Samsung NC20 Hands-on review

Just came across what looks like the first real review and hands on with the SamsungNC20.
The review is over at the gagadget website, unfortunately this is a Ukraine website, which means unless you speak Russian, you’re pretty stuck.  Fear not as we’ve translated the article for you, read on to see the review in full.

The first Samsung netbook (the Samsung NC10) made a very good impression; however it has still not reached the shops here in Ukraine, but already we have got her elder sister, The Samsung NC20.

Samsung NC20 has a 12“ glossy screen with a resolution 1280h800, a set of system logic speakers.  It uses a VIA Nano U2250 processor with a frequency of 1.6 GHz and is equipped with a graphics adapter VIA Chrome9.
With 1 gig of RAM and a 160-giga hard drive, it will cost about 670 dollars and comes with a 6-hour  5200 mAh battery.  The Samsung NC20 is positioned as an intermediate link between the now classic 10-inch netbooks with hard disks and ultra-portable laptops.
In our detailed review of Samsung NC10, we will elaborate on aspects that differ from the predecessor model.

Specifications Samsung NC20

Operating System	Windows XP Service Pack 3 Windows XP Service Pack 3
Processor	VIA NANO ULV U2250, 1.6 GHz DDR2 667 MHz
Disk	160 GB
Display	Glossy 12.1-inch, 1280h800, LED-backlit
Video	Integrated, VIA Chrome9 HC3 DX9 3D
Dimensions	292×217x31 mm
Weight	1,52 kg with battery
Battery	Li-Ion, 5200 mAh
Communications	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB
Connectors	3 x USB, VGA, Ethernet, audio, microphone, SD / MS
Webcam	1.3 MP (1280×1024 pixels), video 320×240

Positioning
Buyers of this model are the company businessmen who needs a small laptop computer with a normal screen resolution, which does not require high performance; The main competitive advantage is the 12-inch display, increased battery life time (it actually may be greater than 6 hours), almost full-(97% of normal) keyboard and easy access to increase the RAM and hard drive capacity, a special thanks to unscrew the lid on the rear panel.
In the lineup, the Samsung model takes an intermediate position between the NC10 and Budget laptop Q210.

The NC20 is a netbook, that is, a laptop computer designed to solve simple problems and work primarily with the texts and, primarily, on the Internet.  Traditional laptops are intended for video editing, applications requiring resources and 3D-games and multitasking, this is said to be not true of a netbook.  In practice, we had 2-3 applications running comfortably and working with a variety of applications such as: documents, web browsers, HD-Video and simple (most online) games that do not require the production of three-dimensional graphics.

A direct competitor to Samsung NC20 is the Dell Mini 12, which also has 12-inch display and  a resolution 1280h800.

Package Contents

The set includes a standard battery capacity of 5200 mAh (the NC10 standard capacity was 2200 mAh).

There is a cover, which produces a poor first visual impression However, closer examination it turned out that inside like neoprene, but from the outside, something reminiscent of suede (and most likely, a good synthetic substitute).

The cover is not a simple snap button, but is Velcro and the design is  aesthetically pleasing.
The netbook can be quickly removed and inserted into the bag ready to be taken for a walk to the nearest park or a cafe with Wi-Fi under the arm.

Appearance
At first glance the shell does not differ from NC10 and is made from the same pleasant-to-touch plastic. There is no change of leaving nasty marks and finger prints on the lovely white finish. The interior surfaces is smooth, outer side of the lid feels rougher.

The camera in comparison with the NC10 not changed – 1.3 megapixels.

Similarly, There is no change in the LEDs and the SD-reader at the end of the front panel.

But the location of connectors on the sidebar has changed.

The power button is fully metal, but hinges on the lid have been changed: the NC10 were covered with chrome metal, and the NC20 steel fully in white.

Keyboard keys have not been changed, except the “windows” key had shifted right.  The key size is 18.5 millimeters. A traditional netbook typically ranges from 16 to 17.5 mm, and a full-fledged laptops – 19 mm.

On the rear panel a central compartment is visible, which is used to access the hard disk and memory, allowing for easy upgrades.

