Netbooks under $400 – perhaps the best netbooks at all

Netbooks are supposed to be fairly priced. In fact, that was their main advantage when they reached the market a couple of years ago. That’s why the good mainstream netbooks offers at the moment (summer of 2009) are available for less than $400 , and we’re going to tell you which are those netbooks versions we recommend in the under $400 price category .

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Update – Feb 2010: This article is outdated. A new generation of 10 inch netbooks is now on the market, and i’d advice you to read the latest version of this top with Best 10 inch netbook computers in here.

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First of all, all these laptops are more or less the same in terms of hardware, so I’ll enumerate the main specifications below:

• Intel Atom CPU (mainly the N270 – 1.6 Ghz)
• integrated Intel graphics
• 1 GB of RAM
• 10.1″ display with 1024 x 600 px resolution
• 160 GB hard drive
• Wi-fi, 3xUSB ports, VGA and audio output, webcam, ethernet

They are all also pretty compact and not too heavy (weighting under 3 pounds) and come with good battery life. So, what differences the netbooks we’re going to mention bellow? Well, first of all the producer . Then, the design, materials and finishing qualities. And of course the so important minor details, like the positioning of the ports, some extra features, some special technologies used, battery life, etc.

But,  all these following netbooks are more or less the same on a first look basis. If you want to decide which one is best for you, i recommend you take a look at the reviews other owners gave for them. And of course, choose according to your own needs and criterion.

But enough talking, let’s see what are those netbooks in this price category .

The HP Mini 110 – 1030NR

HP Mini 110

If we were to buy a 10″ netbook, the HP Mini would make it to our top, but it would not be one of the first choices. It’s not cause we don’t like HP, we do, they make good well built products with decent looks, but the Mini 110 has a couple of deficiencies.

The device is compact (6.8 x 10.3 x 1.3 inches ) but i can’t say it’s the lightest out there (2.9 pounds). The black mat finish is something i like, but the keyboard on the other side is crumbled and wobbly . The screen is wider than the sscreen used on similar models, with a 1024 x 576 px resolution.

Battery life is pretty poor, as you can only squeeze around 5 hours from the 6 Cell one. And that’s half what other can offer.

All in one, the HP Mini 110 is a good product, with a $350 price tag. You might like it, but it’s not my choice in this segment though . Here you can find more details, reviews or have the option to buy it .

The Samsung NC10-14GB

Samsung NC10

Samsung seems to make every type of electronic device, so they have a couple of netbooks too. We wrote about the new Samsung Go version earlier , but here we have the cheaper mainstream version .

It’s a typical 10″ notebook, with a slightly bigger screen than the other versions: it has 10.2″ inches instead of 10.1 Besides that and the better 1.3 webcam , everything else is pretty standard. The case is pretty glossy, but not as glossy as other netbooks have. Of coruse, there are a couple of colors for the case. Battery life is decent too, with about 8 hours squezed out of the 6 Cell one equipping the device.

The price depends on the color fo the case, with the black one being the mode affordable at $364 , while the white version goes up to $419 . Fair price, but other netbooks in this top are cheaper though. But, if you’re a Samsung fan, go for the Nc10, you won’t be disappointed. Here you can see more details, reviews, pics or have the option to buy.

The Acer Aspire One D150

Acer Aspire One D150

From the beginning i must say i’m not an Acer fan. I’ve had bad experiences with them in the past, and although the quality of their products has raised a lot in the last years, i still won’t buy an Acer. That can’t stop me from acknowledging that their Aspire One D150 device is a very good choice in the 10″ under $400 netbook’s market.

Specs are pretty standard, overall construction is good and the case is glossy. There are 4 different colors for the exterior for you to choose from, but price differs according to these colors. And speaking of price, the Aspire One D150 costs between $319 and $359 , making it the cheapest from all the other gadgets in this top. Combine this with the good mark and the good reviews received and you won’t be surprised to see that this model is one of the best sold netbooks in the world.

Still, it’s an Acer… But, here you can see mode details about it, reviews and customers’ opinions, plus the option to buy one yourself.

The Asus EEE PC 1005HA

Asus EEE PC 1005HA

This one is the best sold netbook on Amazon, no matter the price category. That and the fact that it has lots of positive reviews there should speak for the quality of the products. Also, it’s an Asus EEE PC, and this line invented the term “netbook” .

The 1005HA is perhaps the model with the best price/quality rapport in the 10″ EEE armada. The specs are standard, but… this one has wireless 802.11n (unlike the older 802.11b/g standard the others have), LED backlight for the screen (however, there’s no visible difference on image quality from the others) and battery life is 10.5 hours (wow). Oh, and the keyboard is good too, being 92% of the size of s standard one. These pluses would normally make a winner from this Asus mini laptop.

Unfortunately i for one don’t like another thing marketing as a plus by them: the fancy looking glossy interior and the glossy screen. Because glossy means fingerprints and a damn hard life cleaning the exterior that will always looks like a mess, no matter what. Oh, and that glossy exterior also tends to scratch very easily too, i’m telling you all these from experience. As for the screen, it’s great on dark conditions, but if you plan to use it in powerful light environments… well, let’s say it turns into a pretty good mirror.

The price is competitive too for the EEE PC 1005HA , both the black and blue versions costing now on Amazon just $369 . Here you can see more details, reviews, photos or you can place an order for this netbook.

The Toshiba Mini NB205

Toshiba Mini - my top choice

Another good laptop in this price segment is the Toshiba Mini NB205. We wrote about the smaller version, the Mini NB100 , but this is the mainstream 10″ model . This one is compact , like all the other netbooks here, and weights 2.9 pounds .

It’s got the more powerfull Atom N280 CPU running at 1.66 Ghz and that’s enough to run Windows XP Home edition pretty smooth. Besides this, everything is standard.

I also like the looks a lot (i might say it’s one of the best looking in its class) and the fact that you can choose from 5 different case colors for this Toshiba NB205. As for the battery, there’s enough juice in the 6 Cell one for about 9 hours of life . And that’s really good, although the Asus netbooks can do better . There’s nothing i can tell you about the keyboard though, cause i didn’t had this model for testing yet, but i expect it to be as good and as crumbled as other netbook keyboards .

As for the price, the Toshiba Mini NB205 goes for $349 (the black version) or $399 for the others.  Here you can see more details about it, pictures, reviews and even have the option to buy it .

Final words

In the end, this top is surely not objective (most tops aren’t) . I chose the Toshiba because i think it suits me best, although it has a poorer webcam (i don’t use it anyway), poorer life battery than the Asus (9 hours are enough for me though) and a bigger price than the Acer Aspire One (i like the black version, so that $30 difference ain’t that big). Frankly, i didn’t choose the Acer because I’m not an Acer fan (i remember them from the old times, when services were full with their devices) and i would have surely chosen the Asus if not for that glossy finish that’s an awful fingerprints magnet.

But afterall, all these are good choices in the under $400 netbook segment, all have very good reviews (with average marks above 4 out of 5) . Whichever netbook you’ll choose depends on taste and needs, like in my case. Don’t you think?

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Tags: 10" netbook, best netbook

Last updated: September 30, 2011 | Published: July 31st, 2009 | See the comments or add yours!