The Samsung NC20 is the NC10′s big brother with a 12.1″ screen and therefore a slightly larger chassis, which brings the NC20 almost into the realms of sub-notebook territory. The NC20′s price and specification are more akin to netbooks though and so we are still classifying this model as a netbook with its main competitor being the Dell Mini 12.
Samsung NC20′s Good Points
1. Performance – CNET went straight in to say that the Via Nano U2250 processor that the Samsung NC20 uses is better than the netbook standard Intel Atom N270 and performs better (even though its clock speed is described as 1.3+ Ghz).
A quick word about the clock speed of the Via. The Via processor runs at 1.3 Ghz (as opposed to the Atoms 1.6 Ghz clock speed) but when it comes across more intensive tasks it automatically moves up to a higher clock speed and will frequently run at 1.5 Ghz.
The Via processor completes many tasks much faster than other netbooks as a result. CNET ran ran several performance comparisons between the Samsung NC20 (using the Via Nano processor) and an LG X110 (using the traditional Intent Atom processor) and can be read in more detail
here:
CNET did note that the Atom processor is better at image handling that the Via.
Laptopmag also ran some comparisons using the Samsung NC20 with the
Samsung NC10 (using a 1.6Ghz Atom processor) and an
Asus Eee PC 1000HE (also running an Atom processor) and found the Via Nano better in some tests but not as good in others. Overall, Laptopmag thought the performance of the Samsung NC20 was similar, if not slightly better than the NC10 and the Asus.
Onto PC Pro, which found video playback to be much better using the NC20 rather than on a Samsung NC10 and Wired were also very impressed with the performance of the Via processor nd said that the NC20 outscored every Atom based netbook that they tested against, even ‘their beloved’ Lenovo IdeaPad S10.
Computer Shopper thought that the performance was comparable to the Atom processor, almost identical in fact whilst Notebookcheck had to disable the automatic update software and the pre-installed virus scanner before deciding to use Google Chrome instead of IE6, which improved the performance of the Samsung NC20 netbook. Their performance tests producted some better results for the Atom and some better results for the Via, you can read the detail here.
Overall, it looks as though the Via is a good replacement for the Atom and may depend on what the applications are that you are going to be using. The Samsung NC20 did stand up very well to all the test thrown at it during the 7 reviews.
2. Battery life – The NC20′s batter life is very good for a 12.1″ screen and runs for over 6 hours. Each review conducted their own battery tests and these were the results
CNET determined that even with WiFi on and constant web browsing the battery was good for over 4 hours.
Laptopmag also found the battery to last for just over 4 hours but it was noted that their test machine had a 5,200-mAh battery whereas retail models were expected to have a larger capacity battery, which would run for slightly longer.
PC Pro’s light use test showed 6 hours and 46 minutes and their heavier use test got it down to around 4 hours, which is much better than Dell’s Mini 12.
Wired clocked the battery at 3 hours and 40 minutes (the lowest of all reviews but they still thought that was amazing).
Computer Shopper’s light use test got a full 6 hours and 36 minutes out of it.
iGizmo conducted a light use test and had the battery running for 6 hours and 45 minutes whilst a heavy use still produced 4 hours of battery life.
Notebookcheck used the BatteryEater Readers Test and got 6 hours and 41 minutes out of it and then conducted the BatteryEater Classic Test (maximum brightness), which provide 2 hours and 7 minutes usage. Their final WLAN and web surfing test produced 4 hours and 20 minutes usage.
Every reviewer was happy with the battery life of the Samsung NC20 and believed it to be impressive for a 12.1″ screen, which will naturally need more power than 10″ displays.
3. Screen – the Samsung NC20′s screen is probably its main selling point in that it is a 12.1″ display with a high resolution of 1280 x 800. The extra resolution is quite an advantage and gives you a fair amount more screen space (66% more desktop space according to Computer Shopper), which means quite a lot less scrolling when viewing web pages and using applications. The image quality is also superb according to PC Pro although there are some downsides to the screen, see the bad points below.
