Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Review: A Feature-Packed Netbook

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Dell Inspiron Mini 10: At First Glance

Dell does not produce one-size-fits-all laptops. Rather, Dell spices up its laptops lineups with their own uniqueness in shapes and even screen sizes.

I want to believe Dell understood that ”variety is the spice of life”!

Meanwhile, for those who want something different from the regular, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 might catch your fancy. This laptop was released in 2010 just one year after its predecessor the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 was released.

What are the unique features this Dell Inspiron Mini 10 model comes with, though? To know that, let us delve into the full details.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Design, Dimension, and Weight

The stylish appearance and compactness of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 are some of the things I admire about it. The laptop chassis is made from a plastic material with a glossy finish.

Its glossiness gives it a lustrous feel when touched. Thankfully, the glossy finish of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 also allows it to repel fingerprints nicely.

Now where the most attractiveness of this laptop lies is its availability in a variety of color options. Speaking of which, this laptop this available in black, blue, green, pink, purple, and red.

With this wide range of color options to choose from, you will have no trouble choosing the color you want. However, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 I reviewed is black-colored.

With the color options out of the way, let’s proceed to talk about this laptop’s lid. The first and most likely the only thing that will catch your attention on the lid is the ”Dell” logo.

At this point, you will want to open this laptop’s lid to see more about this laptop. Upon opening the lid, what you will first notice is the 10.1-inch display surrounded by bulky black bezels.

The top bezel houses a 1.3 MP webcam which produces poor picture quality but will serve for your casual video calls. Meanwhile, the lower bezel of the display has the Dell logo in its middle.

Let’s stake a few steps back to the display which is available in two resolution options. It comes with either WSVGA (1024 x 600 pixels) resolution or HD (1366 x 768 pixels) resolution.

For the display resolution, I wonder if anyone will ever want to go for the WSVGA resolution. This is because the WSVGA is outdated and has poorer quality than the HD resolution.

Hence, I will advise you to purchase the HD resolution option that has a better display experience. However, the quality of the HD resolution display on this model I am reviewing is nothing compared to what you will get from better resolutions like FHD.

In addition to the resolution that we have talked about, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10’s display features a white LED backlit. The white LED backlight helps brighten the display and gives it enough screen brightness and saves power.

Speaking of screen brightness, this display reaches a brightness of 250 nits which is a decent value for a laptop of this price category. Hence, the display might have decent legibility outdoor.

However, because this display is a TrueLife display, when using it outdoors, you will want to use it in a shady place and not under direct sunlight. By TrueLife, I mean a display that has a glossy and reflective surface.

Away from the display, this laptop’s lid is held firmly to the base by dual hinges. The hinges are sturdy enough to allow little or no flex at all.

Having talked about the display and hinges of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10, let’s proceed to its keyboard. This laptop comes with a keyboard that spans the entire width of the laptop’s deck.

The spill-resistant keyboard has enough space between the keys.

For clearness, a spill-resistant keyboard as the name implies has some level of resistance to liquid. Meanwhile, although the keys on the keyboard are a bit noisy when typing on them, they are comfortable to type with.

Apart from the fairly comfortable keys on this keyboard, another thing that makes it comfortable for typing is its slightly raised base. The back of the laptop’s base is home to a battery that lifts it up.

Meanwhile, just immediately below the keyboard, you will find a 3.0 x 1.4-inch (W x H) dedicated touchpad. The touchpad has sufficient width, but it is quite short.

However, you will love the clickiness and the sensitivity of this laptop’s touchpad.

Away from the laptop’s deck to the sides of its base, you will find the laptop connectivity ports. I need to prepare your mind that because of this laptop’s small size, it does not come with a wealth of ports.

However, it still packs a decent amount of ports. Specifically, on the left side of the laptop, you will find a headphone jack, a microphone port, and an HDMI.

In addition to that, you will also find a USB 2.0 port, a Powered-USB, and an RJ-45 port.

On the other hand, the right side features a Kensington lock, a power socket, a USB 2.0 port, and a card reader.

At this point it is important we discuss the weight and the dimension of this laptop. Regarding that, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 has a weight of 1370 g and a dimension of 268 x 196.6 x 25.5 – 32.8 mm (W x D x H).

