Novatech X30MV Pro review

Novatech is one of the largest computing manufacturers in the UK, and the laptops we've previously seen from the company have often been powerful gaming systems or budget entry-level machines. The X30MV Pro is a departure from this, as it's a mid-level ultraportable choice.

With a weight of just 1.9kg, it's incredibly light, and also features a very portable 13.3-inch screen size. We found the display offered crisp, bright images, but colour reproduction wasn't as impressive as its rivals. Whites had a slightly unnatural blue tinge, making this a poor choice for viewing photos.

Power draining graphics

As expected of a laptop this size, the graphics chip is integrated. There's still plenty of performance for watching movies or regular office tasks on the move, but you won't be able to play games in your spare time. Unlike the Toshiba Tecra M10-10H, battery life doesn't benefit as a result of the integrated GPU, and we managed to get just 165 minutes when operating away from a power point.

The small screen may help mobility, but it results in a very cramped interface. There is also lots of space on both sides of the keyboard, leading to smaller than average peripheral keys. That said, it is a responsive keyboard and, once accustomed to it, you can type at speed.

Brushed aluminium palm rests and contrasting silver trim on the inside of this machine give it a quality feel, although the coarse plastic finish on the lid detracts from this. The left-hand side of the palm rest heats up slightly under use, but we never found it uncomfortable.

Top performer

Despite its small size, the Novatech offers one of the best specifications around. Its 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4096MB of memory are in-keeping with larger machines, and it offers respectable performance for daily use. However, although we found it to boot quickly and run smoothly, it struggled to excel in our benchmarks, proving it may not be the best choice for those needing to carry out frequent multi-tasking.

The 250GB hard drive is generous for a laptop of this size, and the DVD rewriter lets you easily back up your files. A 7-in-1 memory card reader offers compatibility with devices such as digital cameras and PDAs. Bluetoothis also built-in, so you'll be able to transfer files wirelessly.

Those needing a portable laptop for the daily commute could do a lot worse than the Novatech X30MV Pro, as it proved a comfortable and well-equipped system overall. However, it's severely let down by its poor battery life, making the slightly larger Toshiba a better choice for the mobile worker.