This page is dedicated to the best netbook computers on the market. We have the Best Netbook 2010, and now 2012 listings. Heck, at the bottom of the page you can even find listings from 2009.
Best Netbook of 2012
January 2012
Update: Expect the best netbooks of 2012 to be topped by Asus and their upcoming February netbooks. The Asus 1025C and Asus 1025CE netbooks will be topping our best netbook 2012 list very shortly!
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!
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.
Also, if you are interested in what were the best netbook 2010 models check out old listings here. If you're shopping for a used netbook those 2010 netbook listings might be helpful to you.
#1 - Best Netbook 2012 - 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.
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 becuase 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 2011 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.
#4 - Best Netbook 2012 - Asus Netbook - Eee PC 1215N
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.
#5 - Best Netbook 2012 - 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.
#6 - Best Netbook 2012 - Acer Netbook - Acer Aspire One AO722
This is currently, as of mid September 2011 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.
#7 - Best Netbook 2012 - 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 seperates 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.
May 2011: We certainly suggest you view our updated Best Netbook 2011 listings. We try to cover the range for the best netbook to buy. We can honestly say that the best to us may not be the best to you. Does best netbook mean the cheapest? Some people would think so. Does the best netbook mean the most feature packed? Certainly some people think that is the best criteria. The problem with putting a lot of value in cheap pricing might not give you the most satisfying netbook purchase. To get a cheap price the netbook manufacturers have to remove the better hardware.
Best Netbook BRAND To Buy: Asus
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 in mid 2011.
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 netbooks that are worth every hard earned penny that you're will to spend on a new netbook. There are lots of exciting new netbooks and performance upgrades that will see the fastest and best netbooks ever!
What's coming on this page?
Reviews of the best netbooks of 2011 and the best deals on the best netbook 2011 computers. We want to give you the details plus the deals that will save you money!
BEST NETBOOKS - NOV 19, 2010
Since we are not yet in 2011, we will reserve a #1 through #10 listing of the best netbook 2011 listing. Instead, we will list what we think, are the best netbook computers currently on the market. 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 netbooks for you!
Listed in no particular order:
1015PN Asus Netbook
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.
1015PEM Asus Netbook
Good: Dual core processor, long battery life
Bad: Limited graphics/video/gaming capabilities.
1215N Asus Netbook
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.
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
Forecast and Outlook on the 2011 Netbook Market:
The 2011 netbooks will have a few things in common. All the best 2011 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 2011 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 2011 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 netbook 2011 models will quite possibly be AMD powered. In 2011 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 2011 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 2011 netbook computers.
I think in 2011 netbooks, 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 in 2011
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 2011. 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 2011 netbooks will make this shift to 11.6 inch size.
August 2010 - To this date in 2010, we feel our top 5 list is still strong. There hasn't been any new ground broken with recent netbook releases. The manufacturers are awaiting the new Atom processor before launching new models later in 2010.
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.
The HP 311 is hard to find, but it's amazing even to this date in 2010.
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.
The Toshiba NB305/NB300 is still a quality netbook but is it worth the extra price? Not in our opinion.
February 9, 2010 - Time for an updated list of the best netbook 2010 computers. There were a lot of new releases at the start of 2010 because of the new Atom processor, but now things have settled. So, let's break down the best so far of 2010.
10.1 inch screen, amazing battery, good keyboard, beautiful design.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
February 3, 2010 - Certainly so far in 2010, the Asus Eee 1005PE is one of the best. It's been a big seller for a reason. 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! Available from Amazon.com for $484 with free super saver shipping. 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.
January 6, 2009 - There are some fantastic new netbook computers launching in the coming weeks! There is a new Atom processor, the N450 is not faster, but it will give the new 2010 netbooks longer battery life. In 2010, the front runners are the Toshiba NB300 aka NB305 and the updated Eee PC 1005HA simply named the 1005PE. 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! It has just been released at Amazon.com here:
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
It is a very hard decision, but we feel that overall, the 10.1-Inch Asus 1005HA netbook is the best. 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. Want to know more about the 1005HA? Watch 1005HA netbook video reviews here.
Currently you can get a cheap Eee PC 1005HA netbook with Windows XP. For a little bit more money, you can get a 1005HA with Windows 7 Starter Edition.
I will have the new best netbook 2010 updates coming up tomorrow for you. Stay tuned!
Perhaps we are ahead of ourselves, but it's not too early to talk about predictions. The best netbook 2010 award is going to be an amazing netbook computer. That much we do know.
For a couple reasons, 2010 is going to see the best netbook ever. Of course each product cycle you see better products with new innovations and design. Netbooks are no different. In fact, late 2009 is seeing many of these next generation netbooks hitting the market.
The two big technologies for netbooks in 2010 both come from Nvidia. First, you have the ION graphics processor which will be a part of all netbooks coming in 2010. The ION netbook will be HD 1080p capable, video capable and video game capable. How capable? Let's say the limitations of netbooks regarding video and graphics will become a thing of the past when we enter 2010.
The other big technology which will likely be part of the best netbook 2010 award will be the Tegra netbook. Tegra is a new chipset from Nvidia that is very very low power. The battery can last well over a day! The best netbook 2010 award will see battery life lasting like never before. It will be amazing! All the major netbook manufacturers in 2010 will likely have a Tegra netbook model released.
Who are the big name manufacturers in 2010? Expect the big three to battle it out for the best netbook 2010 award.
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. Well, we're glad you've stopped here! Hopefully we can help you understand what the best netbook computer features are and what are the best netbook brands to buy. We're here to help you find the best netbook to buy. To make things easier, we will focus on the top selling netbook brands. The best netbooks to buy are made by Asus, Acer, Samsung among others. Now the quesion is, are the best sellers always the best netbook to buy? Most definitely as you will see! One important thing to notice is that the best netbook to buy will be highly rated by customers. In most cases, customer reviews are what you should base your purchasing decision on. With these best netbook computers on this page, notice the volume of customer reviews that praise these netbooks as being the best. Essentially that many people cannot be wrong.
*Last update: January 3, 2010
Asus Eee PC 1005HA aka Eee PC 1005 Netbook Computer
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!
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.
Still not convinced this is the best netbook to buy?
Watch this Video!
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 seperation 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. This netbook list is updated hourly! Since Amazon is the biggest online retailer, you know that if they say it's the best, then it surely is the best.
Certainly right now in 2010 the 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. Let's face it. The best netbook to buy is the one that is the cheapest price!
Many companies are entering the netbook market, which means it's getting harder and harder to choose the best netbook. It's depends on your budget most times. The release of the Asus Eee PC 1101 is perhaps the best netbook size with an 11.6 inch screen, HD monitor, and more room and space for a keyboard and touch pad. Nokia has recently announced in September 2009, their Nokia Booklet 3G netbook.
For the past couple months, Asus Eee PC netbook computers have dominated. In fact, all netbook products are dominating. Being the best isn't easy, but the proof is in the pudding. People are buying netbook computers like crazy right now! The cheap prices and increasing power and usability are the big selling points. So, the best netbook to buy is listed below. Thousands of people can't be wrong can they? Read the netbook customer reviews or look at the 5 star rating to see which are the best netbook computers to buy. Enjoy!
$248.99 - 
to see what all the excitement is about with this netbook.
Perhaps we are ahead of ourselves, but it's not too early to talk about predictions. The best netbook 2010 award is going to be an amazing netbook computer. That much we do know. 
