This page is dedicated to the best netbook computers on the market. Aside from current Best Netbook 2012 listings, we have sections for the following years:
We know our netbooks. We know as of right now, what the best netbooks are on the market. This is where you can come to find out what are simply the best and which models are worth every hard earned penny that you're able to spend. There are lots of exciting new netbooks and performance upgrades that will see the fastest and best models ever!
Best Netbook of 2012
Here is our updated list and we will continue to update this list throughout 2012. There is going to be a new crop of Atom processors coming in early 2012. This means the older 2011 models should be getting deals very soon. Now is a good time to pick up a good older model at a cheap price. Our best netbook of 2012 will be dominated by the new Atom processors for sure. Improved graphics and HDMI out should get you excited. No? How about the USB 3.0 ports also and even better battery life? Yep. That's what the netbooks of 2012 will be featuring. We're excited!
Netbook NOT to buy?
Let's get this out of the way right away. Do not buy the HP Mini 210 update model with the N2600 Intel Atom processor. Why say this? It doesn't come with a HDMI port. It might not be a big deal to you today, but why on earth buy a new 2012 model netbook that doesn't take advantage of the new Atom processor. If we come across other "new" 2012 netbooks with no HDMI ports, we will list here. That's shameful in our opinion. You might as well buy the HP Mini 210 that has the old Atom processor if it's cheaper. Yes the updated HP Mini 210 has the new processor and the 1080p video ability, but c'mon HP. That's a real cheap out move by not having a HDMI port.
Early Picks:
Asus in 2012 are really the first company to get their update Intel Atom processor netbooks to market. We won't be listing netbooks with the old processor as part of the best 2012 netbook listings. We are waiting on Samsung, Lenovo, and Toshiba netbooks in 2012 with the new processor. We may be another couple weeks, perhaps mid to late March or early April until we can firm up this current 2012 list. Certainly the new Asus models are impressive and if you don't want to wait for the Samsung, Lenovo and Toshiba netbooks, you will still be very happy with the results. Acer is also worth mentioning as a solid choice with the AOD270 netbook.
Asus 1225B Netbook
If you're looking for a premium netbook, this may be the one for you. Not yet widely available, expect this to become available in most countries in the following weeks. Canada has this model available currently. In the Asus 1225B netbook, you get 11.6-inch screen, full Windows 7 OS, new AMD E-450 processor, 4 GB RAM, great Radeon graphics, HDMI out, and one USB 3.0 port. In a nutshell that's what you get and it's impressive as an overall package with decent battery life. It weighs in at about 3.1 pounds compared to the typical 2.8 pounds for 10.1-inch netbooks.
This is the smallest, lightest and thinnest Asus netbook in the 10.1-inch size ever. To make this so light and small, Asus went with a 3 cell battery which will give you around the 4.5 hour battery life. The one small downside to the Asus netbook is that the RAM is attached to the board and there is no way to expand beyond the 1 GB. Also there is no Bluetooth with the X101CH Asus netbook. With that said you are getting the new update Intel Atom processor along with a nice HDMI out port. With the new Atom processor update you can now enjoy 1080p video like never before. You get the Asus "Instant On" which is impressive because the netbook can wake up from sleep in just a few seconds. You can close the lid and the battery will last a long time. Open the lid and bingo. You're up and running in a few seconds. In addition, the Asus X101CH netbook is fanless which means it runs silent. It has a mono speaker which we don't like, but external speakers or headsets may be the way to go if you want to pump true stereo. We have read on Liliputing.com that the mono speaker actually sounds good and loud. The price is the strongest part of the X101CH and will come in at about $250 USD which is impressive when you really think about it.
This is the update to the Acer netbook series. What we don't like is the mono speaker, but aside from that, this is a fair update. If you don't like the mono speaker you are best to pick up some portable netbook speakers or a headset. You get the new Intel Atom N2600 processor, HDMI out, and improved graphics/video abilities that come with the new Atom processor. However the AOD270 does not come with a USB 3.0 port. If you're going to buy this you may want to also compare it to the Asus 1025C netbook which is very comparable in terms of what you get.
