Reviews - Samsung N310 netbook. Style over substance?

[HEXUS]

Sleek lines and cool exterior aim to mask shortcomings.

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[nichomach]

It IS far too pricey for the spec; I picked up one of the new Aspire One D150s with the other half yesterday (bloody typical; weeks of saying "I don't really NEED a netbook", hence not buying one online, becomes, in the blink of an eye "I need one tomorrow", followed by a mad dash around several electronics stores). I picked that up, and it was the version with a 6-cell battery, for £299 in Comet. That also sports the N280 Atom, usual gig of RAM plus 160GB HD. I just don't think there's enough style here to cover the relatively weak substance. The D150's a nice machine, by the way - you just have to be careful to get the 6-cell version.

[Jezza101]

I conducted a survey a while back to see what people thought of the N310's appearance and found the vote fairly split.

I would actually argue that the 310's biggest competition comes from the other netbooks in the Samsung range. With the NC10 starting to see some price drops in certain regions it looks as attractive an option as ever despite the release of the (slightly) superior (yet more expensive) N110.

I don't think the N310 is all that bad, and if you want something that stands out then you don't really have any other options. Don't underestimate how much people value style - I think many reviewers do. As a practical computer user I just care that it looks solid and respectable, but we probably only account for a certain percentage of buyers and certainly don't represent the target audience here.

The N310's insides are fairly standard and quite agreeable in the current market. I wouldn't get one myself. But then I have an NC10 !