Digital Home Thoughts: HP's 2133 Mini Note: Great Design, But Compromises Abound

Nearly two months ago I did my unboxing and first impressions video of the HP 2133 Mini Note, and now here's my full video review. As a recap, the version I look at in this video retails for $599 USD and can be purchased directly from HP. It has a VIA 1.2 Ghz CPU, an 8.9" LCD screen (1280 x 768 resolution), 1 GB of RAM, a 120 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, 802.11 a/b/g WiFi, a 3 cell battery, and runs Windows Vista Basic. Check out the video after the break.

[click through to YouTube to see it in higher quality]

I was a bit rushed with my conclusion at the end (apparently my YouTube video limit has been raised beyond 10 minutes, but no one told me that until recently), so let me summarize my thoughts here. I think the HP 2133 Mini Note is a great first step for HP, and while it may be a home run in the education market for which it was designed, it has some significant compromises in the general consumer space.

First and foremost, the CPU performance limits its usefulness in many of the scenarios that a consumer would want - namely watching videos. The 1.2 Ghz CPU is fine for basic word processing and Web use, but even then it requires a certain amount of patience - screen re-draws are sluggish, and quite often I'd start up a program and I'd wonder if the system had hung because nothing happened for several seconds. I've been told the 1.6 Ghz CPU version is faster, and capable of playing DVD-resolution video, but I can only report on what HP sent me to review. I really want to see the next version of the HP Mini Note to utilize a different CPU. Perhaps Intel's Atom processor?

The battery life is also unfortunately quite short: just a bit over 90 minutes with the three cell battery. I consider that unacceptable, because there's little point in having a small and light laptop if you have to haul the large AC power brick with you wherever you go (an explanation as to why it's so big is found in the video). The six cell battery should double that to a full three hours, but even that's just barely adequate, and it adds to the bulk of the Mini Note. HP needs to squeeze more battery life out of this product - especially when you consider the higher price point that HP is charging in relation to other competitors on the market. If HP is going to charge a premium price, they need to deliver a product that out-does competing products that are 50% less expensive.

If you're a benchmark fiend and you want to compare this laptop to your own, here are the results from PC Mark Vantage:

PC Mark: would not complete
HDD Test Suite: 2148
Productivity Suite: 771
Communication Suite: 438
Music Suite: 734
Gaming Suite: 262

Figure 1: Just for fun, here's what the HP 2133 Mini Note looks like sitting on top of an HP HDX 9200 (The Dragon).

So would I purchase an HP 2133 Mini Note today? No. The design and aesthetics are impressive - it's by far the highest-quality product of it's type that I've seen - but the underpowered CPU and short battery life make this a product I wouldn't get much use out of. It might be perfect for your needs though, so watch both videos and decide for yourself.

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Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's still looking for the perfect little laptop that will last 5+ hours.