A few notes about this best netbook list. Obviously most people shopping for netbooks are considering cheap prices first and foremost. It makes sense that the more you pay for a netbook the better quality and spec you're going to get. The more you pay the better you get. With that said, we will certainly list the best netbooks with an emphasis on cheap prices over impressive or above average specs or hardware. You really can't go wrong with any of these netbooks listed here. Overall, we recommend Asus netbooks above all others. For price, build quality and keyboard, we think the Asus Eee PC netbook lineup is the best overall.
Why? Unlike other popular manufacturer who actually put a single mono speaker (Acer, Toshiba) in their netbook models, Asus netbooks give you everything you need. Chiclet keyboard, cheap pricing and great battery life.
Best Netbook 10 Inch To Buy: Asus Netbook 1001PXD
Why? Best netbook for the price. You may not get the latest dual core processor but you get the long battery life and great cheap price.
Best Netbook 11 Inch Premium To Buy: HP dm1z
Why? HP build quality is fantastic. Decent battery life and reasonable price. We think there are some real contenders to the best netbook at 11 inches so check back in the following weeks as we update.
Best Netbook 12 Inch Premium To Buy: Asus Netbook 1215N
Why? You get a premium netbook at a very reasonable price. Nvidia ION graphics with power saving Optimus technology, Windows 7 Home Premium and improved battery life. The 12 inch premium netbook category is getting competitive and we may see a change here as new premium netbooks from Lenovo hit the market.
Best Netbook - Asus Netbook - Eee PC 1001PXD
We think that the #1 netbook should be the cheapest netbook with the best build quality. In this case, the Asus netbook 1001PXD is the best choice for the price. Be careful when shopping. There are 2 different variations of the 1001PXD. The MU17 version has the best battery of around 8 hours and the EU17 has the shorter battery life of around 4 hours. When shopping consider the price difference. You aren't going to save very much money going for the lower capacity battery and the extra few dollars is worth it. Get the Eee PC 1001PXD MU17 model with the 8 hour battery.
Best Netbook - Toshiba Netbook - Toshiba NB505
The best feature of the Toshiba NB505 is the great battery life while still keeping the price very low. We rate the Toshiba NB505 only slightly lower than the Asus 1001PXD because of pricing, mono speaker and keyboard quality. Note that in Canada, this model is slightly different. It's named the NB525 and comes with great Harmon Kardon speakers which are located on top of the palm rest area.
Topping off our top 3 netbooks is the Acer netbook model AOD255E. For the price it's almost as good as the other 2 netbooks in our top 3. Great battery life and lots of colors to pick from. The keyboard is where we rank the Acer a bit lower than the Asus and Toshiba models.
With a 12.1" screen and Nvidia ION 2 graphic processing unit, the 1215N is a great netbook. It also ships with Windows 7 Home Premium edition. Less battery life than your typical 10.1" netbook, but still will give you a solid 5 to 6 hours. Comes with Nvidia Optimus technology which also saves your battery when doing less intensive tasks. More expensive but great package overall while still maintaining portability.
Good: 12.1" screen size, HDMI port, ION GPU, Nvidia Optimus, Windows 7 Premium, full size keyboard
Bad: Less battery life compared to typical 10.1" netbooks.
Best Netbook - Asus Netbook - Eee PC 1015PN
The most powerful and fastest 10.1" netbook around. You get a dual core Atom N550 processor and Nvidia ION graphic processing unit which means it's your best gaming option aside from the 1215N and Acer AO522 (see below). You need to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium edition to take advantage of the Nvidia Optimus technology which saves your battery when doing less intensive tasks.
Good: HDMI port, ION GPU, Dual Core Processor
Bad: Less battery life, Upgrade to Windows 7 Premium required to enable Nvidia Optimus otherwise a reboot required to switch in and out of Nvidia ION GPU.
