Ultra portables vs. Mininotes

Recently I happened to read the column Are Low-Cost Laptops for Real? written by Tim Bajarin in PCMag.com, where he discusses the increasing popularity of inexpensive, but very small form factor laptops. Asus made Eee PC and HP made Mini-Note are two notebooks that belong to this category. He was wondering if other Laptop manufacturers will pick up this trend and bring out their own versions of very small form factor notebooks that are cheap. He also wonders if it would not make sense to go for these less powerful albeit very budget friendly notebooks, if all that one does while using his/her laptop is to browse the web or read the mail.

This discussion set me thinking in a new direction. How does a mininote(which is cheap) stack up against an ultra portable(which is pricey simply because it is an ultra portable thus becomes exclusive) in terms of specifications? The point of this exercise is to see if the mininote (by virtue of its size becomes even more portable than the ultra portable and thus nullifies the advantage of the latter) doesn’t compromise much in terms of specifications vis-a-vis the ultra portable and so can do as much at a lower cost.


To eliminate any bias, I have taken the very small form factor laptop and the utra portable from the same manufacturer viz. HP. Also they are taken from the same market segment to which they are targetted viz. business category. And lastly I have taken the highest end mini-note and pitted against the lowest end ultra portable to narrow the price gap and reduce any distortions due to pricing.

The following is the comparison and my comments against each specification:

Make	HP	HP	Comments
Model	Business	Business
Category	Mini-Note	Utra Portable
Model Number	HP 2133 Mini-Note	Compaq 2510p
Part number	KX870AT	RM246UT
Operating System	Genuine Windows Vista Business	Genuine Windows Vista Business	Same, no difference
Processor	VIA C7-M ULV Processor 1.6 GHz 128 KB L2 cache 400 Mhz	Intel Core2 Duo Processor U7600 1.20 GHz 2 MB L2 cache 533 MHz FSB	Major advantage for ultra-portable as it has dual cores,supports faster frontside bus, huge cache. Suitable for data intensive applications like database applications, photo editing, gaming.
Memory	2048 MB (1 x 2048 MB)	1 x 2048 MB DDR2	Same, no difference
Memory Slots	One SODIMM memory slot	One user accessible SODIMM slot	Same, no difference
Memory Upgrade	Upgradeable to 2048 MB maximum	Upgradeable to 2048 MB maximum	Same, no difference
Hard Drive	120 GB	100 GB, PATA	Advantage mini-note, offers greater storage space.
Hard Drive Speed	7200 rpm	4200 rpm	Advantage mini-note, faster hard disk drive enables speedier access to data
Optical Drive	No Optical Drive	DVD+/-RW SuperMulti with Double Layer	Advantage ultra-portable, as it enables burning CDs and DVDs
Display	8.9 inches diagonal	12.1 inches diagonal	Advantage ultra-portable, as one can see more details on the screen.
Display Resolution	1280 x 768 WXGA	1280 × 800 WXGA+WVA	Almost same
Battery	6-cell (55 WHr) or 3-cell (28 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery	3-cell (28.8 WHr), 6-cell (55 WHr) or 9-cell (83 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery	Same, no difference
AC Adapter	External 65W HP Smart AC Adapter, HP Fast Charge	External 65W HP Smart AC Adapter, HP Fast Charge	Same, no difference
Sound System	High Definition Audio, stereos speaker, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, integrated stereo microphone	High Definition Audio, integrated mono speaker, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, integrated microphone	Same, no difference
Wireless Connectivity	Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0	Intel Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0+	Almost same
Modem	_	56K modem	Advantage ultra portable, as it enables sending and receiving faxes. And also enables dialup connection to the Internet.
Gigabit Wired Connectivity	Integrated Broadcom Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000 NIC)	Integrated Intel Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000 NIC)	Almost same
Input Output Ports	2 USB 2.0 ports, VGA, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, optional VGA webcam, power connector, RJ-45	2 USB 2.0 ports, VGA, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, Firewire (1394a), power connector, RJ-11, RJ-45	Almost same
Keyboard	92% full-sized keyboard	Full-sized keyboard	Almost same
Pointing Device	Touchpad with scroll zone	Dual-pointing devices (touchpad and pointing stick)	Advantage ultra portable
Included/Pre-installed software	Preloaded software : (depending on configuration) HP Backup and Recovery Manager, Roxio Creator 9, Symantec Norton Internet Security, Microsoft Office Ready 2007	Preloaded software: PDF Complete, HP Backup and Recovery Manager, HP Help and Support Center, HP QuickLook (Windows Vista only), HP OpenView Radia Management Agent, HP Universal Print Driver, HP ProtectTools Security Manager, HP Quick Launch Buttons, HP Wireless Assistant, Roxio Creator 9 (for optional DVD+/-RW and DVD/CDRW drives), Symantec Norton Internet Security with complimentary 60-day live update, Intervideo WinDVD DVD Player	Not too major a difference
Security	Kensington Lock slot	Kensington Lock slot, HP Privacy Filter	Almost same
Warranty	1 year carry-in (pick-up and return in some countries (upgrades available, sold separately)) 1 year warranty on primary battery	Protected by HP Services, including a 3-3-0 standard warranty. Terms and conditions vary by country	Huge advantage in favor of ultra portables. 3 year warranty gives a lot of peace of mind
Price	CAD $749.00*	CAD $1,779.00*	Huge advantage in favor of Mini Note as it is much cheaper. As you could see it is almost less than half the price of the ultra portable.

* Prices are as seen on http://www.hp.ca/

As you could see the ultra portables have distinct advantage in terms of processing power and manufacturer’s warranty. But my argument is who would use such processing power for say photo editing or gaming( with such a small screen). I can’t visualize anyone running database applications on a day-to-day basis in an ultraportables while travelling. With Vista business one can always do a remote login to pull out all the information that one needs from their servers.

So one distinct advantage is nullified. What about the additional 2 years warranty in the ultra portables? Well, if it is required extended warranty can be bought for the mini-note to bring it on par with the ultra portables, including this additional cost the mini-note will be much cheaper than the ultra portables.


Well, what about the modem that comes with an ultra portable which is missing in a mini-note? you may ask. When e-mail is there who will bother about faxing? is my counter question. But then what about dial up networking? you persist.

OK I give up. May be I am over enthusiastic. I have sold a couple of them (very small form factor laptops) to my customers and they are loving it.Honestly I feel I can live with the limitations of the mini-note for such a low price. If you have different opinion or experience, I would love to hear it and correct myself.