Review: Notion Ink Able 2-in-1 Windows laptop

Just a few days back we unboxed the Notion’s latest 2-in-1 Windows laptop. The laptop was launched a couple of weeks back. For those who are not familiar with Notion Ink, it is an Indian Startup which focuses mainly on budget friendly Windows tablets and 2-in-1 devices. The latest 2-in-1 device comes with a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Under the hood sits the Intel Cherrytrail processor clocked at 1.4 Ghz with 4 GB DDR 3 RAM (800 Mhz). It comes with 64 GB inbuilt storage which can be expanded to 128 GB via microSD card. The device also sports 2-MP front and rear camera. To power up the hardware, Notion Ink comes with an 8100 mAh non-removable battery.

As far as the device is concerned, it looks pretty decent on paper but the real question is, does the device live up to its expectations in real life situations. Head down as we find the answer to the question.

Design & Display

The device comes with a solid aluminium finish which feels good and comfortable while using. The device comes with a 10.1 inch IPS display with 180-degree viewing angles. The screen is a 10 point multi-touch capacitive display. On the top middle of the screen sits the 2 MP front facing camera which performs a decent job under good lightening conditions. On the back is the 2 MP rear camera in the top middle with Notion Ink branding in the center. On the left side of the device are all the ports. Notion Ink Able comes with a microSD card slot, SIM Card slot, 1 USB 3.o port, 1 USB 2.0 port and a micro USB port for charging. It also supports a micro HDMI port and comes with a headphone jack. On the top of the device is the power button with volume rockers. On the right side of the device are the speakers. The device also has a capacitive Windows button at the bottom for accessing Start Menu quickly.

Notion Ink Able had 10.1-inch display which gave a great feedback under both artificial as well as natural lighting conditions. Although it was a bit difficult to use the device under direct sunlight but overall the display is good considering the laptop being a budget one. Coming to the touch, the response is good. It sometimes lags but works accurately most of the times. I tried using touch-based apps like Bamboo paper and the response was good. However, it doesn’t have palm rejection feature which comes handy while using these apps.

Performance & Software

Notion Ink Able comes with Windows 10 out of the box and with Anniversary update around the corner, one can expect better features and compatibility in the near future. With the anniversary update, the device will support Windows Ink feature and other new improvements to the Windows 10 OS.

Moving to the performance of the device, it does perform well under normal conditions but starts to cause problems if you open and switch between multiple apps. The device gave good results with the copying speeds and also worked well with the basic apps like Microsoft Office, Browsers, and video players. Although it caused some delay while using software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Premier Pro. On the bottom line, the device is best suited for the business consumers or those who want a device to use basic apps. It is definitely not suitable for people who need to run multiple software at the same time or want to play games.

Camera

The Notion Ink Able comes with 2 MP front and rear camera for video calling as well as for capturing pictures. Although the camera is not very good, but it performs decent in normal lighting but fails if there is not much light in the room. The front camera is good for video calling. The device comes installed with Windows Camera so you can take benefit of it to capture good photos by tweaking manual settings. Overall the camera does a decent job but it is not good to be used as a primary camera.

Battery life

Battery life plays a very important role for business users as well as for work oriented people. The battery on the Notion Ink was good enough to last about 5 hrs on normal use which included browsing the internet and watching some videos. Although it can last more if you turn on battery saver while using the laptop. Also decreasing the brightness of the screen can be helpful. Overall the battery life we got was pretty good.

Connectivity

Notion Ink Able comes with multiple connection options. The Laptop has all the ports to the left side of the device which includes the microSD card, SIM Card, USB 3.0, Micro USB, USB 2.0, HDMI and headphone jack. The device does give great copying speeds from the external devices. The device also features a microSD card slot which gives the user a chance to expand storage up to 128 GB. It also comes with an HDMI port so that you can easily connect the laptop to any projector or secondary display.

One of the unique features about Notion Ink Able is it supports 3G SIM for additional data connectivity. This basically means that you can use your normal SIM Card to use the internet in the same was as you do on the mobile. The laptop accepts a Micro-SIM which is not hard to find today and you need an active data connection on the SIM card to use the internet. The overall experience is good and you will hardly notice the fact that you are using a SIM card and not a WiFi. Do note that data speeds will depend on the connection type you have and not on the laptop.

Conclusion

The Notion Ink Able is one of the best devices out there in sub 25,000 if you are a business customer or a person who wants a laptop for casual work/entertainment. The laptop did perform well in different tests but it is definitely not for someone who expects a lot from a laptop. It is not a powerful laptop so don’t expect much of gaming kind of stuff from it. Although it can easily fulfill the needs of a normal user who wants it just for using Office apps or maybe surfing the internet and watching movies or videos. It is suitable for business users as they can have a good laptop with a decent battery backup without shelling out too much cash. Overall we recommend the laptop for casual as well as for business users.

You can check out the laptop on Snapdeal Here (24,990 INR). Do let us know what do you think about the laptop in the comments section.