Small, Portable, Lightweight Laptop (12")

Mansize_tissue · 1 Jul 2008 at 22:43

***See post 19***

At the moment I'm using a FS Amilo A1630 which was made in 2004 (if I recall correctly), so I think I need a bit of an upgrade.

I'm looking for a small, lightweight laptop, preferably with a screen either 12" or smaller.

Needs:
- Lightweight
- Small screen
- 2GB RAM

Wants:
- Slim and stylish
- 120GB or greater HDD capacity
- Something which can take a bit of abuse
- Good battery life

This will be used for normal "office" applications (work processing, email, internet browsing) and maybe a bit of image editing and other such things. It won't be used for gaming so having a decent graphics card isn't one of my priorities.

The XPS M1330 is quite an obvious, small laptop to suggest but I think I'd really rather have something a bit smaller, as the extra size and weight will make a fair bit of difference when I'm carrying it around.

I'm assuming whatever I'll get will have Vista pre-installed. I'll probably dual-boot with XP, though this probably won't have any impact on the laptop choice.

I really don't want to spend more than £800 on this. I am only a poor student, after all! Though ideally I'd like to keep it around the £400-500 figure.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Gilbretto · 2 Jul 2008 at 00:11

I had a quick search and came up with this;

HP Pavilion tx2000 (12.1 inch, 2GB RAM, 250 GB HD) £699

No idea if its the best value or not. But all the other 12inch laptops i saw were way over your budget.

Review - http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4204&review=HP+Pavilion+tx2000

Although at the end of the review it says that it is a little heavy, it only weighs 1.92 kg, compared to the 3.6 kg your Amilo weighs.

beermonster · 2 Jul 2008 at 09:16

Goin for a 12" laptop you're sacrificing spec for size, ie you wont get as much for your money, you can get some sub £500 units with ok specs, have a look down the high street to to get a physical idea of how small they are, moving up to 13" get you a wider range of units.

The HP TX2000 is a tablet with swivel screen so is a bit bulkier for that reason, avoid if you dont need tablet function.

StevenG · 2 Jul 2008 at 11:29

Acer Aspire 2920z £399 from Tesco's

Processor - Intel Core Duo T2310 Dual-Core
RAM - 2 GB (installed) 4 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM
Hard Drive - 120 GB
Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Screen - 12.1 in TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 24-bit (16.7 million colours)
Optical Drive - DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM
Bluetooth - No
Warranty - 1 year warranty

bledd · 2 Jul 2008 at 11:42

i wish sony would make another x505 type laptop..

http://www.aii.co.jp/contents/smojsdmk/vaio/PCG-X505/Images/wallpaper_1_1.jpg

http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/952-3/sony-pcg-x505-sp-review-full-review

too thin to have an ethernet port.

StevenG · 2 Jul 2008 at 14:03

bledd. said:
i wish sony would make another x505 type laptop..

http://www.aii.co.jp/contents/smojsdmk/vaio/PCG-X505/Images/wallpaper_1_1.jpg

http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/952-3/sony-pcg-x505-sp-review-full-review

too thin to have an ethernet port.

There is one on ebay at the moment!

i mean Oh My God thats thin!

Mansize_tissue · 2 Jul 2008 at 14:26

One thing to bear in mind is that I can get 10% off any laptop bought at Tesco, meaning I could get that Acer for £360 which certainly seems like quite a good deal. However, the brand puts me off a bit, and I fear it's not going to be the best-built laptop in the world plus the processor isn't anything to write home about. Though there is a slightly better model for £500 (£450) which has a better processor and larger HDD, but it's still made by Acer!

Hmm, that HP Pavillion does look nice, but I don't think I'd ever use the touch screen or tablet functions so I feel I'd be paying a premium for features I don't need. Though I could get it for £630 at Tesco.

beermonster, I'll bear that in mind. It's just that the jump from 12" for 13", though small, still seems significant in the extra size and weight it brings with it. I will have a look though to see if a 13" laptop will suffice, as this will certainly open up a lot of doors.

How about this:

Advent 4401 (£450)
* 12" Screen
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5550
* (1.83 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB Cache)
* Genuine Windows Vista (R) Home Premium
* 2 GB Memory
* 160 GB Hard Drive

Also, how does the brand (Advent) compare to Acer?

Thank you very much for your help so far everyone.

MTA99 · 2 Jul 2008 at 16:51

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17891086&highlight=x60s

Absolutely superb laptop, I borrowed an X60 for the weekend and nearly bought this one (the x60s is the low power version) before engaging the sensible part of my brain

Genuine 8hrs battery life and really light weight. IBM styling might not be very exciting but the build quality more than makes up for it.

Hxc · 2 Jul 2008 at 17:19

Oh jesus christ if only I had £375....

Indy500 · 2 Jul 2008 at 17:21

Advent = HP. To be honest their build quality still isn't that great, but better than Acer.

Hxc · 2 Jul 2008 at 17:31

I'm looking at buying a cheapo 12" laptop but I'm looking more and more toward refurbished IBM X41 tablet which can be picked up with 1 years IBM warrenty for under £200...

Pick up 2 4cell batteries at £30~ each and you have a £250 travel warrior running a slim version of XP at high speed

MTA99 · 2 Jul 2008 at 17:38

Hxc said:
I'm looking at buying a cheapo 12" laptop but I'm looking more and more toward refurbished IBM X41 tablet which can be picked up with 1 years IBM warrenty for under £200...

Pick up 2 4cell batteries at £30~ each and you have a £250 travel warrior running a slim version of XP at high speed

I was going to suggest you get a single 8cell but then i saw the price! :eek:

Hxc · 2 Jul 2008 at 17:50

Yep; they are silly priced indeed!

