NbC: Toshiba Mini NB200 Review

« 1. Introduction2. Build & Design3. Upgradeability, Dimensions & Weight 4. Ports, Features & Connectivity5. Keyboard & Touchpad6. Display, Speakers, Heat & Noise 7. Performance & Benchmarks8. Battery Life9. Conclusion10. View All »

Build & Design

The Toshiba NB200-10Z certainly has a love-it-or-hate-it design. This particular version is Satin Brown in colour and comes with a stripy patterned lid. A similar pattern is used across the display bezel, complementing a chrome (with tint of gold) palm rest and keyboard. Overall, we think the colours fit very well together and, in our opinion, is one of the most striking and visually pleasing netbooks on the market. The NB200 also maintains a slim profile as the battery is not used to add bulk to the bottom, but instead sticks out at the back.

The Toshiba NB200 has a very solid build quality, when closed we noticed no creaking when pressing the lid. This applies to the hinge as well that made no noise when opening closing the lid, whilst providing an adequate amount of resistance.

The great thing about the lid in the NB200 is that it is not prone to fingerprint marks. This means that it looks great all of the time and there’s no need to keep cleaning it like you would for some glossy lid models.

The 10-inch display is surrounded by a reasonably thick bezel. This may put off some people, but the fact that Toshiba has used a pattern for the bezel makes it less noticeable.

Many netbooks tend to tilt, due to a battery that adds bulk to the bottom. The Toshiba NB200 is the opposite and sits flat with only a marginal tilt.

Everything about the NB200 oozes build quality. The NB200 sits flush together when closed and the brown lid combined with chrome bottom combines to present something that looks so much more desirable than most other netbooks on the market.

A chrome Toshiba logo sits in the middle but doesn’t look too overbearing.

The power button sits in the middle of the glossy-brown hinge. It’s a nice touch and ensures you can always tell whether the netbook is on/off even when open or closed.

When switched on, the power button illuminates white.

The NB200 doesn’t push back as far as some other models, but despite this it should still be usable in most situations.

We tested it on the road and came up with no problems. A good weight balance means that the display didn’t tip over when pushed fully back.

The Toshiba NB200 comes with eight status lights on the front of the device. The placement means that you can always tell what’s going on even if the lid is closed. Starting from the left, you first have a wireless indicator light that switches on when Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are being used. Next to this is the ‘DC in’ and power and battery indicators. You’ve then got the HDD indicator that glows green when accessing the HDD. Next to this, you’ll find the card reader, arrow lock and num lock indicators.

The NB200 uses a matte palm rest and keyboard that means there’s little chance of fingerprint marks on the inside. It complements the brown lid/bezel very well in our eyes.

There’s always trade-offs when it comes to large capacity batteries. In the case of the NB200 it sticks out quite a bit behind the main chassis. This ensures that the netbook maintains its sleek look but one of the disadvantages is that it won’t fit many 10-inch cases (with battery intact).

Overall though, it’s a very well designed and sturdy netbook. We commend Toshiba for making a product that looks and feels like a quality product. We just wish all manufacturers would pay as much attention to detail on design as Toshiba has.

« 1. Introduction2. Build & Design3. Upgradeability, Dimensions & Weight 4. Ports, Features & Connectivity5. Keyboard & Touchpad6. Display, Speakers, Heat & Noise 7. Performance & Benchmarks8. Battery Life9. Conclusion10. View All »