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HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – 6/7

Being the sequel to its original business mini 5101, the 5102 has a reputation to maintain. The first generation model was built beautifully with an all-metal finish and the Mini 5102 keeps that trend going. The  chassis is compact as ever with a brushed metal lid and matte interiors. The keyboard is a pebble style with curved keys  - quite a pleasant typing experience. There’s a massive amount of customization that the HP Mini 5102 can be tweaked to (see end for more details).

Two nice features are an exterior LED indicator of battery life and a board on the underside that slides open for an easy RAM upgrade. Where we think HP missed a trick is in marketing the machine for business users. Sure, they’re riding on a bunch of warranties and post-sale services not to mention the sleek design of their machine. But compared to the Samsung NB30, which specifically mentions its accelerometer, rugged chassis, spill-resistant keyboard and more – HP really don’t say much about their hard drive protective system, scratch resistant cover or magnesium alloy hinges for increased durability – all very nifty features.

HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – Top Features

• Build quality is excellent – The Mini 5102 has a sleek, brushed and very solidly built chassis. The design is both classy and stylish. At 2.6 lbs and less than an inch thick, you have good portability as well.
• Great keyboard – The keys are pebbled, with curved edges. With a 95% size board and right-sized shift keys, the Mini 5102 is easy to type on.
• Faster hard drive – The 7200RPM hard drive makes a significant difference in the performance. For the uninitiated, the faster hard drive read speed allows quicker interfacing.
• Multi-touch capability – An addition which may not have any specific use, but is cool nonetheless. Works like an iPhone screen with pinching guestures to enlarge/shrink, etc.

HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Expensive customization – HP has 3 pre-configured models with not much of a difference between them and loads of options on their site. But equipping the netbook individually will drive the price way up. We hit $1000+ with options like the 128GB solid state drive ($325 extra).
• Touchpad is a bit off – It’s really small and is a fingerprint magnet.

HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – Ratings

1. Price and Value for money – 0.75 Star. For the base model, it’s decently priced for the specifications on offer.
2. Speed and Performance – 1.0 Star. You can feel a definite improvement due to the faster hard drive. Also on offer is the 1.83GHz processor upgrade.
3. Screen – 1.0 Star. Quite nice with a choice of resolution upgrade and multi-touch (can’t get them both though).
4. Keyboard, Touchpad, Useability – 0.75 Star. The island-style keyboard is fantastic, but we can’t say the same about the touchpad.
5. Portability and Battery Life – 0.75 Star. The 4-cell model lasts only 4 hours, but the $25 more 6-cell lasts upwards of eight.
6. Looks and Design – 1.0 Star. We really like the sleek, classy metallic finish. Build quality is excellent with little to no flex.
7. Connectivity and Extensibility – 0.75 Star. Depends again on customization, with higher models featuring bluetooth, WiFi and Broadcomm encoder capability.

This gives the HP Mini 5102 an overall rating of 6 out of 7 Stars. It’s available on amazon from $399.

HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – Our Recommendation

The HP Mini 5102 carries on in the same vein as its younger twin. The design is good and build is solid. At an inch thick and less than 3lbs, it’s quite portable too. The few business features, along with 1 year warranty and options for next-day onsite support are something that will appeal to business buyers. We’d recommend it if these features appeal to you, however for the price and specification – there are many other comparably better netbooks out there.

HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – What have buyers on amazon said?

Pros:

1. ” This machine is nicely put together, and very solid for a netbook. It’s probably the nicest netbook I’ve used (physically).”
2. “HP has always had the best netbook keyboards. They’ve out-done themselves again with this one. You can type as fast as a full-sized keyboard (it’s 95% of regular size). The keys are also very quiet and you can take notes in meetings without being noticeable.”
3. “3G: works perfectly with any SIM card. I’m told you can use it on CDMA networks too without SIM cards.
   Bluetooth: Range and performance is far better than the older HP netbooks like the 2140.”

Cons:

1. “ Make sure you order the right one. Mine had 4-cell battery and it wasn’t obvious.”
2. “A part of the included HP software causes very high CPU utilisation – HP Wireless Assistant.”

HP Mini 5102 Netbook Review – Technical Specifications

The Mini 5102 is a highly customizable netbook, and we’ve listed the base model details first, with further information below that.

• OS: Windows 7 Starter
• CPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor
• Display & Graphics: 10.1 inch 1024 x 768 WSVGA display, Intel GMA 3150
• RAM: 1GB DDR2 (Max 2GB)
• Storage: 160GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive
• Connectivity: 3-in-one card reader, 802.11 a/b/g/Draft-n, Ethernet LAN (RJ-45), VGA, 3 x USB 2.0 Ports
• Battery: 4-cell Li-ion Battery (4 hour life)
• Weight: 2.65 lbs
• Colors: Red, Blue, Black
• Price: $399

Possible Upgrades

• Windows 7 Home Premium/Professional, Windows XP Pro – $40 (also available in Linux or Freedos)
• 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 processor – $25
• 1366 x 768 High-Res screen – $25
• Multi-touch capable screen – $50 (no high-res available in multi-touch screens)
• Upto 320GB – $125
• Upto 128GB Solid State Drive – $325
• Bluetooth – $18
• Gobi powered Broadband – $125
• 6 cell battery – $25

And way, way more with accessories, warranties and services. We went on a random select spree and racked up an $8000 bill. Of course that included a lot of 5 year pickup warranties! Check it out at the HP site.

Filed under: HP Mini Netbook Review