Packard Bell dot u review

An attractive, slimline ultraportable for just £382 exc VAT might seem too good to be true, but Packard Bell's latest update to its dot u model successfully manages just that - with a dash of panache.

Since Acer took over the reins at Packard Bell HQ, its range of portables has gone from strength to strength. And just as Audi sports car technology trickles into low-cost Skoda hatchbacks, you can see Packard Bell's dot u is a slimmed-down, sexed-up Acer Aspire 1810TZ.

At just 28mm thick, and weighing in at a modest 1.32kg, this is one seriously portable laptop. Despite trimming all that fat, Packard Bell has still managed to make the dot u feel surprisingly sturdy, with only a little bit of flex evident in the chic little chassis. Our only worry is the somewhat slender display hinges.

Minor concerns aside, it's a perfect ultraportable for slinging in a bag on the way to work or a lecture. And 6hrs 21mins of battery life is enough to last most of the working day. Ergonomics are impressive too. We weren't entirely enamoured with the bouncy feel of the identical-looking keyboard on Acer's Aspire 1810TZ, but the dot u improves on it, with a sensible layout and chunky, square keys.

The 11.6in display, meanwhile, is very good indeed. Great contrast and ample brightness are allied to neutral colour reproduction, and only the reflective, glossy finish and narrow vertical viewing angles give any room for improvement.

You'd half expect the tiny dot u to falter when it comes to performance, but it doesn't. The Intel Pentium U5400 inside is a cut-down version of Intel's Core i3 and i5 processors, and despite running at a mere 1.2GHz, it managed a solid 0.67 in our benchmarks.

Try as we might, there are few valid complaints that we can level at the Packard Bell dot u. It looks good (if you don't mind the rose-tinted finish) and its performance, stamina and ergonomics are all well up to par. It effortlessly earns a place on the A-list.

Author: Sasha Muller