Display
The screen is equipped with Samsung LED backlight using Technology TN .   Samsung seems to squeeze the maximum out of these technologies.  The glossy display comes with excess levels of brightness.

The viewing Angle Horizontal is great even from 150-160 degrees.  The average brightness is quite comfortable, even at very little light, watching movies is still possible and is displayed perfectly.

The glossy display doesn’t require cleaning after accidental touches with your fingers.

Productivity
The greatest interest in NC20 is the VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics adapter. Miracles, of course, did not happen and Samsung and is not going to build graphical power in this model.  The machine however did score a very respectable 138 points in the 3D benchmarking tests shown below.

The following three measurements show the difference between the NC20 and a very top-of-the-range system.

Finally, the last illustration shows the number of frames rendered in two benchmarks. Playing a modern games on netbooks, to put it mildly, does not work. This should be expected.  (Editors note: We’ve seen some great gaming performance on the NC10, so can only expect better from the NC20)

At the request of our readers, I made measurements of the load on the processor in different situations, for example, the picture shows 80% CPU usage when doing HD-video playback using the flash player on video site ‘vimeo.com’. Naturally dealing with other running tasks is extremely difficult with this processor, so Samsung never said that nc20 is a great performer as a multi-tasking netbook.

Viewing HD-Video (1080h720) using Windows Media Player offers a quiet load ranging from 30 to 50 percent.

And the movie in Full HD (1980h1080) and is presented a surprise – the processor easily coped with it, giving a peak load of 80% only on the dynamic elements in the frame.

During the webcam via the wired Internet connection, the load varies in line with activity in the frame.

And if using a wireless Wi-Fi connection in offline mode, the load on the processor can and does reach the maximum level.

Webcam
Despite only the 1.3-megapixel the camera lived up to expectations.  However don’t expect the photography and video to be much higher than other machines (or phones) with a similar camera. For entertainment, the Youcam software is included with the machine which allows you to record photos and videos and super impose special effects, it is very entertaining.

A video showing the performace of the webcam be downloaded direct from the gagadget website here.

Battery and work time
To test the performance of the battery, six tests we’re performed under different conditions.

Four of them are synthetic and are made with the help of Battery Eater’ 95 version 2.7.

126 minutes – The maximum load on the processor using the full level of brightness.

255 minutes – Watching the movie “The carrier 3″ a 1.37 GB avi file at full screen.

343 minutes – Energy saving mode, the average level of brightness, includes Wi-FI, running a web browser working in a document.

251 minutes – Standard test mode, Reading a document with an average level of brightness.

374 minutes – The maximum possible result in the highest energy savings at the lowest level of brightness.

186 minutes – Perhaps the most interesting practical result. Wi-Fi. Mode – normal, average brightness mode, surfing the Internet via Wi-Fi. This is continuously working webcam in the video, viewed in a browser page with an integrated in flash videos (YouTube, LiveJournal, gagadget.com)

It’s worth noting that under the maximum load, the Samsung NC20 warmed a little on the left side of the machine, however this heat isn’t out of the ordinary.  The fan noise was not noticeable at all times of operation.

Conclusion
In the global economic crisis in which we live, Samsung has created a balanced model, which on the one hand isn’t like all those other Atom processor clones, and on the other builds a bridge traditional and netbook laptops.  The machine occupies an intermediate niche in the lineup of laptop computers. The Samsung NC20 is able to provide the buyer a very decent resolution and a good time working with the standard battery (eg, 2 film lasting 2 hours in high resolution).

Achieving the declared company target of 6.5 hours will be very difficult, but the usual 3-4 hours using the internet and writing documents are to be expected.

A nice moment was the ability of this computer to comfortably play videos in FullHD, including HD-video on over the Internet.

To release the Samsung NC20 in the market will be interesting, will the buyer choose: the netbook for for a little more the NC20 with laptop like performance and dimensions.

Thankyou to the hard working team at gagadget for creating such an indepth review of the system.

If you're looking to buy the Samsung NC20, you may want to look at our Recommended Samsung NC20 Suppliers Page.