Netbooks vs. Laptops - Which One You Should Buy?

When buying for a computer that is light and portable, people are always caught in between two choices: laptop or netbook. Both computers are basically made to meet people's desire for convenience and portability. For instance, laptops and netbooks help folks get connected with families and friends anytime, anywhere and do light task as well as enjoy entertainment while traveling or doing some other task like cooking. But just like how technologies should be, both have significant advantages over the other. Knowing their specs differences is definitely very helpful to decide whether to buy netbook or laptop.

Netbook Computers

Netbook computers are smaller and more portable than laptops computers. Their lightweight design makes them a great choice for traveling and entertainment. However because of their size which range from 7 - 10 inches and smaller processor, they are not intended for mainstream use such as film showing and heavy gaming. In terms of storage memory, netbooks use SSD which is relatively smaller than laptops but can perform faster compared to the latter. Most netbooks also do not have CD -ROM/DVD disc drive but with the fast developing technology, netbooks can now run the latest version of Windows. When compared to laptops, they are more power efficient such that they can play at least four hours without recharging. Because netbooks are smaller, they also have lesser cost than laptops and have the maximum screen resolution at 1024 x 600.

When buying netbooks, it is important to check for expediency. Since they have smaller monitors and keyboard, you may want to try it first before checking out the gadget.

The following table shows the pulse of the public for the top 10 netbook choices for 2011 and 2012.

Netbook Model	Top	Screen Resolution	Screen Size	Weight	Processor Size/Speed	Storage	Price
ASUS Eee	10	1024x600	10. 1 inches	1.27 kg	Nvidia Tegra 2	250 GB	$305.98
Acer Aspire One	9	1024 x 768	10.1 inches	1.33 kg	Intel Atom N270 Processor/ 1.6 GHz	250 GB	$465.79
Asus Eee PC Lamborghini	8	1366 x 768	12.1 inches	1.5Kg	Dual-core Atom D525 / 1.8-GHz	250 or 320GB	$649.99
Samsung N350	7	1024 x 600	10.1 inches	1kg	Intel Atom N455/ 1.66 GHz	250GB	$437. 43
Acer Aspire One 522	6	1280x720	10.1 inches	1.18 kg	AMD C-50 /1GHz	320GB	$299.99
Toshiba NB500	5	1024 x 600	10.1 inches	1.32 kg	Dual-core Atom N550 1.5GHz	250GB	$245.99
Samsung NF110	4	1024 x 600	10.1 inches	1.3kg	Intel ATOM Processor N455/ 1.66GHz	320GB	$ 320.64
Samsung NC110-A01 Netbook	3	1024 x 600	10.1 inches	1.18 kg	Intel Atom N455/ 1.66-GHz	320GB	$ 289
Toshiba NB520	2	1024 x 600	10.1 inches	1.32 kg	Intel Atom N455	320GB	$245.99
Toshiba NB550D	1	1024 x 600	10.1 inches	1.32 kg	Intel Atom N550/ 1GHz	250GB	$245.99

Laptop Computers

Laptop computers are basically bigger than netbooks. Laptop is also the right term used to call the portable computers with size 14 inches and above. Compared to netbooks, they have more features and are more expensive. Since they have larger screen size and bigger memory storage, they are best fitting for mainstream use such as movie marathon, power point presentation, and for office use. It also has a more speedy hard drive and processor and good graphics memory. For instance, playing multiple applications may less likely to cause lag to the device. Laptops basically used 5400 RAM for the hard disk and unlike netbooks they have built in CD-ROM/ DVD disc drives which make them function just like your desktop at home. Laptops also have larger keyboards which makes typing more convenient.

The following table shows the pulse of the public for the top 10 laptop choices for 2011 and 2012.

Laptop Model	Top	Screen Resolution	Screen Size	Weight	Processor Size/Speed	Storage	Price
HP Envy 14	10	1366 x 768	14.5 in.	5.69 lbs.	Intel Core i5-2410M/ 2.3GHz	500GB	$399
Lenovo ThinkPad X Series	9	1366 x 768	12.5 in.	2.9 lbs.	Intel Core i5-2420M Intel Core/ 2.5GHz	320GB	$399.99
Toshiba Portege	8	1366 x 768	13.3 in.	3.2 lbs.	Intel Core i5-2410M Intel Core/ 2.3GHz	640GB	$769.99
Macbook Pro	7	1440 x 900	15.4 in.	5.6 lbs.	Intel Core i7/ 2.2GHz	500GB	$1199
HP Pavilion Dv7t	6	1600 x 900	17.3 in.	6.72 lbs.	Intel Core i3-310M/ 2.1GHz	500GB	$649.99
Sony S Series	5	1600 x 900	13.3 in.	3.8 lbs.	Intel Core i3-2310M 2.1GHz	320GB	$999
Acer Aspire	4	1920 x 1080	15.6 in.	7.28 lbs.	Intel Core i7-2630QMv/ 2.0GHz	750GB	$878
Apple Macbook Air	3	1440 x 900	13.3 in.	2.9 lbs.	Intel Core i5-2557M 1.8GHz	500 GB	$999.00
Dell XPS	2	1366 x 768	15.6 in.	5.54 lbs.	Intel Core i5-2410Mv 2.3GHz	750GB	$799.99
HP Pavillion dm4X series	1	1366 x 768	14 in.	4.41 lbs.	Intel Core i5-2410M/ 2.3GHz	640GB	$679.99

Due to the newly invented devices that have hit the market by storm today such as smartphones and iPhones which function just like computers, the usage on laptop and netbook has also been affected. The following figure shows the percentage of people using laptops and netbooks despite the various other devices.