Samsung NC10 Reviews
The first netbook offering from Samsung features a large 10.2″ screen, and an easy to use keyboard. This is the first netbook to be manufactured only with Windows XP and not linux aswell.
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9 Positive Reviews |
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0 Negative Reviews |
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I have owned my Samsung NC10 for almost 2 months now, and I also run the Samsung Netbook community site (SammyNetbook.com). When looking for a netbook I had a small checklist of things that I wanted from the device. It had to be big enough to use on a day to day basis, it had to have a good battery life. It had to run Windows XP and the usual apps that I run at home and at work. It had to be affordable!
I had been looking for a netbook for most of 2008 and nothing had yet come along that quite met my needs, although many came close. And then one day I read about the Samsung NC10 and it instantly seemed like the netbook for me!
It managed to meet and exceed my expectations. The keyboard size is perfect and I have been able to type on it at “full speed” from day one. The trackpad took some time to get used to as I’ve not used one before. The screen is clear and bright. The netbook has run literally everything that I have asked of it.
I have not used any other netbooks or even laptops so I do not know how it compares but the NC10 certainly meets my needs!
I’d spent some considerable time looking for a netbook and had pretty much decided on the MSI Wind when the NC10 was announced.
Having a 160GB disk was a big win for me and the long battery life reported in early Korean model reviews sounded excellent so I decided to take a look at one before deciding. I actually placed an early pre-order for a blue one on Amazon, but then got cold feet and cancelled it.
I found an NC10 in my local PC World right next to the MSI Wind, so I did a side by side comparison.
Lookswise there wasn’t much to chose, although I find the black NC10 I bought undeniably smart. The top does attract finger prints but they rub off easily with a lens cloth and the blue LEDs and silver trim add a degree of class that some other netbooks lack.
It feels well built, but light, not an easy balance to achieve.
The Wind has a better keyboard - The inexplicable decision to put the wide shift key on the left on UK market NC10s is the main reason why I only give it 3 for usability. Aside from this the keyboard is comfortable and a decent size and weight for me to touch type.
On the other hand, the NC10 screen looked much better on the two netbooks I compared and that was my deciding factor.
In terms of usage, I’ve upgraded to 2GB (simply because I could, I’ve seen no difference in battery usage or performance) and run MS Office 2007 on it with no problems.
Google Earth runs well too, although I do notice that program startups tend to take longer on the NC10 than on my AMD dual core desktop.
The OS startup is quick and I like the XP installed, having it on all my PCs (I have 5 now, including my work laptop).
The trackpad is criticised by some reviewers, but I find it ok, not really minding the fact that, now and then, you do wander off the edge - it’s not over sensitive or difficult to use. I quite like trackpads, though.
It works fine with my 3 USB stick broadband modem and the wifi works happily on my home network and out and about - I have a 20Mb Virgin broadband line at home and have seen over 15Mb recorded on speed tests over the wifi, which is pleasing.
Pricewise, there are some cheaper options around and the NC10 seems to have a premium over the 299 RRP most places, but expect that to drop as demand drops away.
Overall I am very happy with my choice of netbook and, once I have a sturdy case for it (the provided slip case is near worthless) I plan to take it out on visits to customer sites in preference to my big work laptop.
At the moment, if you can live with the keyboard layout, the NC10 offers the best netbook experience for your money.
I’ve been a fan of netbooks since I got the first EEE PC 701, but I soon crew tired of the limited screen size and resolution. So when they brought out the 900, I got that. I’d only had that for 4 months before Samsung brought out the NC10 and I knew that I must have it. So just over a month ago I bought it, and I have to say it’s the best netbook I’ve owned or even used. Sure the specs are the same as all the others out there, absolutely nothing new, but Samsung must have been watching and learning because they’ve design a fantastic looking machine and outstanding battery life.
For sure it’s not without it’s issues, the touch pad has to be one of the worst and the fact they didn’t include 3G/HSDPA connectivity, well lets just say they missed a great opportunity to corner the market.
So I’d recommend this over any of the other netbooks.
