NbC: Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell (N270) Review
August 6, 2009 at 9:18 am
Battery Life
The Eee PC 1005HA (N270) comes with a 6-cell lithium-ion battery that is rated at 4400mAh (48.84W/h). Asus claims that the battery should be good for around 8.5 hours of use. The more expensive N280 Atom SKU comes with a higher-capacity 5600mAh 6-cell battery that lasts for 10.5 hours according to the company.
The 6-cell Li-ion battery that we tested is rated at 48.84Whr (4400mAh). This compares against the 5200mAh 6-cell battery in the Wind U115 and 5900mAh 6-cell battery in the Samsung N120.
Battery life is one of the most critical considerations to make when choosing a netbook. As with our previous reviews, we avoid using synthetic battery tests to determine battery life. Apps, such as Battery Eater, are designed to determine the extreme points of battery performance and we just feel that they are not representative of what the netbook will be used for. We also feel that they are of limited use to our readers, who want real-world examples of what the netbook is capable of.
We have used a number of different scenario tests to determine what kind of battery life to expect from the Asus Eee PC 1005HA. All battery tests were run on the High Performance mode in the Super Hybrid Engine. It is therefore worth noting that times could differ substantially depending on exactly which SHE mode you intend on using.
Airplane
We replicate an environment where one may want to watch video throughout an airplane journey. For this test we turned off both Wi-Fi and the webcam. Screen brightness was set to 60 percent (given the dark environment) and audio was set to 50 percent. We also plugged in a pair of headphones (noise cancelling Sennheiser PXC 250’s) to make the test as authentic as possible. We then looped an AVI video file continuously on full screen until the battery died.
Result: In this scenario, we found that the battery lasted for 311 minutes, coming behind all of the netbooks we’ve tested so far. However, getting a performance of over 5 hours is still nothing to scoff at.
Business
For this test, we simulated the likely setting one would use if using the netbook on the move for business. We had Wi-Fi and the webcam switched on. The screen was set to 50 percent brightness and audio at 50 percent. To make sure the Wi-Fi was being used, we also opened the Opera browser and set a couple of web pages to refresh every 30 seconds.
Result: Under this scenario, the battery lasted for 380 minutes. This was 43 minutes ahead of the Samsung N120. However, it is worth pointing out that the 1005HA we tested does not include Bluetooth, which is normally switched on for this particular test. This means that the 1005HA has a positive bias in this particular test.
Coffee Shop
Here we replicated an environment where you might surf the net or watch YouTube whilst having a coffee. For this test we turned on Wi-Fi (and left the webcam off). Screen brightness was 100 percent whilst audio was at 50 percent. We streamed a YouTube video on an endless loop until the battery died.
Result: As you can imagine, this particular test really stressed the CPU. On average CPU usage was over 85 percent. It is no surprise to therefore see that the battery lasted the shortest time under this test at 235 minutes. This placed it in last position, nearly an hour behind the Wind U115 (running on the HDD).
Jukebox
This particular test involved streaming music over a wireless network. Audio was set to 75 percent, whilst brightness was set to 27.5 percent. Wi-Fi was switched on, but the webcam was switched off. An album was looped until the battery died.
Result: The Asus Eee PC 1005HA lasted 329 minutes, which once again put it in last position. Although, the 1005HA was only 8 minutes behind the Samsung N120.
Summary
Whilst the Eee PC 1005HA came towards the bottom of most of the battery tests, it’s worth putting the result in context. The netbooks that we have tested so far, sport some of the best batteries in the segment. Therefore it is not such a bad result, especially considering the result was very close to the Samsung N120 in some tests. Seeing these results, makes us wonder just how well the N280 1005HA would fare under similar testing.
In typical use, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to manage between five to six hours of use in this netbook. It is also worth noting that using the Power Saving mode in the Super Hybrid Engine could squeeze out extra battery life, at the expense of performance.
August 12th, 2009 11:18 AM
I was told that better model doesnt maybe come sale at Finland at all. Anyway faster prosessor, bluetooth and lot better camera are big things. I dont understand why Asus had to release two models with one name and why only worse model comes for sale. I wonder if I order better model from Germany, it it possible get worse models scandinavian keyboard somewere can change it to better 1005 model. I would like 1008 and 1101 too, but 1008 you cant change battery and it doesnt have so good operating time and 1101 sounds very good, but everywere is said that its slow. Better 1005 would have been good option. Wonder if new Samsung N5xx comes sale at Finland/Scandinavia.
September 13th, 2009 1:27 AM
keep em comin Pryor, TD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 15th, 2009 10:40 AM
There is 1005HA-WHI012X sale now at Finland. It says N280. Does this one have bluetooth and 1.3 webcamera?
October 4th, 2009 6:45 PM
asus eee pc 1005ha is one of the best netbook in market
October 31st, 2009 10:52 PM
The power supply is very fragile…I had mine for one month and it works when it wants to. The other night the blue light on the charger would not go on. In the morning it worked…Same thing happened again tonight. Looks like I need to buy another power supply. Beware the tip is very small as well. Overall it is a good netbook. My second dislike is the left “mouse pad” click. You really need to apply about 3 times as much force as you should to get it to click. I would recommend trying it for yourself before buying. I use an external mouse because it is so hard to use. I have two laptops and do not have that problem with them. Good shopping.
October 25th, 2010 11:19 PM
Mine power supply died also. Otherwise I’m a happy user for almost a year.