Samsung N120-12GBK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook
Weighing just 2.8 pounds, the new Samsung N120 mini notebook is focused around multimedia, designed with built in speakers and subwoofer for richer online content experience. With Intel Atom processor, 160GB of storage, a SuperBright 10.1-inch LCD it's one of the lightest mini notebooks in its class. The new N120 gives you the freedom to surf the Web, shop and chat on IM with the very latest wireless technology. With its larger touch pad area, using the touch pad is now easier and more comfortable. Zip through your online applications with the support of Intel Atom processor. Store all your favorite videos and music, and enjoy richer multimedia content with the output from the built in speakers and subwoofer.
Features
- 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor 1 GB RAM
- 160 GB Hard Drive
- Microsoft XP Home with Service Pack 3, 6 Cell Battery
Samsung N120-12GBK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook
Weighing just 2.8 pounds, the Samsung N120-12GBK mini-notebook in black improves on its predecessors with a sleeker, curvier design, a glossy LCD screen, a larger touchpad, an integrated subwoofer for 2.1-channel surround sound (via SRS audio technology), and a 6-cell lithium rechargeable battery that provides up to 6 hours of continuous use. An affordable mobile PC that's ideal for all your online needs, the N120 is designed to go almost anywhere--from kitchen and living room at home to Wi-Fi hotspots at coffee shops, airports and more. It sports a 10.1-inch LED-backlit SuperBright screen and a 97-percent full-size keyboard that's easy to type on.
It's powered by the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, which is designed especially for mobile devices and features an innovative hafnium-infused circuitry that reduces electrical current leakage in transistors to conserve energy. The integrated 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) will keep you connected to email and all your social networks, while the Bluetooth 2.0+EDR technology enables you to use handsfree communication headsets while video chatting via the integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam. This model comes in black, but it's also available in white.
Other features include a 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM, built-in speakers and microphone, SD/SDHC/MMC memory card reader, three USB ports (with two of them able to charge your peripherals), and a VGA output to an external monitor. It comes preinstalled with the Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system, which offers more experienced users an enhanced and innovative experience that incorporates Windows Live features like Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging and Windows Live Mail for consolidated email accounts on your desktop.
Customer Reviews
Great Netbook!
I bought this last week after reading a LOT of reviews on various netbooks. I wanted something lightweight, durable and reliable for traveling especially via plane. I have a fairly portable laptop already but every extra ounce seems to really seem heavy walking through airports, NYC, etc. I also like the idea of being able to carry a lightweight machine to public places where i can get a little work done without needing to carry a laptop, power cord, etc.
I was a little worried that a netbook would not be 'enough' but so far it has been outstanding!
This particular netbook is far nicer looking and seemingly more durable than ANYTHING i've seen at local stores. Although the screen is advertised as 'glossy' it is not overly so and looks nothing like the HP and Asus 'glossy' screens. The keyboard is fantastic and the built in track pad works really well. Battery life has been very good - I got close to 8 hours the first time I charged it. This netbook is comfortable to type on and has rounded edges. The speakers are decent and certainly better sounding than many other netbooks on the market.
I recently loaded Office 2007 - it runs just fine. I also UN-Loaded the pre-installed McAfee software, replaced with AVG and that was a good decision - things are much faster without McAfee. I plan to upgrade to 2 gb of RAM but right now everything runs just fine with the installed 1 gb.
Although a netbook will probably not ever replace my laptop, it is perfect for the times i want/need to have computer access for internet, email and word processing/office type work. The convenience of being able to take this very portable, lightweight machine with me is a real bonus!
Although this netbook is a bit more expensive than some others on the market, I think it's worth the extra money.
Bought another NC10 instead
I purchased a Samsung NC10 a few months ago and continue to love it. My wife and I travel around the world every year for business and pleasure, and after she observed my NC10, as I used it on our last trip, she was sold on it and decided to have me order one for her. So I decided that we may as well try one of the newer versions. I chose the N120, mainly for the track pad and keyboard size, and the supposedly better speakers.
Well, it arrived yesterday (5/14/09), and after charging the battery and playing around with it for a few hours we decided to return it and buy another NC10. If I had never had an NC10 for comparison, maybe this would have been fine, but in comparing them side by side, I felt the N120 was slightly inferior.
The first thing that stood out to me (I am very picky about screens) is that the screen was not as easy to read as the matte screen of the NC10. I observed the same photos on each computer and felt the colors were not as accurate, nor as readable as the NC10's screen. It was bright enough, but the impression one would get from looking at both side by side is that the matte screen of the NC10 was overall a bit brighter and easier to view, especially off axis. When I brought the 2 netbooks outside to try them out on the back porch, it was over. The N120's glossy screen made it nearly impossible to see what was happening, as the sky and trees reflected back into the screen, while the NC10's matte screen was completely readable and usable. Also, as I continued to look at both, I kept thinking that the N120's screen was smaller somehow, so I took out a measuring tape and sure enough, the NC10's screen was 1/4" taller than the 120's, and they were both the same width. One thing a netbook is lacking in, is the screen height, and even though it was only a quarter of an inch, that was enough, combined with the inferior color rendition and the glossy screen, to put this back in the box and send it back to Amazon. Of course this is all subjective and ymmv as to what you like in a screen.
