Acer Aspire One 721 11.6-Inch Netbooks Comparison and Guide
The Aspire One 721 is the newest 11.6-inch netbook from Acer USA. It is Acer’s third notebook-netbook (i.e. netbook that looks like a notebook). The other 11.6-inch Acer netbooks are the Aspire One 751h and the Ferrari One 200.
And it’s not just screen size that the Aspire One 721 shares with the Ferrari One 200 and the Aspire One 751h. The AO721 is also very slim at 1-inch high and also has a full-size keyboard. However, the 6-cell AO721 is lighter by 0.3 lb than the 6-cell FO200 but heavier by 0.03 lb than the 6-cell AO751h.
The HD Difference
Is the Aspire One 721 for you? It depends. If you need a netbook for basic office work and internet connectivity, are fond of streaming HD videos from the internet and want to watch these HD videos using your HDTV, then the Aspire One 721 is a perfect fit.
Aside from the standard specifications of Aspire One netbooks, the AO721 has a clear advantage over other Aspire One netbooks when it comes to HD video streaming and HD video outputting.
Smooth HD video streaming:
The Aspire One 721 offers smooth, high-definition video streaming. It has an integrated ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics chip with 384 MB dedicated system memory. This gives the AO721 its superior HD video playback performance.
HD Video Outputting:
Apart from a VGA port for outputting video to external displays (e.g. your TV), an HDMI port is also available. This gives you the ability to output HD video to your HDTV without loss in video quality. To watch HD videos from streaming websites on your HDTV or any other HD-capable display, simply use an HDMI cable to output the video from your AO721.
Simultaneous Display:
AO721 has simultaneous display support. If you want to share a video you’re watching to a large group of people, output the video to an HDTV (using the HDMI port), to a projector (through the VGA port then use a projector screen) or to a regular TV monitor (through the VGA port), and the video will be simultaneously displayed on the external display and on your netbook’s display.
The RAM
Yet another thing that sets the Aspire One 721 apart from other Acer netbooks is DDR3 SDRAM interface. The DDR3 SDRAM transfers data at twice the data transfer rate of the DDR2 SDRAM, the typical interface used in earlier Acer netbooks.
Acer Aspire One 721-3574
No Bluetooth and No Color Choices
Unfortunately, the Aspire One 721 does not have integrated Bluetooth connectivity. Resolving this is just an easy matter of buying a Bluetooth dongle, however.
On the other hand, if you don’t really want a black netbook, then the AO721 is just not for you. The Aspire One 721 gives you a choice between mesh-black and mesh-black. :)
The Aspire One 721 11.6-inch Netbooks Guide and Comparison Chart
I. The Different Acer Aspire One 721 Netbook Versions
Acer’s Aspire One 721 comes in 2 versions. This is good news if you know you want an AO721 netbook but don’t want to be presented with too many options. This is bad news if the 2 available versions don’t have exactly the specs you have in mind.
In any case, the following are the 2 different AO721 versions:
- Aspire One 721-3070
- Aspire One 721-3574
II. Summary of Similarities among Acer Aspire One 721 Netbook Versions
What are the similarities between the AO721-3070 and the AO721-3574? The following are the specifications common to both versions:
Display: 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) 200-nitere TFT LCD
Processor: AMD Athlon II Neo Processor K125 (1MB L2 cache 1.70GHz)
Operating System: 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium
Chipset: AMD M880G
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4225 shared graphics with integrated 384MB dedicated system memory
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n
LAN: Gigabit
RAM: 2GB (2/0) DDR3 SDRAM, upgradeable to 4GB (2GB memory card on each slot)
Webcam: 0.3MP integrated web camera
Features: Sony Philips Digital Interface (SPDIF) support, HD audio support, BIOS password, simultaneous display support, integrated stereo speakers, integrated digital mic, multi-gesture touchpad, full-size keyboard, Energy Star certification
USB Ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Card Reader: 5-in-1 card reader
Other Jacks / Ports: HDMI port, VGA port, headphone/speaker/line-out jack, microphone jack, Ethernet LAN port, Kensington lock slot
Battery: 4400 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery with up to 5 hours of life
Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.0 x 1.0/1.1 inch, 3.0 lb with a 6-cell battery pack
Color: Mesh-black
III. Summary of Differences among Acer Aspire One 721 Netbook Versions
The two AO721 versions are virtually identical. They only differ on one point, and that is:
Storage: The Aspire One 721-3070 has a 160-GB hard drive, while the Aspire One 721-3574 has a bigger storage capacity at 250 GB.
IV. Acer Aspire One 721 Netbooks Comparison Chart
We don’t really need a comparison chart for the AO721. Picking your version is just a matter of deciding whether you need a 160-GB or a 250-GB hard drive – but if you insist, here it is:
| AO721 Versions | Storage | Price | Where to Buy |
| AO721-3070 | 160GB | No info | Currently out of stock online. Use Acer’s store search facility to find the nearest local retailer |
| AO721-3574 | 250GB | $429.99* | Amazon |
*This is the netbook’s listed price at the time of writing.
Related posts:
- Acer Aspire One D150 10.1-Inch Netbooks Comparison and Guide
- Acer Aspire One 531h 10.1-Inch Netbooks Comparison and Guide
- Acer Aspire One P531h 10.1-Inch Netbooks Comparison and Guide
- Acer Aspire One A110 8.9-Inch Netbooks Comparison and Guide
- Acer Aspire One 751h 11.6-Inch Netbooks Comparison and Guide
Filed under: Acer Aspire One Netbooks, Netbooks Comparison
Consider how competitive the price is ($380) I have been researching this as an option while traveling but what I am shocked with is that there are no reviews at all on Amazon. I currently own an Acer 5315 and am very happy with it and would love to buy this one for travel but what is holding me back is lack of reviews from users. Yours is probably the most detailed one but you look like a pro. I would love to see one from an average guy like me.
[...] There’s no easy remedy for the above-listed lacking features so if these are important, consider buying a different Acer netbook model – say, an Aspire One netbook with an AMD Athlon K125 processor (e.g. Aspire One 521 and Aspire One 721). [...]