MSI X370 review

The 13.4in screen has a resolution of 1,366×768, which gives you plenty of desktop space. It’s a definite step up from the average netbook screen with a relative low resolution. We found that the screen’s LED backlighting was even, but not particularly bright, and thanks to a combination of a glossy finish (which can reflect overhead lights) and tight vertical viewing angles, you’ll need to adjust the screen’s tilt carefully to get the best picture. When you do, colours are accurate but dull, and contrast is average.

The keyboard has separated keys with a slightly curved surface, so your fingers can feel where they’ve hit the key, providing better feedback. Their action is light, with a crisp bite at the top of the key stroke, again providing excellent feedback for touch-typists. The layout isn’t perfect, though; the Enter key is single-height, while the right Shift key is too wide, forcing the Backslash key to the left of the Space bar. There’s a large, responsive touchpad, but it has a stiff see-saw button with a massive dead area in its centre.

With its comparatively large screen and long battery life the X370 appears to be a good compromise between size and usability. However, it’s relatively expensive and the Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T is only a touch more expensive, but has far better performance and even longer battery life.