Best Netbook - Acer Netbook - Acer Aspire One AO722
This is the best selling netbook on Amazon.com. It's an 11.6" netbook which is a size that we like. It means you get an HD display, 1366 x 768 resolution. As with most premium netbooks, the Acer Aspire One AO722 comes with Windows 7 Home Premium. This is not an Atom powered netbook which means it comes with an AMD processor, the C-50 which is 1.0GHz, 1MB L2 cache. It comes with 2 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive. If you like gaming in a netbook, you will be happy with the ATI Radeon HD 6250 Graphics. Remember it's not going to provide cutting edge gaming but it will beat an Atom netbook without ION easily. If you're going portable and cheap and still want some gaming, this is a decent option. It has an HDMI out port and also comes with a 6 cell battery.
Best Netbook - Acer Netbook - Acer Aspire One AO522
This is a great 10.1 inch netbook featuring the AMD Fusion C-50 processor. The unique feature of this netbook is that it comes with ATI Radeon HD 6250 with 256MB of dedicated memory and has a resolution of 1280 x 720. This is what separates this Acer netbook and the Eee PC 1015PN. Both these netbooks are good options for medium to light gaming. Shall we say these are the best two 10.1" gaming netbooks. This Acer netbook AO522 will be on about par for graphics as the Eee PC 1015PN. The keyboard of the Asus netbook wins out in the battle between the Eee PC 1015PN and the Acer AO522. Also this only comes with one speaker oddly enough.
Other Netbooks Worth A Notable Mention:
1015PEM Asus Netbook
Good: Dual core processor, long battery life
Bad: Limited graphics/video/gaming capabilities.
HP Mini 5102
Good: Sturdy solid design and not made of plastic, fast 7200 RPM hard drive, great keyboard
Bad: Less battery life, not great for full screen HD video streaming
BEST NETBOOKS - NOV 2010
As with most netbooks, there are good and bad points. It's a question of what's important to you. It's like a balancing act. Let us break the most current models for you!
Forecast and Outlook on the Netbook Market:
All the best netbooks will have the new Intel Atom N550 dual core processor. It’s better, but it’s not a massive boost in performance. What you will notice is faster multitasking if that’s what you’re into.
Another change in netbook computers will be in the fact that there will be AMD netbooks coming into market. There isn’t a lot known other than AMD is promising a super impressive graphic and video capability. The big unknown with the upcoming AMD netbook computer is how this great performance will impact battery life. In the past when you get higher speed and performance you would have to compromise with a less battery life. Hopefully AMD netbooks will let us have our cake and eat it too.
So the best models will quite possibly be AMD powered. It’s likely that Intel will have another Atom processor for us. Depending on how AMD netbooks impact the market, we could see Intel having to really step up the power of their Atom processors.
Aside from AMD and Intel powered netbooks, expect to see that thin is in. With the Apple 11.6” MacBook Air premium netbook, essentially a new standard of thin has been set. We are about to see extremely thin netbook computers.
You should expect about the same battery life but better overall video and graphic performance. Most people are going to be satisfied with the current eight hours of usage.
The Emergence of 11.6” Netbooks
It’s a bit too early to analyze the impact of the 11.6” MacBook Air and whether we will see a trend towards 11.6” netbooks. In a lot of ways, I’ve always thought 11.6” is the ideal size for a netbook. Full size keyboard, bigger trackpad and HD display are the factors why I wish there were more 11.6” netbooks. It’s possible netbooks will make this shift to 11.6 inch size.
The Best Netbook 2010 Listings
Note: These netbook listings will be useful to you if you're shopping for a used or refurbished model. We want to show you previous best netbook listings because we're sure some of you will be happy to have the resources. Just please realize that the listings and information are on older models which are in most cases not available to buy right now.
10.1 inch screen, amazing battery, good keyboard, beautiful design. The updated best selling Eee PC 1005HA is now simply named the 1005PE. It's been a big seller for a reason.
My comment: Asus are the netbook masters. You can't go wrong with this model. This is essentially the same netbook as the Eee PC 1005HA except this updated version has longer battery life and the chiclet style keyboard. You will be confused with all the different configurations of the 1005PE available. If it's cheaper, then it will be missing Bluetooth, will have smaller hard drive and will have the smaller battery.
