The Samsung N120 netbook has a good screen and a sizeable keyboard, but the most impressive part is the battery life.Just like its predecessor the NC10, the N120 has a 10.1-inch screen and very similar design and ergonomics. The chassis has been given a minor overhaul, and is now slightly slimmer than that on the NC10, but on the other hand the battery now juts out from the back of the laptop, so not much has been gained by this update.
Another difference is that the processor is the ever so slightly faster Atom N280, which ticks away at 1.66MHz instead of 1.6GHz in the more common N270. There’s also a feature in the N120 that allows the USB ports to charge your iPod (or power any other USB device) even when the netbook is turned off, which might be useful. Otherwise the specs compared to the NC10 are identical.
As I mentioned earlier, the battery life is where the Samsung N120 stands out. Although the processor is marginally faster, this netbook knows how to conserve power. By reducing screen brightness and working with none-too demanding applications (office, web browser), we managed to get almost 12 hours out of the 6-cell without resorting to an outlet.
All in all – and especially considering the battery life – this is one of the best netbooks right now. It’s not entirely without flaws though; the N120 would have been even better with a more comfortable track pad. It has that nice “single button” design, and it’s not the smallest one in the segment, but some netbook manufacturers have managed even better solutions in this area. Another issue we had with the N120 is that it’s not the lightest netbook out there.
On the other hand very few netbooks are this well rounded. The positive aspects of the Samsung N120 clearly win out. First and foremost in the battery department, but the keyboard, screen and overall ergonomics makes this a top contender in this highly competitive netbook segment.
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