NbC: Samsung N120 Review
May 18, 2009 at 9:32 am
Bottom of unit
Turning the Samsung N120 upside down, you can see the small access panel in the middle of the unit which houses the memory module. There is only one memory slot here that can be swapped out for a maximum of 2GB of RAM. Trying to upgrade your hard drive appears to be trickier. There is no direct access panel, so we believe that the whole of the bottom needs to be removed to swap out the HDD (much like the Samsung NC10). Whilst this can be done, with patience, we would have preferred easier access much like Samsung has provided with the memory slot.
The 6-cell battery doesn’t add too much bulk to the bottom, with two rubber feet sitting on the battery itself. There are a number of fan vents towards the bottom left and the subwoofer vent can be spotted on the bottom right.
Samsung provides very easy access to the memory module. Just one screw needs removing to upgrade your RAM. We just wish that Samsung had made upgrading the hard-drive just as simple.
A number of vents sit to the bottom left of the unit. If you look carefully through the vents you can probably make out the Wi-Fi module.
The battery locking mechanism is the same you’ll find in countless other netbooks. We’re pleased to say that the battery slides in and out smoothly with a decent grip to make sure it is locked into place.
Below this label you will find the hard drive. We do wish that Samsung could have created an access panel for this raised area. In fact, I see no reason why an access panel similar to the one seen in the NC20 wouldn’t have worked.
The following image has been provided courtesy of Netbook Italia, who recently dissected the Samsung N120. We have numbered the key components below in red to give you an idea where they can be found under the hood. Key: 1) 2.5-inch SATA HDD, 2) Wi-Fi Module, 3) Empty Mini PCI-E slot, 4) Sim card slot, 5) Memory (RAM) slot, 6) Subwoofer.
The interesting point here is that modders should be able to add 3G functionality to the Samsung N120. Samsung may even launch a 3G-enabled N120 at some point later down the line with full access to the sim card slot.
If you look towards the back of the unit, with the battery removed, you will see the sim card slot that is covered up by a thin strip of sticky plastic. We’ve highlighted it in the picture below to make it clear.
Dimensions
To accommodate the full-sized keyboard, the Samsung N120 is 0.44-inches wider than both the NC10 and N110 at 10.71-inches (27.2cm). Despite housing the bigger keyboard, the N120 is still relatively compact and just 0.2-inches wider than the Asus Eee PC 1000HE.
The netbook has a depth of 18.9cm (7.4-inches), which is broadly the same as the NC10/N110 (7.3-inches) and Eee PC 1000HE (7.5-inches) despite having the bigger keyboard.
The N120 varies in thickness. At the back where the battery sits, the netbook is at its thickest point at 30mm (1.17-inches). This compares to a thickness of 1.17-inches for the NC10/N110 and is significantly thinner than the Eee PC 1000HE which is 1.5-inches thick
When looking at these pictures, it is worth noting that the ruler does not start from zero. There is a small gap before the gradations start.
At its thinnest point, the N120 measures approximately 0.8-inches (20.3mm), which compares against 1.1-inches (28.5mm) for the Eee PC 1000HE.
Weight
Our last review for the Eee PC 1000HE used some analogue scales, which whilst probably good enough did not give the accuracy we were looking for. We now are using some digital scales to measure the weight down to the last gram.
As can be seen by the picture below, the Samsung N120 weighs 1.295kg (2.9lbs) with the 6-cell battery attached. This is quite reasonable considering the inclusion of a 6-cell battery and is a good 150g lighter than the Asus Eee PC 1000HE. The Samsung NC10/N110 both come in at a similar 1.3kg (2.8lbs). [Our measurement of the Samsung N120’s weight was higher than what Samsung claim (1.28kg].
The 6-cell (5900mAh) battery alone contributes 330g to the weight of the N120. The Asus Eee PC 1000HE 6-cell (8700mAh) battery weighed closer to 400g.
