ASUS have released another member of their Eee PC family, with the 12.1 inch Eee PC 1215N. While they may not be the best at releasing laptops with compelling and memorable names, this looks like a great machine and comes in at less than $500.
With the vast majority of netbook releases being in the 10.1 inch category, The 12.1 inch ASUS Eee PC 1215N seems to be trying very hard to fit into the serious notebook market. While it doesn’t quite pull off this feat, it does manage to out perform all of its netbook rivals. This is due mostly to its dual-core Atom D525 processor, which is paired with Nvidia Optimus graphics technology.
Design wise, the 1215N is a fairly standard ASUS affair, and while it may not be too exciting it looks solid and almost handsome under the right lighting conditions. It features a matte finish with sparse chrome accents and comes in at a respectable weight of 3.4 pounds. It is worth noting that this is slightly heavier than the two previous versions of this series – the 1201PN and the 1201N.
The 12.1 inch screen features a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, which looks sharp, bright, and crisp. Dual speakers are also included, which while loud enough are nothing really special. The keyboard works well, with a little flex that may be too much for some people. The touchpad is a little different than previous models, and is no longer dimpled like its predecessors. However, the single touch button – which was not liked by many – has not been changed.
Performance wise, the ASUS Eee PC 1215N is very impressive indeed, and this is where that $500 price tag really starts to look like a bargain. It has been tested way in front of the netbook average, both for pure CPU speed and overall graphics performance. The inclusion of Nvidia Ion 2 graphics with Optimus make this a very serious machine indeed, and one of the best current examples of the missing link between netbooks and small notebooks.
All of that great performance does come at a cost however, and the battery life specs are one area where the 1215N can not match other netbooks. However, at 5 hours and 40 minutes it is not too bad either. Connectivity is a fairly standard affair, with 3 USBs, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, and the usual media connections. The ASUS Eee PC 1215N is also only $499, which is a great price when you consider the power and graphics performance that are on offer.
Specifications
Intel Atom D525 1.8GHz
up to 4GB of RAM
250GB SATA hard drive
12.1 inch screen
1366 x 768 resolution
Nvidia Ion 2 Optimus graphics
802.11 b/g/n
Ethernet
HDMI
VGA
3-1 card reader
3 x USB 2.0