Seems the X41 are not going as cheap as I thought...damn...back to trying to work out what I can get for around £250...

Plexman · 2 Jul 2008 at 20:06

A little over budget at £560 but I would go for a Samsung Q45 (NP-Q45A00D/SUK)

Samsung Q45
Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 (1.83GHz)
12'1 Screen
3GB Ram
320GB Hard Drive
DVD Super-Multi Dual Layer Light Scribe
Extended 6 Cell Li-ion
Intel GMA X3100 10/100
56K modem 802.11abg/n
Bluetooth
6 in 1 slot reader
Webcam (1.3M)
Weight: 1.89kg
Windows Vista Home Premium

Review here http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2007/06/26/Samsung-Q45/p1

Mansize_tissue · 3 Jul 2008 at 15:22

Thank you for bringing that to my attention to that, MTA99. I've never really considered getting a Thinkpad. I'd jump on that deal like a cat but the specs don't seem all that great and it isn't widescreen (thus the resolution isn't exactly what I was looking for, but still OK I guess). I'll still have a think about it though.

Mmm, Plexman, that Sammy could be exactly what I'm looking for. I'll have to have a look around to see what sort of price I can get it for. More importantly, though, I need to try and find a highstreet store that stocks it so I can have a play around.

If necessary, I could wait a few months before I make this purchase; I don't know if this changes anything or whether there are some new laptops on the horizon that would be appropriate, anybody know there's anything due to be released soon?

Good luck with your search, too, Hxc

Oh and cheers, sr4470, I'll probably stay away from Acer then.

bigredshark · 3 Jul 2008 at 15:34

See if you can get a dell latitude d430, it's not sony bling if thats your thing but it's light, decent battery life, decent quality at a reasonable price (compared to the IBM and HP alternatives anyway)

MTA99 · 3 Jul 2008 at 16:32

Mansize_tissue said:
Thank you for bringing that to my attention to that, MTA99. I've never really considered getting a Thinkpad. I'd jump on that deal like a cat but the specs don't seem all that great and it isn't widescreen (thus the resolution isn't exactly what I was looking for, but still OK I guess). I'll still have a think about it though.

You saw the reaction of Hxc, anyone who has used an X-series IBM does the same. Its a shame you can't test drive one. The screen is a little underwhelming but for the price its a bargain, have a look on popular auction sites (or similar) and see just how much its worth. Wouldn't cost much to bump it up to 2gb and you won't find a machine with such a long *real world* battery life.

bigredshark said:
See if you can get a dell latitude d430, it's not sony bling if thats your thing but it's light, decent battery life, decent quality at a reasonable price (compared to the IBM and HP alternatives anyway)

One of my mates has a d430 for work. Lovely little machine, nicely designed and built but not up to the standard of IBM. The battery is a little disappointing but its not too difficult to plan ahead

bledd · 10 Jul 2008 at 11:24

anyone got an x505?

sooo good looking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PGt4uTrPTU

a lot sleeker than the mac book air

Mansize_tissue · 11 Sep 2008 at 18:12

I still haven't made a decision yet and I'd really like to get a new laptop soon as I start university on the 22nd. Right now, here are the 2 main ones I'm considering:

Titan Mobile - 12.1" WXGA Laptop - £753.09

- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.40GHz
- Memory: 4GB
- O/S: Vista Home Premium 64-Bit
- HDD: WD Scorpio 320GB 7200RPM
- Graphics: Intel GMA X4500 HD
- Screen: 12.1" WXGA LCD Widescreen (1280x800)
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
- Ethernet LAN: 10/100/1000
- Sound Controller: High Definition Audio
- Speakers: Stereo
- Expansion: 54mm ExpressCard Slot
- Card Reader: SD Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro & MultiMedia Card
- Camera: 2.0 Megapixel
- Security: Kensington Lock Slot
- Connections: 3x USB 2.0, 1x VGA 1x RJ-11, 1x RJ-45, 1x Microphone & 1x Speakers/Headphones
- Battery: 4-Cell Lithium-Ion
- Dimensions: 299.0mm x 219mm x 35.7mm
- Warranty: 2 Year

Samsung Q210 - £649.98

- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz 3MB Cache (1066MHz FSB)
- Memory: 3GB DDR2 RAM
- O/S: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
- HDD: 320GB 5400RPM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS 256MB
- Screen: 12.1" WXGA SuperBright LCD Widescreen (1280x800)
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
- Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi Dual Layer Drive
- Wireless LAN: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g & 802.11n
- Ethernet LAN: 10/100/1000
- Sound Controller: High Definition Audio
- Speakers: Stereo
- Expansion: 34mm ExpressCard Slot
- Card Reader: SD Card & MultiMedia Card
- Camera: 1.3 Megapixel
- Security: Kensington Lock Slot
- Connections: 3x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, 1x RJ-11, 1x RJ-45, 1x Microphone & 1x Speakers/Headphones
- Weight: 1.95kg
- Battery: 6-Cell Lithium-Ion
- Dimensions: 304mm x 226mm x 36.7mm
- Warranty: 1 Year

I'd like to get the Titan but I'm unsure how long the battery will last, how much it weighs and what the build quality will be like. I also don't know what the Samsung's build quality will be like, does anyone have any input here?

One more thing, how do the screens and graphics cards compare on these 2 models, and are there any other laptops I should be considering?

Cheers.

kevpuk · 11 Sep 2008 at 19:35

Any interest in my HP TX1138 + docking station, TechAir bag etc. ? See here

Sure we can agree a nice price....