I was looking for a device that would complement my primary laptop, a Lenovo G505S. After considering and rejecting a tablet, I decided to go in for this laptop/netbook. My observations -
Build Quality and Design(8/10) - At the price point of the Xiaomi Mi3(got a Rs 1000 discount for Visa offer), the product comes with a decent build quality. Everything is plastic of course, but decent quality plastic. I don't understand why people are calling the plastic a fingerprint magnet. Except the ASUS logo in the middle of the top cover, the rest of the exterior has a matte tone that shouldn't attract fingerprints.
The design is small and beautiful. The red model resembles the red used in cars and some high end phones giving the product a premium look.Being extremely small and light, I could easily fit it into my university backpack like a large textbook. The hinges creak somewhat as you lift the display though, and it remains to be seen how durable they prove.
Keyboard and Touchpad(8/10) - The keyboard is large and keys have a rugged matte finish. Keys themselves are large and responsive. The B key produces an unpleasant "tac" sound but this is not a complaint really. I type at 82WPM normally and could manage 77WPM on the keyboard, which is decent considering its size. The keys looks sturdy and appear capable of surviving my ruthless onslaught for a considerable amount of time.
The touchpad is gigantic and while the left and right buttons are a bit wobbly, the touchpad itself is good. Again, I would disagree with those saying the touchpad does not cater to gestures properly. Most gestures worked fine and the ones that gave occasional trouble, I'd put down to my own incompetence. Most vitally, while typing the touchpad did not interfere at all, which is more than can be said for the Lenovo G505S.
Display(6.5/10) - Having used the Xiaomi Mi3, Nexus 7 2012 and Lenovo G505S, I am used to excellent HD displays. This one produces washed out colors and while viewing angles are okay, the overall quality of the screen leaves something to be desired. Watching movies is a tolerable experience, one you'd reserve for your travelling times only.
Processor(9/10) - While it is no match for the AMD A10 5750M on my Lenovo G505S, it manages tasks amicably. At one time I had 5 news pages(with lots of multimedia)+ Flipkart+ Facebook open on the browser(Chrome) and was running Word 2013 and a 720p movie. Things worked smoothly, though it remains to be seen how it performs as time goes on.
Storage(8/10) - Let me clarify at the outset that eMMC is not SSD - there is a qualitative difference. The eMMC on this device has decent speed and nothing lags. You get a microSD card slot that I tried out with a 32GB Class 10 card and things went smoothly. However, given that you get only about 17GB internal storage free, even a 128GB microSD card wouldn't suffice(not to say prove rather costly). I'd suggest carrying a 1TB external hard disk or using the included cloud storage options.
Gaming(3/10) - This device isn't meant for gaming. Trying to run Call of Duty Ghosts from an external HDD brought forth this point so forcefully that I didn't bother running benchmarks. Older games like Wolfenstein(2009) and top down RPGs(Diablo III) run however, so if this is the only device you've got, you won't be left in the lurch.
Verdict(9/10) - At this price point, I'm quite satisfied with what this device does. I expect the flowing animation in Office to become choppy as time wears on, and general performance to dip, but that happens to the best of devices. If the hinges and keyboard holds and the slow down isn't excessively annoying, I'd say I've got hold of an excellent device. As of now though, I'm quite satisfied.
-
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.