Samsung N12012GBK 10.1Inch Black Netbook 6 Cell Battery
December 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under $300 - $400, Products, Samsung, Small Laptops For Home, Small Laptops For Students
Weighing just 2.8 pounds, the new Samsung N120 mini notebook is focused around multimedia, designed with built in speakers and subwoofer for richer online content experience. With Intel Atom processor, 160GB of storage, a SuperBright 10.1-inch LCD it's one of the lightest mini notebooks in its class. The new N120 gives you the freedom to surf the Web, shop and chat on IM with the very latest wireless technology. With its larger touch pad area, using the touch pad is now easier and more comfortable. Zip through your online applications with the support of Intel Atom processor. Store all your favorite videos and music, and enjoy richer multimedia content with the output from the built in speakers and subwoofer. ....read more Average Customer Rating
Brand: Samsung Model: NP-N120-KA01US Price: $401.99 |   | |
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5 out of 5
Excellent: Your life will change
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Your life will change once you own a good netbook like the Samsung N120. You carry it with you everywhere all day: wireless, cordless, lightweight. No more running to another room to get to a desktop. No more worrying about how much battery you have left with a laptop. No more burning your lap with a bulky laptop.
Battery life: I have no idea, I no longer need to worry about that. I only plug it in at night when I am sleeping. I unplug it for the entire day and use it intermittently for email and web browsing, and watch at least one hour of video per day. When I am not using it I close the lid (goes to standby and then hibernates after 25 min).
Keyboard: Fantastic, just as good as a desktop keyboard except no separate numeric keypad and the home/end/pgup/pgdown keys are in strange places. This bothered me enough that I used SharpKeys to remap the keys so that to the right of the spacebar I now have [Win, Home, End] instead of [Alt, Win, Ctrl].
Screen: Great, the only glare I see is in direct sunlight.
Touchpad: Very good. I had no prior experience with a touchpad, so there was a learning curve (tap to click, scrolling, circle scroll, etc). Much better than an old Dell laptop I have. You do have to learn not to lean your hand on the touchpad otherwise your mouse cursor will jump all over. Fine for web email, web browsing, etc, but I still prefer a mouse for photo editing or anything that requires fine control or click and drag.
Sound: Just ok. I bought the N120 partly because of the good reviews about the sound quality, but I’m afraid the speakers are still quite tinny, ok for Skype or watching videos but not good enough for music.
Wireless: Phenomenal. Connects very quickly, works every time, always at full speed (54 Mbps). Much better than an old Dell laptop I have. My router is Linksys WRT160N using WPA.
Bluetooth: Never used it.
Software: Install Firefox 3.5 and you will be very happy.
Performance: I have not installed any heavy duty applications, but this netbook feels as fast or faster than a 4-year-old desktop I have, for everyday stuff.
Just go buy it.
Must have netbook
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What a great little Netbook. After long research I decided on N120, by the time I made up my mind the price went up from $315 to $369 so I decided to buy N130 at $297. I returned the N130 because one speaker did not work and luckily Amazon had it back on sale for $315; I bought it instantly. I always buy from Amazon and not from other vendors that advertize on Amazon just for the return policy that Amazon have.
Very happy with this purchase, I liked it more than the N130, slimmer and faster. Make sure to add the 2GB memory. The screen is not too glossy, actually I liked it better then the Matte screen N130 has. Bluetooth works great (N130 dose not have) and I was able to connect to my wireless internet in seconds. N130 sound was terrible, this one is great, the position of the speakers on both sides of the screen is a big plus. Adjust it to “WOW” setting and it will blow you away. Took out Mcafee and installed free antivirus Avast (google Avast cnet) and it works great.
I also downloaded openoffice (google openoffice) and you have all MS Office Suite compatable software for free and belive me it works same or better MS Office.
If you have Netflix you will definately enjoy the sound and video, remember to upgrade your memory to 2GB.