With a weight of 1370 g, you can easily carry this laptop around with you on the go.

In comparison, the Dell Latitude 2100 which has the same display size weighs slightly lower, at 1320 g. The Dell Latitude 2100 has a dimension of 265 x 187 x 22.5 – 39.9 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, this laptop comes with a good design, and it is also a well-built laptop. Additionally, this laptop can also be easily carried around due to its compactness.

Based on this, I give the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 a rating of nine out of ten in this design review section.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Processor (CPU) Performance

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is equipped with an entry-level Intel Atom N450 processor. This processor has a base frequency of 1.66 GHz which cannot be overclocked to a higher frequency.

In addition to that, the laptop also has a meager cache memory of 512 KB.

The Intel Atom N450 is a low-end processor that you will mostly find in netbooks in the same price category as the Dell Inspiron Mini 10. Hence, do not expect an outstanding performance from this processor.

Nevertheless, this laptop should be able to handle basic computing tasks effectively. For specific information about this laptop’s performance, let’s consider its Cinebench R10 benchmark test result.

For more details, the Cinebench R10 test evaluates a computer’s processor performance based on real-world applications. Meanwhile, this test is usually split into two parts – the single-core and multi-core tests.

Speaking of single-core, it evaluates the processor ability when only one of its cores is used. Meanwhile, the multi-core test evaluates the processor when all its cores are used.

Another thing you should be aware of concerning the scores from this test is that a higher score means better performance.

In this benchmark test, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 had a score of 457 points in the single-core test. On the other hand, it scored 846 points in the multicore test.

In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t performed better in the test. This laptop had a single-core score of 544 points and a multi-core score of 868 points in the same test.

It may be useful to mention that the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3tuses the same Atom N470 processor as Dell Inspiron Mini 10.

Based on the test result, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 performed below its competitor I checked it against. Thereby, further proving that it is not suitable for performing intensive processing tasks.

Therefore, I will be rating the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 seven out of ten in this processor review section.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Memory (RAM) Performance

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 comes with DDR2-SDRAM which has a bus speed of 667 MHz. A DDR2 is an old memory type and it is not surprising to see it on a netbook in this category.

For the memory capacity, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 has a standard 1 GB memory size and a maximum memory size of 2 GB. However, this laptop has just a single slot for memory.

Hence, to upgrade the memory, all you need to do is exchange the 1 GB RAM for 2 GB RAM. Meanwhile, this Dell Inspiron Mini 10 model RAM review is based on the 2 GB memory size.

By today’s standard, 2 GB memory is too small for computing tasks due to the increased memory needs of modern software. However, in 2010 when software were not as memory-demanding as they are now, the 2 GB RAM might have been passable.

Notwithstanding, the 2 GB RAM on my test model should be capable of opening about 8 Chrome browser tabs.

Moving on, I will inform you about the performance of this laptop in a PCMark 2005 benchmark test. For a brief explanation, PC Mark 2005 is a benchmark tool that evaluates a computer’s memory capability.

Similar to the benchmark test discussed in the processor section, a high score in the PCMark 2005 benchmark denotes better RAM performance. That being said, in the test, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 had a score of 1,326 points.

In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t performed better by scoring 1,444 points in the same test. On the other hand, Acer Aspire One 532 performed slightly lower with a score of 1,325 points.

In conclusion, the memory performance of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is in line with that of the competitors I checked it against.

Therefore, I will be rating the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 eight out of ten in this memory performance section.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Storage Options and Performance

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 comes with a SATA HDD which has a speed of 5400 RPM. Its SATA HDD supports a storage capacity of up to 160 GB.

Once again 160 GB of storage space on a laptop is quite insufficient judging by modern standards. However, during the early days of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10, 160 GB should be decent for storing files.

Nevertheless, with 160 GB of storage, you will be able to store a respectable amount of files. Better still, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 features an SD card reader for external storage expansion.

Moving on, let’s discuss the performance of the storage drive in this laptop. To deliver on this, I will share with you the typical CrystalDiskMark result of laptops that uses a 5400 RPM SATA HDD drive.

I decided to share the average score of laptops 5400 RPM SATA HDD drive in this benchmark test because I do not have the numbers for Dell Inspiron Mini 10.

