The Samsung N130 is the base model of the range
The N130 netbook is Samsung’s current base model, following a line of successful netbooks stemming from the original NC10. It very similar to the Samsung N140 although it has a lower capacity battery and a couple of other components are perhaps not the same quality as found on the more expensive N140.
Let’s see what our 5 top industry reviewers thought in our Samsung N130 review roundup but first a quick reminder of the N130’s specification.
Samsung N130 Specification:
10.1 inch screen
1024 x 600 resolution
Intel Atom 1.6Ghz N270 Processor
Intel GMA 950 Graphics
1Gb RAM
160Gb Hard Disk
Windows XP Home
3 USB Ports
802.11b/g/n Wireless
Samsung N130 Review – Good Points:
1. Weight - the N130 weighs 1.2Kg.
TechRadar appreciated how portable the N130 was weighing just 1.2Kg.
FN – Just the one out and out good point and it was only noticed by TechRadar. This goes to show that this netbook’s other features were mulled over in depth between reviewers and there were very few points that everyone agreed on.
This is the central reason for providing these roundups, to try and determine whether the netbook is any good or not. If you read Computeractive’s review you will get a totally different opinion of the netbook than if you read pretty much everyone else’s review for instance.
Anyway, on with the features that divided opinion.
Samsung N130 Review – Divided Opinion:
1. Screen and resolution – the Samsung N130 has a 10.1 inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1024 x 600 resolution.
TechRadar was not too appreciative of the screen quality, believing it to have poor brightness and contrast whilst the matt finish offers flat images although does eliminate reflections. Laptopmag, however, were thankful that the screen had a matte finish (like the N140 and NC10) and that colours and blacks were still vibrant and deep. They did notice a lack of distinction when watching a video between darker shades and both horizontal and vertical viewing angles were good.
The Link liked the fact that the matt screen helped to reduce the price and keep glare when taking the netbook outside. They did comment that the screen had a reduced brightness range when compared to other netbooks. Computeractive thought that the screen was a decent model with ‘anti-glare protection to counter reflections under bright light’. IT Pro found the screen to be bright and few glare issues were experienced. They did comment on the matt finish reducing some of the clarity though.
FN – This age old netbook debate again. It boils down to matt screen = can use it outdoors vs glossy screen = can’t use it outdoors but looks better. If you want to take this netbook outside and be able to use it then you can. If you want the nicest screen to watch films on whilst in low light conditions then this is not the netbook for you. Most reviewers appreciated the matt screen, leaving TechRadar as the ones who wanted to watch films in their bedroom.
2. Design – the Samsung N130 sports a rounded design much like the Samsung Go or N310.
TechRadar thought the design lacked flair and was let down by the 6 cell battery protruding from the back of the N130 although it does push the keyboard forward slightly to a more natural typing position. Laptopmag seemed to like the design, which is reminiscent of the rounded pebble design found on the Samsung N310 but with a matte plastic lid and chassis, which doesn’t provide a magnet for fingerprints like the N140. They also liked the rounded edges and the subdued logo. Finally, as with the N140, the battery only raises the netbook about a quarter of an inch at the back.
The Link on the other hand liked the design, appreciated the smooth edges that ‘felt smooth to the touch’ and ’solid to the touch’ (they’re review was a bit repetitive to start off with – probably very much like this roundup) but perhaps not as robust as the more expensive N140. Computeractive also liked well-designed netbook and believed it to be sturdy with nice round edges.
The design and build quality was important to IT Pro who devoted a large part of their review to these aspects. They found the N130 to be smooth and tactile but didn’t like the white lid, which picks up marks and dust. They felt that the netbook was sturdy and that it could take a few knocks but that the hinge or ‘connecting joint’ was a bit fragile even though this hinge was not as flexible as they had hoped it to be. The battery sticks out the back a bit but does tilt the netbook up to a comfortable typing angle. But other than those small gripes, their initial visual impressions were good (you wouldn’t have thought so). That took roughly have the review.
FN – This is an area where reviewers always disagree with each other and IT Pro spent more time talking about the design and the build quality than anything else. The netbook has round edges, the battery sticks out a bit, it is fairly sturdy but not the best in class. It seems fine for the money, if you want cutting edge design or fantastic build quality then you will need to pay more.