Touch pad larger than N130, and trust me you need any 1″ you can get on any Netbook touch pad. The black matte which is not a finger print magnet is beautiful so is the rounded corner. Keyboard is big enough for any hand size. It comes with a soft case which is not mentioned in the description. Battary life is as described.
I’m ok ith XP OS, do not like Vista (my kids laptops) and don’t have the time to learn Window 7 (just being lazy). Also all netbooks comes with Window 7 Starter (all the cool features are out) and you need to pay more money to get the upgrade.
Overall, a great buy you will not regret it.
great little machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
have about a month use now, use the netbook more than the desktop with vista, XP is quicker and works well with adobe and office,,,gets online well both ethernet and wireless. nUsed as a projector feed for 8 hour class and battery carried the whole day!
Seems well done and well thought out!
Great computer for the money
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had been recommended this netbook computer by someone I worked with, who had been recommended it by another co-worker who was somewhat of a computer geek, so I felt good about purchasing it. It has been a great computer. The keys are the same size as on my computer at home, and it’s been easy to travel with. It is very lightweight and fits easily into a pouch in my smaller bag. SInce I travel a lot, the size, weight and ease with which I can type are the most important features to me. I haven’t used it for many other applications
NICE!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this for my wife for Christmas,and now I want my own.From reading other reviews,I was expecting this n120 to be slow.I don’t see much difference between this machine and the other 5 computers I already have.I really like the action of the keys,better than my $600 Toshiba.As long as you don’t need a DVD/CD drive built in,this computer can do about anything most people use a laptop for.Emailng and web surfing don’t need a lot of ram or processing power.The white color is non glare and has a quality look to it,I give the N120 two thumbs up!!
Samsung N120 Leading all netbooks
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was searching arduously for the right netbook for a good 2 months. After reading the reviews on Amazon and also the latest Consumer Reports reviews for netbooks, it led me down the path of the Samsung N120. Consumer Reports rated it #1 out of 20 or so competing netbooks (I’m a big fan of consumer reports BTW). The reviews on Amazon confirmed this crown, as users’ rated it 4.5/5.0 stars and ranted and raved about it. Everything I expected with the N120 delivered on every front. It’s solidly built and the ergonomics are terrific. I love the white casing and it’s really stylish. Not only it looks high quality, it also feels well built too. It has proved itself to be a great companion during my study sessions out and about at cafes. I would say the main advatage it has over competing netbooks are the ergonomics (i.e. outstanding keyboard), battery life, stylish casing, and the outstanding Samsung build quality and reputation that we come to expect. Also, the speakers on the N120 are far from great, but they are certainly better compared to others. In a busy, public room, the speakers are faint, but if a closed off room they are fine. The glossy screen is a love it or hate it feature, but I have not had any complaints about it. I was also looking at the Dell netbook, but it has poor battery life and subpar ergonomics compared to the N120. The Ases is overall a good netbook with outstanding battery life, but the brand reputation does not compete with Samsung (Wouldn’t you rather own a Samsung than some off brand?). One of the cons mentioned about the N120 is price, but I got mine for $295.00 + tax on Amazon, which was a $100 price break off its MSRP. If I had to pay its full MSRP ($400), I could have opted for a cheaper netbook such as the Asis or HP, but the price advantage from buying it on Amazon made it a no brainer. I will rate the Samsung N120 a solid 4 stars, however, the overall netbook concept I would rate 3/4 stars. I hope in the future all netbooks will have slightly taller screens, better video playback, improved ergonomics, and all come shipped with Windows 7. I still, however, really like the netbook concept and its future, as long as manufactorers and retailers can keep the prices between $300-$400.
Good enough to buy it
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am not computer savvy but it is easy to operate. I travel with it and it does the job. The screen is very small (It is a Netbook so they call)so it can’t replace a real laptop or desktop. The price is good value for the money. Room for improvement:I still like it lighter and longer battery life.
