyes when using the netbook outdoor. Like almost all netbooks, Samsung NC10 runs on Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3.

I must say that I appreciate the fact that the Samsung NC10 features an integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam so that you can broadcast live from an event. At the connectivity area, the netbook comes packed with WLAN 802.11 b/g, 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, but no modem. Well, I can like without the mode, but the rest of the specs are absolutely normal and useful.

The really bad part about the Samsung NC10 is that it doesn’t feature an optical disk drive. I understand that netbook are supposed to be small / compact, and lightweight, however, I definitely need a place to introduce a CD or a DVD. Maybe it would have been better if the netbook would have featured a SSD instead of a HDD.

The Samsung NC10 netbook features a VGA port, headphone jack, microphone jack, built-in microphone, 3 x USB 2.0 port, 3-in-1 card reader, but no S-Video, HDMI, and IEEE1394 ports. The latter ports would have been useful, but they are not necessary which means that it will not affect my score.

I must praise the webcam, and all the specs of a conventional netbook. The Samsung NC10 was built to be useful and to do what a netbook does best. It shouldn’t be out of the ordinary, but I would have loved the netbook to sport an optical disk drive. I shouldn’t forget the battery which is great, and the keyboard which is amazing, however, the trackpad is small and this is another drawback. I would give the Samsung NC10 a 8.7 out of 10 score, but folks over at TestFreaks gave it a 10 out of 10 score.

I must warn you: the Samsung NC10 costs a little too much, but you can find at Amazon in multiple colors like Blue for $399.95, Black for $466.50, and White for $419.99.