If you’re in the market for a new personal computer, you’ll be glad to know that the options abound! Over the years, the electronics market has boomed, introducing cutting-edge technology in more convenient form factors than ever. Customers often wonder whether they should go for a traditional laptop or choose a lightweight, portable netbook.

Both have their pros and cons, and ultimately, it all comes down to your usage and preference. To help you make the most fitting purchase, this article will highlight the main points of difference between laptops and notebooks.

Form Factor

A netbook is significantly smaller, thinner, and lighter than its laptop counterpart. With this design, portability becomes a great advantage, meaning netbooks can be stored and carried around more easily. This is beneficial for people on-the-go who need a more powerful device than a smartphone or a tablet; it’s no larger than a textbook and can fit seamlessly in a backpack or even a medium-sized purse. As far as weight, netbooks generally don’t exceed 2 to 2.5 pounds.

Display and Resolution

In line with their smaller format, netbooks naturally have smaller screens. While laptops offer display sizes of 13” to 17”, netbooks come in either 8”, 10”, or 11” displays. With a typical resolution of 1366×768 pixels, they’re not ideal devices to watch HD videos, stream, or have multiple tabs open simultaneously. They’ll do a fine job of displaying the video content but won’t offer the quality larger laptops do (whose resolution can reach 3840×2160).

Keyboard

Netbooks also have smaller, less spaced out keyboards than traditional laptops in order to achieve their compact size. While they’ll be just fine for typing search queries or composing emails, netbook keyboards don’t offer the most comfortable typing experience when it comes to word processing, for instance. At times, keyboards must be bought separately. Those with large hands who want to write entire articles or reports should stick to regular laptops, despite their often lack of portability.

Performance

Netbooks were designed for maximum efficiency and portability. So, it’s only natural that they not be as powerful and don’t pack as many features as a traditional laptop. For that reason, you won’t find any Ryzen 5 or Intel 7 processor inside. However, the best netbooks on the market may have similar features to entry-level laptops. If you perform a lot of photo or video editing, rendering, or serious multitasking, a netbook might not be the best option for you.

Memory

Memory, namely RAM and storage capacities, is another crucial point of difference between both categories. Modern laptops can pack up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of SSD storage space. These are hardly achievable in compact netbooks, which rarely contain over 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. That said, both types of memory can easily be upgraded with an external card or hard drive depending on the model. Netbooks are becoming more popular thanks to cloud storage technology, too.

Operating System

More often than not, netbook devices feature more simplified and light-weight versions of traditional operating systems (usually either Windows or Linux). This owes to their smaller processor, memory, and less powerful internal hardware. After all, since netbooks are intended for students and computer beginners, these users probably won’t need all the advanced features that come with, say, Windows 10 Pro.

Battery Life

Again, it’s all about size. Despite great improvements in battery technology, a traditional laptop (especially those with UHD displays) will tend to consume more power and therefore drain much faster.

By contrast, a netbook easily offers day-long battery life, between 10 to 14 hours on average. If you use your device occasionally for web browsing, taking notes, and other light tasks, a netbook is definitely an option to consider.

Cost

Last but not least, what explains the success of netbooks is their prices. With a smaller form factor, less internal power, and fewer components, netbooks are some of the most affordable machines on the market. Depending on their characteristics and build quality, they can cost anywhere between $250 and $500. This is beneficial for budget-minded users who can’t splurge thousands of dollars on the latest Macbook Pro or Dell XPS, for example.

All things considered, both laptops and netbooks have their pros and cons. Netbooks are efficient and compact devices suitable for taking notes, checking emails, and web browsing. By contrast, laptops offer many more possibilities, but they are bulkier and come with a bigger price tag. Ultimately, the choice is up to you, your preferences, and your budget. Don’t hesitate to scour the web for comparative guides before making a purchase.