Top 12″ Netbook Candidates
With an onslaught of 11.6″ netbooks with a higher 1366 x 768 resolution scheduled to hit the market, it seems impossible to keep track of the individual features. After all, it seems like every netbook maker is coming out an 12″ netbook of their own. While the title “netbook” is questionable, we have more important things to worry about. Like which one has the most of offer!
In general a larger screen means a slightly heavier power-hungry netbook. Combine the 11.6″ screen with 1366 x768 resolution, and your netbook will be perfect for watching 720p high def movies. (Great technical post on implications of 1366 x 768)
Here are your options when it comes to 12″ netbooks. (Note: some of these are scheduled to come out in the next few months.)
Asus 1101 HA – Asus always got battery life right, and the 1101 HA has an impressive 11 hour battery life – despite the larger screen! The impressiveness continues – despite standard specs, the Asus 1101HA is also nearly 0.2 pounds lighter than the (awesome) 10″ Asus 1000HE. It also has the sleek seashell design the other Eee PCs have been sporting. Unfortunately, there’s no word on pricing yet but it’s speculated to cost around an exorbitant $600 (that’s over $200 more than the 1000HE!)
Specs: Windows XP, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz, 533MHz bus speed), 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, VGA port & 2 USB ports, 3 pounds, 6 cell battery, comes in black white blue and pink – also has a built in speakers and 5.1 surround sound
Acer AO751h – This netbook comes with standard specs, a mediocre processor and decent speakers. At $449, the netbook is not expensive, but it isn’t necessarily impressive either. Read our full review.
Specs: XP/Vista, 250 GB HDD, 1/2GB RAM, Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz, 533MHz bus speed), GMA500, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 3 x USB ports, 2.8 to 3 pounds, 3/6 cell battery, white black red and blue – with built in speakers and 5.1 Dolby surround sound
Samsung N510 – Samsung’s rumored 11.6″ N510 is expected to launch in July for $970. What makes it worth the price? How about… the same NVIDIA ION 9400M graphics card – the same one the new MacBooks come with. Okay it still doesn’t seem worth the hefty price tag, but we should probably wait to hear an official announcement from Samsung about pricing before we dismiss the N510. After all, Samsung is known for coming out with terrific netbooks.
Specs: XP, 160 GB HDD, 1 GB RAM, Intel Atom N280 (1.66 GHz, 667 MHz bus speed) NVIDIA ION 9400M graphics, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetoogh, 6 cell battery
Gateway LT series – Gateway’s 11″ netbooks really stand out with their AMD processor – the Athlon 64 has a slower clock speed than most standard Intel netbook processors, but has by far the fastest bus speed at 800 MHz. It will be interesting to see how this netbook performs – we’ll have to wait to test its performance against the standard Intel 1.66GHz/533MHz bus speed. The Gateway also comes with an ATI Radeon graphics chip (this netbook is really trying to be different huh) – cool, but not really a gaming chip. Which is a shame, since the AMD processor seems quite promising. The battery life is pathetic at 5 hours despite the 6 cell battery (compared to Asus’s touted 11 hours!). On the other hand, the Gateway is available for only $400 and looks great.
Specs: Vista, 250 GB HDD, 2 GB RAM, AMD Athlon 64 L11 processor (1.2GHz, 800 MHz bus speed), ATI Radeon X1270 graphics, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, 3 x USB ports, 3.14 pounds, 6 cell battery, comes in cherry red and black – also comes with built in speakers
Dell Mini 1110 (Argos) - There isn’t much information out about the Dell Mini 1101, but a leaked Dell roadmap indicates it will be a lightweight netbook with Vista (ugh, it may qualify for a free Windows 7 upgrade though!), 250GB HDD and 2GB RAM. And it will cost only $450. Since it’s a Dell, we can assume it will have a great keyboard and great overall design. But with the Samsung and Gateway sporting awesome graphic chipsets, Dell will have to offer something more than a sleek design.
Specs: Vista, 250GB HDD, 2GB RAM
More later, as more information becomes available!
Related posts:
- Dell Mini 10 Netbook – Dell’s 10 inch 720p Screen netbook
- Samsung N120 Review – Full Size Keyboard, Stereo Speakers, Awesome Battery Life
- Dell Latitude 2100 – The Student Rugged Netbook
- MSI Wind Netbooks – MSI Wind U100, U120 10″ Netbook
- Top 5 Netbooks by Weight
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[...] 10.5 hour battery life (10.5 hours!!) and the 1000HE’s 9.5 hour battery life. In the 12″ market too, the Acer 0751HA isn’t raising eyebrows [...]
[...] since most consumers mistakenly expect netbooks to act like notebooks. On the other hand, the increased competition in the 12″ netbook space (from Asus, Acer, Gateway, Samsung and HP…!) may have had something to do with it. However [...]
[...] Top 12″ Netbook Candidates [...]
[...] Top 12″ Netbook Candidates [...]
[...] Samsung N510 – the infamous 11.6″ NVidia Ion bearing netbook that keeps us salivating but waiting, read more [...]
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