HP Mini 5102: This Netbook Means Business
by Jarred Walton on September 22, 2010 12:15 AM ESTHP Mini 5102: Great Build, but Still Atom
Given we’re looking at a netbook that’s now past its prime, we’re still generally impressed with what the Mini 5102 offers. The build quality is far better than anything we’ve seen from a netbook to date, with the best keyboard in a 10” netbook we've ever used. It also comes with a matte screen that’s much easier to use outdoors, though contrast ratio is still poor. However, for $100 more than the competition this is essentially the same old Atom performance.
Granted, there are some other noteworthy extras. 802.11n networking, Gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth come standard in the ~$400 model available at various online sites, so connectivity is better than the vast majority of netbooks. The HP QuickSync software is also a potentially useful addition; if you don’t mind leaving your laptop plugged in and powered up when it’s not in use, you can have all the latest documents, images, email, etc. ready to go when you leave the office. For a quick lunch meeting, it might be a substitute for a smartphone that allows you to do a bit more typing and web browsing.
Determining what netbook is best for you is still a matter of compromise. If you want stellar battery life at a moderate price, ASUS’ Eee PC line wins, but the build quality of the 5102 is similarly head and shoulders above the competition. It’s unfortunate that we’re not reviewing the newer Mini 5103, because we’d like to see what DDR3 memory and the N475—or the dual-core N550—bring to the table. Given the similar pricing, even the base model 5103 is going to be the better choice these days, and we expect to see the 5102 inventory disappear over the coming weeks. If you start looking at more expensive netbooks, you can also add NVIDIA’s NG-ION platform to the mix.
In terms of multimedia capabilities, one thing we’re confident with stating is that NG-ION is much better than Broadcom’s Crystal HD decoder. Besides handling Flash video without problems the last time we tested, ION also gets you an HDMI port and typically a 768p display as well. NG-ION netbooks like the ASUS 1201PN also come priced similarly to the 5102/5103, but then the 1201PN is a 12” chassis—with 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD standard. Anyway, while it’s possible the Crystal HD works better in other netbooks, unless the price is a lot lower than $425 we’d be inclined to go with the 1201PN.
Considering HP has already been on the ION bandwagon with the Mini 311, what would be awesome to see is something with the Mini 5102/5103 chassis (make it 12.1” if you have to), only put in NG-ION and a 66Wh battery and ship it with 2GB RAM and Windows Home Premium. If they can make that and keep the price of the laptop around $500, we’d have an awesome little multimedia device. For now, the Mini 5102 is a nice looking and well built take on Pine Trail and worth a look if you value build quality and durability over features and performance, or if you’re looking for a companion device with a business aesthetic. It’s more expensive than the competition, but the extra money does buy you the most solid netbook and the best 10.1” keyboard we’ve yet laid hands on.
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Stuka87 - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
The machine itself looks nice. Very enterprise class looking (event if not performing). And its nice to see a good keyboard and build quality in a netbook.But the Atom is just so bleh. I am really looking forward to Bobcat, in hopes that it leapfrogs the Atom (which should not be too difficult).
marvdmartian - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
Seems a bit outlandishly priced for what is, essentially, the same hardware you'd find in a $300 netbook. For sure, slapping the HP brand on it doesn't add $100 of value to it, any more than slapping a fruit on it would give it a $200+ rise in value.Hey, netbook manufacturers, here's a clue! If you want to charge $400+ for a 10" netbook, it had better come with a dual core atom AND 2GB of memory. Otherwise, there are far too many alternatives out there that will attract my attention first.
Taft12 - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
Gigabit ethernet and 7200RPM hard drive are notable upgrades over almost all netbooks.2GB of memory would be awfully nice though.
CK804 - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
I bought one of these for my girlfriend for her birthday and I'm glad I did. I would have gladly paid more for it. The build quality and keyboard alone are worth the $100 extra. The keyboard is not only very well laid out, but it's spill resistant. The chassis is constructed of metal instead of plastic like on every other netbook. HP also bundles its ProtectTools security suite software which, I think, is a first for a netbook. Combined with a 7200 RPM hard drive and gigabit ethernet, this netbook has all the features I would expect from an HP ProBook but with netbook performance.Chris Peredun - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
Jarred, does this little guy have a hardware TPM module for use with BitLocker?With the increasing number of data-security regulations hitting all facets of business, I'd really like to see a netbook sporting this feature, but I've yet to unearth one. Something cheaper than the typical $1500 "executive class" 12" ultraportable would be nice.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
No TPM Module, no. Sorry. As CK804 pointed out, it does have HP's ProtectTools, but that's not the same.lgpOnTheMove - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
"...what would be awesome to see is something with the Mini 5102/5103 chassis (make it 12.1” if you have to), only put in NG-ION and a 66Wh battery and ship it with 2GB RAM and Windows Home Premium. If they can make that and keep the price of the laptop around $500, we’d have an awesome little multimedia device."Jarred, I think that "awesome little multimedia device" already exists:
http://lgponthemove.blogspot.com/2010/09/first-imp...
Beats the N550 for performance, barely bigger/heavier than a 10" netbook and priced around $525. Definitely worth a look IMO.
treyTM - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
I own a 5102 (a red one with the 768p screen) and while I like it very much, I agree with most of the points in this review. I also want to chip in my experiences:The glossy plastics. The review points out it shows fingerprints and smudges, but I found that it also picks up scratches and marks very easily. My 6 month old machine already has marks on the bezel from the keyboard. Both sides of the keyboard deck (where it joins with the alloy base) also picked up a small vertical crack near the enter/caps lock keys - a common problem I later learned.
The soft touch coating. On my 5102, the coating around the edges are coming off - not from any abuse, just from taking it in and out of a case. I guess it's less obvious on a black machine though.
Fan noise. Actually if you are in a quiet room, the fan can get very annoying if you start playing HD video. It spins up even for regular web surfing on battery power (it could be the N470 vs the N450, but I doubt it). There doesn't seem to be quite enough vents on the base.
Hit and miss Flash acceleration. It seems to work when it feels like it, or when driver and Flash versions are in alignment, or whatever. Adobe suggests turning on Aero, which I do (Win 7 Pro), but it still doesn't seem to work any better.
Overall I find the little netbook a good mobile counterpart to my i7 desktop (the 768p screen really helps, as does 2GB of RAM), though if I were buying a 10" netbook now, it would be hard to turn down the cheaper yet similarly specced Asus 1005PR.
7Enigma - Thursday, September 23, 2010 - link
Hi Jarred,Thanks for the great review on this somewhat outdated netbook. I was shocked to see the performance virtually unchanged between the resolutions on the internet video sites. Is there some ram bottleneck that Flash 10.1 is imposing that isn't seen with normal video playback? With only 1 gig on a Win7 OS I could see a HDD caching issue that would cripple the performance like you see and this could also account for the near identical performance between the difference resolutions (as the limitation is the HDD and not the crappy Atom).
I would be extremely interested to see if the numbers change with a simple swap out to 2 gigs of ram. My buddy just upgraded from 1 to 2gig and has said the user experience is vastly better when any type of even simple multitasking is performed (older Atom Eee PC running XP).
One other test I'd like to see (the main reason my buddy upgraded to 2 gigs of ram) was Skype performance. He's Canadian and keeps in touch by Skype but told me it was all but useless on the Netbook due to horrid performance. Something simple (and cheap) like the Crystal HD decoder would be a huge upgrade if it made Skype usable.
Thanks again for the great review!
shanne - Tuesday, October 5, 2010 - link
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