HP Mini 210 HD Review

HP / Hewlett-Packard Mini 210-2060NR 10.1" 

Netbook Computer (Luminous Rose)

Review Summary:

The HP Mini 210 HD is a good alternative to a bulky notebook, but still uses the rather slow Intel Atom processor.

Pros

• WXGA resolution 10-inch screen
• Optional GPS, WWAN or Broadcom CrystalHD
• One of the better button-less touchpads

Cons

• Short battery life
• Sluggish

HP Mini 210 HD Full Review

 

The Mini 210 HD is the latest netbook from HP, offering a full 720P-compatible 1366x768 resolution on a compact 10.1-inch display. This model includes the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor standard-with the faster 1.83GHz N475 for $25 more-as well as Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics. In this review we see how well this netbook holds up against the competition and if you should consider this over a slightly more powerful CULV notebook.

Our HP Mini 210 HD Specifications:

• Windows 7 Starter (32-bit)
• Intel Atom N450 Processor 1.66GHz (667MHz FSB)
• 1GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• 160GB 5400rpm SATA Fujitsu HDD
• 10.1-inch diagonal (1366x768)
• Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics
• Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
• 4-in-1 media card slot
• Dimensions: 10.55 in (L) x 6.9 in (W) x 0.9-1.11 in (H)
• Weight: 2.69 lb with 3-cell battery (not including weight of AC adapter).
• Power: 3-cell 28Wh battery
• Warranty: One-year standard warranty
• Price: $409.99 (current price with standard, 7200RPM hard drive)

Build and Design
The new design of the HP Mini really helps to enhance its looks and raise the expectation that this netbook isn't a toy but rather a full-fledged designer notebook. The new Mini uses painted panels for the screen cover and bottom cover, adding a touch of color to each model. Compared to normal designs that leave the bottom with bland, unfinished black plastic, this really helps in the looks department. The interior was also given a facelift, featuring a flush-mount Synaptics touchpad with integrated buttons. It also makes use of a redesigned Chiclet keyboard with integrated function-key lights to show when certain features are activated. The new look is nothing short of astonishing.

Build quality is very good even with the bottom panel that snaps into place. When completely closed the HP Mini 210 has a sturdy feel and doesn't show much flex under pressure. The screen cover does a good job of protecting the LCD and the bottom cover doesn't creak or feel loose when properly reinstalled. On the inside the keyboard feels solid in its tray with very little flex or movement. The palmrest also holds up well, although if you have adult-sized hands your palms are hanging over the notebook and almost resting on the desk surface. In short, it is a pretty solid netbook with all things considered.

The HP Mini 210 has one of the most DIY-upgrade friendly designs we have ever seen in the NotebookReview offices. You can access all internal components without ever using a screwdriver ... and the same can't be said about other notebooks. HP designed the Mini 210 with a bottom panel that comes off using old-fashion finger power. With the bottom panel off users have access to the Wi-Fi card, open mini-PCIe slot for a Broadcom HD or WWAN card, system memory and hard drive. Any upgrade can be performed in seconds, and is much less intimidating for even the most basic of users.

Screen and Speakers
The display on the HP Mini 210 HD is unlike most other netbooks. It has a higher WXGA (1366x768) resolution instead of the usual 1024x600 panel found on other models. This is useful in a number of ways, including properly displaying menu windows and reducing excessive horizontal or vertical scrolling. Another added benefit is being able to watch 720P video, although it also relies on you having a Broadcom CrystalHD decoder card configured with the system. Without that card the system would be unable to play the content, let alone display it on the higher resolution panel at reasonable framerates.

The panel itself is easy to read--at least with my eyes--and text doesn't appear to be that small compared to other mobile devices. If you can read small text on a mobile phone, you should be able to view the screen without any problems. Color and contrast are very nice, although at times I felt reflections off the all-glass surface seemed to obscure part of the panel. Backlight levels were great for viewing the screen in bright office conditions, but outdoor viewing was out of the question. Viewing angles were average compared to other notebooks, with colors starting to invert or distort when the screen was tilted about 15 degrees forward or back. Horizontal viewing angles were better, but the reflections seemed to obscure the panel past 45 to 50 degrees.

The small speakers on the HP Mini 210 HD are located on the front edge of the palmrest, angled downward towards your lap. On a flat desktop they easily filled up a small room with music but once you placed the netbook in your lap they became muffled and easily blocked by clothing. Sound quality was average compared to other similarly sized netbooks, with weak bass and midrange.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The HP Mini 210 HD features a 93% fullsize Chiclet keyboard. For short term use the keyboard is comfortable to type on and feels as strong as typing on a regular notebook. The size though can feel slightly cramped depending on if you are used to typing on a larger notebook. For short term travel or light usage in the home for web browsing you probably won't have any problem. If you intended to use this as your primary system, you might want to consider moving up to the 11.6" ultraportable form-factor which is closer to standard full-size while still being very portable.