The positives of the N120 are that it's still as well constructed as the NC10, has a nicer look with the rounded corners and slightly thinner appearance, plus the slightly larger size of the keys and track pad are desirable. However my wife had no problems with my NC10's keyboard and she uses a travel mouse anyway so the track pad size was not an issue for her.
Further observations from the geeky tweak that I am:
I am always very concerned about wifi signal strength in my laptops because we travel so often and hotel wifi signals are many times so poor that every last bit of signal strength a laptop can provide is like gold to me. Nothing worse than sitting next to your buddy and he's surfing the net while your laptop can't even get a signal. So I though I better try some experiments while I had them both. I tried different positions around the house with both computers to see if either one had an advantage in wifi signal strength. Though this was certainly not a perfect scientific test, I noticed in every different location that the NC10 picked up at least 1 more local connection than the N120. The signal strength of each connection was either the same or one bar higher on the NC10. No biggie, but it was slightly in favor of the NC10.
Then I tried the speakers. Well, to my dismay, there was so little difference in quality between the 2 netbooks that I would have never chosen the N120 over the NC10 for sound alone, even if both were the same in every other way. Completely negligible. Yes, the N120 had a slightly richer bottom end, but believe me, the slight amount was indeed "slight". Both were also almost equal in volume output. That "subwoofer" they say is in the N120 is a joke. Please don't buy this expecting really great sound out of the supplied speakers. It's usable in a pinch for music and completely usable for Skype, but that's it. If you want good sound on the road, plug in headphones or buy one of those FoxL portable speakers on Amazon.
I hope any of this will be usable to those agonizing over which Samsung Netbook to purchase. I know I would have loved to have read someone's observations about these while I was struggling to figure out if I should just get another NC10, an N110, or an N120. Now I know. The screen is better on the NC10 and the pluses of the N120 are negated by the things I mentioned.
Love that full size keyboard!
Okay my N120 arrived a little while ago. The keyboard is freaking AWESOME! The trackpad/buttons are about the same size as the NC10 SE and N110. I found the raised buttons much easier to use than the ones on the NC10 which are kind of level or maybe even sunk down a tad. The specs in terms of the width of the case is pretty much the same as the NC10. The case itself is matte finish on the outside and inside on the palm rest etc. (Yeah no more fingerprints) The display is glossy, but really not as glossy as I was expecting. I had one of my staff that has the Acer Aspire One come to my office with his and both of us were shocked at how much more glossy and reflective his was compared to the Samsung N120. Now this isn't to say that it isn't going to have some reflection and glare, because it will, though the display is so bright that for me personally it is totally within an acceptable limit. In side by side comparison... (sorry I don't have my camera at work) sitting directly in front of both that Acer was was more glossy. given a choice, YES I would have preferred a matte display too!
The rounded or beveled edge along the front of the palm rest is really comfortable and it seems there isn't really much more palm rest area than on the NC10.
I logged into Pandora and played some tunes because naturally I wanted to check out that subwoofer. hehehe. It appears to basically be a bit larger speaker on the front left side, along with the 1.5 watt speakers in the bezel around the display. The volume turn up only 25 percent was plenty loud and when you turn it up all the way it is VERY loud. That Acer by comparison is very, very weak as is the NC10. I was surprised that the subwoofer seem to give it much more depth and clarity. I am very, very pleased with the sound. No you aren't going to get any thumping bass, but it certainly adds a dimension to the sound that is simply not there on other netbooks. You can also adjust it as initially I found the sound very tinny, but was able to boost it up with some more bass to level it out.
The bezel around the display isn't pretty, but I don't mind it, having the speakers on each side is a plus in my book.
I did do some comparison between the N120 and NC10 SE. I can tell you that width wise the N120 is about half inch wider, but pretty much the same in all other demensions. The track/mouse pad is a bit bigger.
Another thing I noticed is that Samsung now includes a battery extender like the Lenovo business notebooks. This allows you to only charge the batter to about 80% if you are going to use it on AC a great deal. Though the whole idea of a netbook is to take it off away from AC power. Still I think it is cool that they added this and of course the NC10 doesn't support this.
I think the N120 is a great netbook and it is really no bigger than all the other 10" diplay netbooks, weighs about the same and even less than some, yet has a killer full size keyboard.
