Printed from www.pcpro.co.uk
Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by Mike Jennings
First look: Samsung’s NC10 netbook
UPDATE: Read the full review here.
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Harrod’s unveiled its refurbished Sound & Vision department last night – and very nice it was too – with a host of major manufacturers, including LG, Sony, Philips and HP, taking over various corners of the hall to hawk their latest HDTVs, camcorders, mp3 players and more.
Samsung managed to somewhat steal the show, though, by formally unveiling several new notebooks. We’ve already seen the X360 and X460 in all their luxurious, portable finery, but the more intriguing – and surprising – event was a somewhat low-key appearance by Samsung’s entry into the netbook market, the NC10.
As you can see from the photos, it’s a stylish-looking machine – the blue, slightly glittery finish looks far better than the traditional Eee PC-white which, predictably, is also available.
The chassis felt reasonably sturdy and easily able to withstand trips in the average bag, and the usual ports and sockets are present: three USB, ethernet, VGA output and headphone and microphone jacks. The power button is another stylish touch – it’s on the right-hand side of the central spine, much like Sony’s VAIO range, rather than sitting above the keyboard.
The 10.2in screen offers the same native resolution – 1,024 x 600 – as the majority of 10in netbooks these days, and quality certainly wasn’t lacking in the model we laid eyes on. Like the Eee PC and MSI Wind, colour accuracy doesn’t compete with larger laptops, but again, it’s more than ideal for tapping out documents or answering emails.
The keyboard itself looks and feels similar to the rest of Samsung’s range – it’s light, comfortable and offers a surprising amount of travel for such a small laptop. We’ve been assured that the keyboard is 93% of a full-size unit – and uses up almost as much width as the Wind to make the keys as large as possible – and, while it takes a couple of minutes to get used to it, we were soon tapping away relatively confidently. There’s also no sign of the Function key being positioned awkwardly to the left of the Control key, as in the Wind, although the Enter key isn’t full-height.
The trackpad is predictably small and, as such, takes a little longer to get to grips with although, again, it didn’t take long to adjust. It’s very flush to the chassis, and so looks pretty indistinct on the white model, although it stood out a little more on the classy-looking blue version. Interestingly, the blue model – a pre-production prototype – featured two separate mouse buttons, whereas the working white version now comes complete with a single rocker-style button. It was light and easy to use, although perhaps a little too insubstantial for our liking.
The chassis is an accomplished and good-looking unit, then, with a decent keyboard and trackpad and the added kudos of the Samsung label – far better to pull out of your bag on the train than one of the many identikit versions of the MSI Wind. Under the hood, though, the NC10 is virtually identical to the rest of the netbooks on the market.
Predictably, the processor is the ubiquitous Intel Atom N720, running at 1.6GHz, with a gigabyte of RAM to keep Windows XP running along at a decent speed – which it did when we got our hands on it last night.
Between 80 and 160GB of storage is available in the NC10, although there’s no word yet on whether or not Samsung will be offering SSD models alongside those with traditional hard disks. 802.11bg wireless is provided – although there’s no draft-n, as in the Eee PC 1000H. Bluetooth is optional, and was included in the unit that we saw, and a 1.3mp webcam and 3-in-1 card reader provides added connectivity.
Battery life is still something of a mystery. Samsung claim that the 6-cell battery will last for 8 hours, but experience has told us that these manufacturer-provided figures often vary wildly under real-world use. We’ll hold off on judgements until the finished product arrives in the PC Pro Labs and we subject the NC10 to the full review treatment.
The price is something of a divisive issue, too. Samsung assure us that the NC10 will be available for £254 – a mere £299 inc VAT – which sounds enormously tempting as netbook prices creep above and beyond £300. Several retailers are already listing the NC10 for £280 (£330 inc VAT), though – so it’ll be interesting to see if the price will drop on release.
Until then, though, all we can do is speculate: can the NC10 topple the Eee 1000H to take the A List netbook crown, or will it fall by the wayside like so many of the other contenders that we’ve seen in this burgeoning market? We can’t be sure, yet, but our first impression certainly suggests that the Samsung will provide some stiff competition when it’s released in early November. As usual, look back nearer the time for the definitive verdict from PC Pro.
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UPDATE: Read the full review here.
Tags: netbook, samsung NC10
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42 Responses to “ First look: Samsung’s NC10 netbook ”
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October 4th, 2008 at 7:14 am
Uh? Does it really have a glossy Display? I thought it wouldn’t
October 4th, 2008 at 9:38 am
No, it does NOT have a glossy Display. The first picture shows an old version.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I hope they offer up a less processor-hungry Linux version as well, given the limited resources of these netbooks.
A linux version of any kind, though preferably the Ubuntu Netbook Remix, would give confidence for driver support throughout the various linux distributions.
