Technology Guides: Your World Wired

There’s a huge price gap between an ultraportable and a mini-notebook. So what’s the difference and which one should you buy? 

Ultraportables

Ultraportables are the most expensive but they are coming down in price much more rapidly than their counterparts, the netbook or mini-notebook. A good example of this is Lenovo’s X61 which is priced at $1000 and offers a 12.1-inch screen at 3.6 pounds. Ultraportables in general have more power and versatility for their size and thus offer a better value package if you are willing to fork over that extra $700+ for it. Ultraportables are bigger in every aspect like weight and screen size but they make up for it by being able to do what a normal PC does like run Windows Vista and run other powerful applications. The aspect differences are small and they are getting smaller every year.

Mini-Notebooks

Mini-Notebooks are easy to love since they are cheap, small, and really cute. Especially with the release of the Asus EeePC which started it all, mini-notebooks have become really popular for those reasons. For under $500 you can get a small laptop that will do the basic things like compose a document and send an e-mail, but other than that, you can’t do much. They usually have great battery life because of the small processing power needed which is why I highly recommend it for University or College students. It will also be easier to carry around because of the weight and size, and it’ll be able to handle those long lectures. 

Conclusion

These two computer segments both have their pros and there cons, but it all comes down to what you are looking for. Both of them still have better than average battery life than the regular laptop as well as small dimensions and weight than the laptop. The ultraportable comes in at the same price point or even higher than a laptop whereas the mini-notebook comes in considerably lower. If you have the money, buy the ultraportable, but if you are looking for a temporary computer that can do the basics, stick with a mini-notebook.

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