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HP Pavilion DM1-3200sa review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £335
inc VAT

A great ultra-portable for anyone who doesn’t have the cash for an ultrabook

Specifications

11.6 in 1,366×768 display, 1.6kg, 1.6GHz AMD E-350, 3.00GB RAM, 320GB disk, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit

http://www.play.com

HP is yet to launch a true ultrabook, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a thin-and-light machine with an HP badge on it. If you’re looking to save a little cash, the DM1 could be just what you’re looking for. As it’s powered by an AMD Fusion processor it definitely can’t be called an ultrabook. At 1.6kg it’s also a little heavier than Intel’s ultra-thin machines, but still incredibly compact thanks to its 11.6in display. The silver plastic chassis and texture-effect lid look reasonably sleek, and are offset nicely by a black keyboard tray.

HP Pavilion DM1-3200sa

Despite the DM1’s small size, it still has a good number of ports for connecting your peripherals. The three USB ports, multi-format card reader, VGA and HDMI video outputs, single 3.5mm headset audio jack and Ethernet port should be more than enough for most travellers.

In everyday use, the full-size keyboard is surprisingly comfortable to type on – the wrist rest is very small, so we had to adjust our hands slightly, but we were soon typing at full speed. Each key is well spaced from its neighbours and provides plenty of feedback so you can be sure when you’ve pressed it. The compact touchpad could pose a problem for typists who like to rest their whole hands on the keyboard tray, but a quick double-tap in the top left corner disables it temporarily.

HP Pavilion DM1-3200sa Keyboard

We found the touchpad itself incredibly sensitive, to the point that we couldn’t leave one finger resting on the left mouse button without it triggering cursor movements. We’ve experienced this with a series of HP’s integrated touchpads for well over a year, so it was disappointing to see the issue reappear here.

The screen’s image quality was above average, mainly because HP has squeezed in a 1,366×768 resolution panel. Text looked a little on the small side at default settings, but pictures looked crisp and detailed. Colour accuracy was also reasonable, helped by the glossy screen finish that produced vivid colours, but which made reflections slightly troublesome. However, with over 180 degrees of tilt in the screen hinges, it’s easy to find an angle that works well.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ****
Processor AMD E-350
Processor clock speed 1.6GHz
Memory 3.00GB
Memory slots 2
Memory slots free 0
Maximum memory 4GB
Size 31x290x214mm
Weight 1.6kg
Sound IDT HD Audio
Pointing device touchpad

Display

Viewable size 11.6 in
Native resolution 1,366×768
Graphics Processor AMD Radeon HD 6310
Graphics/video ports HDMI, VGA
Graphics Memory 256MB

Storage

Total storage capacity 320GB
Optical drive type none

Ports and Expansion

USB ports 3
Bluetooth yes
Wired network ports 1x 10/100/1000
Wireless networking support 802.11n
PC Card slots none
Supported memory cards SDXC, MMC
Other ports minijack headset port

Miscellaneous

Carrying case No
Operating system Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
Operating system restore option restore partition
Software included Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition
Optional extras none

Buying Information

Warranty one year collect and return
Price £335
Details www.hp.co.uk
Supplier http://www.play.com