If you’re on a budget and looking for a very capable and portable entry-level notebook then you might want to look at the Neo Basic B11W. It features an 11.6-inch HD display, Intel celeron CPU, 2GB RAM, metallic build, Windows 8.1 OS, and an affordable price tag. Read our full review below to find out if it’s worth the money.
Design and Construction
When we first got our hands on the B11W, we immediately liked its overall build and design. Notebooks with affordable price tags normally come with plastic builds and uninspired design, but it is certainly not the case with the B11W. Although still totally made of plastic, it comes with metallic finishes to give it a close-to-premium look and feel.
The B11W also comes with plenty of ports. On the left you’ll see the Kensington security lock slot, VGA display port, HDMI port, USB 3.0, and the mic and headset jacks. On the right is the DC power jack, Ethernet port, SD card reader, and two USB 2.0 ports.
Open the lid and you’ll see the 11.6-inch display and the glossy plastic bezel, 1 megapixel HD webcam, the chiclet keys, power button, and the touchpad. Take a look underneath and you’ll find the four rubber nubs, and a couple of speaker grills and heat vents.
On hand, the B11W is light and easy to lug around. It also features a relatively slim body so it won’t take much space inside a bag. The keyboard is also decent with nicely-spaced keys. However, it feels plastic-y and flimsy — like it will easily come off if you lift it with your fingernail.
Touchpad performance is also okay but the real estate is a bit limited and not smooth enough. On the bright side, the space on the sides provide your palms with enough room to rest on so it doesn’t feel cramped when typing.
Display and Multimedia
The B11W comes with an 11.6-inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 or equal to 135ppi. It’s not exactly high-resolution but is enough for a display of this size. It has decent viewing angles and good colors. However, it doesn’t have touch screen which makes the Metro UI a bit cumbersome to navigate.
Given its ample display size, the B11W also makes a good portable multimedia device. It can easily play your favorite high-res videos. However, the speakers leave a lot to be desired as it lacks in loudness and sounds hollow. So if you’re planning to watch movies on-the-go an external speaker or headphones are still recommended for a better listening experience.
Software and Performance
Running the software side is Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 OS 64-bit. We expect it to come with free Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 unfortunately it does not. As for its storage, the B11W is equipped with a 500GB HDD with 458GB left for the user.
Powering the device is an Intel Celeron N2830 2.16GHz Dual-Core CPU coupled with 2GB DDR3 RAM and Intel HD Graphics. Performance is good when it comes to basic tasks such as Internet surfing, Multimedia, and MS Office. There are times that it feels sluggish and we get the “Not Responding” notification in some folders and applications. It happens rarely but it is annoying when it does.
We tested its gaming capabilities using Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare and it was able to play the game in its lowest graphic settings. There are occasional lags but it’s good to know that the B11W can put up with such games.
Battery Life
We placed the B11W through our routine battery test which involves putting the device in Airplane Mode, setting brightness and volume to 50%, and playing a Full HD movie on loop with headset plugged in. The result is 3 hours worth of playback which is below average.
Conclusion
The Neo Basic B11W is an affordable yet very capable notebook that doesn’t look cheap. It features a slim build, a nice metallic finish, complete set of ports, and very decent performance that is also enough for light gaming. On the downside, there are times that it is sluggish, has weak speakers, and a short battery life. But for Php12,999 we still consider it a good deal.
Neo Basic B11W specs:
11.6″ HD (1366 x 768) display
2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2830 Dual-Core CPU, 1MB Cache
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3 1066 MHz
500GB HDD
1MP HD Webcam
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
(x1) USB 3.0 Port,(x2) USB 2.0 Port
HDMI Port
Multi-in-1 Card Reader
VGA Port
Mic & Headphone jack
3-Cell Li-Ion 24WH (3.5 hours)
Microsoft Windows 8.1
292.4 x 210.5 x 22.7 mm
1.3 kg
SRP: Php12,999
What we liked about it:
* Slim and nice-looking build
* Good display
* Wide-range of ports available
* Can handle light gaming
* Affordable price
What we didn’t like:
* No backlit keyboard
* Flimsy keyboard keys
* Sluggish at times
* Short battery life
* Weak speakers
* Not so smooth touchpad
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Bhmax Cali says:
do you sell Neo Basic B11W battery and charger??? i want to replace my old battery and charger
Miss Lady says:
Is it recommend for my neo notebook to upgrade to windows 10?
