Best New Netbooks 2012 - Reviews, Prices, Comparisons

Doing comparisons on a netbook computer is very much different than on a laptop computer because you want different things. While many consumers want their laptops to be a fully functional computer, a netbook is more for convenient browsing and simple work tasks. Where you may look for an ultra-fast processor with your laptop, for your netbook you probably look more for ultra-long battery life and an easy to carry design. Because it's not meant to be a fully functional computer price is also important and will carry a heavy weight towards our ratings. While netbooks do come in various sizes, most consumers like the convenience/portability of a 10.1 inch screen. Netbooks that are this size generally weigh between 2-3 pounds.

Toshiba Netbook NB505-N508BL

Portability:

At 1.4 inches thin and with a weight under 3.0lbs the Toshiba NB505 is the picture of portability. This and its price (under $280) is one of the reasons that The Toshiba NB505 is the bestselling netbook in the market right now.

The NB505 comes with a hard drive large enough (250GB) to handle most of your personal documents, files, photos, and even a few videos. The LED screen comes with TruBrite display at 1024 x 600 resolution for a clear pictures and rich definition.

Take it with you:

With 8 hours and 21 minutes of battery life you can easily take it with you on a trip without the worry of having to constantly plug it in. It comes with a subtle but attractive blue dot pattern with metallic reflections.

Additional Details: Intel Atom processor N455 at 1.66 GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 1 GB DDR2 (up to 2 GB supported), 3 USB ports. 1 year manufacturer's warranty.

Acer Aspire One AOD255E-13444 Netbook

Another affordable netbook is the Acer Aspire One. Like the NB505 it has a large hard drive (250 GB) and a 6-cell Li-ion Battery that lasts up to 8 hours. The Acer Aspire One was made for browsing and includes an integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi network connection.

The Aspire one is even thinner than the NB505 at 0.95" and comes in at 2.76 pounds.

All the software you need:

The Aspire one comes with Windows 7 starter with office Starter 2010 so that you can take it with you on vacation and enjoy your work.

Additional Details:

CrystalBrite LED display in 1024x600 resolution, 3USB ports, 64MB Ram, 1GB DDR3, and Intel Atom N455 Processor. Comes with a 1 year limited parts and labor warranty

ASUS Eee PC 1001PX-EU27-BK Netbook Review

Another bestselling laptop is the ASUS Eee PC. This laptop features a Matte LED display that makes it easy to use outdoors. It also comes with an Intel Atom N450 processor, and 1 GB DDR2 Memory. Although the Eee PC is one of the better selling netbooks out there (and one of the cheaper ones), we can't get past the 23W/h Lithium ion battery with just a 4 hour battery life. We recommend you spend $10 more and go with the Acer Aspire One Netbook above.

Additional Features:

250 GB Hard drive, 2 USB ports, 1.44 Inches thick, and 2.8 pounds. Comes with a 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN card and 1 year manufacturer's warranty.

Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 4034CLB Netbook

In the same price range as the above netbooks is the Dell Inspiron Mini Netbook. Dell has been producing some of the best PC computers since 1984 when its founder, Michael Dell, created PCs Limited.

While we like the style and the performance of the Dell Inspiron Mini 1080, the battery life is good (6-7 hours) and its very lightweight... On Amazon it says it weighs 5.11 pounds, but other sites have confirmed that the weight of this product is around 2.92 pounds. This is consitent with other products in its category. Despite this we like the quality and reliability you get in a solid Dell product.

Product Specifications:

The Dell Inspiron Mini carries the same processor of our first two netbooks, the Intel Atom N455 and a large 250 GB hard drive. The Inspiron Mini also has a 10.1" widescreen display with Intel GMA 3150 graphics and 1 GB DDR 3 Memory. 1 year limited parts and labor warranty.

Toshiba NB305-N600 10.1-Inch Netbook

If you are willing to spend a little bit more money, then consider the Toshiba NB305-N600 which carries a more efficient Intel Atom N550 processor with dual core performance (hyper threading up to 4 processes) on this extremely portable device. It also comes with 1 GB DDR3 ram (up to 2 are supported), a 250 GB hard drive

The NB305 also boasts an impressive 8 hours and 40 minutes of battery life and only weighs 2.63 pounds. With the Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor, you gain a little more flexibility and speed. It also comes with a 10.1" widescreen LED TruBrite display (1024x600 resolution).

Conclusion:

Overall we really like the Acer Aspire One as our pick for the best netbook of 2012. For $259 you get nearly all of the options that the higher priced netbooks come with and you get the option of picking it in your favorite color! If you are willing to spend a little more for more performance, then go with the Toshiba NB305-N600.