Also it would help to keep the cost down. I for one don’t plan to pay Microsoft for an OS which I will immediately throw in the bin.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I much prefer the option of a decent sized hard drive in a netbook, and am considering one as a replacement for my obsolete Dell Axim pocket PC. It makes Dell’s reliance on a small SSD instead of a hard drive look like a fatal flaw in their Inspiron Mini!
Now all we need is a simple way to synchronise the outlook files etc on a netbook with my other networked PCs.
October 11th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
“the added kudos of the Samsung label – far better to pull out of your bag on the train than one of the many identikit versions of the MSI Wind.”
What sort of idiot would be bothered about the label if the processing capabilities are the same? I suggest Apple users and sales/marketing people with massive debts and no souls.
As long as this sort of thing is a serious consideration then we are truly fu cked as a species.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Seriously considering this, probably the better one out of the 10.2″ screen range. The Acer One is the best in the 8.9″ range and its price is best.
I am not impressed with the resolution which is the same as a 8.9″ screen,
Waiting for the price to be a little closer to £250 before I buy it though!
October 13th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
These netbooks are pretty damn awesome for what they bring to the mobile market, but for £300, they’re touching the territory of all those new cheap laptops which actually run/execute the OS much quicker with a better looking screen…why do we have to pay more for less?
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
Does the black version have a shiny lid? Like the Eee PC 901 for example?
Thanks
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I was just told that this only has Windows XP – Home Edition.
New to this computing lark – isn’t Vista the new thing – why is this being released with old technology – or – Is XP still a great little system to have?
Does XP Home Edition have Word / Excel / Outlook etc. I have looked on Microsofts websaites – but keep getting specs for Vista ……….
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:00 am
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October 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
These seem like a really nice piece of kit, portable in the true sense of the word. It is a real shame it comes with XP Home, XP Pro is much more stable and functional especially when it comes to networking, but either way I still think XP is a wise decision by Samsung, I for one find it much better than Vista and maybe Microsoft think the same with Windows 7 not too far away apparently.
In regard to Steves comment, no version of Windows, unfortunatly come with Office (word excel etc) although you may be able to pick up a pre-built PC System which includes Office as part of the bundle.
Can’t wait to try out one of these Samsungs and see a few more reviews.
October 24th, 2008 at 7:22 am
I’ve seen a lot of sites say that this comes with an LED back light but none of the official specs really say. Can anyone confirm or deny the LED back light claim?
And for Mike Jennings, can you tell us a little more about the screen? How were the viewing angles? How did it compare to the 1000h and wind?
October 24th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
mine is on pre-order. having been closely looking at the market for a while now, this is the one for me. the nc10 is truly competition beating even without any official reviews – better than the asus, acer and msi offerings…at least until msi’s u120.
October 25th, 2008 at 8:00 am
sony vaio micro…
What is the best psp action or shooting game that has teamplay?…
October 26th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Does anyone know if the trackpad will support drag scrolling? I know the new version of the MSI Wind doesn’t, which is really annoying.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Ive just ordered my nc10 after reading and researching the compertition.It looks smart with the smooth lines.I chose blue for a change from the boreing black or white offerings.At last a note pad with ease of use and the latest version Windows XP.Cant wait for the delivery!!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 2:02 am
I want to use Microsoft word & power point in NC10. can anyone suggest that NC10 will work well supporting those large programs?…please
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
HI Folks !
@maverick: The problem of choice we don´t have here in germany. Only the white NC10 is sold here
And it got no bluetooth 
@Abir Says: Those programms are running on my NC10 without any problem !
greetz
Erich
November 6th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I went to the shops today at Tottenham Ct Rd in London and saw this one for the first time. Was thinking of getting the EeePC 1000 or the MSI Wind, the EeePC would probably have been my choice due to better battery + 2 year warranty (although the guy in the shop told me that the Wind in US is available with the 6 cell battery and would eventually come to UK). I have seen quite a few reviews on-line on the Eee and a lot a people seem to be very fond of it and I was very near of placing an order. Well, I have now compared the Eee and the Samsung, in my opinion the Samsung come out as no 1.
From my understanding the spec is pretty much the same (!?) so for me it really come down to look and feel.
I think the Samsung just looks a lot better. In comparison the Eee just looks like cheaper plastic, less well ecstatically designed (this may sound silly but turn both around and you will see that the NC10 is a lot flatter) and the keyboard of the NC19 feels more robust.
Some people have been discussing the brand. In this case it does not really matter to me so much. If you are a brand junkie you probably go for an Apple or Sony anyway. In fact, I would probably be in favour of the Eee for being the pioneer in this new generation of micro laptops and also offering Linux based versions as MS need some serious competition.
I think that only a white version is available in the UK – so I will probably wait until a black one comes out – and maybe I?ll wait for some reviews on performance/other aspects that I am not aware of before I make up my mind.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Hey folks,
could anyone tell me if the black or blue cover is shiny and prone for fingerprints?
