By Robin Owens 19 days ago, Hardware
What is the fastest netbook to buy this year?
Don’t get upset in case even the smallest laptop is too big for your purposes while a tablet is not really an option. Manufacturers prepared a great solution for users like you; it is called a netbook. It is smaller than a standard laptop but good enough to satisfy your requirements.
I have compiled the list of the most popular options to help you choose the best netbook. Of course, netbooks are not as powerful as traditional laptops, but they can become perfect travel companions.
Netbooks are suitable for most users. They can cope with basic tasks. It is a great computer for children and adults alike. When choosing a powerful netbook, remember that it should be economical, productive and fast at the same time.
CPU: Intel Celeron N4000 | GPU: Intel UHD 600 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 32GB eMMC | Display: 11.6-inch | Weight: 3.17 pound
⊕ Thin profile
⊕ Impressive HD display
⊕ Long-lasting battery
⊕ In-built web camera
⊖ Lacks a touchscreen
HP is a brand known for its high-quality and reliable devices of any type. The Stream 11 Pro is one of them. Thanks to an Intel UHD 600, the Stream 11 Pro is a great option for watching movies and multimedia content. It weighs less than 2 kg and features an 11.6-inch display.
One can expect decent performance from this fast netbook since it comes with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB flash memory. To sum it up, the Stream 11 can handle basic tasks, like word processing, Internet browsing, watching videos, etc.
CPU: Intel Celeron N4000 | GPU: Intel UHD 600 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64GB | Display: 11.6-inch | Weight: 2.6 pound
⊕ Convertible construction
⊕ HD touchscreen display
⊕ Full keyboard
⊕ Built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
⊖ Weak speakers
The Lenovo Chromebook C340 is a 360-degree convertible device with a full keyboard. If you are looking for the best netbook for typing, it’s a good option to consider. What is more, it comes with a high-quality battery enabling it to work up to 10 hours.
Although the device is slim and lightweight, it is equipped with a powerful Intel Celeron processor, 4 GB DDR4 memory and 64 GB eMMC flash storage, which accounts for a speedy response.
Chrome OS has an up-to-date interface, provides access to Google Play apps, comes with built-in virus protection and allows for synchronization with Android devices and other gadgets linked to the Google account.
CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 | GPU: Intel UHD | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 512GB | Display: 13.3-inch | Weight: 2.87 pound
⊕ Compact
⊕ Speedy processor
⊕ FHD IPS display
⊕ Bios recovery and protection
⊖ Lacks a fingerprint reader
The HP Pavilion is the best netbook for those who are looking for something portable but still powerful enough to handle complex tasks. It is a light and slim device that you can easily carry around.
As for technical specifications, the Pavilion features a 1.0 GHz Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-Core processor and 8 GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM. By the way, you can boost the processor up to 3.6 GHz using Turbo Boost technology. The device is equipped with all the necessary components to guarantee smooth multitasking and fast performance. The HP Pavilion has a 13.3-inch BrightView IPS display with thin bezels, which accounts for a larger real estate. It supports a Full HD 1920x1080 pixels resolution and WLED-backlighting.
CPU: Intel Celeron N4000 | GPU: Intel UHD 600 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 32GB | Display: 12-inch | Weight: 2.98 pound
⊕ Compact design
⊕ Touchscreen display
⊕ Stylus compatibility
⊕ Long battery life
⊖ Low-resolution display
Offering four various modes, the convertible HP Chromebook X360 boasts advanced functionality and is convenient to use. It has a dual-core Celeron N4000 processor with Intel UHD 600 integrated graphics, 4 GB of memory and 32 GB of eMMC flash storage which you may expand via a microSD card slot.
A pleasant bonus that you will get with this powerful netbook is a one-year subscription to Google One and 100 GB of cloud storage. The device is equipped with a 720p web camera and qualitative speakers.
CPU: Intel Core i5 | GPU: Intel Iris Plus | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 512GB | Display: 13.3-inch | Weight: 2.8 pound
⊕ Slim body
⊕ Touch ID
⊕ Fast SSD storage
⊕ Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
⊖ No Wi-Fi 6 support
The MacBook Air is a powerful netbook with impressive specs. It has a 13.3-inch Retina display with LED backlighting and a 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio. Its resolution is 2560×1600 pixels. Thanks to the unique True Tone technology, the color temperature on the screen can be automatically adjusted depending on the ambient light.
