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Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 Netbook Review – 5.25/7

Fujitsu seemed to have put their best foot forward with the Lifebook MH380. First impressions are favourable and it’s quite a gorgeous looking netbook with its glossy red lid, classy round edges, chrome treated interior lining and sunken-in keyboard deck. Once we picked it up and opened it out, other rough edges started to pop up. Turn it up and the six-cell battery sticks out like an eyesore. The chassis weighs a heavier than average 3.1lbs and it feels heavier than other netbooks.  It runs nippily enough with the standard set of hardware and software, even though the touchpad is ridiculously tiny. Lets take a look at what else the MH380 has going for it. And against.

Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 Netbook Review – Top Features

• Nice Keyboard – While chiclet styles have become the norm, the Fujitsu’s flush keyboard has amply-sized keys with good tractive feedback.
• Bright Hi-Def Display – The higher resolution 1366 x 768 screen is a good one. It’s vertical viewing angles are impressive, but moving too much to one side of the screen panned out colors a bit.
• Decent Speakers – The twin speakers on the front of the MH380 fill up a room amply and with very limited distortion.

Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 Netbook Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Tiny Touchpad with scroll pad – The size of the touchpad is a joke. It’s to make way for the scroll pad which is only kind of useful.
• Heavy – The MH380 is a goodlooking netbook, but it’s on the clunky side.
• Bit overpriced – Sure it’s designed well, but there is really no justification for a price point $100 over peers.

Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 Netbook Review – Ratings

1. Price and Value for money – 0.5 Star. At $449, the Fujitsu MH380 isn’t really delivering anything outside the ordinary, and so fails on this parameter.
2. Speed and Performance – 0.75 Star. With 1GB of RAM and the Atom N450, we were able to check mails, watch 720p videos and multi-task without any hang-ups.
3. Screen – 1.0 Star. Very nice screen. The high-def resolution makes website viewing much more enjoyable and with much less scrolling.
4. Keyboard, Touchpad, Useability – 0.5 Star. The keys are large and responsive with very little flex, but the touchpad is sized for an eight year old. It had us reaching for a mouse within seconds.
5. Portability and Battery Life – 0.75 Star. The battery life is about 7 hours which is decent. The MH380 remains portable, though on the heavier side.
6. Looks and Design – 0.75 Star. We really appreciate the stylish chassis. Even though it’s built of plastics, the build quality is good. The battery jutting out is the only weak point here.
7. Connectivity and Extensibility – 1.0 Star. With the standard set of ports, WiFi n and Bluetooth, the MH380 acquits itself well.

This gives the MH380 an overall rating of 5.25 out of 7 Stars.

Available on amazon for $449.

Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 Netbook Review – Our Recommendation

Every recommendation that we make is based on the alternatives available. The Fujitsu MH380 isn’t a bad netbook at all. It just doesn’t excel anywhere and that, coupled with a price tag of $449 shunts it well into the background. For a goodlooking and well-valued netbook, something like the ASUS 1001P matte is a much better option. For great specs and build quality, the Toshiba NB305 is the way to go.

Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 Netbook Review – Technical Specifications

• OS: Windows 7 Starter
• CPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor
• Display & Graphics: 10.1 inch 1366 x 768 HD Display, Intel GMA 3150
• RAM: 1GB DDR2 (Max 2GB)
• Storage: 250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
• Connectivity: Multi card reader, 802.11b/g/n, Ethernet LAN (RJ-45), VGA, 3 x USB 2.0 Ports, Bluetooth 2.1
• Battery: 6-cell Li-ion Battery
• Weight: 3.1lbs
• Colors: Red
• Price: $449

Filed under: Fujitsu Netbook Review