Netbooks, also known as cheap ultraportables, have monitors of 8.9" or 10" and a weight between 1 and 1.5 kg. Because of its low weight and price (usually 300-600 $), they have quickly become very popular, but we have to take into account a few things before purchasing one of these devices:
If, after reading this, you think that a regular laptop the best option for you, have a look at the laptops section.
There are lots of netbooks in the market, so I restricted the comparison to the most well known, because they are usually more widely available. I gathered at least 3 good reviews for each netbook.
| Acer Aspire One | Asus Eee PC 901 | Asus Eee PC 1000H | Dell Inspiron Mini 9 | HP Mini 1000 | Samsung NC10 | MSI Wind | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | 299 USD (512 MB RAM, 8 GB SSD) buy it 399 USD (1 GB RAM, 160 GB HD) buy it |
495 USD (Windows XP, 12 GB SSD) buy it |
450 USD (Windows XP, 80 GB HD) buy it 480 USD (Windows XP, 160 GB HD) buy it |
from 349 USD configure it | from 400 USD configure it Compaq Mini 700 |
499 USD (blue) buy it 470 USD (white) buy it |
435 USD (160 GB HD, 6-cell) buy it |
| Weight | from 1 kg (2.2 lbs, with SSD, and 3-cell battery) to 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs, with HD, 6-cell battery) | 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs) | 1.5 kg (3.2 lbs) | 1 kg (2.3 lbs) | from 1.0 kg (2.25 lbs) | 1.3 kg | 1 kg (2.2 lbs, 3-cell battery) or 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs, 6-cell battery) |
| Monitor | 8.9", glossy, LED | 8.9", matte, LED | 10", matte, LED | 8.9", glossy, LED | 8.9 or 10", glossy, LED | 10", matte, LED | 10", matte, LED |
| Display resolution | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 |
| Processor | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) |
| RAM | 512 MB or 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB (Windows version) or 2 GB (Linux version) | 512 MB or 1 GB | 512 MB or 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Max RAM | 1,5 GB (512 MB onboard, plus memory slot up to 1 GB) | single memory module up to 2 GB | single memory module up to 2 GB | 1 GB? | 1 GB | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage | 8 GB SSD o 120 GB HD | 12 GB SSD (Windows version) o 20 GB SSD (Linux version); plus 20 GB of online storage | 80-160 GB HD | 4, 8 or 16 GB SSD | 8, 16 GB SSD or 60 GB HD | 160 GB | 80 GB |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA 950 |
| Operating system | Linpus Linux (custom Fedora) | Windows XP Home or Linux (custom Xandros) | Windows XP Home or Linux (custom Xandros) | Windows XP Home or Linux (custom Ubuntu) | Windows XP Home | Windows XP Home | Windows XP Home |
| I/O | 3 USB, VGA, Ethernet 10/100, headphones, mic | 3 USB, VGA, Ethernet 10/100, headphones, mic | 3 USB, VGA, Ethernet 10/100, headphones, mic | 3 USB, VGA, Ethernet 10/100, headphones, mic | 2 USB, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, headphones, mic | 3 USB, VGA, Ethernet, headphones, mic | 3 USB, VGA, Ethernet 10/100, headphones, mic |
| Wireless | WiFi 802.11b/g | WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth | WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth | WiFi 802.11g, optional Bluetooth | WiFi 802.11a/b/g, optional Bluetooth | WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth | WiFi 802.11g, Bluetooth |
| Accessories | card reader (x2), 0.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic | card reader, 1.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic | card reader, 1.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic | card reader, optional 0.3 or 1.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic? | card reader, 0.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic | card reader, 1.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic | card reader, 1.3 Mpx webcam, integrated mic |
| Battery | 3-cell (2-2,5 h); a 6-cell battery has been announced | 6-cell (4-5 h) | 6-cell (4-4,5 h) | 4-cell (3-3,5 h) | 3-cell (3 h) | 6-cell (6-7 h) | 3-cell (2-2,5 h); 6-cell (4,5-5 h) available in some countries |
| Specs | Acer | Asus | Asus | Dell | HP | Samsung | MSI |
| Reviews | Notebook Review, PC Magazine, Laptop Magazine | Notebook Review, ZDNet, Neoseeker, Digital Trends | Laptop Magazine, Geek.com, Trusted Reviews | Notebook Review, Laptop Magazine, PC Magazine, AnandTech | Laptop Magazine, PC Magazine, PC World, CNET, Computer Shopper | Laptop Magazine, Trusted Reviews, PC Pro, Digit Geek | Notebook Review, Laptop Magazine, Geek.com, Digital Trends |
| Notes | touchpad buttons in vertical orientation | configurable; lacks dedicated function keys (F1-F12) | touchpad buttons in vertical orientation | very good scores in most reviews | touchpad with 1 single button |
Laptop Magazine publishes a comparison including the netbooks Samsung NC10, MSI Wind, HP Mini 1000 and Asus Eee PC 1000H (in addition to Lenovo Ideapad S10). Very interesting.
If you have questions, suggestions or want to give your opinion, you can do it in the forums.
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