Netbook? Laptop? What's the difference?

Consumer Reports News: July 31, 2009 06:08 AM

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We've been writing about "netbooks" for a while now, and you might be wondering if that's just another term for a laptop. Yes and no. They're both portable computers, but they're by no means interchangeable.

In a nutshell, netbooks are smaller, lighter, and cheaper, and they're designed for occasional use rather than as a full-fledged computer. Here's how these kissing cousins compare:

**How Netbooks and Laptops Stack Up**
	Netbooks	Laptops
Price range	$300 to $450	$400 to $2,800
Weight	2 to 3 pounds	3 to 8 pounds
Battery life	2.25 to 9 hours	2.25 to 7 hours
Hard drive size	8 to 160 GB	160 to 320 or more GB
Screen size	9 to 12 inches	12 to 18 inches

The most important thing to remember is that netbooks are much less powerful than laptops, and in most cases you wouldn't want a netbook to serve as your primary computer. Ergonomics is another consideration. If you're planning to do a lot of typing, the smaller keyboards on most netbooks might be a nuisance.

That said, a netbook is a good option if you need a system you can easily carry around, so you can log onto the Internet whenever you want (whether over free Wi-Fi or your own wireless network, or via a paid data plan).

You can see what we thought about specific models in our latest Ratings of laptops and netbooks (both available to subscribers). For more help in deciding which portable computer is right for you, watch our free Laptop Buying Guide video and check out our Computer Buying Guide for more computer shopping tips. —Donna Tapellini