Almost everyone needs to be connected on the move these days and sometimes smartphones just don’t cut it. For basic uses like browsing and mails, you don’t really require a beast of a laptop and for executives who mainly need it for keeping in touch and perhaps watching a movie on the move, netbooks are the perfect choice. Similarly, even students will find that netbooks or used computers are a good alternative when compared to a more powerful and expensive laptop. The differences between a laptop, ultrabook and netbook are mainly in the areas of power, portability, price and battery life. Of the lot, netbooks offer the best battery life and can stretch upto 10 hours or more plus they’re the most portable. So if those sound like things you’re looking for, here’s the 5 best 2nd generation Intel Atom netbooks!
First up is the Asus Eee PC, one of the most popular netbook ranges around the world. Combining a dual core 2nd generation Intel Atom processor like the others on the list, a good looking body and excellent battery life, the Asus Eee PC has a lot going for it, although the fact that it includes Asus’ proprietary OS called Express Gate Cloud might deter some. It’s a simple OS that can do basic things like browse the internet and output multimedia, but you’re better off with Linux or Windows. It’s also the cheapest among the 2nd generation Intel Atom netbooks mentioned here, so you can’t really go wrong with it!
Processor – Intel Atom Dual Core N2600 (1.6 GHz)RAM – 2 GB DDR3HDD – 320 GBGraphics – Intel GMA 3600 (Integrated)Camera – 0.3 MegapixelOperating System – Asus ExpressGate CloudScreen size and resolution – 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pxBattery life – 11 hoursPrice – Rs. 15,105
The Acer Aspire One has pretty much the same specs as it’s competitiors, but comes in a very good looking aquamarine color for those who like a different looking netbook and is the cheapest one with Windows 7 Starter preinstalled. It’s light, good looking and offers a full size keyboard, so basically it can do all the things you expect from a netbook, battery life is pretty good too!
Processor - Intel Atom Dual Core N2600 (1.6 GHz)RAM - 2 GB DDR3HDD - 320 GBGraphics - Intel GMA 3600 (Integrated)Camera - 0.3 MegapixelOperating System - Windows 7 StarterScreen size and resolution - 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pxBattery life - 8 hoursPrice - Rs. 17,200
The HP Mini combines HP’s now trademark glossy black finish along with the standard netbook specs. What differentiates it from the other 2nd generation Intel Atom netbooks on our list is the inclusion of Beats Audio and very good speakers, so if you’re a music lover this should be your choice. There’s no OS included here, but another distinguishing feature is the matte finished screen which is great for viewing in sunlight and it’s also anti glare. Overall, a good buy.
Processor - Intel Atom Dual Core N2600 (1.6 GHz)RAM - 2 GB DDR3HDD - 320 GBGraphics - Intel GMA 3600 (Integrated)Camera - 0.3 MegapixelOperating System - Free DOSScreen size and resolution - 10.1 inch anti glare matte finished, 1024 x 600 pxBattery life - 10 hoursPrice - Rs. 17,490
The Lenovo Ideapad S110 is the lightest offering here, and offers the same specs as the competition. It’s also the simplest looking among the lot and if you’re not into very flashy looking devices, this one’s for you. It is slightly expensive considering there’s no OS and the specs are pretty much the same as the others on this list, but it’s also the lightest at just a shade above 1 kg and offers decent battery life as well.
Processor - Intel Atom Dual Core N2600 (1.6 GHz)RAM - 2 GB DDR3HDD - 320 GBGraphics - Intel GMA 3600 (Integrated)Camera - 0.3 MegapixelOperating System - Free DOSScreen size and resolution - 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pxBattery life - 8 hoursPrice - Rs. 17,530
There aren’t all that many choices for netbooks, and Asus Eee PC is our pick for one of the best 2nd generation Intel Atom netbooks because of a couple of reasons. Yes it’s the most expensive on this list, but it’s also got the best specs. It has the biggest screen here, a more advanced processor and integrated GPU combo, the largest HDD as well as 1 USB 3.0 port. All this, and it’s still extremely thin at 28.9 mm and under Rs. 20,000. The screen resolution is 1366 x 768, so you can actually install Windows 8 since that’s the minimum resolution required. It comes with Asus ExpressGate Cloud as the OS out of the box though, so that’s all you might want to change.
