MSI Wind U115 Hybrid netbook gets official UK pricing

The MSI U115 Hybrid netbook has been officially announced for the UK market. It is expected to arrive in May at a price point of £499. This certainly is quite pricey for a 10-inch netbook, especially compared to the competition. However, this price accounts for a Hybrid (HDD/SDD) storage solution and Intel’s latest Poulsbo chipset.

We have certainly been impressed by the technology behind the U115 Hybrid. The UK SKU will come with a 160GB hard-disk drive and 8GB solid-state drive. The HDD can be disabled to preserve power, which some users have managed to get 13 hours of battery life of use out of it. The official announcement refers to a 12 hour battery time on its 6-cell battery. This figure is based on the SSD and LCD enabled and the HDD, WiFi, Bluetooth and webcam disabled and speakers muted.

The 10-inch (1024 x 600) LED-backlit display is powered by a low-power 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU and US15W (Poulsbo) chipset. This chipset provides full hardware acceleration of HD files (including H.264, MPEG2 and VC1) helping to reduce the total power consumption. It will come with 1GB RAM and a 4-in-1 card reader. Other features include WiFi (including draft n), Bluetooth, a 1.3MP webcam and three USB ports.

Despite this impressive technology, MSI may have a challenge on its hands. Whilst it has to be commended for introducing new hybrid storage technology and the impressive battery life, one is able to buy the Samsung NC10 or Asus Eee 1000HE and extra battery for less money than the MSI U115. Click through for the full U115 Hybrid specifications.

MSI Wind U115 Hybrid Technical Specifications:

Intel® Atom™ Processor Z530 (1.60GHz)
Genuine Windows® XP Home
Intel® US15W
1GB DDR2 533MHz
10” 1024×600 LCD Panel, LED backlight
Hybrid Storage Technology (1. 160GB HDD) (2. 8GB SSD)
4 in 1 (XD/SD/MMC/Memory Stick
D-sub x 1 , USB 2.0 x 3 , Mic-in , Headphone, RJ45
6 cells
802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth V2.0EDR
1.3 MP Webcam
2 speakers
Dimension: 260*180*19-31.5mm
Weight ~1.3 Kg