Samsung N120 Netbook
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This net book is the first one that i have ever purchased. My feelings on a small and compact computer to be able to bring around almost anywhere is strong. The size of this net book is really neat, there is a full keyboard as well. The screen is very bright and great detail. I have had this for 2 days only, but it works perfectly fine, as i left it on all day almost, still working as great as when i turned it on from the beginning. The price i bought it for was $314 and it was probably the best deal.
Unexpected quality problem…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Please Note: This unit I’m reviewing was not purchased from Amazon but from another on-line retailer.
Pros: First class product, very well made, elegant design, great materials. Nice sized keyboard. Fingerprint-free matte outside finish. Bright sharp display. Non-obtrusive high capacity 6 cell battery.
Cons: Screen too glossy, sometimes difficult to read even indoors. Narrow angle of view with display, exacerbates the glossy screen issue (difficult to adjust to read and avoid reflection at the same time). SD card sticks out about 1/4 inch when in place. Tends to occasionally freeze with Internet Explorer. Fan noise problem detailed below.
It took me a better part of the weekend to properly set up our new netbook and loaded the way I wanted it (nice favorite pic on the desktop, MS Office loaded, Anti-Virus installed, etc, etc. then a few days later when I started it up, it sounded as if a small plane wanted to take off. Apparently the blades of the cooling fan started to hit something making the weird noise which would not go away.
I called Samsung’s Customer Service (the agent I talked to was very nice), they assured me they will fix the problem if I do not get a replacement from my retailer. I immediately thought, I was paying for a new unit, then I should be getting a new one (not a repaired or refurbished one). After a little bit of difficulty, the retailer’s CSA finally decided to send me a replacement but only after they receive my unit back. That meant I was out of my netbook for at least 3 more weeks and had to shell out another $12 for shipping. I guess it’s just my bad luck.
Performance out of the box is a little disappointing since I noticed that Internet Explorer would occasionally freeze on me during normal web surfing. This unit replaced a 5-6 yr old Dell D400 (Pentium M) which ran much faster. I have since upgraded to a 2GB RAM card (another $45) which seems to help fix the IE freezing. With the same Atom processor used on other netbooks, I would assume the other brands would have a similar deficiency.
Since this is my first netbook, the short screen takes some getting used to. It seems I need to use the scroll wheel quite often on my mouse. I’ve learned to live with it but it still bothers me every once in a while. An extra 1/2 inch in height would have made a lot of difference.
Now that I’ve had this second unit for over a month, problem free, it reaffirms my lengthy research and eventual decision that I have made the correct choice. While I do not consider it a perfect computer, it delivers on what it promises. A well made, small, lightweight, normal sized keyboard and with great battery life that is ideal for emailing, word processing and web surfing, and probably not much more.
DOA
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I would have loved to have written a positive review, however my N120-12GW was dead on arrival. Hard drive light would light up, you could feel it coming to life but, alas, black screen of death.
More than I expected
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Did not expect the machine to work as well as it did. Samsung has really thought out the design from a user’s standpoint. The size of the screen is the weakest part of the experience. However Samsung predicted this and have built in some handy functions to mitigate the frustration that comes from moving from larger monitors to the smaller panel. The screen is very bright and can be used easily in direct sunlight without a problem. The graphics card is decent and can be hooked up to higher resolution monitors and TVs. The brightness range is more dramatic than the HP and Dell laptops I’ve had in the past. I can turn it up for viewing in direct sunlight, then turn it down for comfortable reading at night in the car.
The battery life if much better than expected. Timed it and I got about 10 hours of life (my Dell, Acer and HP laptops never came close to the published battery life). With an external (USB) high-end GPS receiver I got about 5 hours of continuous operation before the low battery warning would sound.
Never had a problem with lack of processor speed. Videos, and games work without hiccups or pauses.
