While most of the netbooks and mini notebooks are sized around 10 inch, there are some netbooks which are 12-inch sized. Also, those bigger netbooks are mostly better than 10-inchers in terms of performance. For instance; despite the fact that most of the 10 inch netbooks cannot play HD movies, 12-inch netbooks can easily handle. Anyway, before no more ado, let’s list up the five best 12-inch netbooks!
MSI U230-040US 12.1-Inch Netbook (Buy it)
MSI U230 is priced at $488. One thing that you will immediately realize about MSI U230 is AMD Athlon processor. Contrary to many other netbook which has Intel Atom, it has 1.6GHz AMD Athlon X2 L335 processor and it features AMD Chipset RS780 + SB710. Additionally, MSI U230 has 2GB RAM which you can upgrade up to 4GB, 320 GB Hard Drive, 1366x768px HD WXGA 16:9 LCD Display, 1.3 MP Webcam, 2HD Audio Speakers and 6-cell battery that last around 4 hours.
Specifications
- 1.6GHz AMD Athlon X2 L335 Processor
- Chipset AMD RS780 + SB710
- 2GB System Memory (4GB Max)
- 320GB SATA Hard Drive
- Wireless 802.11b/g/n
- 2 HD Audio Speakers
- 12.1” HD WXGA 16:9 LCD Display(1366×768)
- ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics
- 1.3MP Webcam
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- Battery 6 cells (5200mAh) – 4 Hours of Battery Life
- See more technical details.
Dell Inspiron Mini 12 12.1-Inch Netbook (Buy it)
Dell Inspiron Mini 12, although it is a bit expensive netbook, still you might get the performance that money worth. Especially with this price tag, because Dell Mini 12 is normally priced at $899 but right now it is just $550(about $350 discounted). In addition to expensive price tag of Dell Mini 12, there is another thing that I do not like Dell Mini 12 Netbook, it has 3 cell battery which won’t last enough for a netbook. That’s why I did not recommend you to buy this netbook, unless you much care about battery life. Except from cons of Dell Mini 12, it features Intel Atom Z520 1.33 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 40 GB of Hard Drive
Specifications
- Intel Atom Z520 1.33GHz Processor
- 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
- 40GB 4200RPM Hard Drive
- Wi-fi 802.11 a/b/g
- USB and 1 Power USB
- 1 VGA Out
- 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Glossy 12.1 inch WXGA display (1280X800)
- 3 Cell Primary Battery
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
- Ubuntu Linux, Microsoft Works 9.0
- See more technical details.
ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201N-PU17-BK 12.1-Inch Netbook (Buy it) 
For Asus Eee PC 1201N I would strongly recommend you to first check great users reviews out from Amazon. Over 100 people rated 4.5 out of 5. This netbook is very loved and i have to say that it deserves. This netbook features Atom Dual Core processor which increases the performance incredibly. Also, Asus Eee PC 1201N has 2GB or RAM, 250 GB of Hard Drive and more. Asus Eee PC 1201N Netbook has also price tag of $499(Buy it now just for $480). Here is the some technical specs of Asus 1201N.
Specifications
- 1.6GHz Intel Atom Dual Core 330 Processor
- 2GB DDR2 RAM
- 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- 0.3MP Webcam
- See more technical details.
ASUS UL20A-A1 Thin and Light 12.1-Inch Laptop (Buy it)
Asus UL20A is not exactly a netbook but who care what is called netbook or mini notebook, as long as it is small, portable and has long battery life. And i think Asus UL20A offers nearly 7.5 hours battery life which is very good duration of battery life for a notebook. Except from battery life, Asus UL20A features 1.3 GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo processor -yes not an Atom processor-2GB of RAM which you can upgrade up to 4 GB, 250 GB Hard Disc, 12.1″ WXGA LED LCD Display and Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System. However one interesting thing about Asus UL20A, it has no optical drive just like regular netbooks which helps it to have a price tag of $599. (Buy it now just for $510). And here is some technical details.
Specifications
- 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor
- 2GB of DDR2 RAM
- 250GB SATA Hard Drive
- No Optical Drive – just like regular netbook.
- 12.1″ WXGA LED LCD Display
- Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
- 0.3M Webcam
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (64 bit)
- Around 7.5 Hours of Battery Life
- See more technical details.
ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201PN-PU17-SL 12.1-Inch Netbook (Buy it)
Finally the last one; Asus Eee PC 1201PN, the upgraded version of Asus Eee PC 1201N. I do not know why but Asus is one of my favorite netbook brand and Asus Eee PC 1201PN is also one of the best 12-inch netbook out there. I can easily say that it would be the best one in terms of price-performance comparison. Asus 1201PN has Intel Atom N450 1.6Ghz processor and Nvidia ION 2 Graphics platform. Also, it features 1366x768px LED screen, 2GB DD2 RAM and 250 GB Hard Drive. Right now it is priced at $428 on Amazon. (Not $490 do not miss the discount!)
Specifications
- 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450
- Nvidia ION 2 graphics platform
- 12-inch WXGA (1366×768) LED screen
- 2GB DDR2 RAM
- 250 GB SATA Hard Drive
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
- HDMI and VGA out
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- 0.3 MP Webcam
- See more technical details.
Conclusion
This is all for 12 inch netbooks. They are not same as 10-inch ones, as you saw they have more power, more performance but contrary to little ones, unfortunately, have less battery life and expensive price tag. And if I would say my favorite 12-inch netbook, I go for Asus Eee PC 1201PN, because this is very new and powerful netbook and also it is discounted to $428 which is very worth buying, I think. Also, I suggest you to check out our Netbook Buying Guide page, because it might help you to clear your mind before choosing a netbook and check best-selling netbooks page on Amazon, it will also give you some idea about what to buy or not.
