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Samsung NS310 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £350
inc VAT

A beautifully designed netbook, but battery life isn't great. The NC110 is a better choice for £70 less

Specifications

10.1 in 1,024×600 display, 1.3kg, 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550, 1.00GB RAM, 320GB disk, Windows 7 Starter 32-bit

Despite the fact that tablets are gaining ground as alternatives to netbooks, Samsung is still releasing new models. The NS310 is a stunning example. It’s a clamshell design that’s incredibly thin, with beautifully rounded edges and a smart metallic paint job. Inside is the usual netbook specification: a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor running at 1.5GHz, along with 1GB of RAM and a generous 320GB hard disk.

Samsung NS310 left ports

Although it’s a dual-core processor and also supports Hyper-Threading, the N550 still isn’t very fast, as an overall score of 13 demonstrates. It handles multiple applications better than earlier single-core Atoms, but with only 1GB of RAM you’ll soon run out of memory if you open too many browser tabs or documents. The integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics chipset isn’t much better: it can play HD videos from YouTube, but struggled with HD shows on BBC’s iPlayer; 3D games are out of the question.

Samsung NS310

Of course, it’s almost a moot point as the 10.1in screen has a measly 1,024×600 resolution. This is barely enough room for a single application, and you may find some Windows dialogue boxes don’t fit into the available vertical space. The lack of vertical resolution is also frustrating for web browsing and document editing.

There’s another problem, too. Although the NS310 slightly lighter than the NC110 it has a runt of a battery that lasted just four and a half hours in our light-use test – almost half as long as the NC110’s. The NS310 is far more stylish, as long as you don’t find the large, capitalised Samsung logo too crass.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***
Processor Intel Atom N550
Processor clock speed 1.5GHz
Memory 1.00GB
Memory slots 1
Memory slots free 0
Maximum memory 2GB
Size 31x275x188mm
Weight 1.3kg
Sound Realtek HD Audio
Pointing device touchpad

Display

Viewable size 10.1 in
Native resolution 1,024×600
Graphics Processor Intel GMA 3150
Graphics/video ports VGA
Graphics Memory 64MB

Storage

Total storage capacity 320GB
Optical drive type none

Ports and Expansion

USB ports 3
Bluetooth yes
Wired network ports 1x 10/100
Wireless networking support 802.11b/g/n
PC Card slots none
Supported memory cards SDHC
Other ports minijack audio output, minijack microphone input

Miscellaneous

Carrying case No
Operating system Windows 7 Starter 32-bit
Operating system restore option restore partition
Software included Microsoft Office 2010 Starter
Optional extras none

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £350
Details www.samsung.com/uk

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