Ornell says:
For b11w what is the size of its jack plug for charger.tia
anony says:
In my opinion, the casing or housing of the notebook is not that durable and it is easily scratch so you need to be careful when you are using it. Well i still liked because at less than 12K i bought a good to use for thesis notebook . though i dont think i can use it for heavy gaming. It is good for students. I dont think they need high end laptops anyway in studying. It is ok for web browsing and watching online video. I agree with you the speakers are not that good.
rhinedel ginoy says:
pa Help naman po ako, how to recover my netbook? magchacharge sana ako ng cp ko sa netbook. pagsaksak ko nag automatic shutdown po at d na mag open, need daw po ng internal o external command, operable program or batch file,what should i do?
kata says:
my cousin bought neo laptop last 2005 at dinala nya sa Canada kasi yun ang pinakamura that time. nasira lang sya 2012 na, so nasa pag gamit lang din yan siguro.
joumaicomaulas says:
Bumili ako ng neo netbook basic nun pang august 2010 until now gumagana parin yung netbook pero tinanggal ko na yung battery kc di na rin gumana sa tagal na rin cguro ng product. Gonna buy this product kc tested ko na ng almost 5 1/2 years. Affordable yet durable. Madali cyang masira pag ang user e malakas pumindot ng keyboard. Peace.
LUST says:
i Bought Neo laptop about 2 years ago for school purposes, studyante eh kailangan na. hanggang ngayon buo pa. can even play skyrim(77 active mods) in lowest settings medyo lag sa una lagay ka lng ng ulg plugins ok na. nagkaproblem lang ako sa battery after 2 years nasira ko na.(everyday gamit ko nung college ako madalas pa
overnight gamit pag rush projects). may isa pa pla. nauubusan ako ng ram pag nageedit ng photos pag video naman walang galawan pagnagsasave ako ala kami pansinan. hehe.
for me dipende nalang siguro sa item na makukuha nyo. pero good ako sa nabili ko.
(sarap magbasa ng comment sa taas. haha)
skye says:
Actually I have Neo laptop the basic series notebook at nagsisisi ako na binili ko yun kasi nag hahang siya tapos kapag nag play ka ng movies/video ang panget ng audio at graphics sayang lang kaya nagswitch na lang ako sa acer
thanxalot says:
thanx for the thread, it really helped me a lot guys with your discussions, a conclusion poped-up that solved my problem again thanx specially to ewanlangha
ediwow says:
Intel Celeron in 2014? fck that…
noelneps2004 says:
Intel Celeron 4th Gen – iba na ang performance nito sa mga lumang version
bluehoundz says:
Having bad experience with NEO here too…
Not just neo, also with HP.
Id rather recommend to you guys on ACER or ASUS.
Inot says:
Neo laptops are rebranded Clevo products kagaya ng Sager laptops..kilala ang sager at clevo na laptops pngtapat sa alienware..
noelneps2004 says:
hindi ho nila alam na ang Sager at Clevo brands na galing US ay rebranded na ng Neo dito sa Pilipinas, na dun mismo sila talaga ang gumagawa ng mga customized laptops..
Herman says:
I used to own a Neo laptop (read:USED TO), My Acer laptop that I was using for 4 years died on me and I need to replace it ASAP since my work as a teacher depends on it. Medyo short ako sa budget so I bought the cheapest laptop that I could find, a NEO Basic running on AMD E-450. I was really satisfied with its performance but after a year and three months it suddenly died. I had it checked with a local repair shop and they showed me a row of power regulating IC’s on my laptop that needs replacement, they don’t have the parts so I bought it at Neo’s service center. The guys there are accommodating and they confirmed the IC problem BUT they said that they don’t do motherboard repairs, ONLY REPLACEMENT.
