Samsung N120 - Now Available

I have a question, I just ordered the samsung nc10 and it should be here later today from amazon.com but I noticed that the N110/120 has been released now.

I noticed the only differences are:

-Trackpad is a little bigger
-Glossy LED display (as to the NC10's matte LED display)
-GMA 950 is now 128mb

But my question is that I know GMA 950 uses its RAM from the systems RAM so if you up the 1GB to 2GB under the NC10 model (previous gen model) wouldn it go up to 128mb shared anyway?

Other than the trackpad being a little bigger and glossy display.. I dont see any difference.

 

Got an email communication to contact PCNation about my order and just got off the phone with them.

Looks like PCNation received inaccurate database information from their distributors and at the time I placed my order (~7pmEST on 4/22), PCNation's website showed as having them in stock. I placed my order and was expecting to receive by 4/29.

Now the current estimate for PC Nation to have inventory again is 5/7 - 5/14.

I'm not in a real rush and decided to keep my order with them, hopefully I'll get it sooner than later.

 

You didn't notice the main difference being the "full sized" keyboard as claimed?

 

That is true for the n110, but the n120 has the subwoofer with the speakers built into the bezel (the sound is much, much better) full size keyboard, along with that extra long battery life. The display is glossy, but not like a typical glossy display the reflectiveness is very subdued in my opinion as compared to many others like Acer, HP etc.

There is no doubt in my mind if I was shopping for a new netbook, I'd not hesitate to get the N120 over any other Samsung model or competitors model.

I am sorry to hear about you guys that thought you had orders placed finding out now that they were not in stock and the others are on hold or canceled. I am sure there will be more stock coming any day now!

 

Only reason I'm sticking with the NC10 version is because its the same specs as an N110 but has a matte screen. And also I'm going to put OSX on it and with the N120 you cant due to the unsupported VIA chipset.

also I guess if I wanted something a little bigger (the screen and resolution) I'd go with the N120 version but I think 10" is perfect for me.

 

I think you may have the NC20 and the N120 mixed up. The N120 doesn't have the Via Nano or Via Chipset, it is Intel Atom. Also the N120 also is a 10.1" display, which the NC20 has the 12.1" display.

The gloss screen that everyone seems to be worried about is really nothing to worrry about at all. I've used it now a few days and while it is a bit reflective, it isn't like any glossy display I've seen. I am loving it! I hope folks don't pass on these things because of that as it would be a mistake.

 

OTACORB, did you delete your review in Amazon? I just noticed it's not there.

 

Oops sorry I did get it mixed up thanks for the correction. In the end I wanted a matte display. Also I still dont see any differences really to change my order to the N110 or the N120.

 

No, I didn't delete it, but I think when they changed the status to hasn't been released yet this removes the review. It may come back once they change the status. Very Strange! It seems Amazon is in total disarray here lately.

 

I think I read that you returned the Nc10 for a N110 and curious what do you think of the differences?

 

Well there are some pretty good difference between the NC10 and N120. Not so much so between the NC10 and N110. Which ever you end up with hopefull you'll be happy. I know I swapped between the NC10 SE and the N120 because of the differences and I am glad I did.

 

I'm curious how the N120 gets more battery life if both the Nc10 and N120 uses a 6 cell battery?

 

I sure hope not. Because that was a great review and very helpful in helping me decide on the N120. I'm sure many others will agree. Samsung should pay you commission!

As far as Amazon being a bit in disarray I can live with that as I think they provide the best all around prices and customer care. I never had any problems with returns and refunds. I even got them to credit me for a price difference that they don't even have a 'price guarantee' on.

 

This according to Samsung is the reason; Enjoy a longer battery-powered performance of up to 10.5 hours*. The energy-efficient LED display and optimized performance together with Samsung’s class-leading engineering all help you get more battery time.

You know I have tried and tried to find proof positive that the NC10 has LED backlit displays, but it doesn't say that on their web site for the US. It does say it on the UK web site for the NC10. So, I don't know if it does or doesn't. If it doesn't then that would certainly be a difference, but the other is basically through system optimization.

In reality though right now I am seeing more like 8 hours of battery life when being fairly conservative. I think that is closer to reality.

Thanks, I have tweaked and reposted it to the Samsung web site, which is pending their review right now.

I agree with you about Amazon, I have always gotten great service above my expectation and it is why I am usually willing to pay a little more from them. You hear too many horror stories from places like Buy.com and many others. No, I'll stick with Amazon even if that means I have to wait a little while.

 

Amazon is showing the Black N120 are in stock again!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...f?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1240596853&sr=8-1

 

The Samsung NC10 has an led backlighting as well. The matte looks gorgeous!

 

Just ordered my black one from Amazon. did the Saturday delivery. Hoping this thing rocks! Thanks for all the updates all the good reviews helps to ease the fear of purchasing an unseen netbook.

 

Thanks for the alert!!! I just placed the order with the 2GB RAM. (I hope they cancel the original order with ANTOline).

Regarding your comment about Amazon, that's exactly how I feel too. I'd rather pay a bit more to avoid possible heart burns. I boycott Buy.com for that reason. When you complete an order you're subjected to pop-up offers. One time I ordered a wall mount bracket for an LCD TV and was bombarded with 'offers'. But when I declined the order didn't seem to go through. So I started the order process again. Ended up with 5 orders! I contacted their Customer Support to no avail. Ended up returning 4 at my own expense because they said it wasn't their fault.

Btw, what are you thoughts on Netbooks with SSD instead of a hard drive? That was my original 'want'.

 

Wow, you paid $55 for the 1 day delivery? I went with the 'Free Shipping' but it won't ship until April 29th. Haha... I guess if I want it soon I have to pay extra.

I can't wait to see your review on it.

 

LOL. No. i'm an amazon prime member so it was 6.99 for sat/delivery. Yeh, I dont think I could justify 55 bones.

 

Argg... now I regret canceling the Prime Membership. But I still don't want to add on extra charges to my purchases. My brother would find the lowest prices but he always pay for 2nd days! LOL!

 

I ordered mine from newegg with standard 3 day UPS ($12) and got it in 2 days later. So far I'm happy with the purchase. Battery is quite accurate on how much time left. Initially I was a bit worried that Flash (Youtube and other sites) runs too slow skipping frames. The solution is you got to switch from battery-saver mode to max-performance. Then it worked fine. On max-performance it will run at least 5 hours. There was a post that you need 533 DDR SoDIMM memory. I could not find reference to 533 anywhere in documentation. Sound is very good comparing to ASUS netbooks, where headphones a most to watch a movie. Comes with a sleeve, that's good enough to start carrying the thing in your backpack to protect from scratches.

 

Thanks X03RUN. wow. 5 hours on max performance that's pretty good. I'd like to know what max battery time you could get on power saver, etc.

What color did you go with?

I ordered the Crucial 2GB 667 Mhz CT25664AC667 DDR2 200-Pin SODIMM (amazon) Laptop Memory, which says it works for the NC10. hopefully its the correct one.

 

the meter showed 9 hours on power save. looked like it's accurate, because after 30 mins it was close to 8:30.
I got black. Looks very classy. Does not leave fingerprints on cover. But kids still did not have chance to touch screen after or during meal time.

 

That's better be the compatible one because it was bundled with the N120 I ordered.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-CT25664AC667-200-Pin-SODIMM-Laptop/dp/B000F7QRTG/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b

 

I only saw one review that said it did not work. But you of course have to wonder if user error played into that. Because I also saw a plethora of reviews saying it works fine with the nc10. I believe your good, at least I hope so b/c otherwise were in the same boat.

 

If it works on the NC10 then it should work on the N120 as they share the same mobo (i think). That's why I got the bundled one so if it doesn't work the entire blame is on Amazon. LOL!

 

Too funny. I received my black N120 from Newegg today. I also ordered a 2GB Crucial CT25664AC667 and can verify it works fine. It starts the first time and realizes something is different, just select "Start Windows Normally".

I also just bought a Samsung X460-44G, bought this to give to my sister in law and only have until Wed to get ready. I actually like the little N120 netbook except it has more crapware than the notebook, removing some of it now, starting with McAfee. I need to use their tool that completely removes it all, grrr.

 

I ordered a pair of 2GB Corsair DDR2-800 SO-DIMMs for my N120. I'm splitting the pair with a friend who has a HP Mini 1000. The DDR2-800 was the same price as the DD2-667 stuff ($20 after rebate for a 2 x 2GB kit), so I figured why not.

 

I hear you saying it and I've seen others say it, but there is nothing officially from Samsung saying it that I've ever found. I agree the matte display is great, but I am loving my glossy just as much and I am having no issues with it whatsoever!

I've not really thought much about it, but generally the SSD's are so much smaller that you end up giving up a lot of space. Though now days with secondary hard drives via USB I guess it wouldn't matter. I would assume they give the fastest setup by far. I ampretty content with my setup as is for now.

