Click on the images for specs and links to images, reviews, news, forums etc.
MSI Wind U123 3.5G. Looks promising from the specifications and crops up in a number of searches for 1KG 3G netbooks. (Self) Upgradeable to SSD and 2GB. Matt screen. 6-cell battery. Unfortunately, this is using Windows XP and the ‘old’ N280 processor. Unless one can find a good offer, this might not be the best solution. It is also a 1.3KG netbook, not a 1KG netbook as indicated in many of my searches. Cheap, available but a little heavy. Not the ideal candidate.
EeePC 1005 Go. In the ASUS EeePC range, the only one I could find with built-in HSDPA was the EeePC 1005Go which weighs 1.3KG (6-cell) and non-glare screen plus a good battery life of up to 8 hours. At 400 Euros it isn’t over-expensive for a 3G device but once again, it’s difficult to commit to the N280 processor when the N450 brings more but this is definitely worth thinking about it if an SSD replacement is easy. memory upgrade to 2GB is apparently very easy. Again, cheap, available but a little heavy suffering from the same issues as the MSI U123 above.
Samsung N150 Eom The Samsung netbooks have been classics. Well built, well engineered and offered with options. The 3G version of the N150 comes with a non-glare screen and the newer N450 1.66ghz CPU (Pinetrail platform.) The 6-cell battery provides up to 8 hours of life but as with the EeePC and Wind, you’ll have to swap out the HDD for an SSD and upgrade the memory. Sub 400 Euro pricing. 1.25KG Weight
HP 5102 This is an interesting one, much nearer the mark and it looks like it provides one of the latest and most flexible specifications of all the netbook options here. Final configurations depend on your geographic location but a 6-cell Windows 7 Home Premium version with 3G, 2GB RAM in Germany is coming out at just over 700 Euro (inclusive taxes, 19%) At 1.2KG it includes a 6-cell battery, 1024×600 glossy screen but we suspect you can find it with the non-glare option. The 5102 uses aluminum and magnesium in the chassis to keep it ruggedized and there’s even a splash resistant keyboard.
The Nokia Booklet 3G was a shockingly expensive bit of kit when it was launched but taking a recent look reveals that the price is well under 500 Euros now. (Germany) If you kit the above HP 5102 out with the same specification, the Nokia is cheaper! 3G, long battery life (over 10 hours in some online tests), GPS, stylish, robust design, hi-res screen, HDMI output and wireless-N support and built-in hardware video decoding. Z-series CPU might put some people off as might the glossy screen. HDD would need changing to SSD for ultimate in speed, ruggedness, efficiency and quietness. If you find this one at a good price (beware, it still shows up at 800 Euros in some places) take a closer look.
Viliv S10. Viliv are highly focused on ultra mobile, 3G and long battery life and all of their ultra mobile PC products are well built but the S10 is the first netbook-style device they’ve produced. It’s slim and relatively light, can have 3G as an option and runs on an SSD drive for better ruggedness (and higher speeds, lower noise and lower heat.) The S10 includes a rotating multitouch screen however which is never the best option for serious mobility unless you really need a tablet and a laptop style device in one. Prices go up to $999 for 64GB, 3G and a 1.6Ghz Atom Z-series processor. The car adaptor from the Viliv X70 works in the S10.
Conclusion
Only one of these solutions gives you 3G, SSD, matt screen, long (6+ hrs) battery life out of the box and that’s the Viliv S10 but it’s expensive for a 1.6 Atom device and you can’t upgrade the RAM as is the also case with the Nokia Booklet. It’s a very frustrating limitation for an otherwise excellent device and for that reason we just can’t recommend it or the Nokia Booklet as the best solution here.
The HP5102 provides the most flexibility in configuration and although 700 Euro sounds a lot, it’s about right for a 2GB 3G netbook built for mobile business use. An SSD swap-out would add about 150 Euro to that price. Look out for offers and if you find a 2GB/SSD version for under 800 Euros, you’ve found a good deal.
All of the solutions here weigh 1.2-1.3KG which brings the EeePC 1005GO, MSI Wind U123 3G and Samsung N150 Eom right into the running. If you fancy taking on the 2GB/SSD upgrade job yourself and sticking with the older Diamondville N280 CPU, the ASUS and MSI Wind are good options but to have the most recent CPU platform, you’ll have to go for the Sammy which has to be our top choice at the moment.
