User Review: Hannspree Hannsbook - 12.1" Netbook

Hannspree HannsBook SN12E23BUP212 12.1" Notebook (or netbook) PC

Prologue:

There's not much to say about netbooks really. Most have the same components, and it all comes down to color and price really. The line is also quite blurred between a 12 inch compact notebook and a netbook with the advent of the ULV CPU's but are typically more powerful compared with the netook Atom and NEO CPU's. The problem is that if you want a compact notebook or netbook under $400 you're usually stuck with an Atom or Neo CPU (probably single core), 11.6" or 10.1" with 1024x600 screen, 1GB RAM, and Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter edition. I've gone that route before and personally it does not make for a very pleasant web browsing or computing experience. The cramped screen, and anemic CPU performance can make things painful at times.

If you want a decent performing ULV CPU with 1366x768 screen you're going to fork over $500+ usually. There's very few options below $450, let alone $400. Since I found this notebook for $400 by a company not well known for laptops, I thought I'd share a review. The machine is the Hannspree HannsBook 12.1" Notebook PC (Model SN12E23BUP212). So far I have found it at TigerDirect for $400 and Newegg for $429 (they classify it as a netbook).

Many people know about HannsG monitors, and this machine is built by the same company that makes those monitors. It's no surprise that the quality of this machine is good.


Specs:

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual Core SU4100 1.3GHz
GPU: Intel 4500MHD IGP
RAM: 2GB (1 slot) DDR3 1066
HDD: 320GB 5400RPM
Display: 12.1" 1366x768
Sound: SRS Premium with stereo speakers 2x1W
Network: Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi
Webcam: 1.3MP with microphone
Ports: 3 x USB 2.0, 1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Mic, 1 x Headphone, SD/MMC/MS card reader
Battery: 6-cell 5200mAH (rated 6 hours)
Warranty: 1 year parts/labor by manufacturer
Size: 11.7" x 8.5" x 1.25"
Weight: 3.4 lbs


Build and Design:

The first thing I have to say about this notebook is that it has a very good initial feel to it as far as structurally sound and rigid. It is somewhat heavy for a laptop this size, but I think part of that bulk helps with the rigidity of the machine. The screen lid is solid, as are the hinges which are adorned by nice chrome rings on the outside. The rest of the chassis is solid as well with very little flex anywhere except a little in the palmrests. Like many notebooks the surface is a glossy black plastic, although I believe this laptop can be purchased in several different colors. The battery quickly releases like many netbooks, it has one switch to lock and the other a spring switch to remove the battery. Two separate removable covers are underneath for access to the hard drive and wifi module and the other for memory. The bad part is there are "Warranty void if removed" sticker on the covers for the most commonly removed and replaced parts. There is only a single slot for memory. I haven't been able to verify if it will accommodate 4GB or not. Memory specs call out DDR2 800 but this machine is equipped with DDR3 1066. I already removed the warranty void stickers and replaced the spacious 320GB 5400RPM HDD (which , was a WD Caviar Blue) for a 40GB Intel X25-V SSD, which installed without a hitch and the included Windows 7 license key worked fine for a clean install.


Screen and Speakers:

A 1366x768 12.1" screen is built into this notebook PC and is remarkablly better than I've seen in netbooks I've used in the past. I'm saying this from personal experience, and have not way to quantify that statement, other than I've used a lot of notebooks and netbooks in my geriatric life (well half geriatric at least). It contains an LED backlight with very even light dispersion across the screen. While not the brightest screen I've used, it is plenty bright to use in a shaded area outside, which is where I use it mainly (and right now typing this review). The specs indicate it is an anti-glare screen, but it is definitely glossy.

Speakers, not much to say I guess. They are located underneath the machine at the palmrests and are adequate for system sounds or gaming, but they are tinny and about what one would expect from a netbook.


Keyboard and Touchpad:

I couldn't tell you what size the keyboard is, but it is near full size, but best of all it has very little flex. Other than that, there's nothing special about it. Just a standard style keyboard and layout.

The touchpad is a Sentelic Finger Touch Pad. Not the Synaptics most are used to, but it's actually quite nice. It is slightly recessed and smoothly transitions to the palmrests, but enough of a ridge so you know that your finger is on the touchpad or not. Two solid and distinct left and right chrome click buttons are separated by a button in the middle to deactivate the touchpad. I have personally used this feature quite a bit because the sensitivity is almost too high even at its lowest setting that I keep accidentally highlighting and deleting text by accidentally swiping my thumb across it. Its size seems about right for the size of the notebook PC. The drivers support two finger and three finger strokes, double taps, etc, so it is fully functional and works decently for basic desktop work. I personally spend little time with touchpads, but have found this one to be a pleasant experience.


Ports and Features:

All the ports one would expect are available, and are all located on the sides.
The left side contains:
- VGA port
- AC power port
- cooling vent
- one USB 2.0 port
- one HDMI port.

The right side contains
- ethernet port
- Kensington lock slot
- two USB 2.0 ports
- mic in
- headphone out
- SD/MMC/MS port.

The power button is forward of the keyboard near the screen with indicator lights next to it that shine a blue color. One thing that I see overlooked on may laptops is the AC power connector. Right angle connectors, which this Hannspree Hannsbook uses, are ideal and reduce stress on the port and are much less likely to get yanked out.

This machine contains a 1.3MP webcam. I don't use a webcam much, but was a little disappointed when the system did not recognize it. Thankfully Hannspree seems to be updating the BIOS and drivers frequently. A visit to their site and an updated BIOS, and the webcam was detected and drivers automatically installed upon Windows boot up. Unfortunately the BIOS description did not indicate it corrected this issue, but it did nevertheless.


