Most powerful netbooks and mini laptops – best picks right now

Netbooks and mini laptops are big business these days and manufacturers try to keep up with demanding users and come up with better models around the clock.

Sure, you’ll always find entry level netbooks that are very cheap and that can deal with basic tasks, such as browsing, word processing and the works. Almost all major companies have entry level lines, like part of the Asus Eee PC line or Aspire one from Acer.

See the list of most powerful netbooks and mini laptops below in this post

But we’re not talking about those netbooks and mini laptops today, but about those powerful enough to replace a regular notebook, while offering portability, autonomy and a small footprint. These computers can deal with HD playback and  gaming(to some extent), as well as multitask between apps and resource intensive tasks, like video editing and the works.

Usually, 11.6 and 12 inch mini laptops have stronger hardware than 10 inch netbooks, so we’ll split the article in two parts, going through the best in each category.

Most powerful 10 inch netbooks

10 inch netbooks usually come with single core processors and very limited horse power, but there are also some models that come with enhanced hardware, enough to offer a proper daily experience when dealing with normal tasks. All these in a compact body and with a low price tag (around 300-350 bucks).

Asus EEE PC 1015PEM and 1015PX

The Asus Eee PC 1015PEM comes with a dual core Intel Atom N550 processor running at 1.5 GHZ and 1 GB of RAM. There’s a standard 1024 x 600 px screen (with a matte finish), a 250 GB hard disk drive, as well as an Intel GMA 3150 graphics accelerator. Enough for daily standard apps, but this config sees its limits when dealing with HD movies or games.

Still, you get a powerful machine with 10+ hours of battery life (up to 13 estimated), with a matte casing and screen, thus great when used outside. For $289 is a nice deal and you can pick between a couple of different colors for the casing.

In the meantime, the 1015PEM line received a slightly faster processor: the Atom N570, running at 1.66 GHz. It also received a new name: the Asus 1015PX, and we reviewed it in this other post. I for one appreciated its snappiness and while it still offers poorer graphics than the 1015B for instance (or other Fusion powered machines), it’s one of the best picks for everyday use (multimedia wise, will handle 720p content, but no games).

Same matte exterior and display, a slightly better keyboard (with a rubbery finish on top of the keys) and 8+ hours of life, all these add up for a nice final bundle.

Prices start at around 330 bucks, but you can find it online discounted for $299 (w/ Shipping included), which is an excellent deal for such a good overall netbook.

Asus 1015PEM - a popular and powerful 10 inch laptop

Samsung NF310 and NC110

Another N550 powered netbook is the Samsung NF310, which has one of the most interesting designs on the netbook market. The body comes with some curvy edges and overall build quality is top notch.

NF310 brings astonishing looks and an HD screen

The hardware is very similar to the one on the 1015PEM, having the same type of dual core processor and amount of system memory. Connectivity wise, it’s also on par with the ones above. However, it offers a better keyboard and a mate HD display (1366 x 768 px), being perhaps the only 10 incher with that option.

On the other hand, it’s a bit bulkier and heavier than its competitors, offers only 7 hours of life on average and is a bit more expensive as well. List price for the NF310 is around 400 bucks, but you can find it online discounted. See this link for more details, as well as some customer reviews, that will prove how appreciated this one really is, and for good reason.

The Samsung NC110 takes the game a little further and comes with the Atom N570, the faster Intel CPU. It drops the fancy design for a more classic approach, but it still is one of the best machines in its class. The HD dsplay is gone as well, but the NC110 gains battery life (9+ hours) and a more “desirable” price when compared to its sibling.

The NC110 Samsung netbook is still a looker, but with a more classic design

Asus EEE PC 1015B and Acer AOD522 – the multimedia picks

These two are the best 10 inch exponents boosting AMD’s Fusion platform. During everyday use, these should be a bit more sluggish than those devices with Intel Atom N550/N570 but when dealing with multimedia content and games they are significantly better. Both can run all types of 1080p content, self-stored or streamed and games, just not the latest titles.

The 1015B comes with the same classic look of the EEE PCs: matte exterior, matte screen, chiclet keyboard, good connectivity. Hardware wise, I recommend the version packing AMD C-50 APU. It only comes with 1 GB of RAM, but you can upgrade those to 4 GB.

Now, with increased graphic powers comes slightly poorer battery life, but the 1015B can still offer around 6 hours of life on average, which is fine, considering it costs less than 300 bucks. See more details on my full review for the EEE PC 1015B.

The Acer AOD522 as well looks like all the Aspire Ones in this class, with a sleek body, but a glossy finish, glossy screen and not the most ergonomic keyboard. Still, this particular model does offer a 1280 x 720 px display, which pairs nice in a multimedia netbook with the AMD hardware, but you should expect only around 4-5 hours of life during daily use. Goes for below 300 bucks as well for the Black version, while other color options are a bit more expensive.

Asus 1015PN – the fastest 10 inch netbook

The Asus 1015PN is maybe the pack leader, considering it comes with a dual core Atom N570 processor, as well as Nvidia ION graphics with 512 MB of dedicated VRAM. Pair that with 2 GB of RAM and you get a pretty decent machine, that can breeze through applications, HD video and even some gaming (handles them better than those Fusion powered entries above). Besides that, it’s identical to all the other EEE PCs in the 10 inch class.