The device is powered with a quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 1.1GHz clock speed. It has 8 GB DDR4 RAM and 512 GB SSD storage. The MacBook Air features a Touch ID fingerprint scanner that is very useful for online payments via Apple Pay; what is more, nobody except you can log in to the system. Two USB ports support Thunderbolt 3 and provide speedy data transfer.
CPU: Intel Core i5-8265U | GPU: Intel HD 620 | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 512GB | Display: 13.3-inch | Weight: 2.5 pound
⊕ Lightweight
⊕ Keyboard backlighting
⊕ Fingerprint scanner
⊕ Rich connectivity options
⊖ Lacks a touch screen
Thanks to its specifications and lightweight body, the ASUS ZenBook 13 might become the best netbook for you, as it has an 8th-Generation Intel Core i5-8265U processor, 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. These components are more than enough for handling basic tasks.
It has a 13.3-inch Full HD NanoEdge display with extremely thin bezels. Users enjoy the widest screen area possible.
Finally, this model supports Windows Hello technology and comes with a fingerprint sensor located on the touchpad. These options save much time since you don’t have to type a password every time you launch the system.
CPU: Intel Core i3-10110U | GPU: Intel Integrated | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64GB | Display: 13.3-inch | Weight: 2.97 pound
⊕ Convertible 2-in-1 design
⊕ Touchscreen IPS display
⊕ In-built web camera
⊕ Most recent Wi-Fi 6
⊖ Comes without a stylus pen
The Chromebook Flex 5 is a 2-in-1 model that can be used in four modes ‒ tent, stand, tablet and laptop. Of course, you can use any angle in between depending on the task.
The display produces a high-quality image and supports a USI pen. It features a full HD resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels.
Using a laptop mode, you can type on Flex; moreover, the keyboard is backlit so you can work in any lighting conditions. It supports Intel Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 and provides a reliable connection. You can access your files, music, videos and documents in the cloud via a Google account.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
HP Stream
Our Choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
Lenovo Chromebook C340
Convertible |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
HP Pavilion
Ultra-portable |
CHECK PRICE → |
Most people who decide to purchase a netbook clearly understand why they need it. However, even the fastest netbook is not as good as a laptop. Undoubtedly, it will cope with basic tasks but no more than that.
Therefore, before getting a new netbook, think twice about the tasks you need to solve. If you finally decide to buy it, check out the features you should consider.
The higher the resolution, the better image you will see on the screen. Netbooks support a resolution ranging from 1024x600 to 1920x1080 pixels. The best screen size is from 10 to 14 inches. However, these specs are not the only ones you should pay attention to while choosing a powerful netbook. You need to consider the display panel type as well. There are two types of panels, a TN and an IPS one. TN panels are cheaper and have a 1-5ms response time but their viewing angles are quite limited. As for IPS panels, they produce more vibrant colors and have wider viewing angles.
A touchscreen is not a novelty now but still, not all netbooks have it. If you want a netbook laptop with fingerprint reader and a touchscreen, mind that it might be bigger than the one without it. However, a netbook with a touchscreen can be used as a 2-in-1 laptop.
In most cases, you will need to pick among two options, Windows and Linux. However, if you decide on an Apple netbook, it will come with macOS. Linux is an open-source free operating system that boots up quickly. Windows is more popular among users because of its wider compatibility.
Most netbook laptops with Linux have limited functionality. Of course, there are netbooks with Windows, but they use previous versions because not all of them support the most recent ones. There were times when the latest Windows versions were supported only by the mid-range and high-end computers.
A long-lasting battery is among the first priorities when choosing the best netbook. If you want to use a netbook on the go and don’t want to carry a charger all the time, you should consider options with up to 6 hours of battery life and more.
Netbooks are cheaper than standard laptops since they don’t support advanced software. The reason for that is that even the fastest netbook can handle only basic tasks, like checking email, Internet browsing, etc. Of course, you can also run light programs on them.
To begin with, it has a smaller screen and keyboard in comparison with a standard laptop. Plus, a processor is slower and the internal storage is limited. Netbooks also have less RAM.
Actually, there aren’t specific parameters defining what a netbook is but it is something smaller than a standard laptop. Chromebooks usually feature an 11.6-inch display while earlier netbooks had 8-inch ones. Moreover, they boast a fast SSD and a more convenient keyboard. In general, a Chromebook might be called an upgraded version of a netbook.
An affordable netbook might be a perfect solution for students. On the one hand, it will cope with basic tasks and, on the other, it will not damage your budget. You can easily handle all simple tasks, like browsing the Internet, typing, emailing, etc.