3. Battery – the N130 has a 6 cell 4000-mAh battery.
TechRadar found the battery to offer almost 5 hours of use when on the move. Laptopmag’s N130 only lasted 4 hours and 44 minutes, below their expectations and more than an hour and a half below the six-cell netbook average of 6:18. The N140 managed just over 6 and a half hours. The N130 doesn’t even come close to the mini NB205 and Eee PC 1005HA (9:24 and 8:57, respectively). Laptopmag noted that you could buy a higher capacity 5200-mAh battery as an accessory (good for around 6.5 hours) although this is not an option offered by Samsung, who have equipped their budget N130 model with a low capacity battery.
The Link only got just over 4 hours use of their battery, which is less than they would expect from a high-end netbook but for this value model was more than acceptable apparently although they did mark battery life as a ‘not so good’ point. In our view that goes down as a ‘bad’ point.
Surprisingly, Computeractive thought that the battery was the N130’s ’stand-out feature’ and their reviewer put forward that gave them around 4 hours of general usage and that they believed that to be impressive. They then went on about Samsung’s power management software for a paragraph (quite a lot of the review when there are only 7 paragraphs).
FN – The battery life boiled down to whether our reviewers thought that 4 to 5 hours was either good or bad. Most thought bad, Laptopmag were very disappointed citing the netbook average battery life as being much higher. The Link weren’t happy with the battery life, TechRadar were indifferent whilst IT Pro didn’t have time to switch the thing on in their review. Only Computeractive thought that 4 hours from a 6 cell battery and pretty minimal feature set was impressive but citing this fact as the netbooks stand-out feature? There can’t have been anything else to mention. I, on the other hand, do think that 4 to 5 hours is on the low side but it would do me most of the time.
4. Keyboard – the keyboard is 93 percent of full size.
TechRadar believed the usability of the keyboard to be excellent with large keys, which were easy to access having tapered edges, and a quiet and firm motion when typing. Laptopmag found the keyboard to be the same great keyboard as the N140 (and N110 and NC10) and, being 93 percent of full size, was comfortable to type on with good travel and a nice spring. Because of these aspects, Laptopmag were up to their full typing speed straightaway.
The Link liked the keyboard, the overall quality was high, the keys had good travel and they found it a pleasure to use although it took them a while to get used to. Computeractive thought that the keyboard was a little small and shallow whereas IT Pro found the keyboard to be a good size, slightly springy but with reasonably sized keys although the right-hand shift key was a bit difficult to find at times.
FN – Pretty much everybody agreed that the keyboard was good, except Computeractive. I think that Computeractive just read everybody else’s reviews and then disagreed with everything other people said about the N130.
5. Touchpad
Laptopmag liked the touchpad, finding it wide enough (as with the N140) to move across the screen without having to pick your finger up too much. They would prefer to see a distinction between the slightly stiff single mouse button bar and the palm rest whilst also see individual left and right buttons for the mouse. Computeractive also mentioned the trackpad and disagreed (surprisingly) with Laptopmag thinking that the trackpad was too small for their fingers although that is something shared with similar computers apparently. IT Pro thought that the trackpad was smooth and responsive although it was slightly too close to the space bar. They also liked the definition between the left and right clicks making the mouse buttons very easy to use.
FN – Computeractive again disagrees with other reviews but IT Pro thought the mouse buttons were really good whilst Laptopmag weren’t too keen. Because of how diligent they are in their reviews, I would probably side with Laptopmag on this one but I find it is better to have a slightly stiff mouse button bar than one which is not stiff enough.
6. System Performance
Laptopmag notes that the real difference between the N130 and N140 is in terms of performance. They thought that multitasking with Windows XP was fine and the system only lagged when loading web sites with lots of graphics or Flash. The N130 also gained a higher Geekbench score (870) than the netbook average (833) but lower than the N140 (887) – which runs Windows 7 Starter, Toshiba NB205 (904) and Acer Aspire AOD250 (878). IT Pro dropped in that the insides of the machine were all pretty standard, as the benchmark score of 0.4 proved. I’m not sure where this benchmark score comes from or how it compares with other netbooks but it must be obvious to other people.
