1.66GHz Intel Atom N455
1GB RAM
250GB hard drive
None
10.1 inches (1,024x600 native resolution)
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
2.8 pounds
0.9x10.6x7.5 inches
Windows 7 Starter (32-bit)
HP's Mini netbooks have traditionally been well priced, durable, and fast enough for basic tasks. A new model for 2011, the Mini 1103, acts as an inexpensive successor to other business netbooks like the Mini 5101 and 5102. HP is positioning this squarely as a companion PC, a netbook you use for travel or when you need an alternative to your main desktop or laptop. The Mini 1103's $299 price point is hard to beat, and the system delivers excellent battery life along with average netbook performance from its Intel Atom N455 processor.
Design
Wrapped top to bottom in black shiny plastic, the Mini 1103 looks like a generic but professional netbook. The top half has a slippery coating, while the bottom half has a textured feel that keeps it from sliding around on your lap. While attractive, the shiny black plastic on the top collects fingerprints easily. At 2.8 pounds and measuring 0.9x10.5x7.5 inches, it's svelte enough to be unobtrusive for travel.
The Mini 1103 has a standard array of ports: three USB ports, a VGA-out port, a Kensington lock slot, an Ethernet jack, the power port, and a combo headphone/microphone jack. Also included is a flash-card reader that supports the SD, SDHC, SDXC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and MultiMediaCard formats. Connectivity on the unit includes Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth for various peripherals. A 250GB, 7,200rpm hard drive is included in the standard configuration, with a 160GB or 320GB drive offered in other configurations.
Features
A 0.3-megapixel VGA Webcam is embedded in the Mini 1103's bezel. A small LED light turns on when it's in use. The cam is low-res, though, and as a result provided lackluster visuals. In our trials, pictures and video looked grainy, dark, and washed out. One friend using Skype said she could make out enough detail and facial features to make video calling worthwhile, but we suggest tempering your expectations.
On the other hand, we liked the Mini 1103's keyboard, which is 93 percent of full size. It's not of the Chiclet variety that has become nearly ubiquitous on netbooks lately, but its layout allows for accurate typing, though those with larger hands might feel a bit cramped. The keyboard offers reverse-operation function keys along the top row that act as easy-to-access media and system controls. You can adjust brightness, volume, and wireless access just by pushing one of them. But if you want to access an actual function (to, say, access the BIOS during bootup), you’ll need to hit the Fn key in concert with the appropriate function key to make it register.
As for the 3.1x1.25-inch touch pad below the keyboard, we found it very responsive, if also a bit cramped. There are two small plastic mouse buttons below the touch. In general, were comfortable and responsive, if a little cheap-feeling.
Embedded into the glossy bezel above the deck is the 10.1-inch LED-backlit display. The screen has a 1,024x600 native resolution and a matte finish, the latter helping to keep stray reflections down. And even with the matte finish, the picture was bright and the colors rich. Video playback from Hulu and YouTube streamed smoothly for such a low-powered machine. Streaming playback stuttered a lot when trying to play 480p (640x480) or 720p (1,280x720) streams, but 360p (640x360) generally worked fine. Unfortunately, when video was viewed more than 20 degrees off-angle from the screen's center, the picture's colors appeared washed out.
The speakers, which line the front of the unit, can crank up quite loud for a netbook. That said, sound quality is poor: Music sounds flat, and spoken voices came off harsh when volume was turned up. On the song “What's My Name” by Rihanna, the bass and midrange tones could hardly be heard even at loud volume. This could be acceptable for watching a presentation, but it’s not ideal for a movie.
Performance
The Mini 1103 has a standard Intel Atom N455 processor. We run three tests on a netbook's processor. First up is our Cinebench 10 test, which taxes all available cores on the CPU while rendering a standard test image. The Mini 1103 scored 840 on this test, which is less than the 899 average we've seen across netbooks we've tested. To put that in perspective, that score is nearly identical to the 870 the HP Mini 100e earned—and that notebook, while also $299, is made for kids. For more business-centric users, a comparison with the Samsung NF310 is more appropriate. That netbook is $399 but otherwise has the same sort of sober aesthetic as the Mini 1103. It scored 1,458 on this test, proving its processing superiority with its 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 CPU. (The Mini 1103's chip is a slightly older chip with lower power consumption.)
Next, we ran our iTunes Conversion Test, in which the test system converts 11 standard MP3 files to AAC format. The Mini 1103 completed the test task in 18 minutes and 45 seconds, close to the 19:07 average we've seen across the netbook category. By comparison, the HP Mini 100e ran the iTunes test at 19:22, while the Samsung NF310 ran the test in 19:36.