Asus 1005PE is still the best for the price. You really can't go wrong with most of the Asus netbooks aka Eee PC computer because they are the best priced and have everything you would expect from a netbook. The only small complaint you might hear about is with the touchpad rocker bar, but in our experience, you will be tapping the trackpad instead of pressing down on the rocker bar. It has a better keyboard than the 1005HA with a change to the chiclet style. The battery life of the 1005PE is up to an incredible 14 hours. Expect real life situations to give you around 11 or 12 hours. That is incredible. It comes with Bluetooth!
Video Review of the Asus Eee PC 1005PE
What customers are saying about the new Asus Eee PC 1005PE netbook:
"Superb battery life: got 13 hours out of writing research papers on Word, generating excel reports, checking stocks, reading WSJ, managing portfolios, and etc., Chiclet keyboard feels great to type on, sound quality is great comparing to other netbooks..."
From a review by C. Chen on Amazon.com
"The battery life is great! My daughter watched movies for almost 8 hours on our plane ride home without a hitch or stutter. After being in use for nearly the entire flight, it still had 35% of the battery remaining. Another note on the battery, in the earlier 1005 netbooks, the battery would stick out past the screen on the rear of the netbook. That is no longer the case, on the 1005PE it is flush with the rear of the netbook..."
From a review by Bizzybee on Amazon.com
"Got this for the long battery life. It really does get most of the advertised 14 hours. Got about 11 hours with wireless access during most of that time, a fair amount of work on the machines, and there was still a tiny bit of battery life left. So I'd say the numbers (14 hours would reflect less work and less wireless use) are not too far off..."
From a review by Michael D. on Amazon.com
10.1 inch screen, decent battery, great keyboard, best touchpad on the netbook market, great design, sleep and charge usb port.
My comment: Seems like the top review sites can't agree on this keyboard. Some say it's the best on a netbook, others say the keys are too small and makes for difficult touch typing. Don't get fooled by the other release. You want this one, the N140 version and not the less expensive N310 version. Got it?
12 inch screen, dual core Atom processor, ION graphics for gaming and 1080p video playback, Windows 7 Premium, fastest netbook on the market, more expensive but a better overall package. If you are less concerned about your budget, you can get the Asus Eee PC 1201n which gives you a full size keyboard, HDMI out, great gaming thanks to the ION graphics processor, and 1080p video playback. People love this netbook! Right now, based on 30+ customer reviews at Amazon, the 1201n is rated a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. That's very rare to see! Read a few customer reviews at Amazon.com to see what all the excitement is about with this netbook.
My comment: Full size keyboard, fast and video/gaming capable. It keeps the thin and light nature of netbooks but gives you the most capable and robust netbook on the market. Less battery life than other netbooks, but much more capable. Which is more important to you?
The Asus 1201N has a newer model, the 1201PN, but stick with the 1201N because it provides more power. You will sacrifice only a small amount of battery life if you buy the 1201N over the 1201PN. Go for the faster 1201N model.
11.6 inch screen, ION graphics for gaming and HD video playback, Windows XP, great keyboard, loud speakers, decent battery life.
My comment: A less cramped keyboard and HD display combined with the ION graphics processor makes the HP 311 stand above the crowd. Windows XP is actually a better OS than Windows 7 starter so don't be discouraged by that.
The HP 311 is hard to find, but it's amazing even to this date.
10.1 inch screen, 95% full size keyboard, faster N280 Atom processor, faster 7200 RPM hard drive, classy solid design, amazing keyboard, great keyboard, matte display, Windows XP, great touchpad.
My comment: Windows XP is not a bad thing. Although there is a newer model, the HP 5101 is at a better price point right now. A very classy and solid netbook model.
Note: These listings can be helpful if you're looking to buy a netbook that is used or that you find being sold online. Remember however that a lot of these models may be hard to find. Sometimes the older a netbook is, the higher price. The netbooks in production currently are sometimes found with cheaper prices.
As a smart consumer, you want to find out what the best netbook to buy is. Hopefully we can help you understand what the best netbook computer features are and what are the best netbook brands to buy. One important thing to notice is that the best netbook will generally be highly rated by customers. In most cases, customer reviews are what you should base your purchasing decision on. Don't read just one customer netbook review. Read many reviews so you can get a consensus.