FN – We’re getting down to nitty gritty performance figures and these aren’t bad actually, for a budget netbook on slightly old processor.
Samsung N130 Review – Bad Points:
1. Webcam – the N130 has an integrated 0.3 megapixel webcam.
The webcam is just above the display and, whilst TechRadar found the webcam to be slightly off-putting, as it is placed just off centre to the right-hand side, Laptopmag found that it captures decent video and still images but the colours were a bit red-tinted when chatting over Skype and there was a bit of blur whether movement was fast or slow. Plus, images captured by the bundled YouCam software were slightly dark but Laptopmag thought that was not a surprise from this quality of webcam.
FN – It isn’t going to be a great webcam on this fairly cheap netbook and is only 0.3 megapixel.
2. Heat
Laptopmag found that during use (watching videos for Hulu for instance) the netbook became slightly hot with the underside reaching an uncomfortable temperature of 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
FN – Slightly worrying that it got quite hot but nobody else mentioned this although IT Pro ran out of time looking at the netbook to actually switch it on and I’m not sure if Computeractive were reviewing the same netbook as everybody else.
3. Audio
Laptopmag believed the audio to be disappointing and struggled to hear sound even when at 100% and in a quiet room. Bass was non existent and the sound quality was predictably tinny. The N130 does not benefit from the SRS sound software found on the N140 and only has 1 speaker whereas the N140 has 2.
FN – Again, no other reviewers mentioned audio quality so we have nothing to compare these comments with. To be honest I trust Laptopmag’s judgement although it would have been good if another reviewer and tried turning their volume up.
4. Graphics and Video Performance – the N130 uses the Intel GMA 950 graphics chip.
Laptopmag ran some tests using 3DMark06 and found that the N130 scored lower than the netbook average (160) with only 91 points. This puts it close to the Toshiba NB205 (92) and Samsung N110 (90) but lower than the Acer Aspire AOD250 (123) and the Asus Eee PC 1005HA (124).
FN – I’m not sure how the netbook average is up at 160 when a lot of the main models are a long way below it. The graphics capability of the N130 is always going to be fairly poor. There are some much better options out there now if you want a netbook with better graphics, look at the HP Mini 311, Samsung N510 or soon to be expensive Asus Eee PC 1201N.
7. Media Playback
Laptopmag found standard definition videos to play smoothly but not have a lot of depth. Plus, dark elements on the screen became one big blog and were not distinguishable from one another whereas on the N140 each of these elements were distinct. Hulu and Youtube videos stuttered a bit and web sites with flash or lots of graphics did slow down when loading, more so than on the N140.
FN – We’ve already seen that this netbook is not great for movies because of the matt screen but this kinds of confirms things in this department.
Samsung N130 Review – Other Items of Note:
1. Microsoft Office Trial – the Samung N130 comes with a 1 year trial of Microsoft Office.
2. Draft N – the N130 has 802.11n high-speed wireless capability.
3. Dimensions – the N130 is 263.8 x 28.5 x 185.5.
4. Comparison with Samsung N140 – Laptopmag considers the N130 to be Samsung’s value netbook whilst spending a little more money on the Samsung N140 instead gets you better performance, battery life and a premium design.
5. Ports – the Samsung N130 has a VGA, ethernet, headphone, mic and 1 USB port on the left and the A/C jack and other 2 USB ports on the right whilst the power switch and 3-in-1 memory card are available at the front of the netbook.
6. Card reader – the card reader doesn’t have a spring lock and so cards do not feel terribly secure when they are inserted.
7. Hard drive – in Laptopmag’s transfer test, the N130 came out fairly well (copying a 4.97GB file of mixed media files) in 5 minutes and 12 seconds for a rate of 16.3 MBps. This is faster than the average netbook (15.4 MBps) but 3.8 MBps behind the N140’s score of 20.1 MBps. The original mini NB205 also beats the N130 with a rate of 18.1, as does the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA, which scored 19.9 MBps.
8. Boot time – Laptopmag found that the N130’s 52-second boot time is two seconds faster than the N140. This is just below the netbook average of 57 seconds, and beats the mini NB205’s 85-second score.