It’s a real shame that we couldn’t find a 3G, 6+hr netbook at 1KG. There’s definitely an opening for one with good specs at under 600 Euros. There are other options though…
Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.): Long-gone are the days where netbooks were availab… http://bit.ly/b7Fs5f
RT @umpcportal: Report: Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.) http://bit.ly/bev9Qz
RT @chippy: RT @umpcportal: Report: Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.) http://bit.ly/bev9Qz
Great write-up Chippy! Typing this from my work Dell E4200 on the train – Win7 Pro/3GB/64GB SSD/3G and hardware LatitudeON. All is fantastic, apart from the LatitudeON – very flakey in my experience asif you leave it as an instant on option, a 4 cell battery will go flat over night. Best laptop I have ever used – the 45w travel adapter is small & light and IMO better that a 6 cell battery as long as a power outlet is near!
We also run 3G Viliv S7’s as on-call devices (5 deployed and another 5 to be purchased)
Yes these are good, but it if one could wait a year or so it would probably be best with ssd being so expensive. [but then if you only need aprox 30 gb of storage you’re probably fine]
Great timing with this article Chippy,
You published this on the very day I finalised the setup on my new 5102 3G. Got the HD screen, upgraded to 2GB and will install SSD on the weekend, even with the HDD its pretty responsive and the bettery life with the newer platform over the 5101 is impressive.
Writing this comment sitting out on my terrace after sunset using the same battery i started the day with, that was over 15 hrs ago and I stll have over 3 hrs battery remaining (on and off use through the day)
Many of your regular readers will remember the number of devices I have gone through to get here (too many to list) but, I think I have finally found my “perfect” (for now) device.
I still carry my N900 or Milestone for always on connection to the world, but for a pull it out and turn it on productivity device I’m currently a very happy 5102 user.
The rugged design of the HP 51 series has been one of its selling points for me, what use is a mobile device if you have to be careful when moving it around?
I just saw your tweet about the 5102 too!
If you ever get bored, i’m sure the readers would love a few paras from an owners perscpective! How much will the complete setup cost you?
The basic 5102 was 470€ ram from my big pile of RAM and the SSD is Kingston SSDNow V-series SNV425-S2BN/128GB was 277€ total cost just under 800€ best part of all is that the cost was covered by my employer :) only thing left to do is some benchmarking and battery testing with HDD and SSD
470€ for 3G and non-glare screenm win7 starter and 6-cell right? More than the other 3G netbooks but you get the rugged build which is worth having.
I’ve got a SATA SSD and 2GB RAM in my Touchnote – I’m tempted but for me, it’s not going to bring any performance improvements. Will bring batt life and 300gm weigh improvement tho!
HP 2540p, 12″, 1.53 kg w/6-cell battery, 8+ hours with low voltage CPU (7+ hours with standard voltage CPUs), available 9-cell battery for 12+ hours, Qualcomm Gobi for IS-2000 & UMTS, optical drive available with some 1.8″ hard drives.
According to ThinkPad X201/X201s Detailed Specifications, the X201s weights 1.31 kg with the 4-cell battery, 1.44 kg with 6-cell, and 1.60 kg with 9-cell. 1.1kg might be the weight with no battery.
too bad the ultralight notebooks cost a million dollars. makes the ipad 3g look like a deal
Great article, Chippy. I’d been searching around myself on this very topic but you’ve done a great job of gathering the info all in one location. I still don’t see a solution that’s calling my name, so for now I’ll hold tight with my Asus UL20A. I’d rather have an 11″ screen and under 2.5 pounds, but doesn’t seem like that’s happening right now.
Nice to see the EeePC 901 mentioned again, but a short look in your own database would have shown you, that it already had a weight of 1140gm. When i bought mine in early 2009 its weight was still a plus for me in comparison to most other available devices especially with its 6 cell 49 Wh battery.
I am still using the EeePC 901 Go, with a battery that has better cells, making its capacity 62 Wh (still 6 cells). The current sad state of 9″ netbooks means I will be staying with it indefinitely, even though this unit happens to have a pretty low-quality panel compared to others I have seen.
Via Nano E series, when a netbook/laptop with this processor gets produced, there will start a BIG change all over the UMPC sector, mark my word!