The Eee PC 1005 / 1005HA is the next generation of the incredibly popular Asus Eee PC 1000HE. This netbook features a staggering battery life of almost up to 9 hours! You can see in this picture that the Eee PC 1005 has a full keyboard. That means more productivity for you! It weighs just under 3 pounds so it's ultra portable! Certainly from all the best seller lists, it's at the top and has been at the top for months and months. Battery life, keyboard and design are the best compared to all the other netbooks out there on the market.
This netbook is currently the best seller at Amazon.com and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by customers who bought the Eee PC 1005. Asus are considered by most to be the best netbook computer manufacturer on the market today.
Toshiba are a top laptop maker. The Toshiba NB205 aka NB200 in other countries, is also a great netbook computer. If you want one of the best, if not the best keyboard, this netbook has an incredible keyboard. You can clearly see that in the photo. In addition, this netbook has the longest lasting battery next to the Asus Eee PC 1005HA. A nice sleep and charge USB port is an added bonus. Nice design and nice colors. This is a great netbook. One of the best netbook to buy products out there today. Laptopmag.com considered this their best netbook to buy.
Still not convinced this is the best netbook to buy?
Watch this Video!
A lot of top laptop and netbook review websites consider the Asus Eee PC 1008 HA to be the best netbook to buy. The only reason it isn't at the top of our list is because there are some slightly cheaper netbooks on the market that offer a lot of great features also. The Eee PC 1008 HA has the incredible and slim seashell design. It's sleek thin and impressive. It's a beautiful netbook no doubt. You get a great keyboard and great battery life.
Still not convinced this is the best netbook to buy?
Watch this Video!
Along with Asus netbook computers, Acer has long been a top selling netbook. It's so popular in fact, that most people would agree that the Acer Aspire One is the best netbook to buy. This image of the ruby red Aspire One netbook shows a nice slender netbook that performs great while looking great! It has a 6.5 hour battery, which can be upgraded to a 9.5 hour battery. This Acer netbook has all the features that you expect to see in a netbook computer. It would seem that the 10.1 Inch Acer Aspire One is the most popular model that they currently sell.
Still not convinced this is the best netbook to buy?
Watch this Video!
This is the most current offering from Samsung. What you will get in the Samsung N310 is a pretty design, lots of color choices and one of the best keyboards that you can find on a netbook. This keyboard is almost as equal quality as the Toshiba NB200 aka NB205. You can see that the N310 is a chiclet style, which allow for separation between the keys. The N310 is the lightest 10.1" netbook on the market also. Get 9 hours battery life! LED backlit display means it's brighter than traditional netbook displays. The only downside to this netbook is the price, but that is always changing. It's cheaper on a weekly basis. Samsung have been a leader in the netbook market and this Samsumg N310 is right there with the best netbook to buy models.
Still not convinced this is the best netbook to buy?
Watch this Video!
Without a doubt, this photo shows a soon to be 'best netbook to buy'. See the dvd drive in the picture? That's a unique feature. In fact it's the first netbook with an internal dvd drive. I vote the Asus Eee PC 1004 as the best netbook to buy!
Having troubling finding the best netbook to buy? We are here to help. Below you will find the best netbook or at least the most popular netbook being sold on Amazon.com. Since Amazon is the biggest online retailer, you know that if they say it's the best, then it surely is.
Certainly right now any Asus netbook is probably the best netbook to buy. The Asus Eee PC 1000HE has been a top seller on Amazon for months. Best netbook to buy? Asus Eee PC netbook followed closely by the Acer Aspire One netbook. Again, a very popular netbook and considered to be among the best to buy.
For the past couple years, Asus Eee PC netbook computers have dominated. Being the best isn't easy, but the proof is in the pudding. Generally you will see the most variety from Asus and they dominate the best seller lists on most if not all netbook online retailers. The cheap prices and increasing power and usability are the big selling points. Read the netbook customer reviews or look at the 5 star rating to see which are the best netbook computers to buy. Enjoy!
Who are the big name manufacturers? Expect the big three to battle it out year after year for claiming the best netbook on the market.
to see what all the excitement is about with this netbook.
Best Netbook 2009 Listings:
