11.6-inch Super “Netbook” Face-off: Acer Aspire One 721 vs TimelineX 1830t

They look identical. Same sleek chassis. Same keyboard. Same 11.6-inch display. They both have HDMI output. (And they both have a small touchpad.) So why does Acer call the Aspire One 721 a netbook and the Timeline X 1830t a notebook? Well, for one, the former has a single-core AMD Athlon II Neo processor, while the latter has a blazing dual-core Core i5 ULV CPU. The other big differentiator is price. The 721 costs $429, just a bit more than a typical netbook, while the configuration of the 1830t we tested will run you $699.

We just reviewed both machines and found one to be much more compelling than the other. Despite its relatively high price, the 1830t delivered excellent performance–the best we’ve seen in this size at this price–and nearly 6 hours of endurance. The 721 offers much more oomph than an Atom machine along with enough graphics horsepower to play HD video and mainstream games (look out, Nvidia Ion). Too bad this Aspire One lasted only about half as long as its TimelineX cousin on a charge. So which ultraportable/netbook/mini notebook is best for you? Check out the full reviews and sound off in the comments.

Acer Aspire One 721: Full Review

Acer TimelineX 1830t: Full Review