Netbooks with full size keyboards – best options

With netbooks being so small, most of the time they come with pretty cramped keyboards, not as big as the ones you’d get on a standard laptop. That’s not really a problem for me, but if you have big fingers, typing on such a keyboard might be uncomfortable.

That’s why in this post I’m going to show you what netbooks with 100% full-size keyboards you can get out there. First, what does that mean? According to Wikipedia, on a normal, “full size” computer keyboard, the 10 keys Q–P measure 190 mm (7.48 in). The small 7-9 inch netbooks usually offer 82% size of a generic one, meaning that the Q–P keys measure 155 mm (6.10 in). The 10 inchers usually offer 92% of a full size keyboard, where the Q–P keys measure 175 mm (6.89 in). These few mm might not seem much, but in practice, they really make a difference.

So here are the options.

First, you should know that there are no 8.9 inch or smaller mini laptops available with a full-keyboard, that would just not be physically possible.

In the popular 10 inch class, most netbooks come with 92% or 95% keyboards. But there are some options with full-sized ones:

• the Toshiba NB205 and the new Toshiba NB305 lines. They offer perhaps the best keyboards on a 10 inch netbook right now, with independent keys and a very nice metallic finish. Plus, you get a matching high-quality trackpad . In fact, i own a Toshiba NB205  and the NB305 is in top of my list of best 10 inch netbooks to buy at the moment.
• the Samsung N120 , an older Samsung netbook launched last year, benefited from this feature. Still, the keyboard was the standard flat one and pretty flexy, so not as good as the above

100% keyboards on the Samsung NC120 (left) and the Toshiba NB305 (right)

And that’s about it right now in the 10 inch class. As you can see there are very few options and only one is actually worth taking into consideration: the Toshiba Mini NB305.

As for 11.6 or 12.1 inch netbooks, most of them come with full-size keyboard in these classes, as there is now enough space for such a feature.

So, if you want a bigger keyboard on your mini laptop, either choose the one viable option in the 10 inch class or go for something bigger, where you have way more options.

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Tags: chiclet keyboard, full-size keyboard

Last updated: September 27, 2011 | Published: March 25th, 2010 | Add the first comment!