The Asus EeePC 1201N shocked the world when it came out with a dual-core Atom processor. Its successor, the Asus EeePC 1215N, capitalized on that and includes an even better processor and goes for only $500 on average.
The design of the EeePC 1215N is totally different from the 1201N. Instead of a glossy surface, it now has a matte black top. The material is also not smudge-resistive thus prompting the user to wipe it from time to time.
The screen size is exactly 12.1 inches. This makes it one of the biggest netbooks in the market. Its weight is not that affected by the increase in size as well. Despite the bigger screen, it only weighs 3.3 pounds.12 inches is a key size in electronics. It is the demarcation point between netbooks and laptops. Any lower and it is a netbook. Any higher and it is a mainstream laptop. The plus side of having a 12-inch screen is getting a higher resolution. The EeePC 1215N can play 720p videos on the screen. The video output can also be transferred via HDMI. Also, it has enough graphics power to play 1080p videos. This, though, still does not make it powerful enough for 3D games.
The keyboard is a measly 96% sized one. Although this is technically bigger than full sized ones on smaller netbooks, it is still disappointing that they couldn’t have utilized more space. Typing will not feel cramped nevertheless. The touchpad, on the other hand, is very good. Its size is well-suited for the netbook and the sensitivity is alright. The mouse buttons are another story though. They are a bit hard and make noises whenever you click them.
One tradeoff of this netbook is its storage capacity. Since most of the expenses on this netbook went to the processor and screen, the hard drive is not upgraded. The one available is a 250GB 5400 RPM drive which is considered as the standard for netbooks.
The EeePC 1215N is the only netbook that runs on the Atom D525. This processor is actually built for nettops. My guess is that they already planned the design before the Aton N550 was released. In any case, it is even faster than those that run on the N550.
Finally, battery life is not forsaken by Asus. It is understandable that the larger screen and extra core will draw more power. That is why this device is fitted with a 56Wh battery that can make it last for 5.7 hours.