Samsung Spruces Up The Q1 Ultra UMPC

When Riyad looked at the Q1 Ultra he mused upon the fact that adding a solid-state drive would make it a much more attractive proposition and suggested that within the next few months we would see a model featuring one. Strangely enough, just two months after we reviewed the original, the SSD fitted Q1U-SSDXP is upon us, along with two other new models.

Elsewhere the specs are still the same, so the Q1U-SSDXP offers an 800MHz Intel processor, 1GB RAM and a 7in 1,024 x 600 screen; battery life and heat output should improve though. No UK pricing is yet available, but the US model is $500 more than the same spec machine without the SSD, so expect a reasonable premium in the UK, bearing in mind a separate drive costs around £300.

Backing up the most desirable model is the Q1U-XP, which is simply the same specbut with a 60GB hard disk instead. The main problem we see is that eXpansys lists this spec as around £800 and for that money you could pick up a Q45 which is more powerful, offers better performance, similar battery life and 100GB more storage space.

At the lowest end of the Q1 spectrum is the Q1U-ELXP, which offers a 40GB hard drive and a 600MHz processor. While this will obviously provide lower performance, it should offer better battery life than the 800MHz models and could therefore actually pose a more attractive proposition to the kind of market that the UMPC form factor aims to target.

Either way, while I do like the look of the Q1 Ultra and the latest refresh certainly doesn't detracts from its desirability I still wouldn't part with my hard-earned cash for one.