For better understanding, a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test measures the sequential read and writes speeds of computer storage. In simpler terms, read speed refers to how fast it takes a computer to open a file.

Meanwhile, write speed refers to the time it takes a computer to save files.

Hence, in the benchmark test, a laptop with a typical 5400 RPM SATA HDD will record a read speed of 64.98 MBps. On the other hand, it will record a write speed of 64.85 MBps.

For the purposes of evaluation, I will have to assume that the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with a 5400 RPM HDD will achieve the CrystalDiskMark benchmark numbers shared in the last paragraph.

In comparison, the Dell Inspiron N5110 which also uses a 5400 RPM HDD had a sequential read speed of 63.69 MBps. Meanwhile, it had a sequential write speed of 57.51 MBps.

Considering all I have said in this review section, I will be rating the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 an eight out of ten.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Graphics Card Performance

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 comes with Intel GMA 500 Graphics which is an integrated graphics card. By integrated graphics card, I mean a GPU that is not powerful enough to handle graphics-intensive tasks due to its lack of a dedicated VRAM (Video RAM).

For a better understanding, VRAM is a dedicated memory that supports the GPU to handle a computer’s graphics content.

Furthermore, the Intel GMA 500 Graphics has a base frequency of 200 MHz which unfortunately cannot be boosted above that.

Gaming-wise, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is capable of handling low-graphics applications and games. Hence, this laptop should be able to play F.E.A.R 2005 at 16 fps in low settings.

To shed more light on the graphics performance of this laptop, I will share its result in a 3D MARK 05 benchmark. For clarity, a 3D Mark benchmark measures the 3D rendering ability of a computer.

Equally important in this benchmark is that a high score translates to better performance. Hence, in the benchmark, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 scored 133 points.

In comparison, the ASUS Eee PC 1101HA and Acer Aspire One 751 scored higher than this laptop in the same test. Specifically, they both scored 146 and 136 points respectively.

You should be aware that both competitors use the same Intel GMA 500 Graphics.

In conclusion, the Dell laptop is capable of handling light graphics tasks like other netbooks in its category. However, it underperformed in comparison with the competitors I checked it against.

Hence, I will be rating it a six out of ten in this graphics review section.

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Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Battery Life and Performance

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is available in three battery configurations. Firstly, there is a 3 cell 28 Whr Lithium-Ion battery.

Secondly, there is a 6-cell 56 Whr Lithium-Ion battery and finally, there is a 6-cell 60 Whr Lithium-Ion battery. Hence, users can buy a model with battery power that will be sufficient for their computing needs.

Among these three battery configurations, the 60 Whr battery will last longer than the 56 Whr battery – at least, in theory. Meanwhile, the 56 Whr battery should also last longer than the 28 Whr battery.

When deciding on which battery configuration to choose, you should bear in mind that the battery option with the biggest capacity will cost more than the others.

For the purpose of this review, we will consider the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with the 6-cells 56 Whr Lithium-Ion battery. Although Dell has failed to tell us what to expect from this laptop, I will be sharing some of this battery test results.

Speaking of which, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 lasted 9 hours 3 minutes in a web surfing test performed by laptopmag.com.

Thankfully, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 battery lasted longer than that of its predecessor – the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook. Precisely, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook lasted 4 hours 14 minutes in the same test.

Also, the Dell Latitude 2100 laptop with the same six-cell battery size lasted for just 4 hours and 47 minutes.

Based on the result above, the battery performance of the mid-range battery option of this laptop is impressive. It performed significantly better than its predecessor and the competitor I checked it against.

However, you should get even better performance from the battery option with the highest capacity of course you will have to spend more.

Considering all I have said in this section, I will rate the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 a nine out of ten.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is one I can describe as a laptop for easy mobility. This is obvious from the laptop’s compact design and sturdy build.

Not only that, but with the inclusion of a battery that can last for long hours, you can take this netbook anywhere. Also, this laptop promises you a clear and impressive view by featuring a WLED TrueLife display with 250 nits brightness.

However, it is safe to say this laptop comes with an outdated processor and a small memory size.

Nevertheless, if you are in need of a laptop for basic computing tasks or studying, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is a good option worth considering.

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