Find out which is best for you
Netbooks, highly portable mini-laptops that are smaller, cheaper, and weigh less than regular laptops, are on track to be one of this holiday season's hot sellers. The cheapest netbooks, priced well under $400, run the Linux operating system, which limits which application software you can run on them and may require learning how to use Linux. Models with Windows XP installed start at around $400 and have nine- or ten-inch screens. We tested six of the least expensive Windows models now on the market:
- Acer Aspire One A150X
- Asus EeePC 904HA
- Dell mini 9 (8 GB)
- HP Mini 1000
- Lenovo ideapad S10
- MSI Wind U100-016
None of these offered the best of everything. We found plenty of trade-offs between weight, battery life, size, storage capacity, and ergonomics. (Check our computer buying guide for more information on important computer features. And watch our online Laptop buying guide video by clicking on the embedded player on the right.)
Still, if you're considering an inexpensive, super portable computer for the holidays, we found the following tested netbooks had some particular advantages:
Best combination of long battery life and well-designed keyboard:
Its battery lasted more than 5 hours. We liked the large trackpad, which lets you use 'multi-touch' gestures to scroll horizontally and vertically; zoom and rotate photos; scan and zoom Web pages; and more. That said, the trackpad buttons were hard to press. The Asus was also a bit larger than the other netbooks, was the heaviest at 3.1 pounds, and had the dimmest screen. You get 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, Microsoft Works, and Skype for Internet phone calls. The Acer netbook had even longer battery life, but some drawbacks in its ergonomics.
Best combination of a fine keyboard and light weight:
- MSI Wind U100-016US, $400
If a large screen, superior keyboard, and easy-to-use trackpad are most important, this is your best choice. Its 10-inch screen was one of two that size we tested. It's matte rather than glossy, minimizing reflections. Battery life was a short 2 hours and 23 minutes, though. You get 1GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive, and 60-day trial versions of Microsoft Office 2007 and Norton Internet Security. The Wind weighs 2.5 pounds.
Best combination of compactness, large screen, and features:
Lenovo did the best job of building a large 10-inch screen into a compact package. There's also a unique set of features, including an ExpressCard slot for connecting peripherals, such as cellular Internet cards, plus a disaster-recovery system to protect you from losing work. Battery life was relatively short at 2 hours and 40 minutes. You get 504MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, and Norton Protection Center. Weight is 2.7 pounds.
Other models have some advantages, but also more shortcomings:
The Dell mini 9 ($425) and HP Mini 1000 ($400) were both very light, thanks to solid-state drives. But those drives are very small at 8GB each and slowed the computer noticeably. The Acer Aspire One A150X ($410) had a long battery life and includes Microsoft Works, but a quirky trackpad and shallow wrist rest.
Consumer Reports Ratings of Netbooks
Brand & model |
Price |
Speed |
Keyboard |
Battery
life (hrs.) |
Sound |
Screen (inches) |
|
Size,
Weight (lbs.) |
Asus EeePC 904HA |
$400 |
High |
Good |
5 ½ |
Good |
9
(matte) |
1GB,
160GB HD |
Large,
3.1 |
MSI Wind U100-016 |
$400 |
High |
Good |
2 ½ |
Fair |
10
(matte) |
1GB,
120GB HD |
Medium,
2.5 |
Lenovo ideapad S10 |
$400 |
High |
Fair |
2 ¾ |
Fair |
10
(matte) |
504MB,
80GB HD |
Medium,
2.7 |
Acer Aspire One A150X |
$410 |
High |
Poor |
6 |
Fair |
9
(glossy) |
1GB,
160GB HD |
Medium,
2.7 |
Dell mini 9 (8GB) |
$425 |
Low |
Poor |
4 ¼ |
Poor |
9
(glossy) |
504MB,
8GB SSD |
Small,
2.3 |
HP Mini 1000 |
$400 |
Low |
Fair |
3 ¼ |
Good |
9
(glossy) |
504MB,
8GB SSD |
Small,
2.3 |
Guide to Ratings
Rank order is based on our tests of speed, battery life, keyboard, plus weight, features and specifications. Speed High-speed models ran applications as quickly as a 1.6GHz Celeron-based laptop; Low-speed ones ran noticeably slower. Keyboard includes its size and layout, plus our assessment of the trackpad. Storage is either a hard drive (HD) or solid-state drive (SSD). Size can vary in each dimension by an inch or so, but even the largest model is far smaller than a standard laptop.
All models use the Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor and include Windows XP installed, 2 or 3 USB ports, a smaller keyboard than a standard laptop, Wi-Fi, a slot for both Secure Digital (SD) and Multimedia (MMC) memory cards, webcam, microphone, headphone jack, but no CD or DVD drive. Most offer a choice of colors; some offer a higher- or lower-capacity battery, or more built-in storage.
—Dean Gallea and Donna Tapellini
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