Processor - Intel Atom Dual Core N2800 (1.86 GHz)RAM - 2 GB DDR3HDD - 500 GBGraphics - Intel GMA 3650 (Integrated)Camera - 0.3 MegapixelOperating System - Asus ExpressGate CloudScreen size and resolution - 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pxBattery life - 9 hoursPrice - Rs. 19,890Those were our picks for the best 2nd generation Intel Atom netbooks, please drop us a line and let us know what you thought of it and if you have any questions, ask away!
Sony’s ultrabook offering is the least expensive amongst the 5 best Intel Core i5 3rd generation ultrabooks we’ve listed out, but it also has the smallest screen at 11.6 inches. It has a great finish and is actually the most portable due to the smaller screen, if that’s what you’re after. There’s just one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 slot though, so there isn’t room for attaching many devices. A 32 GB SSD is included in addition to a 500 GB HDD so the OS can be booted up really fast. Battery life claimed to be 5 hours, which is surprising considering there’s hardly any high performance components in there, the competition has better battery backup. But for the price, you can’t really go wrong, here are the specs.Processor: Intel Core-i5 3317U (1.7 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 2.6 GHz)RAM: 4 GB RAM expandable upto 8 GB RAMStorage: 500 GB + 32 GB SSDGPU: Intel HD Graphics 4000Webcam: 1.3MPOS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bitBattery backup: 5 hoursPrice: Rs. 48,900
Toshiba is well known to make durable devices with a great finish and the Satellite U840-X4310 doesn’t disappoint in that regard. With pretty much the same specs as the Sony ultrabook mentioned above and more expansion slots (2 x USB 2.0 and 1 x USB 3.0), the Satellite still claims an impressive battery life of 7 hours. There’s even room to plonk in more RAM, upto 8 GB in fact. The only inferior feature is the webcam, which is 0.3 MP, so Skype addicts take note. Toshiba has provided a backlit keyboard as well.Processor: Intel Core-i5 3317U (1.7 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 2.6 GHz)RAM: 4 GB RAM expandable upto 8 GB RAMStorage: 500 GB + 32 GB SSDGPU: Intel HD Graphics 4000Webcam: 0.3MPOS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bitBattery backup: 7 hoursPrice: Rs. 53,500Lenovo Ideapad U410
The Lenovo Ideapad U410 packs in a dedicated GPU which trumps the integrated graphics from Intel, so if you’re looking to do some light gaming, it’s a good choice. With the same processor and a reasonable amount of RAM, you can play games at low-medium settings. It’s also got 3 USB ports, 2 of USB 3.0 and 1 of USB 2.0. Unfortunately, the IdeaPad skimps on a few other things. The RAM cannot be expanded, the included OS is Windows 7 Home Basic and there’s no backlit keyboard. It isn’t a bad piece of hardware by any means, but is a tad bit expensive considering the competition.Processor: Intel Core-i5 3317U (1.7 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 2.6 GHz)RAM: 4 GB RAMStorage: 500 GB + 24 GB SSDGPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 610MWebcam: 1MPOS: Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bitBattery backup: 6.5 hoursPrice: Rs. 54,700Samsung NP530U4C-S01IN
The Samsung offering is pretty much one of the best Intel Core i5 3rd generation ultrabooks you can get your hands on. At just under Rs 55,000 it might seem on the higher side, but it’s actually worth it. Along with the 3rd generation Intel Core-i5 processor, there’s a dedicated graphics card and 6 GB of RAM onboard. The RAM cannot be expanded though, there are no empty slots. Samsung claims a battery life of 7 hours and the ultrabook is very light and thin, it weighs 1.81 kg and is just 20.9mm thick. There’s no SSD included unfortunately, but Samsung makes up for it by including a huge 1 TB HDD and even a DVD writer. Here’s the specs and pricing:Processor: Intel Core-i5 3317U (1.7 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 2.6 GHz)RAM: 6 GB RAMStorage: 1 TBGPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 620MWebcam: 1.3MPOS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bitBattery backup: 7 hoursPrice: Rs. 54,600