Verdict and Conclusion

There's no question ... the Samsung X130 is one of the sexiest looking ultra-mobile notebook I've tested to date. I'm extremely impressed by the overall performance of the X130. And there's no doubt, my productivity had definitely increase by at least 5 fold. With a larger 11.6" inch screen, and a more powerful Core i3 - U330 processor with 2Gb of DDR3 ram, I'm able to do a lot more than I used to ... including full photo-editing, multiple window web browsing, emails and CMS management, as well as editing several Excel spreadsheets at a time, while managing all my other documents from PDF to Microsoft Word. I was quite surprised to find out that the X130 came with a 64-bit version of Microsoft's Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. It's a nice added bonus, because most 64-bit OSes are normally reservered for higher-end desktop replacement notebooks, as they often come with 4Gb of ram or more.

The onboard Intel GMA HD graphics provides decent performance during HD video playback, and was more than capable for some photo touchup and basic video editing. I was even able to play some FPS games, but don't expect it to be as good as a notebook with a dedicated graphics chipset.

The Samsung X130 is packed with great features. For example, you get a large 11.6" LED HD 16:9 Gloss screen that offers a sharp, crystal clear display with resolution of upto 1366x 768. What's more, the included HDMI output allows you to connect to any HDTV and watch movies in full HD 720p. As for other features, you also get a massive 500Gb hard drive, 1.3 Megapixel webcam, WiFi 802.11bg/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and SRS-3D 1.5w stereo speakers. Furthermore, the X130 offer excellent connectivity ... including the 15-pin VGA output, HDMI port, RJ45 LAN, speaker/headset out, mic-in, 3-in-1 card reader and a total of 3 USB (chargeable) ports.

So what about upgradability? Well, looking at the underside of the X130, you'll find 2 removeable panels. One is for the memory and the other is for the hard drive. The X130 has 2 memory slots, one is already occupied with 2Gb of DDR3 ram, while the other is empty and ready for an additional 2Gb ... therefore giving you a total/maximum of 4Gb of memory. With a massive 500Gb hard drive, I don't think anyone would want to upgrade further, but wait ... if money allows, why not increase the notebook's performnce by replacing the existing hard drive with a SSD ;)

The keyboard is the thing that really strikes you ... black keys on a white notebook makes it really stand out from the rest. I love it. The quality of the keys are good and reminds me of an Apple Macbook.

The standard X130 notebook comes with a 4-cell battery which can last upto 5-6 hours. There's also an optional 6-cell battery which can offer even longer usage of upto 8 hours. The total weight for the X130 including the 4-cell battery is approximately 1.49Kg, which I think is quite exceptional compared with the other notebooks on the market.

Samsung also offer a lot of innovative solutions on their X-series of notebooks, such as the Samsung’s AllShare™, which lets you stream and play videos, music and photos on your mobile PC without installing time-consuming drivers. There's also a convenient super Silent Mode which is easily activated by pressing the Fn+ F8 keys ... offering three operating modes—silent, normal and speed. And finally, Samsung’s Recovery Solution, which automatically and regularly backs up your PC data to the hard drive. 

Currently, the Samsung X130 isn't available in the US or UK, but we've searched the good old internet and found some interesting prices. On average, it costs between USD $699-799 (GBP 450-550), which is a little more than I expected, but considering what you get for your money ... it's definitely worth a look. At the end of the day ... the Samsung X130 is a ultra-mobile notebook that's powerful and packed with great features.

Final words. Powered by Intel's Core i3 - U330 CULV processor, the Samsung X130 is a feature-packed notebook that appeals to anyone who wants more performance over your average netbook. Its great features and compact size makes the Samsung X130 one of the best ultra-mobile notebooks on the market.

SCORE
9/10

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