You know what can't be easy? Making a netbook stand out amongst the hordes of them out there, and yet despite run-of-the-mill specs Fujitsu's done just that with the MH380. Maybe it is the rounded red lid or the small crater in its palmrest that doubles as a scroll pad, but the $449 netbook has struck us as more than just another Pine Trail netbook ever since its appearance at CES. We'd like to take that at face value, but given the fact that Fujitsu doesn't have the best netbook track record, we wanted to spend some quality time with it to find out if the 10-inch mini-laptop has the battery life, performance and ergonomics we expect for its higher-than-average price. You can be sure we found out, so hit the break for our full review.
Fujitsu MH380 review
Gallery: Fujitsu MH380 hands-on | 28 Photos
Pros
- Great looking design Bright HD display Lasts for six hours on a charge
Cons
- Extremely small touchpadFinicky scroll pad More expensive than competition
Engadget Score
Pros
- Great looking design
- Bright HD display
- Lasts for six hours on a charge
Cons
- Extremely small touchpad
- Finicky scroll pad
- More expensive than competition
Summary
Look and feel

The real bummer for us is that the head-turning design isn't matched by the best portability specs. The MH380 measures 1.4-inches thick, and its protruding six-cell battery adds even more girth in the back. And then there's the fact that the system weighs 3.1 pounds, and feels heavier in hand than most netbooks. Don't get us wrong, it's still a netbook, and small enough to fit in a shoulder bag or carry around the house with one hand, but it's just not the trimmest of the bunch.
Keyboard, touchpad and screen

The higher-resolution 1366 x 768, 10.1-inch display is crisper and brighter than most, and those extra horizontal pixels do make a noticeable difference when surfing the web. While we couldn't watch a YouTube HD video because of the MH380's weak GMA 3150 graphics, a 720p WMV video of the Caribbean Ocean looked very crisp. We found vertical viewing angles to be decent when we tilted the screen to different angles, but horizontal ones weren't worthy of the same praise – though better than most, colors still washed out when we tried to view the screen from the side.
Performance and battery life

PCMark05 | 3DMark06 | Battery Life | |
Fujitsu MH380 | 1368 | 153 | 6:37 |
ASUS Eee PC 1008P | 1531 | 152 | 3:20 |
ASUS Eee PC 1005PE | 1431 | 157 | 8:10 |
Toshiba Mini NB305 | 1272 | 156 | 6:30 |
Thankfully the larger 63Wh six-cell battery that protrudes out the back results in some good endurance. On our video rundown test -- where we loop the same standard definition video at 65 brightness -- the MH380 lasted 6 hours and 37 minutes. That's not as long as the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE's eight hours, but it will allow you to avoid the outlet scavenger hunt at an airport or coffee shop.
Wrap-up