4. Memory – the Samsung NC20 has 1Gb RAM installed, the same as practically all other netbooks. However, unlike many other netbooks, it is easy to expand the memory up to 2GB. All you need to do is remove four screws on the back of the machine and replace the SO-DIMM with a 2GB module. Most other netbooks do not provide an easy access panel such as found on the Samsung NC20.
5. Keyboard – the Samsung NC20′s keyboard is very similar to the NC10 and has a positive feel. CNET believes the keyboard to be full size, up from the NC10′s 93% sized keyboard although Notebookcheck thought that the keyboard was exactly the same unit as the NC10, which contradicts the other reviews. If possible I will try to find more details on this and provide a comparison.
All reviewers found that typing on the keyboard is easy, the keys are tactile, large and comfortable to type on although perhaps they do not have quite enough travel. A couple of people spotted that the Windows key is positioned to the right of the space bar, which was a bid odd and Computer Shopper spotted that the backslash key had been moved. They also wanted the keyboard to go the full width of the available space and so make it even bigger.
iGizmo thought that they keyboard had a feeling of quality and Notebookcheck noticed that typing noise is relatively quite and muffled.
6. Touchpad – the touchpad on the NC20 is much better than on NC10, as there is more room for a larger touchpad. The touchpad also has a scroll bar, which is useful but the mouse button is not separated between left and right. Notebookcheck mentioned that whilst the touchpad was good and easy to use it sometimes it had a dead spot in the centre.
7. Speakers – overall good sound quality and plenty of volume from the Samsung NC20 and much better than the NC10′s speakers. Perhaps lacking in bass a bit but enough noise to fill a room if you wanted to.
Samsung NC20 Bad Points:
1. Reflective display – the glossy screen makes it difficult to work outdoors and you have to keep adjusting the brightness so you can read the screen depending on how much glare you get.
Whilst not every reviewer went on about the display being too reflective (Laptopmag did not mention it at all), PC Pro thought that the screen will divide opinions although did go on to say that the image quality was superb. CNET definitely thought it was difficult to use outside and Notebookcheck did not like the glare they got from the reflective display and had to keep changing the position of the screen.
It probably depends where you are going to use the Samsung NC20 as to whether the screen is going to be a problem for you or not. Outside use does seem to be a bit of a problem with the NC20.
2. Heavier – the Samsung NC20 is 1.5Kg without its power supply so is on the heavy side when compared with netbooks with an 9 or 10″ display. However, 1.5Kg is still not a great deal and there are several smaller netbooks that are almost as heavy as that such as the Asus Eee PC 1000H. If you really wanted a lightweight netbook then perhaps the Samsung NC20 is not the one to go for but for a netbook with a 12″ screen then 1.5Kg is pretty good.
3. Larger – because the Samsung has a 12″ screen it is naturally larger than other netbooks. Its dimensions are 29.24 cm(W) x 21.7 cm(D) x 30.7 cm(H) whereas a comparison with the Samsung NC10 are 26.1 cm(W) x 18.55 cm(D) x 30.3 cm(H). So the Samsung NC20 is a bit wider and deeper than a 10″ netbook. One reviewer noticed that the NC20 is actually slightly larger than other 12 inch netbooks, such as the Dell Mini 12, or ultra portables, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X200.
Regarding its styling, iGizmo did not like the Samsung’s looks, even though it has almost identical styling to the NC10, it perhaps does not look so good on the larger chassis of the NC20.
4. Expandability – it is a shame that Samsung couldn’t have squeezed in an ExpressCard slot into the larger chassis, which was noted by both CNET and Laptopmag.
5. Boot time – Laptopmag mentioned that the Samsung NC20 had long boot time for an XP netbook taking 1 minute and 10 seconds ito boot up although this was not mentioned in any other review.
Some Other Points of Note:
1. A 1.3-megapixel webcam is located at the top of the screen. You can display photos at up to 1,280×1,024 pixels and video at 320×240 pixels. Video calls using skype did not produce any motion blur.
2. The Samsung NC20 comes with CyberLink YouCam installed, which can upload video directly to YouTube.
3. Build quality is better than you would expect for the price. Computer Shopper thought that the build of the NC20 is very sturdy and should be able to take a few knocks. The case should not show up any fingerprints, as it is a satin white plastic finish although you may get a few smears on the chrome bits.
