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HP Mini 110 Netbook Review - 6/7

The Mini 110 is the superior netbook from HP’s stable. They are one of the netbook makers who realise that while there’s not much one can do with the interiors without increasing the price, there’s a lot to do with regards to build quality and overall design. One of the scales on which the Mini 110 scores over its competitors is keyboard functionality. The 92% sized board has the shift key in the correct space and a whole line of function keys. The touchpad still has this funky alternate style though, which takes a bit of time to get used to. The picture quality is excellent and the 110 displays colors very well. The Mini 110 was available for upwards of $400 and that was a problem because its specs didn’t really justify that kind of tag. But the prices have been cut drastically, with the 110 now starting at $305 (3-cell version).

HP Mini 110 Netbook Review – Top Features

• Keyboard – One of the best out there. Only the Samsung NC10 and N110 can hold a candle to it.
• Anti-glare widescreen – A lot of netbook users complain about viewability in the outdoors. The antiglare screen is a better bet in such a scenario.
• Good sound quality – While trying out some of the latest Kings of Leons tracks we downloaded, we were quite impressed by the sound pumping out of this little netbook.
• Funky Cover – HP has got some great designs on the netbook cover, and these little quirks are to be ignored by other manufacturers at their own peril. It’s no surprise that the pink 110 is a top-seller on amazon. It’s one of the only netbooks out there specifically designed for the ladies.

HP Mini 110 Netbook Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Loads of bloatware – The Mini 110 comes jam packed with a bunch of annoying programs you’re never going to use which slow up the boot time immensely. Get rid of them.
• Gets more than warm – Some users have complained that the Mini 110 starts to heat up to slightly uncomfortable levels. We didn’t face this problem ourselves though.
• Battery – The battery is a bit large and juts out (unseen in promotional photos).

HP Mini 110 Netbook Review -Ratings

1. Price and Value for money – 1.0 Star. With the recent slashes (they’re so big, we’re gonna say it louder – SLASHES), the 110 firmly places itself in the value-for-money category.
2. Speed and Performance – 0.75 Star. The HP 110 may not have anything out of the ordinary inside it, but it makes the most of whatever it does, and is a decent performer.
3. Screen – 0.75 Star. Great screen even though its a 1024×576 resolution; it’s bright, captures colors well and doesn’t lose visibility at slightly more horizontal angles. Oh and its an anti-glare!
4. Keyboard, Touchpad, Useability – 1.0 Star. The 110 continues the HP tradition of best-in-the-business keyboards. The vertical touchpad may be weird, but who knows – it might be the norm one day.
5. Portability and Battery Life – 0.75 Star. At 2.6 lbs (without charger), this one is deceptively light. The battery is either a 3-cell (expect 2.5 hrs of life) or a 6-cell (expect 5.5 hrs of life).
6. Looks and Design – 1.0 Star. We like the HP Mini 110 and its funky cover design, and a lot of people agree with us. That’s a big reason why Hp has been so successful; they churn out one good looking netbook after another.
7. Connectivity and Extensibility – 0.75 Star. The 110 has decent WiFi connectivity and all the ports one would expect on a netbook. See specs for more details.

This gives the Mini 110 an overall rating of 6 out of 7 Stars.

HP Mini 110 Netbook Review – Our Recommendation

The 110 is not one of the best performing netbooks out there. And at prices of $450 dollars, we would say they’re a little too expensive for our taste. But $330? Bring it on! The Mini 110 has a great build and design, an excellent matte screen (there’s not many out there), good useability and decent everything else. Definitely a buy.

HP Mini 110 Netbook Review – What have buyers on Amazon said?

Pros:

1. “The HP Mini doesn’t lag to open applications.”
2. “This little guy is awesome.”
3. “The weight is perfect. It’s not heavy, it’s not bulky. It’s perfect to carry around”
4. “A very tiny version of World of Warcraft, albeit a bit laggy, can run on this computer. Gaming on netbooks, while inconvenient, is a possibility on this generation of netbooks, which speaks well of the Mini 110.”
5. “One thing that people will like is that to upgrade the memory to 2GB, you just unscrew the plate on the bottom and put in a new DIMM. ”

Cons:

1. “The battery is too big and makes this netbook not as convenient as it is supposed to be.”
2. “I was also not impressed at all with the quality of the webcam.”

I know there are only 2 cons, but we trawled and couldn’t find any more justified ones! Anyways, the HP Mini 110 with the 6 cell battery is available on amazon starting from $330.

HP Mini 110 Netbook Review – Technical Specifications

• OS: Windows XP (SP3)
• CPU: Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
• RAM: 1GB DDR2 RAM (2GB extendable)
• Storage Space: 160GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• Screen: 10.1 inch  Diagonal SD LED anti-glare widescreen display, Integrated IGMA 950
• Connectivity: VGA output, 3 USB ports, Ethernet jack, Headphone & microphone slot, 5-in-1 card reader, 802.11b/g WLAN
• Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion battery
• Weight: 2.6 lbs

Filed under: HP Mini Netbook Review