MSI x340 Hands-on!

MSI x340 is one of the latest netbooks/sub-notebook/notebook from MSI and some say that it is a direct competitor to Apple's MacBook Air.With some advantages over Air(like more ports,HDMI,Wimax option,etc.) and much more affordable price,it it is surely a worthy opponent!Lets take a closer look!



Build Quality: I can rate x340 quality as average: not very good but not bad either.It is very light,but the drawback is it is made from thin plastic,which felt kind of cheap to me.The whole body flexes if you apply a little of pressure(when I was playing with it,"MSI guy" came over and said:"please,be more careful,it is very fragile")! You surely don't get that "solidity" felling that you get from Asus netbooks,but it is a lot better then those cheapo Chinese net/notebooks right on next stand



One other thing that I didn't like was the lack_of_the_thinness_felling! I know that it is only .8",but still it feels moderately think in your hand! Weird...

Keyboard and Touchpad: I played 5-10 minutes with the keyboard and touchpad and can say that they were ~ the same level as my old Macbook's! It has some flex(just like the netbook itself ) but nothing "dealbreaker"! Touchpad's surface is very nice,but the button was not to not even half as good-difficult to press and the right/left button separation was not centered!



The Screen: The screen on X340 has 1366x768 resolution and has a glossy coating!It has CCFL bachliting(which i think is a "-" since most netbooks use LED).Colors are quite good when you look from "front",but once you look from a little angle,the colors start to invert...badly!Overall,I can say that the screen is about the the quality as my old Macbook's screen.


I/O ports: MSI x340 has a decent amount of ports for 13" ultra-slim!Lets take a tour!


(left side: VGA;LAN;HDMI;Card-Reader)


(right side: 2xUSB,Audio I/O)

X340 has a big advantage over other ultraportables,which is HDMI port!Coupled with Intel X4500(which can play HD videos),it gives x340 owners the ability to hook it up with their HDTV and enjoy Hi-Res movies.

Also,you will have an option to buy it with WiMax modem,which is another big "+" for some!

Specification,Pricing and Performance:



MSI will offer 2 configurations of this ultraportable-one with Intel SSF ULV CPU and HDMI port for 999$.Low-end model will have Atom CPU and will lack HDMI.It will be priced 699$!

I "played" with x340 model which had Vista pre-installed and I can tell that it was quite snappy!I can say that it will be more that enough for everyday tasks like internet browsing,Office,watching movies,playing music,etc.

Conclusion: I had very small amount of time to "test" the notebook and it is not enough to make a final verdict,but I can say that those notebooks are quite decent,they bring you quite a lot for their size and weight` "decent" CPU,ports,HDMI,WiMax,etc....but, if you compare them to notebooks-nowadays you can find a Sony SR(which is ~1.2 pounds heavier but has optical drive) or last gen macbook air for ~ the same price,and they are built much better,have better performance(and ports in Sony's case),support,etc.,and if to netbooks-typical netbooks cost ~400$,so those are much more expensive.Even Asus's "premium" netbook with 9300gs and HDMI costs less.

 

I would reserve my judgment on the build quality for the time being, since pre-production/display models tends to be not finalized, and are usually slapped together to look presentable and working. Working in the automotive industry, unfortunately I know this too well.

 

You made it to the front page.

 

is that a compliment?

 

Thanks for the review Xirurg. Doesn't sound like quite as great a notebook/netbook as I was hoping for.

 

No, it's an insult. What do you think?

Good job, I like the detailed pics though they are a bit too big as it makes it harder to read the review.

 

Thanks guys!

@ ChristopherAKAO4: m8,I ll suggest you to wait to official reviews with production units as! Inferno said,those can be early prototypes!

@ adonisbook: yeah,sorry for that,I tried to make thumbnails,but couldn't-can someone please tell me-now I am writing hands-on for new Asus n-e/o-tebooks with even more detailed pics

 

This is great, that price is very good, to be honest i would have loved to see a 9400m in here but im not complaining. For the price this is hard to beat especially if you want a 13" lightweight notebook.

 

Looks nice, did you get to use the keyboard a bit?

 

yes

true!but if the "lightweight-ism" is not a very big deal,Sony SR is much more better option!

 

Another awesome post, Xirurg!
Thanks for the great pictures too You must be having a blast at CeBIT.

 

Great job!
Look's like it might be a player,did you happen to get a WEI score?

 

obviously you got to feel this what did you think about the build?

 

Thanks David

Yes,it was cool,but now,I am bored

Sadly,no,but it should be the ~same as on Lenovo x300.

SR is much better built...but if was me,I would take last gen rfrb. MB air from outlet for 999$.since I would take it as a "friend" to main notebook/desktop,I don't need power or ports,just solid notebook with good screen and battery life.