9. WiFi – Laptopmag were surprised that the 802.11b/g/n radio performed better than the N140, delivering a throughput of 25.7 Mbps at 15 feet from the router. It’s 4.9 Mbps faster than the netbook average of 20.8 Mbps, and 9.3 Mbps above the N140’s score of 16.4 Mbps. It even bests the mini NB205 (21.3), the Eee PC 1005HA (22.5), and the Samsung Go (20.2). At 50 feet from the router, the score dropped dramatically to 14.9 Mbps, below the 17.1 Mbps average and all three of the netbooks it beat at 15 feet.
10. Software – Laptopmag listed all the software the Samsung preload onto the N130 including CyberLink YouCam, management utilities for resolution, display (including hot keys to rotate 90 and 180 degrees, which are useful if you’re using the N130 as an eBook reader), networks, and power profiles. The Battery Life Extender caps the battery’s charge at 80 percent to prolong its life for systems that are often kept plugged in. Samsung Update Plus will automatically keep these apps up to date. The netbook also comes with 60-day trials of McAfee Internet Security, Microsoft Office 2007, and AnyPC for remote access to other computers.
11. Green Testing – Laptopmag found that it took 2 hours and 7 minutes to charge the N130 to 100 percent (nearly an hour and a half faster than the category average of 3 hours and 30 minutes), and the system used an average of 38.2 watts during that time. The netbook’s LAPTOP Battery Efficiency Rating (the total amount of watts it takes to recharge divided by the battery life; lower is better) was 17.1—slightly less efficient than the typical netbook (16.8) but very eco-friendly overall. It also earned an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold rating of 21 (out of 27).
Samsung N130 Overall Score
Overall Score – 67.4% (compiled from 5 top industry reviews)
See where the Samsung N130 ranks in our netbook rankings
Samsung N130 Reviewer Comments and Verdicts:
1. TechRadar’s verdict – While the N130 has no truly standout features, its great usability and battery life at such a low price mean that it betters many of its more expensive rivals. In a market where low prices are key and yet increasingly rare, this makes it a true breath of fresh air.
2. The Link’s verdict – What you pay for is what you get and with the Samsung N130 what you get is a decent netbook for the price and offers good value for money. However, if your budget will stretch to it we’d suggest opting for one of the slightly higher priced Samsung N110 or Samsung N140 models as they offer more in the way of battery life and all-round build quality.
3. Computeractive’s verdict – ‘A decent netbook without too much to shout about’ and ‘Battery life is the stand-out feature for this netbook’.
4. Laptopmag’s verdict – We’re fans of the budget-priced Samsung N130’s ergonomics. However, when compared to the N140, which is only $50 more, it comes in behind in overall performance and—more importantly—battery life. If your budget is flexible, the N140 is definitely the better choice. If $349 is your sweet spot, however, you can also pick up a Toshiba mini NB205 running Windows XP, which has comparable benchmark scores and hours more battery life, for around the same price. Overall, the Samsung N130 is a decent netbook, but there are better choices in this price range.
5. IT Pro’s verdict – Although an average netbook in all the specs, the Samsung N130 is enjoyable and comfortable to use and proves to be a sturdy reliable machine you can take out when you are on the move.
6. Fantastic Netbook’s verdict – The Samsung N130 definitely feels like a value netbook and the N140’s little brother. It is ideal for taking around with you, will be usable for a while although not all day and may take a few knocks. If you want a bit better performance look at the N140, if you want better graphics look at the HP Mini 311 but I don’t think there are that many decent netbooks out there for £230.
Samsung N130 Reviews Used to Compile This Report:
1. TechRadar – posted on 13th October 2009 gave the Samsung N130 3 stars out of 5.
2. The Link – posted on 20th October 2009 and gave the Samsung N130 3.5 stars out of 5.
3. Computeractive – posted on 18th November 2009 and gave the N130 4 stars out of 5.
4. Laptopmag – posted on 3rd December 2009 and gave the N130 3 stars out of 5.
5. IT Pro – posted on 8th January and gave the Samsung N130 4 stars out of 6.
Related posts:
