MSI U135 Mini Laptop Review

Affordable netbooks cannot get any cheaper than the MSI range of mini laptops. The new MSI U135 is a 10 inch laptop that replaces their older 10’ inch laptop series. Though the dimension remain the same, the newest features include an Intel’s Atom N450 1.66GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 160GB of hard disk space. Due to the efficient, low power consuming atom processor, the battery life for this laptop is above average and is impressive for true mobility.

Build -Design -Hardware

Don’t know what the MSI designers were thinking when they thought of this machine, but at the price that the laptop is offered, no one will seriously complain about the design, or the lack of it. The top lid is metal -thankfully. Glossy piece of metal, done in pretty colors is always attractive, but how does MSI still comes out looking ugly, is beyond anyone’s guess. The hardware specs is where the money feels it’s worth, for this laptop. Intel Atom’s processor, with a core speed of 1.66GHZ is a decently performing, multitasking enabled processor. It is good for casual to medium-heavy computing. The screen is a 10 inch display with a maximum resolution of 1024×600. There is no separate GPU, but it does have Intel’s GMA 3150 chipset that provides enough juice for most multimedia applications. The laptop has a 1GB of RAM, and 160GB of HDD.

Keyboard -Mouse – Webcam

Just like the design, the keyboard too is ugly. It has that glossy surface underneath the keys, which is tacky to look at. Though some may find it attractive, it really is a turn off. The keyboard has chiclet style key layout, and surprisingly, the keys are sturdy and are responsive to even heavy typing fingers. They don’t feel fragile as they appear, and are great, due to the key size, for error free fast typing. The small dimension offers no room for palm rest, which is felt missing for such a great keyboard. The trackpad has a surface that resembles the surface of the top lid. The crossed out lines, even on the trackpad don’t look good. The trackpad is good, but its small size prevents it from being used to its full potential. There are no spare keys for left & right clicks, but it has been integrated into one single bar that sits at the bottom of the trackpad.

Connectivity -Ports – Battery

What could take you by surprise that this laptop has almost all the feature of a fully fledged laptop, which includes 3 USB 2.0 ports, one microphone-in and headphone-out jack, A D-sub port for video connectivity and RJ45 LAN port. The laptop lacks a physical optical drive.

Technical Specifications

Pros & Cons

Pros -

• Decent Battery Life
• Capable touchpad
• Fantastic Keyboard

Cons -

• Ugly Design
•  Low Resolution.

By Henrik Stigell