MSI Wind U135 review

With a new Atom at its heart, the new Wind U135 netbook packs in the features

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MSI Wind U135
The shiny gloss black chassis looks awesome but will attract greasy fingerprints

TechRadar Verdict

This laptop has everything a netbook is expected to have, ticking all the right boxes. If you are looking for a new machine the MSI Wind U135 is worth considering.

Pros

  • +

    Good usability

  • +

    Bright screen

  • +

    Well put together

  • +

    Portability

  • +

    Durable

  • +

    Large and responsive touchpad

  • +

    Great battery life

  • +

    4-in-1 card reader

  • +

    Wi-Fi

Cons

  • -

    Reflective bezel proves distracting

  • -

    Quickly attracts fingerprints and smears

  • -

    Touchpad too close to keyboard

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The flood of netbooks appearing on the market is showing no signs of abating and the MSI U135 is one of the latest.

It's a comfortable, attractive machine that features cutting edge technology and good usability, but ultimately brings nothing new to the market.

The 10.1-inch screen is bright, making it easy to use in strong light, while the 1024 x 600-pixel resolution is surprisingly crisp, and you'll have no issues reading or creating word processors.

The bezel around the panel is very reflective, however and proves distracting.

The black chassis is chic in a rather subtle way but, like other shiny netbooks, quickly attracts fingerprints and smears.

However it's well put together and durable enough for life on the road.

The keyboard is great, providing a firm typing action which we quickly became accustomed to. The touchpad is large and responsive, but positioned so close to the keyboard that it's easy to brush while typing, causing irritating cursor behaviour.

Atomic CPU

Intel's Atom N450 processor provides standard processing power and, due to it being very resource-light, delivers a great 403 minute battery life, offering all-day usability.

Portability is further enhanced by the compact size of the netbook, and you'll easily fit it in most small bags.

The 250GB hard drive is more than capacious enough for all your files and folders, including any media libraries you may want to carry with you, and there's also a 4-in-1 card reader for easily downloading your photos from your digital camera's memory card.

802.11n Wi-Fi and 10/100 Ethernet provide decent networking capabilities, and a VGA-out port lets you connect to external analogue monitors with ease.

The MSI Wind U135 is a good netbook that ticks all the right boxes, with very little to fault. If you are in the market for a new machine, this is certainly worth considering.

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