Packard Bell NX69 review

Typing on the Chiclet-style keyboard was very comfortable, as there’s plenty of room between each key. Key travel was good and there was a firm springy action to each key press, but we did notice some flex in the keyboard tray. The glossy coating on the touchpad creates a small amount of friction, but we were still able to navigate the desktop without too many problems.

The touchpad also acts as both the left and right mouse buttons, which proved irritating in everyday use. There’s very little feedback from each button press and, while you can click pretty much anywhere for a left-click, you have to click right on the bottom-right touchpad for right-clicks to register consistently.

The NX69 is one of the more expensive mid-range laptops around right now, an there’s little doubt that you’re paying for portability over performance. That said, thanks to Intel’s 2nd Generation Core processors there’s still plenty of power on tap if required. Packard Bell adds some welcome extra touches, such as such as the keyboard cover that doubles as a mouse mat and screen cleaner, and the complete version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, so it feels like you get what you pay for. If you don’t need a dedicated graphics card, there are very few laptops in this price range that are quite so versatile.