Thanks
Andreas
November 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
refurbished mp3…
This enables authors to keep track of who is linking to, or referring to their articles..It has since been implemented in most other blogging…
November 13th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I also was looking at the MSI WIND or one of it’s clones but the thing in varous tests is a 6h40m battery life, which is the whole point of getting one. Yes, I know a 6 cell is available for the WIND but that is extra cost.
Someone said ‘why not Vista’ but that requires greater processing power to do the same job.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
What a shame this NC10 doesn’t have a linux version with an SSD card instead of a HDD. If it did i’d definitely buy it.
Looks like I will be getting the Asus Eee PC 1000 instead…
November 18th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Looking at Advent 4211 and this samsung, do they both have built in microphones as well as webcams, Whats the difference and which is best?
November 19th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Hi I was wondering if anyone could help me here.
Does upgrading the RAM from 1GB to 2GB affect battery performance, if so, roughly by how much???
December 20th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
im on my black nc10 now. and i was doing a bit of research on google as to what games this things can handle when i stumblked in here and thought id take a look at ur questions.
heres a few answers.
No the screen isnt glossy, infact on the black one its hard to tell where the screen actually ends its so dark when its off.
YES is does have support drag scrolling. aswell and “pinch” and other crazy touchpad ideas they needlessly robbed off the mac air.
YES the black and blue (black especially) are HORRIBLE for fingerprints on the top. but i think it looks like i brought the thing to be used. if i see a fingerprintless nc10 ill shout at the person for buying one as a novelty when some deserving kid could be shooting nazis on it.
NO you should not bother about getting another gig of ram put in. the thing works brilliantly. ive had half life 2 running on my (just about, with a bit of work) and i recon that the extra ran is just gonna use more battery power and if its not good quality ram will just slow it down if anything. same with these people considering upping the HDD… deffinatly dont bother. if the system could handle 250gb samsung would have put it in there.
the battery seems to be consistant whatever your doing. i get around 5.5 hours playing games or watching movies.
the xp logon screen is there like 10 seconds after boot!
the only problem with this machine is that theres no dedicated graphics card (obviously), and the screen res max is 1024 x 600.
best of gettin the bluetoothless version tho cuz it swallows battery, weight and what exactly would u use it for? :S
rant over. BUY ONE!
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Hi Guys
I have just bought one of these for a Christmas present for a friend and i want to get office 2007 onto it (only word, outlook and powerpoint maybe) but obviously the netbook doesnt come with a CD drive. Can anyone suggest a way of getting these programmes onto it? I was thinking about either an external CD drive or copying the installation files to a External HD and installing from there?
Dave
December 25th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
@dave: just download from internet
December 31st, 2008 at 11:56 am
@Dave; bought a Blue NC10, have the same issues. Amazon are doing the office 2007 pack for £49 which is the best I have seen so far.
January 4th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Nothing to stop you installing office over a network. Share the installation files on another machine.
Everyone should own an external dvd drive anyway, you never know when you’re gonna need one
January 5th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Is it possible to copy my Office 07 disc to my external Hard drive and install from there??
January 5th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Hi, which website can i download Microsoft Office from?
January 15th, 2009 at 1:44 am
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February 1st, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I have the black nc10. After faffing around with the D partition, I eventually deciding to delete it. What was that about? Anyway, the nc10 is faster than my Dell Inspiron which is only 3 years old. The battery flat out lasts nearly 5 hours. My Dell was only good for 1 hour and 40 minutes even with the extra capacity battery.
The screen is excellent. The keyboard is excellent. The only issue is with web pages that wont let you get to the bottom as there is no scroll bar.
Some have an issue with the mouse pad. I find it ok, except you cant turn off the pad click which means sometimes things fire up when you didnt want them to!
The instructions/help that come in paper and pdf are rubbish!!! If the average user cant work out that it doesnt have a cd/dvd drive then they will be stuffed when asked what they want to do with the D drive. It actually has another hidden partition for system recovery unlike some PCs which have the system recovery on the D drive. This has a D drive for no apparent reason. Perhaps Sasung will issue a paper explaining their intention.
I got mine from Dixons for £295 which is the best price I could find anywhere.
February 8th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
I’ve found it for £274.99 on this website staples.co.uk
I have never ordered from that website before, though.
I’m thinking of getting one of these, but I hope it’ll run Word ok.
February 8th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I thought I’d add that the product is in fact more expensive than £274.99 after all. It doesn’t show exactly whether that’s the price with or without VAT, but unsurprisingly, you get to the check out and it comes up.
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
http://www.picstop.co.uk/competition/Win-a-Samsung-NC10-Netbook
You can win one of these here. get in there
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April 20th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
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December 31st, 2009 at 3:45 am
I have seen quite a few reviews on-line on the Eee and a lot a people seem to be very fond of it and I was very near of placing an order. Well, I have now compared the Eee and the Samsung, in my opinion the Samsung come out as no 1.
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