Notebookcheck also thought that the workmanship of the NC20 was very good and robust. However, they also mentioned that the hinges are quite big and cannot help the screen from moving backwards a bit when using the netbook and you have to keep readjusting the screen, which they found to be really annoying.
4. iGizmo declared that the ‘low powered’ Via Nano processor would offer disappointment to anyone wanting to run specialised applications such as Photoshop. I’m not sure that the Samsung NC20 was ever intended for applications such as this and so have not included this comment in the Performance section above.
5. System noise when idling is very quiet but does get louder (perhaps uncomfortably so) when the netbook is being heavily used. Notebookcheck produced some figures on the noise readings they took when testing the NC20
here:
6. Notebookcheck also took some
temperature readings when testing the NC20.
Reviewers Comments and Verdicts:
1. CNET thought that the Samsung NC20 was one of the best netbooks that you can get due to the performance of the Via processor, large screen and decent battery life.
2. CNET also found that the Samsung NC20 could run Windows 7 fine but really needed more than 1Gb memory if you wanted to use this operating system.
3. Laptopmag believes that the NC20 blurs the line between netbooks and ultra portables and that the NC20 offers better performance than the Dell Mini 12.
4. PC Pro’s verdict is that ‘it’s not perfect, but six-hour battery life, fine performance and a superb display make Samsung’s grown-up netbook a force to be reckoned with’.
5. Wired said – ‘It’s not quite a netbook, not quite an ultralight PC. Whatever it is, Samsung’s NC20 is a dazzling feat of engineering: an extremely usable 12-inch laptop with epic battery life, impressive specs and a mystifyingly affordable price tag’.
6. Computer Shopper would prefer a Samsung NC10 over an NC20 in that they would make do with the smaller screen and benefit from better battery life and a lower price. However, it you want the larger screen then the Samsung NC20 is definitely better than the Dell Mini 12.
7. Notebookcheck liked the fact that the Samsung NC20 is cheap for a 12.1″ netbook yet has good build quality although does not agree with the glossy display.
Reviews used to compile this report:
- CNET - posted on 31st March 2009
- Laptopmag - posted on 4th March 2009
- PC Pro – posted in March 2009
- Wired - posted on 1st May 2009
- Computer Shopper – posted in April 2009
- iGizmo - posted on 25th March 2009
- Notebookcheck - posted on 3rd April 2009
If you liked the format of this report or would like to see some improvements of then please leave some feedback below and we will get back to you.
Related posts:
- Comparison between the Samsung NC10, NC20 and N120
- Samsung NC20 Specification
- Sony Vaio W-Series vs Lenovo S12 vs Asus 1101HA vs Samsung NC20
- Samsung NC10 Reviews
- Samsung N120 Mini Review
Thanks very much for a useful summary. I had read some of the reviews quoted before I reached your site and realised I could have saved myself much time! Still undecided between NC10 and NC20!
Hello Ian,
Thank you for your kind words. From my point of view I think the main thing between the NC10 and NC20 is whether you need the extra screen space and resolution. My feeling is that the jump from 1024 x 600 with the NC10 to 1280 x 800 will make quite a difference.
Netbooks are all about compromises, a smaller screen means a slightly lighter netbook whilst the larger screen adds about 200g in weight (and about £70 to £75).
It all boils down to what you are going to use the netbook for and whether you would benefit from the bigger screen or would like a bit more portability that the NC10 offers.
Let me know what you decide!
Tom
Dear Tom
Thanks for the helpful comparisons.Finally decided to get the NC20 for the larger screen, so off to purchase tomorrow!
Ian
Hello Ian,
Good luck!
Tom
Dear Tom
Sending this via my new NC20 and am completely delighted! Keyboard especially good to use and the larger screen a joy. Slight problems with glare in natural daylight but under normal room lighting no problem at all. Thanks again for the advice.
Hello Ian,
Great news! I’m pleased that your pleased with your NC20 and that this web site helped you to make your decision.
Thank you for your comments and please take a look at the Business User, Personal User and Travel User pages for some useful web-based applications for your new netbook.
Cheers,
Tom
Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!