Is the new Asus X205T a notebook? No. It is not a netbook either. But yes, it seems to share the form of a netbook and some features of one like flash memory. However, with a 11.6-inch screen it is almost the size of an entry notebook.

The X205T falls somewhere in-between these two standard size factors. Like netbooks, it has flash memory (32 GB) and no optical drive. The lack of an optical drive also makes it really light - less than one kilo.

There was a time when netbooks were a rage because the alternatives were clunky, heavy notebooks. The former were smaller - they came with 10 inch screens - and they tread a delicate middle path. But with notebooks becoming smaller and lighter, and with tablets with better features giving netbooks a headache, there were not many takers for the mid-sized option. So, what is Asus doing with this new sub-12-incher? Looked at from another perspective, increasing the screen size could be one way of retaining the netbook market for Asus. Will the X205T manage to create a new balance?

Form & Function

The X205T is offered with 32GB of flash memory. Yes, 32GB doesn’t look like much nowadays, with even mobile phones coming loaded with 64GB memory. Of course, we can always expand it by using the memory card option. The reader only supports micro SD, micro SDXC and micro SDHC memory cards. Asus offers 500 GB of cloud storage with the device, but often that’s not the same as having the memory on the device. There is no way of upgrading the memory (or anything), as everything is sealed.

What makes this worse is that the review unit came pre-loaded with Windows 8.1 which took up a huge chunk of the 32 GB memory, and we were left with hardly any storage space. The C drive shows only 20GB of space (the rest taken by Windows) and only 11 GB of free space, which is pathetic. The X205T has 2GB RAM, which renders it just fit enough for net browsing and computing tasks that don’t require only low power.

Going back to the form factor, the lightweight device has a HDMI port and a headphone port along with the memory card slot and power socket on the left. There are two USB ports on the right. At the rear is a tiny speaker grill.

Usability

The trackpad is quite large for a netbook-style device and it supports multiple gestures, but it takes some time to get used to it. The trackpad is also erratic and seems to have a mind of its own, especially when one is typing fast. The chiclet keyboard is well spaced out and the tactile feedback is great.

Occasionally, we felt the size of the trackpad could have been reduced a little and more vertical space given to the keyboard. But overall, the keyboard is one of the best features of the device.

This is a budget machine, and the display (1366 x 768) just manages to do what is required for basic tasks for which the X205T is built for.

Asus claims a 12-hour battery life. In our daily usage, the battery lasted for around 8 to 10 hours on continuous web browsing through wi-fi, which included at least a dozen tabs on Chrome browser. The battery takes over two hours from 10 per cent. When the battery is exhausted fully, it takes at least 30 minutes more to charge fully.

Love: Compact, lightweight

Great keyboard

Hate: Low in-device storage,

Erratic trackpad

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