Motherboard price + labor is around 8,000 pesos, that’s more than half of the price of a cheap laptop from a reputable make so I just saved a few more then bought myself a cheap Lenovo laptop.
Sa mga nagsasabi na nasa gumagamit ‘yan, narinig niyo na ba ang salitang “QUALITY CONTROL”? Granted na okay yung laptops na gamit niyo, pero sa iba na minalas, palpak yung kanila gaya ng nakuha ko. I really take good care on my electronics so medyo disappointed ako nung nasira yung Neo laptop ko, at least na-salvage ko pa yung hard disk at memory niya – magkano rin yun.
Daves says:
My sister’s 13″ (I think) NEO laptop still works about 3-4 years after purchase. I’ll ask her if she ever had it serviced.
For me, hit or miss lang whether it’s Neo, Asus or any other brand. Neo just happens to be the only (?) local brand so far.
Let_It_Go_ewanlangha says:
ewanlangha,
so much NEGATIVITY! Sumabog ba yung unit sa mukha mo at disfigured ka na kaya ang tindi ng galit mo sa Neo Computers? Aba naman, tumigil ka na. Pa-logic logic ka pa e wala ka naman nun.
Why don’t you just accept the fact that there are people out there who are satisfied with Neo Computers, the same way that there are people who don’t like their computer? What’s the point of your hatred anyway? Just buy a Mac and SHUT UP ALREADY!
ewanlangha says:
eh ikaw di pala si metre9dmt eh, ang NEO SALES AGENT dito
sorry sir kung nasasaktan ka sa mga kwento dito
paki sabi na lang sa boss mo na pagbutihan naman ang quality control niyo para dumami pa lalo ang mga buyers niyo.
o ayan tinutulongan ko na kayo ha
eto pala simpling analogy (para lang ma gets mo)
May e pinasarang pagawaan ng taho dahil sa marumi ang metodo nila sa paggawa. Pinoy yan di ba?
Tatangkilikin na lang ba natin yan kahit na marumi?
kung di mo pa ma gets, ala na akong magagawa
ewanlangha says:
why don’t YOU shut up
grabe napakatindi ng mga salita mo
do I sound bitter ba?
i don’t think so
we are only protecting our investment sa mga equipment namin
sinabi ko bang huwag kayo bumili ng neo? HINDI !
ang sinasabi ko lang ay ang eksperyensiya namin sa brand na yan.
tsaka ano ba ang paki mo kung ayaw namin sa brand na yan.
para ka namang bata na natalo sa jack en poy
kung meron dyan na mahal ang neo depende na yan sa kanila, but don’t make me agree sa statement na “depende yan sa gumagamit”
napa ogag mo naman yata kung aagree ka na ang quality ng neo at asus o mac ay pareho lang.
kaya ikaw ang tumahimik
neo sales agent ka siguro
kaya ang tindi nga puna mo sa mga ayaw sa brand mo.
hindikameNEOloko says:
When my gf got her first laptop for school we were looking for something affordable and we saw this brand NEO and bought it. That was way back in 2005 and unexpectedly her laptop still works, unlike the Compaq that I bought which was more expensive and only lasted after 1 yr, a few months after my warranty expired. :(
loler says:
para sa NEO haters WALA SA BRAND YAN NASA GUMAGAMIT YAN, Dalawa neo ko na laptop parehong walang sira at 2 years na
ewanlangha says:
MALI !
SUPER MALI ka brod
di ko ma fathom ang logic mo dito
kahit anong ingat mo sa device kung talagang low quality madali pa rin masira, its as simple as that, even a grade 1 pupil knows that.
malamang bwenas ka lang sa nakuha mong unit
pero kami kahit ano pa sabihin mo we already deleted that brand in our procurement list, bawas sakit sa ulo at pagsisisi sa huli
metre9dmt says:
TAMA!nadale mo!