Heat, noise, and battery:

This machine runs cool as a cucumber if you will. I don't have anyway to test the actual phsyical temperature of the casing, but even with the CPU maxed it only gets warm at the vent on the left side. I use it on my lap all the time with no issues. Regarding noise, the fan is slighly audible at idle, but barely noticeable. It does crank up when the system is stressed but nothing that is annoying or over what you'd expect.

The battery nestles in the middle of the machine at the rear edge and is visible with the lid open, but formed to fit the rest of the casing. It is rated at 5200mAH, and with basic internet web browsing and desktop work with 70% brightness I get well over four hours of battery life. I even played worms reloaded for a couple hours with still plenty of time to spare browsing the web, checking email, etc.


Performance and Software:

Windows 7 Home Premium comes preloaded and basically contains no bloatware. It was pretty clean out of the box. I don't know that I need to go through specific benchmarks as many are already available for the SU4100 with GMA 4500MHD, and there's nothing special here that would make it perform any better or worse. I have successfully played Worms Reloaded and C&C Generals with no issues. I even installed Starcraft 2 and with lowest settings it was playable for 1v1 skirmishes.


Conclusion:

While this machine utilizes "old" tech of the Pentium 4 SU4100, it still is a good performer with adequate battery life. But what really sets this machine apart is the solid build quality, little to no bloatware, and price. It costs about $100 less than what you'd find in a competing product. The biggest downside is the voiding of warranty if you open the compartments for the HDD and RAM, plus the weight is a little heavier than most machines this size. But overall I don't think you can find a better deal. As of now it's $400 at TigerDirect in black color only, and $429 at Newegg with multiple color options.


Pros:
- Solid build quality
- Nice screen with 1366x768 resolution
- Solid keyboard with little flex
- Little to no bloatware
- Price

Cons:
- Warranty voided if you open the HDD or RAM compartments
- Heavier than most laptops with similar specs

Two places I recommend buying it from:
- TigerDirect -- No longer available
- Newegg.com $429.99 now $299.99 as of 6/6/2011
- MWave.com $309.99

CPU-Z info:


Photos of notebook attached below:

 

Nice review. We have it now here in Romania for about 380 Euros.

 

Interesting; I was looking at this last week as a choice for a new netbook for myself but went ahead with the Asus EEE PC 1018P for its USB3.0 capabilities. Judging from the review, it seems like a nice netbook and would've chosen it if it wasn't for the 1018P's future proofing technology

 

Well 1018P is a 10" right? Big difference. This is bigger and heavier. If you're looking for a decently powerful CPU then this is probably your best bet, not greatest battery life but sufficient for me at least. Otherwise it's near impossible to find anything but an Atom in a 10" laptop.

 

You like the touchpad?! I want to cry every time I use it. LOL

To be fair, the buttons work and the tracking is adequate as well. The button to disable the trackpad should have been left as a hotkey combination.

My problem is with the driver/software. It is such a pain to scroll up and down long documents using the "Sentelic method" of hitting a spot on the trackpad. The sensitivity is messed up too. Either it's too sensitive or it's not sensitive enough. Sometimes, my taps don't register and other times the trackpad goes crazy when my thumbs are near the spacebar.

The two and three finger gestures are a nice thought but they don't register some times and I end up trying to repeat the gestures. I was so frustrated with this that I turned off gestures and I now use my arrow keys to scroll.

Someone needs to write up better drivers for use with Windows and Linux. I see the OSX users have their modified drivers and I'm jealous!

Other than that, it's a good basic notebook.

 

Hmm, I use two finger scrolling and works fine for me. I turned off the location specific scrolling, that doesn't work real great. Granted I usually use a Logitech VX Nano mouse 80% of the time, and hate touchpads to begin with. I did have to toy with sensitivities a bit, but it works decently. Since I'm not a big user of touchpads I guess a functioning pad with decent scrolling is adequate enough for me. I don't care for all the advanced features.

 

Wow awesome review!

 

For those interested, this machine is $400 at Costco.com. Costco extends the Warranty to 2 years and has 90-day return policy. This is great just in case it goes on a Black Friday deal or something. Also, for returns, you can just take it back to a store, which is great for me because I have one about 2 miles away. And Costco is always great about returns.

 

The one thing to be wary of with this laptop though is the warranty. Mainly because OEM warranty is void if you remove the bottom panels for hard drive and RAM replacement. Not sure if this is the case with Costco though. It would be nice to know, and great find on this laptop at Costco! +1

Also, the system comes with 2GB DDR3 RAM despite the specs calling out DDR2. Plus I think it should support 4GB RAM in the single slot, but not for certain. If anyone tries it let me know (knowing replacing it will void your OEM warranty).

Here's the links to costco: BLACK and RED

One more thing, if you're up to replacing your hard drive, I get over an hour more battery life with an Intel SSD. I used to get just over four hours with the hard drive, now I get over five with an 80GB SSD in it now (40GB wasn't enough)!

 

4GB DDR3 works just fine.

Warranty?.. What warranty?

 

Great to know! Yeah stupid warranty void for changing two of the most common laptop components ever.

The worse part about this laptop though was I got quite frustrated when the webcam wouldn't work. I had to do a BIOS update and then voila! It was detected once in Windows automatically. That's kinda fubar. But either way, good.

I may pop in a 4GB module when I feel like spending the money. But don't feel like installing Win7 x64, but 3GB+ should be adequate for this little guy.

Is everyone else's a DDR3 or DDR2?

 

mwave has it refurbished for $330 today: Hannspree SN12E238UP212 Hannspree HannsBook Notebook PC - Intel Pentium Dual-Core ULV SU4100 1.3GHz, 2GB DDR2, 320GB HDD, 12.1" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium (Red) from mwave.com