Taking the whole package into account i.e. netbook + battery + power cables comes to a total weight of 1.717kg (3.8lbs). The interesting point here is that the total package weight of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE came to around 1.75kg (3.9lbs). This shows that whilst the netbook weight of the Samsung N120 is significantly lighter than the 1000HE, when taking them both on the road with power supplies in tow, there is hardly any difference between the two. This is down to the very light AC adaptor used in the Eee PC 1000HE as opposed to the heavier one found in the N120.
May 18th, 2009 1:19 PM
Feedback so far suggests that people are liking the larger N120 keyboard. Well played Samsung.
May 19th, 2009 8:33 PM
i would like a larger keyboard, but with a larger screen too.
something like 11,6″ oder so – i think it would fit in the n120 case
is this one a review smapleor have you bought it ? in Germany they sell the N110 only with the 58 Wh // 5.2 Ah battery, but the reviewers get the 64 Wh // 5.9Ah one.
good review
May 19th, 2009 9:15 PM
We tested a final retail version, as you would find in the shops here in the UK. As far as I know all Samsung N120 netbooks come with the 5900mAh 6-cell battery.
May 20th, 2009 11:29 AM
In my view, literally, the most important aspects in regard to netbooks are display quality and weight/size. Because I will use it for seeing informations not writing that much, that I will do either at the office or home desktop. And unfortunately, the bulk of newer and announced netbooks is worse than before: the unending trend for glossy displays kills the usability at least for me. (plus that so few are available with built in 3G/UMTS modems.)
May 20th, 2009 11:51 AM
No doubt, everyone has a different view as what are the most important netbook considerations. We should perhaps do a poll at some point to find out what comes out on top!
May 20th, 2009 9:45 PM
The U.S. version has a 5200mah battery. Interesting as the U.S. N110 is 5900mah while most N110’s in Europe are 5200mah..
May 20th, 2009 10:47 PM
I wasn’t aware of that, thanks for the clarification!
June 11th, 2009 6:25 AM
Sorry, but this is stupid.
If they’re going to make it this big, the display should be BIGGER. A 1024 x 600 display has you scrolling around constantly, especially vertically. If you have room for it, a 720p display at 11″ or so would be MUCH BETTER.
Sorry, but the size of a netbook matters. I take my 9″ netbook (too small) lots of places I would never take my 13″ laptop. Make it too big and its not a netbook anymore, at least to me. If you’re going to put a 10″ display in the thing, make it no bigger than necessary. You can find perfectly acceptable keyboards on 10″ netbooks (check out the HP 2140 for example), without resorting to this.
They didn’t “squeeze” the keyboard into anything. They just cranked the bezel up until the regular keyboard fit. Not for me.
June 25th, 2009 5:13 PM
It bears mentioning that the N120 also supports charging peripherals while in sleep mode through a BIOS setting. In addition, the internal wireless card can be changed for one that supports draft 802.11n (the Intel 5300 is your best bet).
June 25th, 2009 5:19 PM
We did mention that two of the USB ports are chargeable on page 4, something that most other reviews missed. Also, not many mentioned the fact that the N120 has a multi-touch touchpad.
September 8th, 2009 8:36 PM
I just ordered the samsung N120. I would like to play dvd movies on it. what do you suggest I do to accomplish this.
Thanks
ann
September 23rd, 2009 2:51 AM
Thank you for your review of N120, it’s mostly convinced me to buy one – my local university has a sale, it’s priced at USD $371, and its battery is 9-10 hours (regional Hong Kong variation I’ve been told).
September 23rd, 2009 2:52 AM
PS. No sales tax
January 24th, 2010 5:59 PM
I have one of these machines that i picked up for $299. I’m fighting the kids over who gets to use it. The battery seems to alst forever, it’s fully functional, and yes, the screen size is a bit small but for the price i’m happy to deal with it. The screen size is adequate to watch video, and there are only a few websites that require careful scrolling and panning. This is a great airplane worker – small enough for the tray table, big enough to get real work done.
I asked my office to buy two more for “floaters” that employees can grab on their way out the door for work trips.
in short, i love it.