Kilbaine says:
there are a lot of better alternatives, http://www.lazada.com.ph/shop-laptops/?sort=priceasc&dir=asc all in 11k price range, Lenovo, MSI, Acer, ASUS…
lala says:
I hope review nyu agad yugatech ung asus eebook x205 and HP stream 13 pag lumabas mas mag invest ako trusted brand than this I have hp mini nabili ko 2nd hand 5k almost 3 years na sya sa may ari this year kulang nabili okay na okay pa aside sa procci nya pag uminit medyo nag lag na pero overall sulit
Kilbaine says:
yung sa akin, just after the 2 year warranty… nasira yung board :P
metre9dmt says:
@ewanlangha –
by saying neo is a pinoy brand, i was just expressing that we need to support local brands. like i said, okay naman yung mga nakausap ko na sales and technical support of neo. if you like to buy other brands, go ahead. i’m not stopping you. hindi ba puedeng mag-express ang mga neo computer users na maganda ang experience with this brand? nagpahayag lamang ako aking saloobin to balance the negative comments from this post.
no need to insult others.
atong amio says:
i would rather purchase asus brand even if it cost more than 3k. my previous eeepc was 4 years old and now still working fine
abdul jakul says:
metre9dmt public relations officer ka nila? hehehe
well this is a crappy brand and that produces crappy products..
metre9dmt says:
no, i’m not a public relations officer of neo. just a person who had use their products in my daily work.
lol says:
veeeeeery bad experience with this brand. sira yung motherboard ng nabili ko, inayos naman nila. pero nung nag-snap na yung hinge nung laptop sa gilid, ayaw na nila ayusin KAHIT UNDER WARRANTY PA. pinapalabas nila kasalanan ko yun and gestured to me na DAPAT HINAHAWAKAN DAW ANG GILID NG LAPTOP PAG BINUBUKSAN. who the hell does that? even insulted me na kung binasa ko ba daw talaga yung terms ng warranty. i did, pati consumer act binasa ko. we had another laptop from them na nagsnap yung hinge sa gilid, in fact even yung unit nila dun sa service center nagsnap narin yung hinge. NEVER AGAIN, horrible after sales.
metre9dmt says:
lol,
what happen to you was very unfortunate. nung ako naman ang nagpa-ayos, ok naman ang mga technicians na kausap ko nung pinagawa ko yung unit ko, which by the way, the hinge broke down after more than a year.
other than that, the vivid unit i am using works fine – people were amaze by the long battery life. sabi ko nga, the intel atom processor was designed for long battery life and with 6-cell battery, the vivid unit last for 8 hours.
dito sa b11w unit, 3-cell battery lamang ito kaya short ang battery life. pero kung makakalikot mo ang settings at madadagdagan ang ram, tatagal ito.
metre9dmt says:
I’d been using NEO brand laptop computers for quite some time. What I like about the brand is that it provides the same performance as other foreign brands yet they are affordable. I also like their after sales service center at Mandaluyong – my Vivid unit got some hinge problem that was solve soon. With that, I recommend this brand to friends and colleagues. Pinoy brand po, much like MyPhone, Torque, Cherry Mobile and Starmobile.
ewanlangha says:
so what are you saying?
dahil pinoy brand bili tayo?
no problem naman kung ok ang quality
kaso BAD EXPERIENCE NGA !
in fact make that a “2 Bad Experience” episode dahil dalawang unit, magkaibang model, sirain.
@ Louie D
eh ikaw ser saan ka ba panig?
playing safe ka lang yata eh
turon says:
pareview din sana yung redfox defianz..macbook lookalike..worth 8k lng un nung nov 11 sa lazada..
Bayag says:
So if this cost 13k, what are the better alternatives to this crap? Ones that dont break the 16k barrier?
Louie D says:
Ok critics and haters, blast away!
Knock yourselves out!
ewanlangha says:
ewan ko lang ha
pero we have a very bad experience with this brand
laptop din yun
Fred says:
Ayaw ma palitan ng Priority Boot Device, sa B11W
Lagi nalang repairing at Diagnosing PC yung lumalabas
Pa HELP !! namn po