The computer comes with Nvidia Optimus technology, that independently switches between the on board graphics and the dedicated video card in order to save power. Still, keep in mind that this will not work on Windows 7 Starter, you’ll have to upgrade to Home Premium.

Because of that, and maybe because of its poorer battery life of only about 5 hours on average, the 1015PN actually has an excellent price tag these days, considering what it has to offer: $360 (with discount and Free Shipping). Of course, an HD display would have been a nice addition, but still, the 1015PN is the fastest 10 inch netbook available at the moment.

Asus 1015PN - same on the outside, more powerful inside

For now, these are the most powerful 10 inch netbooks we’ve got out there, but you should know that good times are ahead. Intel is currently developing a new Atom line of chips, named Cedar Trail, that will have integrated HD graphics, similar to AMD’s Fusion solutions, plus better support for multitasking. AMD looks to bring faster APUs for 10 inchers as well. So look for updates or check the list of best 10 inch netbooks also here on the site for more recommendations on such devices.

11.6 and 12 inch mini laptops

Now it’s time to take a look at bigger and better netbooks, which are also called mini laptops- there’s still a lot of discussion about what’s a netbook and what’s a mini laptop, but the important thing you should keep in mind is that these computers deliver laptop grade performance and come in a very convenient form factor.

Asus EEE PC 1215N and 1215B

The Asus Eee PC 1215N is a 12.1 inch machine powered by an Intel Atom D525 dual core processor and Nvidia’s more powerful ION graphics chip(with 16 CUDA cores).  There’s also a 250 GB hard disk drive, 2 GB of RAM (can get 4 in there) and Windows  7 Home Premium straight out of the box.

The mini laptop boosts the classic EEE PC looks, with a rubbery exterior, chiclet keyboard, decent trackpad and a glossy 12.1 inch 1366 x 768 px display.

It is capable of dealing with all the tasks you might throw at it, video content and some games, even some of the recent titles, as long as you’re willing to trim down details. More in my Asus 1215N review.

The Asus 1215B is similar to the 1215N on the outside, however, goes for the AMD Fusion solution, namely the dual core Zacate E-350 APU, running at 1.66 GHZ and packing capable HD graphics.

In theory, the 1215B is slightly slower than it’s Atom powered relative, but in practice they are pretty much on par, even when dealing with games and 1080p movies. See the review for more info on this one.

Both are excellent multimedia mini laptops and they sell for a similar price as well: around 460 bucks for the 1215N and around $340 for the 1215B. Why is the first one more expensive? Because it’s like I said a bit faster and more versatile in terms of battery life (while both average around 5 hours of life, the 1215N can squeeze a lot more if you know how to optimize it and set it to use only the integrated graphics chip). More about the two in this Asus 1215B vs 1215N post, also here on the site.

Asus EEE PC 1215B

Dell Alienware M11X

The Dell Alienware M11x is an 11.6 inch gaming laptop from Dell, packing hardware and features you won’t see on normal machines this size. You can choose between Core i5 or i7 when it comes to processors, as much as 16 GB of system memory, a 256 GB SSD or a 750 GB HDD and optional 3G or 4G.

The latest model to date, the M11X R3, also offers an Nvidia GT 540M graphic chips, which is something you usually get on bigger 15 inch laptops. Thus, this 11.6 incher can cope with nearly anything you’ll throw at it, including some of the latest games.

Of course, with this level of performances you have to sacrifice battery life, but since this one uses Nvidia’s Optimus technology, you can squeeze 5 hours of life when using it lightly and that is more than satisfying for such a configuration. Prices might not be though, as the base configuration starts at $749 and can easily go up when you’ll add extra options.

Still, if you want the most powerful mini laptop on the market, you won’t find anything better than the Alienware M11x.

Dell Alienware M11x

Other powerful options in the 11.6 inch class are the Sony Vaio YB and the Lenovo x120e, both featuring the same Zacate e-350 APU, or the sleek looking MacBook Air. You can read about these and some others in our list of recommended 11.6 inch notebooks.

As for the bigger 12 inch class, you get the Samsung Series 4 and Lenovo’s line, with the ThinkPad X220 and the cheaper ThinkPad Edge e220s. More about these and others in the list of top 12 inch mini laptops.

Conclusions

This was a quick look at the netbooks and mini laptops that are out there right now, trying to focus on those able to deliver above average performance. All come with dual core processors and, except a couple, have proper graphics that offer HD playback and gaming. But fun is not the only thing these computers can do, as they put a strong emphasis on multitasking and productivity.

The market is constantly changing and everytime Intel and AMD come out with a new series of chips, the power status shifts and manufacturers come out with innovative machines. This can only benefit users, that have many options if they decide to buy a mini computer, while prices keep going down.

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Tags: Alienware, Asus netbooks, Dell, dual core processor, Intel Atom N550, Samsung

Last updated: January 16, 2012 | Published: January 1st, 2012 | See the comments or add yours!