Review: Hi-Grade Notino W5900

Hi-Grade is a UK-based manufacturer that offers entry-level laptops at affordable prices. The Notino W5900 combines an eye-catching design with impressive components but, ultimately, performance fails to impress. The slim chassis is compact and suits basic travel use. At 2.7kg, it can comfortably be carried on short journeys around town. Although bettered by the eMachines and Toshiba, the 175-minute battery life will let you work on the daily commute. The combination of a glossy black lid and matt-silver interior provides an eye-catching look. The lid is prone to scratching, however. Build quality is generally strong, although we did notice some flex to the palmrest when typing. Following Hi-Grade's past success when selling pink laptops to female laptop buyers, it has chosen a full-colour ink-jet design scheme for the W5900. The kitschy and overtly feminine look won't suit all tastes, but certainly helps it stand out from the crowd. As with the eMachines, the 15.6-inch screen is very bright, but this again leads to slightly washed out images. Colour and contrast are otherwise reasonable, however, and images are sharp. The 16:9 aspect ratio is ideal for entertainment use. The keyboard uses the so-called isolation style design, whereby all keys are cut through individual holes in the chassis. The board flexes and has a very spongy feeling when typing, however. All the keys also rattle slightly, leading to awkward and irritating usability. Poor performer Performance is unfortunately poor, despite the use of a powerful dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2048MB of memory. Basic tasks, such as word processing and writing emails, run smoothly enough, but there is a noticeable lag when running more taxing applications. Impressive storage redresses the balance somewhat. The 250GB hard drive will easily hold a family's files. The DVD rewriter lacks DVD-RAM compatibility, but the 7-in-1 card reader provides comprehensive support for media card formats. Extra features include an integrated camera above the screen for taking snapshots and recording live video. Software tools for basic office tasks, antivirus protection and CD/DVD creation are also included, helping first-time buyers get to work straight from the box. While the W5900 will be mainly sold on its looks, its impressive specification adds to its value. Usability and performance fail to match expectations, but if you want an eye-catching and well-specified laptop, you may like what's on offer.Related LinksTechRadar Reviews GuaranteeRead more laptop reviewsRelated StoriesReview: Archos 10Review: Lenovo Ideapad S12Review: Toshiba Satellite Pro L300-2CHReview: eMachines G725-422G25MiReview: Advent Roma 1000

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Tags: core2 widescreen