I purchased the NC10 from amazon after doing quite a bit of research, I went to several stores to try out different Netbooks though no one locally carried the Samsung so I bought it based on reviews and what i did and didn’t like about other Netbooks…
Best Warranty, 3 years parts and labor plus you get 3 months extra for registering your purchase on Samsung support website. (there is some confusion as Samsung website and seller sites say 1 year but the warranty card inside clearly states 3 years.. go to sammynetbook.com for more info.
Best screen. matte superbright LED backlit screen. 10 inch is a must.. the 8.9 inch screens and keyboards were just too small for me.
Excellent battery life
Has Bluetooth and SD card slot.
near fullsize keyboard that is easy to touchtype on with a standard size and location of the right shift key…
I upgraded to 2gb of Samsung DDR 2 800Mhz ram.. with no issues though the chipset does not currently run at that speed. maybe they will later with a bios upgrade …
touchpad buttons in standard place on bottom not on the sides.
Only negative initally was the touchpad was not that great. with some tweaks, I installed “twofingerscroll” a freeware program and it really improved the function of the track pad. very easy and resopnsive scrolling and turning off the scroll bars as you won’t need them with this program makes the useable trackpad space larger…. definitely a good fix for the only negative I have found with this netbook. Samsung just released a BIOS update .04CA, I have noticed a significant increase in Battery life. I am now getting a good 6 to 7 hours with conservative settings while using wireless web browsing… this is about a 2 hr increase from the original BIOS .02CA or .03CA that it was on the machine before.. Samsung does not detail what is in the new BIOS so this is from personal observation and running the free batterystatus app.
It is a big plus that it runs Windows XP.. though folks are successfully running Linux and Vista(gag)…
Definitely the best of the bunch at the moment
The NC10 is Samsung’s entry into the netbook market. Its specs are nothing too surprising, 1.6GHz Intel Atom, 1GB ram, 10″ screen at 1024×600. It does have a large hard drive of 160GB, which sets it apart from the usual low capacity SSD drives that adorn many of the other brands models. Its major difference is the “Nano Silver Coating” on the keyboard which is meant to kill bacteria.
The chassis is sturdy and well made. Little features add to the feeling of luxury, the silver band that runs around the case, the neat blue lit power button hidden on the side and the pearlescent paint. Connection-wise the NC10 comes well equipped, 3 USB ports, LAN, VGA, microphone and headphone sockets. On the front there is an SD card slot, however the card does stick out a little from the case, would have been nice to have seen it flush with an ejection mechanism. You also get wi-fi and bluetooth connections from mobile internet. The track pad is extremely small and has no real feedback as to when you have gone off of it, as it lies flush with the case. That said, after switching on some of the features of the Synatpics pad it isn’t bad and you do get used to it. Where the NC10 excels is with its battery life. Just general use on the internet/word-processing can easily see 5 hours of computing. Maybe not up to the 7 hour claims from Samsung, but still very impressive. Actually the 7 hours may be achieved however I would think that you would need to run at the lowest brightness setting and switch the processor to its slower speed (silent mode).
In use the Atom performs well, it runs all the things that you would want from an internet browsing device. As the NC10 uses Windows XP it feels quite speedy. Its keyboard is of a very usable size, about 92% of normal. Also it has a double height enter key which makes typing much easier. The screen is fantastic, extremely bright (at full brightness) and goes to show you don’t need to have a shiny screen to make a good screen. It is pleasant to look at and read from, although the limited vertical resolution means that you may have to scroll more then on a larger screen. Above the screen is the 1.3mp camera. The images are clear and the built in microphone does a good job at picking up my voice when talking to a friend using MSM Live.
For the price this is the best netbook yet. You get a great little machine that is set apart from the rest by its large hard drive and remarkable battery life. It is cheaper then the MSI Wind, its closest rival and while more expensive then some of the other models out there, is well worth the extra for its battery life alone. At 1.3kg it is light and portable, but with a big enough screen to be usable on a daily basis. The manufactures would like us to believe that these netbooks are a second machine to a larger computer/laptop. I disagree, the NC10 is all the laptop that I need and ideal for people on the move, for students or someone looking for a small (comparatively) powerful laptop computer.