My only complaint is the ‘home’ and ‘end’ key functions are difficult to use since you need to press the special function key with another. My opinion is that the ‘home’ and ‘end’ keys should be single key press keys. The ‘page up’ and ‘page down’ keys, that are less used, would be a better choice for the two key press scenario. After a few days of use I learned to not use the keys anymore.
Out in public I’ve received many comments/compliments on the machine. The white looks sharp.
Machine feels solid, durable. The mat finish feels good and is easy to grip and tote around.
All features (camera, wi-fi, etc) worked better than expected and without hiccups.
An unbelievable value for the price.
Amazing netbook, especially for students.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am a freshmen at James Madison University, and I purchased this Netbook over the summer. I admire the Battery Management Software on it, which allows you to switch between “Max battery life”, “Normal”, “Max Performance”, and “Customized” at the standard XP bottom right toolbar.
I run the XP Home edition that it came with and use Open Office and Google Documents for all the documents, power points, and spreadsheets that I need. Open Office runs very well on the machine.
I also upgraded to a 2GB RAM upon purchase. I had read several reviews that suggested it, and the upgrade definitely made a noticeable difference (I ran it for ten or twenty minutes with just the 1GB RAM before installing the 2GB RAM). It is well worth the money to upgrade, and installation of the RAM is painless (even my Mom could probably do it, which is saying a lot).
I use the free version of avast! Antivirus software which, coupled with Goggle Chrome’s (and most other browsers’ as well) pop-up blocker works perfectly and seamlessly to keep me secure.
The only time that the machine ever runs slow is when I have ten or more tabs open on Google Chrome along with music playing on Windows Media Player. Then, sometimes, (usually only when multiple sites I am visiting have a lot of flash, or encoded video, like youtube) it will slow down to the point that I need to pause the music for a little to let things catch up.
I love this netbook, and I highly suggest it to anyone looking to buy on.
Great Little Notebook
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had the Samsung N120-12G 10.1-Inch Netbook for a little over a month. It has worked very well for what I intended it for. I took it on a trip to Nashville last week. I used the wireless capability in hotel rooms, restaurants and coffee houses. It all worked well. The small screen does not have much “Real Estate” for viewing web pages but the clarity is good. When at home, I connect it to a 24″ flat screen. The display is excellent when connected 1900×1200 pixel resolution.
P.S. I Love the pearl essence white color.
Really Mobile Computing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Have a 20″ giant laptop with all bells and whistles and love it, but this little netbook is so easy to grab and go, I now use the big one as a desktop. Use the netbook even when home and not in my office.
Battery lasts a long time. Real happy with this product.
Samsung N120-12GW: Small, sturdy, fast mini-netbook
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I did a thorough research of mini-notebooks, including reviews on Amazon and Cnet, before choosing the Samsung N120-12GW. On the whole, I am pleased with my decision. The notebook is slim and very portable. A little heavier than I expected, owing to the battery, but still lighter and much smaller than the Lenovo laptop I previously owned. The keyboard is close to normal size, as advertised, and I can type easily on it. The mini boots up amazingly rapidly to Windows XP and the battery life has been about 7-8 hours, again as advertised. I installed, relatively easily, a 2 GB RAM chip as well as MS Office Suite 2007, which it handles well. It’s connectivity to wireless sources is excellent. My only complaint is some instability (erratic jumping around) of the cursor and the zoom tool when I’m composing emails and documents. This seems to occur when I inadvertently touch the scroll tool, which is along the right-hand portion of the touch pad. I overcame this problem by purchasing a Logitech wireless optical mouse. This works where I have a flat surface, but not when I have the mini on my lap. Nontheless, I’m happy with my purchase.Samsung N120-12GW 10.1-Inch White Netbook – 6 Cell Battery J.Eriksson
WHAT MEMORY UPGRADE SHOULD BE USED FOR THIS?
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just bought this and I love it.. but I have a hard time finding a compatitible memory to replace the 1GB. What did you guys use?
Like the product
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I like the product overall, I just suggest you get a mouse to attach to it though because the pad becomes annoying at times.