In most walks of life it’s generally true to say that if you pay more money for something, you’d expect to get more of whatever it is you’re buying in return.

But if there’s one instance where this rule of thumb doesn’t always apply, it’s when you’re buying a notebook computer.

If you were to opt for the Philips X66, for example, you’d find that you’re actually paying more money for less laptop. The X66 also has a much smaller screen (11.1in) than most other £800 laptops currently on sale, for example. But then just about everything about the X66 is much smaller – smaller, neater and easy to carry – and it’s this size advantage that costs extra.

The benefits of such a teeny PC are clear: measuring just 35x266x203mm and weighing just over 1.5kg, the X66 is small and light enough to take almost anywhere.

Given its petite proportions, it’s something of a surprise to find 1GB of memory, a multi-format DVD writer, a 100GB hard disk and a built-in memory card reader miraculously squeezed into the X66’s tiny frame. It’s wireless-ready too, and the notebook's brushed aluminium body looks smart and feels durable.

It’s all topped off with Windows Vista Ultimate Edition, which is perfect for anyone intending to use the laptop for a mixture of work, home and leisure.

Naturally, certain compromises have been made along the way. The keyboard is a little cramped and might get uncomfortable after prolonged use. Also, we found that on-screen text was a little small at first, but we sorted that out by using Vista’s font-scaling tool to make text more readable.

Some areas of the X66’s technical specification are a little lower than we would expect for a portable PC of this price. Its processor is a bit slower than many other notebooks in its price range, for instance, but it’s fast enough for most normal computer work.

It’s also worth noting that the CPU is a special low-voltage edition of the Intel Core Duo, which uses up a lot less power. Thanks to this, the battery pack can last for in excess of five hours on a single charge, which is far ahead of the game.

It’s true that £800 is quite a lot of money to pay for a computer of any size or shape, but when judging the X66 on its value for money, don’t forget to take into account the fact that most ultra-portable notebooks this small tend to go for upwards of £1,400.

There are certainly many better computers available at this price, but few of them are as eminently portable as this little fellow. So if size and weight are your biggest concern and you’re not too worried about raw muscle, then we’d definitely recommend giving the X66 a look.

Vista compatible: Yes