I've been using this laptop for a while now and am very happy with my purchase. Out of the box I noticed how small it was and was exactly what I was looking for. I want the portability of a tablet, without the limitations of a tablet and that's where this laptop comes into play. It runs Windows 7 which is a plus so you don't have to deal with the Windows 8 nonsense for those who prefer not to use Windows 8 (me included). It is pretty snappy and starts up in about 30 seconds which is good enough for me.
Right away there was tons of bloatware. It took about an hour of uninstalling to take it off. But it's simply uninstalling from control panel, not any of the crazy uninstall processes some bloatware makes you go through. I feel like the keyboard is slightly smaller than a full size one, but after using it for a while you get used to it pretty quick and can make the transition. Just those few days you will miss a keystroke here and there, but it is nothing big to worry about. The arrow keys are pretty small, but they are still definitely usable. The touch pad is the kind where the track pad also pushes down in the appropriate places for left and right mouse clicks. I have dealt with this kind of touch pad before so it didn't bother me, but I can see how some people hate it. You can also tap it to click too which leads to accidental clicks sometimes. The HDMI port is also a very nice feature and is straight plug and play. The laptop does emit heat after extended use on the bottom and is warm on your lap, but by far less heat produced than any other laptop I have used.
Also some people may not realize this laptop does not have a disc drive in it. All you have to do is simply copy and paste files onto a flash drive or use a cloud service, but for some people that do not have either option then not having a disc drive may be a problem for them.
Another huge issue other people complain about are the speakers. While they are pretty bad, they are still usable. The sound quality is similar to as if you turn up the volume using headphones and use the headphones on full blast as make-shift speakers. But once you plug headphones into it, the quality is just fine, so it's not a hardware issue that turns into bad sound all the time. If you plan on using headphones most of the time, you're fine.
I mainly use this when I'm away from my desktop or traveling. I do game quite a bit and have run many basic games on Steam with it just fine. I do recommend investing in a wireless mouse if you are not used to gaming with a track pad because it is not for everyone.
I eventually upgraded to 8 GB of RAM and the laptop responded and is even snappier. Definitely a must buy in my book.
The few things that are wrong with it are very minor things. The battery sticks out about two inches. It gives the keyboard a nice angle to type on when on a desk. However the product picture shows it being flush, which it definitely is not and may be a deal breaker if that's what you're looking for. Another thing is sometimes the fan starts making odd noises, I simply tap (very gently) near the fan and it goes away. It doesn't happen often but it happens once in a while. The sound as mentioned earlier isn't the best, but it can be solved with headphones. The visibility of the screen on different angles isn't bad for me at all, I don't mind adjusting the screen and what not but I can see how it would really annoy other people.
Pros:
- Fast performance
- Expandable to 8 GB of RAM
- Small & light
- Battery life
- Quick start up & shut down
- Windows 7 (for those who aren't a fan of 8)
- Does not get really hot on your lap (other laptops get painfully hot after extended use)
Cons:
- Battery protrudes
- Fan sometimes makes odd noises (quite rare)
- Lots of bloatware
| Standing screen display size | 11.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1366x768 |
| Processor | 1.5 GHz celeron |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 500 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel GMA HD Graphics |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 3 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 3 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 6.5 Hours |
