Samsung NC20 netbook review

on December 3rd, 2009

The Samsung NC20 is the newest in the laptop series from Samsung after the NC10. Though not in contention to be “ultra powerful” or “ultra thin” like other portables, the NC20 is samsung-nc20-notebook absolute value for those who need a bigger and spacious 12-inch screen and a full-size keyboard.

NC20 Specifications

Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
Weight: 3.4 pounds
Processor: 1.3 GHz VIA Nano U2250
RAM: 1 GB DDR2 RAM
Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA HDD, 5400 RPM
Display: 12.1 LCD Display, 1280 x 800 pixels
Graphics Card: VIA Chrome9 HC3 with 128 MB VRAM
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home
Ports: 3 USB v2.0 ports, Ethernet, Headphone, Microphone, VGA out, 3 in 1 card reader

Design and Display

The NC20 is a slim little laptop with a 12.1″ screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, web cam, microphone, Windows XP O/S; weighing 3.3 lbs. The white finish is clean and the look sturdy and durable. The 12.1” display has a nice and crisp quality and supports 1280 x 800 resolution.

Features

The standout selling feature in the NC20 is the 1.3 GHz Via Nano U2250 processor a huge deviation from the usual practice of using Intel Atom N270 processors. The new Nano, which is based on x86 architecture with special sophisticated design for small, low-power laptops, is far ahead of Atom in terms of performance. The VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics compares better than Netbooks with the Intel GMA 950 in features, but the performance increase is not that noteworthy.

Like the NC10, the NC20 has all usual ports with one notable extra, a slightly larger touchpad measuring 2.8” x 1.7” and a neatly designed vertical scroll. The keyboard is full size and spacious with right positioning of keys and the raised keys are an added comfort for long typing stints – another area where the NC20 scores heavily over other netbooks.

Speakers

The dual speakers at the bottom produce clear quality sound although the placement of speakers is quite unusual. While most users feel the sound quality is audible enough, music and movie freaks may have to use headphones to ensure better quality.

Battery

While the NC 10 topped the record for battery life at 7 hours, given the larger display the NC20 drops to 5 hours of usage with restrictions and following some common power saving tips.

Performance

The NC 20 is a useful option for basic tasks at an affordable price. The full keyboard and the crisp display are big advantages. The NC20 does not have any heat issues that are disturbing or uncomfortable on bare skin. It is also fairly simple to open and upgrade the hard drive or memory (2GB max).

In short, it simply outperformed most other Atom based small laptops

Improvements

The downside of the NC20 would be the lower battery life and speaker output. Future designs could also consider adding extra memory. The power supply could be smaller and have a cable management system too. But it still draws comparison in keyboard design to the ASUS 1000HA and the Lenovo S12, which provides astonishing graphic power thanks to its Ion chipset.