**Good**
Large HDD
Bright screen
Connectivity
Battery life
Build quality
**Bad**
Tiny trackpad
SD card sticks out
The NC10 has a great keyboard. You can blind type right away. The screen size is just right for something you use on your lap. It has great battery life, a nice big HDD, integrated bluetooth and 802.11b/g wifi (strong on benchmarks).
The screen is nice. It can be very dim (good for right in the morning when you’ve just woken up) or very bright. I usually keep it in the middle. Like most laptop screens, it will become obscured if viewed from an off angle. The tilt of the screen is sufficient to make this a non-issue for a single user.
The NC10 comes with software to help optimize the battery usage based on different “profiles” which predefine behaviour for lcd auto dimming, default brightness, etc. There is a handy override for LCD-autodimming, which comes in useful when watching movies (so the screen doesn’t dim out on you after a couple of inactive minutes).
Speaking of movies, the NC10 does a fine job playing Hulu and Netflix videos. With a 160G HDD, you also have plenty of space for offline videos. It doesn’t have enough video power to play non-stuttering HD content. I was able to clone and/or extend my display to my 1360×768 HDTV with no issues. When viewed lying in bed with the netbook placed in your stomach, the screen size is equal to a 40″ HDTV viewed from 8 or 9 feet away.
As far as the “small” trackpad goes, I actually like and use it. Increasing the sensitivity a little bit provides for a full range of motion. The track pad accepts clicks and double clicks by tapping, and there is a very useful bar along the side of the pad that allows you to scroll a window vertically. I’m surprised that I like it, because in the past I’ve disliked trackpads an opted for wireless mice. I don’t feel the need for that now. If I were to start playing games, then I’d definitely want a mouse, but for most usage the trackpad works just fine.
I’ve been very pleased with the build quality and the performance. It’s not a dinky little machine; I don’t feel like I’m working on a substandard piece of hardware due to the Intel Atom N270 processor. The size of the screen and the keyboard are perfect. For most people, the NC10 would suffice as a primary computer. It’s easy enough to set it up in a “docking” mode, extending the display to a larger monitor, using a wireless keyboard/mouse at a desk. It’s also perfect for just using in your lap, unlike a “laptop” computer. My father has a desktop replacement laptop that he uses in his living room, and he keeps it plugged in on a TV tray. With the battery life of this “netbook”, I can lounge where ever in the house I want and do everything he wants to do without worrying about running out of power or being inconvenienced by an overly large form factor. These are obviously general points that nearly every netbook shares, but I think they’re salient nonetheless.
The NC10 is more expensive than other netbooks. You’re paying for a large HDD, bluetooth, an integrated webcam, a high performance wifi card, a great keyboard, and a 10.2 inch screen. You’re also paying for outstanding battery life and Windows XP. I think it’s worth it.
For me batterylife was and is essential in using a netbook. I was looking for a netbook that could last for the day with no powercord. I’ve read several reviews and this one seemed to be the one doing just that. A staggering 6 hours without a battery (and the screen adjusted to be quit bright) does the trick. Furthermore I like the design. The mousepad takes a little getting used to but you’ll get the hang of it quick enough. The sound isn’t all that well but that was not a factor for me. The keyboard works like a charm and has a good size for typing. One final thing I find a real pleasure is that you hardly hear the netbook it’s really silent.
There are a few features about the NC10 that makes it stand out from other netbooks in the same class. One is the trackpad has seperated and large buttons that are very easy to use. It has many small attentions to detail that help it rate a little higher with me than the Eee pc and Aspire one. It has the same 1.6GHz processor and 1GB (800MHz) ram as the others with a very nice keyboard but I personally like it better. It also includes bluetooth 2.0 which the others don’t which is very handy.
I work for a large Open Source company and needed something smaller than my Lenovo thinkpad to travel with 4 days a week as a work laptop and a personal one….My T61 is great, just not needed for this much travel with an iPhone too. The NC10 was setup to dual boot Windows and RH. I probably could have used virt, but I’m not that technical and need only a few Win apps. Needless to say this machine rocks. Small, fast, big HDD, and with the portable CD/DVD addition, it does everything I want. Now that I know how to rip DVD’s, the external drive will never leave the house. Good work for a great device.