Great overview, thanks Chippy! A little bit to late for me:-) I did more or less the same comparison three weeks ago. The result, I bought the Sony Vaio P11 and 37Wh battery. Why the Sony P11, very easy to answer. All parts of my personal wish list ( weight and size, internal 3G, SSD, 2 GB RAM, at least WIN7 Home Premium, good keyboard and WLAN-n) are already integrated. Design, build quality and functionality are perfect and justify the price. I’m very happy with the replacement of my Eee-Pc 1003HAG, I used the last 15 months. it is unbelievable how small and light the Sony P11 is in comparison to a 10†Netbook.
How’s the weight with the 37WH batt?
And what CPU speed did you go for?
CPU: Z540 1,86 GHz
I have to check the weight, it seems double of the standard battery
sorry for the delay, now I’m back home.
original Battery is 150g, the 37Wh is 245g
yeah the P is my favourite device. sony knows how to kick out the rest. the deives are very good build quality without the sound. But i´m sure the most users aren´t in need of multimedia. the p is best for business and everywhere use. viliv builds good devices too but the tft res is a shame… much programs don´t work with the 600px res… so viliv is out for me til they get better screens. the p screen is so beautiful with it´s 1600x768px and works like a charm for the eyes…
I’m waiting for the Toshiba Libretto W105… ‘nuf said.
Well, maybe one or two words more:
Hope it’s performing well (64 bit processor and especially the screens viewing angle) and not too expensive.
but are you really going to be able to see the benefits of a 64 bit processor on a netbook? [I mean apart from being cool and such ;)]
Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.) – http://bit.ly/dgaDuF (Db)
Acer 1810T with SU7300, 11.6″ HD, 4GB, 500GB disk, 6 cell battery, UMTS built in, for 619,- Euro (at cyberport.de). Fix glossy (but bright) screen with good matte screen protector (25,- Euro) and replace disk by 64GB SSD for (say) 150,- Euro. Then you have a 1.2 kg device which runs for about 9h (Windows 7). This is MUCH more capable and productive than any netbook. Total cost 785,-.
Well, the Sony has half the weight…
Hey Gammer
Thanks for that. I knew there would be a few other gems out there. 1.2KG sounds good. I’m interested!
…. and half of size :-)
Besides that a perfect lightweight Sub-Notebook.
You should look into the Acer 1830T, too. Looks a little nicer and has a Core i3 or Core i5 CPU.
How about this new one?
Samsung X125, AMD Athlon K125 1.7GHz, Windows 7 Home Premium, 11.6″ WSVGA Gloss LED (1366 x 768), ATI Radeon HD4200, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD, No Optical Drive, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, Webcam, 4 in 1 Media Card Reader, 6 Cell Battery, White ,£440
Mmm. 1.5KG is 10-20% heavier than most netbooks….although about the same weight as my Gigabyte Touchnote netbook with its 6-cell battery.
1.5KG is really above the plimsoll line for me.
I’d love to see a notebook with a 10 inch screen or smaller that has a CULV Core i or Core 2 Duo CPU. If the Hanvon tablet can have a Core 2 Duo then a notebook with a 10 inch screen can have one too.
I know netbooks are supposed to be small and cheap but I’ll settle for just the small part if it’s significantly more powerful. Well, less than $1500 US since there are the Panasonic Let’s Note Light R8 and Toughbook devices but are very expensive.
You and me both. A 10″ productivity focused Core i ‘netbook’ at 10″ although the X201s and E4200 are very close. Its a $2K story!
The difference between 12″ and 10″ is so large, though, especially with the slim bezel on the R series. The E4200 and X201 are both over 25% wider than the R series. My R3 is getting long in the tooth (it’s much older than the original Eee, after all!), but I’m going to have a hard time replacing it with anything other than an R9. I just like the dimensions too much.
And hey, the R9 fits all your criteria. Dynamism even has ssd models! But they’re $3800. The $2k base model is still very expensive compared to other UMPCs, but it’s an i7 and 4gb ram in a 9″x7″ footprint, so what can you do? Here’s what I do: Hope that some day, Lenovo will hack two inches off the X100e, make the bezel smaller, and put an i5 in it. All the R series is missing is a trackpoint!
Thx for all the great, detailed comments. I’ve updated the article to reflect some of the feedback. (At the end of page 4 – http://www.umpcportal.com/2010/08/lightweight-and-mobile-focused-3g-netbooks-and-alternatives/4/)
New article: Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.) http://bit.ly/bev9Qz
Fujitsu 10.1 inches convertible is an option with icore processors, hi res screen
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/fujitsu-announces-lifebook-t580-with-four-finger-multitouch/
1.4 kg though