 

This works just fine it is the one I have running in mine as I type this. I initially bought it for my NC10 SE and then swapped it over when I got the N120.

 

The N120 came with a 1GB DDR2-800 actually. The system is not 800 so it won't make any difference, good to have faster RAM if you ever need it though.

"FSB Speed 533MHz / 667MHz"

http://ark.intel.com/chipset.aspx?familyID=35553

I am kinda chuckling at the huge sound system, two little speakers around the bezel and one one under the front left corner. Oh well, it sounds better than I expected for a little netbook.

 

I think I'd rather put in a 500GB 5400 RPM HD instead. They are pretty quick and you can put a pile of media (mp3's, video's, etc) on them. Now granted a good SSD like an Intel or OCZ Vertex drive will certainly be faster, but a decent capacity one of them will set you back almost as much as the N120.

 

Well when you compare it to many of the other netbooks and even some of the HP and Lenovo business notebooks out there it is a huge sound system.

I would concur with you on that, I think that would be my choice over an SSD.

 

OK, OK, the sound is decent for a netbook or a small laptop. I do like the way it goes into standby mode and it starts playing elevator music, coool. This music will likely be death to anyone under age 20.

I wish I wouldn't have bought this thing. I am starting to really like it and don't know if I can give it up. Must resist pressing the order button on Newegg.

 

I know what you mean. When I first decided to buy my staff each one of these Netbooks, I got the pleasure of opening them each up and setting everything up for them to use. So, I've tried probably 4 or 5 different ones. My initial impression based on the Acer One was nah, I'll pass on one of these for myself and just get a full size notebook. However, after getting the Samsung NC10 SE, I started realizing the value in these light weight, easy to carry netbooks. I found myself using it more and more. Now with the N120, all my issues were totally address which was a bit larger keyboard, better sound, longer battery life and a big mouse/trackpad. So, I am in hog heaven. Heck I even like the gloss display, which most people don't like. It isn't nearly as reflective as Acer and HP's glossy screens I know that.

 

The screen saver apparently plays music. It took me a while to figure out what was playing music.

 

Crap! What a dirty joke! So I got an email notification from Amazon stating "Your order has been shipped". Sweet!!!! But upon further reading I realized it was just the 2GB RAM being shipped.

Haha so much for Amazon being in disarray, I specifically selected "Ship all items together".

My primary use of the netbook was just email and net surfing. So size and weight were the main deciding factors. I won't even need to install Words/Exel as "Cloud computing" may be the way of the future. And I can carry my little 500GB Seagate Free Agent GO if I needed extra storage.

Hahaha.... the music is a good deterrent to keep kids away from it.

 

Yeah it is elevator music! hehehe

Wow, that is a dirty joke, so even though it said they were in stock today, it did not ship today?

Cloud computing is most certainly the way of the future and the need for the huge hard drives really won't be needed. I seen tonight at Best Buy a 2 Terabyte drive for $199. I was like WOW!

I do some word processing and spread sheets on mine, it has Windows Office on it, which works very well. I also keep several databases on mine, which are a bit slow to open, but that is only on occasion.

 

Well a 500GB drive doesn't weigh any more than the 160GB HD that comes with it and it's certainly faster due to the higher areal density of the platters. So I don't see how it negatively affects your two criteria.

FWIW, I replaced a 80GB HD in one of my Dell laptops with a 500GB drive and it made a huge performance difference. However, I'm thinking to put a SSD in my Dell and moving the 500GB drive to my N120.

 

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4995

Check out the new press release, it says that the N110 has the 5900 mah battery while the N120 has the 5200 mah battery. Can a current N120 owner verify if this is correct? How can it get 10.5 hours with the smaller battery. As always folks, the feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

It is true the N120 has the 5200 mAh battery. My NC10 SE had the 5900 mAh battery and I swapped them out just to try it. But when I sent back the SE to Amazon, I went ahead and switched back. Last thing I needed was for them to refuse my refund because of the battery, though they probably wouldn't have even noticed it.

I don't care what they are saying, no one is going to get 10.5 hours on the N120. The best I've been able to get is 8 hours, which is still good for a 5200 mAh battery. Then again it all depends on your brightness of your display and if you have your processor etc set to use the minimum amount of power. I can tell you I hate having my processor set to the the lowest setting.

 

OTACORB, thanks for the confirmation. How can they advertise longer battery life in the N120 vs. N110 when the N110 has the larger battery.