Function keys on the keyboard are direct access, meaning you don't need to press the "Fn" button to adjust the screen brightness or enable Wi-Fi. Another feature is built-in indicator lights for the mute and wireless on/off buttons. While there is no performance different between this and side mounted lights, it helps in the aesthetics department.

The touchpad on the Mini 210 HD is a button-less Synaptics ClickPad with multitouch support. Compared to the twitchy variant found on the HP ProBook recently reviewed, we found no such problems on this particular version. Unlike the earlier version, if your finger was resting on a pre-defined left/right button box, any movement on the main touchpad section would activate pinch-zoom. Now those areas are dead zones, preventing a lot of frustration we previously had. The touchpad surface was very smooth and almost glossy in texture. Sensitivity was excellent without any adjustment needed and acceleration on both axes was equal. It's hard to say if the touchpad has reached the same ease of use level of the one found on the MacBooks', but it is getting very close.

Ports and Features
The HP Mini 210 HD features three USB 2.0 ports, VGA-out, one audio headset jack, and Ethernet. The system also includes a SDHC card slot. Optional features include GPS, WWAN, and a Broadcom CrystalHD card for HD video decoding.

Front: Nothing

Rear: Nothing

Left: DC-input, VGA-out, HDD activity light, one USB 2.0, headset jack

Right: SDHC-card slot, Power switch, 2 USB 2.0, LAN, Kensington lock slot

Performance and Benchmarks
System performance was good compared to other Intel Atom-equipped netbooks, but compared to current generation CULV-ultraportables the speed was lacking. With the higher resolution panel we felt the system seemed to lag more than usual, with lengthy boot to desktop idle times, and pauses when opening system menus. One possible cause could be related to the rather slow 5400RPM hard drive, which at the time of this writing has been replaced by a standard 7200RPM drive on the HP website. For light usage like surfing the web, checking email, or using office productivity software it performs well, but beyond that a more powerful CULV-based system would be the best option.

HD video playback on our review unit was unsuccessful even with lower bitrate 720P trailers downloaded from the Apple website. The system also had trouble playing HD video on sites like YouTube and Hulu. For buyers interested in watching 720P and 1080P movies on the Mini 210 HD, the Broadcom CrystalHD decoder card is highly recommended.

As you can see by the synthetic benchmarks listed below netbook performance hasn't significantly changed from the original models that hit the market more than two years ago. Processor performance has picked up, but overall system performance is still pretty slow compared to CULV notebooks or budget full-size notebooks. The higher resolution of the HP Mini 210 HD also seems to have made the overall system performance take a hit compared to lower resolution netbooks like the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Heat output from the Intel Atom N450 and GMA 3150 integrated graphics was minimal at worst. Even under stress the system stayed cool in your lap. During normal use the system stayed right above room temperature and was very comfortable to use for extended periods of time. The temperatures shown below are listed in degrees Fahrenheit:

The cooling fan stayed on continuously, spinning at a lower speed when idle and picking up as heat output increased. Fan noise wasn't that bad but you could tell it was on without having to be near the system. With an ambient noise level of 33dB, the fan measured 39dB at a distance of 12-inches.

Battery Life
The stock battery on the HP Mini 210 HD is a 3-cell 28Wh model with an indicated capacity of 23Wh. Compared to models like the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE with a 63Wh battery, this is only a fraction of the capacity of competing models. In our testing with the screen brightness reduced to 70%, wireless activate and refreshing a webpage every 60 seconds, and Windows 7 on a balanced profile the Mini 210 HD stayed on for 3 hours and 18 minutes. An extended battery is offered as an option with this model... given the results we saw with the 3-cell battery we highly recommend you opt for the larger size.

Conclusion
Ultraportable computers are currently set in two camps, with 10" netbooks and 11.6" CULV-notebooks fighting against each other. Netbooks for the longest time have offered longer battery life at the expense of system performance, while CULV-notebooks offered higher resolution screens with much greater system performance. The HP Mini 210 HD is a cross between those two groups, offering a mix of an Intel Atom processor, WXGA (720p compatible) screen resolution, HD movie playback (with decoder card) and still keeping the 10" netbook form-factor.

Battery life with the stock 3-cell battery didn't produce numbers anywhere near other competing netbooks with lower resolutions like the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE that managed just over 12 hours, but an optional extended 6-cell battery should help. Overall, if you are in the market for a 10" netbook, the HP Mini 210 HD offers some of the best features and upgrades in its class.

Pros:

• WXGA resolution 10-inch screen
• Optional GPS, WWAN or Broadcom CrystalHD
• One of the better button-less touchpads

Cons:

• Short battery life
• Sluggish

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support 
Upgrade Capabilities 
Usability 
Design 
Performance 
Features 
Price/Value Rating 

* Ratings averaged to produce final score