OTACORB, any cons since you've had it other than the speaker grills around the bezel?

 

Oh I am sure they have proof that they can get that, but they never tell you how. So, who knows why they always stretch out the battery life. Most companies do this now day.

I have found no cons thus far and I even loaded Win 7 RC. I don't consider the bezel with the speakers on each side to be a con.

 

1) I never said anything about swapping a HDD with another HDD.

2) I said "Size and Weight" so I thought a SSD is definitely lighter than a HDD.

3) 1/2 pound and 1" in width makes a big difference to me when trying to minimize my 'carry on' loads on flights. Think Asus PC1000HE.

4) You're brilliant, speed doesn't negatively affect my 2 criteria because I never mention anything about speed, Einstein.

5) As a "Stereodude", you should be more concerned about having to "take a while to figure out what was playing music".

To clarify, I would be happy with a 32GB SSD. If and when I do need more storage I simply plug in my Seagate 500GB Free Agent Go, which is slightly bigger than an iPhone.

I guess it's because I opted for the 'Free Shipping' I'm on the "Let's wait until next week" list of priority.

I remember how system and storage memory used to be a luxury item. Now it's dirt cheap and I'm liking it!

I think my eyes will hate me if I work on a spreadsheet on a netbook. LOL!

Yah, and manufacturers usually run the minimum apps to stretch out the battery life to get the most impressive ratings. I'll be happy to achieve 80% of any claims.

The placement of speakers on either side of the bezel is clever. To me it not only to direct the sound towards the user but also visually lessens the apparent thickness of the bezel. It looks cool.

 

A SSD is lighter than a spinning HD by about 1 oz. But I don't really see your point. You'd rather carry an external 500GB drive because you wanted to make your netbook lighter and gave up most of the internal storage capability? Yeah, that's definitely smaller and lighter.

 

I'd have a look at the specs on the Asus, but I don't think there is a 1" size difference. The Asus has always been one of the larger Netbooks out there. I can tell you having purchased two of the Asus 1000HE's that they are not lighter in fact they weight 3.2 lbs vs 2.8 lbs of the N120. The battery on the N120 is flush with the unit and stick out big time on the Asus.

Yeah, free shipping is nice if you want to wait and Amazon doesn't get in any hurry to ship those and they send them slow boat from China too. I've made that mistake one time and it took 10 days for me to get my order.

In regards to the using or editiing a spreedsheet on the netbook, I have no problem with it. It usually takes me a very short while and I am doing it on the fly because I am usually on the go. My arms and back appreciate my 2.8 lbs and 10.75" wide netbook and my eyes don't seem to mind at all. LOL

Yes, I am finding the bezel speakers to work very well and I am happy with them being there. I can actually hear my N120 vs many other netbooks My larger HP Business machine, which I handed down and eventually got a Lenovo Business Machine neither of which were/are very loud yet appears to have much larger speakers.

 

Does anyone know how I can use my current computer (with dvd drive) as an external dvd drive for my netbook? As in, do I just need to connect the two with usb cables, or is there something more I need to do?

 

2) I stated from the beginning, my primary use of the netbook was just email and net surfing. Does that sound as though I need lots of storage? NO

3) I wrote "And I can carry my little 500GB Seagate Free Agent GO if I needed extra storage." Does that mean I will carry that external drive with me all the time? NO

I was merely giving an idea that even a subtle variation of an inch or half a pound makes a difference to me when I travel with other gears such as SLR, P/S Cam, Camcorder, and all their accessories. One reason I shied away from the PC1008HE was its weight, which is more than 1/2 pound more than the MSI Wind U120, one of my final three choices.

When I have to work with Word or Excel I would still prefer a Desktop monitor as I will have multiple docs open at once.

BTW, how quiet is the N120? Are the fans/drive really quiet?

 

I am not a moderator here, but jeez is all this necessary? I don't think so! Everyone has an opinion and should be able to state it without all this kind of stuff.

Well naturally it would be crazy not to prefer a desktop monitor, but when I am on the go sometime that option is not available so having the ability to quick review and/or edit while on the fly makes this little netbook valuable to me. Am I going to sit down and create new documents and write up proposals etc, I doubt it. But that doesn't mean i won't from time to time edit some docs or review some spreedsheets.

One think I am not doing is lugging a heavy notebook or desktop computer around with me. hehehe

The N120 fan and hard drive are hardly even detectable unless you are in a totally quiet room and really listening for them.