Best Netbooks for Students Under $300

Netbooks offer affordability with the basic power of a laptop, which makes them perfect for students. The best netbooks offer plenty of onboard memory, are easy to type on and of course, are compatible with your primary desktop or laptop. We judged our picks for best netbook under $300 for students based on the following categories: price, ease of use, battery life, features and overall value.

Asus - Eee PC Netbook $299 (Link)

The Asus Eee PC netbook made our list for best netbooks for students under $300 because it is incredibly easy to use, comes equipped with Windows 7 and feels more like a mini-laptop than a traditional netbook. With a battery life of over 7 hours, built-in Wi-Fi, webcam and multi-card reader, this netbook feels similar to a stripped down business laptop. We found the keyboard spacing to be adequate and easy to adjust too, and the small computer packed enough power, even for light multi-tasking. The 1GB of included DDR2 memory is expandable up to 2GB for multitasking, while the 160GB hard drive is large enough to store all of your files, while away from your main computer. Students will love the power and convenient keyboard for taking notes or typing a paper in class, without compromising space.

HP mini 110-3030NR $299 (Link)

This HP mini provides the fast and reliable Windows 7 OS, a 160GB hard drive, long battery life, webcam, Wi-Fi and 1GB of RAM. The design and ease of use of this netbook is excellent, the keys are spaced just right and is a natural fit for most consumers accustomed to laptop-sized keyboards. The 10.1" screen is bright and perfect for viewing multimedia, web pages and documents. The three USB slots were a great extra, as most netbooks in this price range only include two. However, we would have liked to see more RAM for better multitasking. Students will love the included extras such as the webcam, and large keyboard.

Acer Aspire One Netbook $249 (Link)

A family member of mine recently purchased the Acer Aspire One for high-school use. I was quickly impressed by the variety of feature and speed for the price. The netbook has a battery life rated at 8 hours (with regular use gets closer to 7 hours), 160GB hard drive, Intel Atom N450 processor and 2GB of RAM. Of course, the netbook also includes a webcam and Wi-Fi, standard features on most netbooks. Netbooks in the past, running on the Windows XP OS, were awful for multitasking and were very slow. However, this Windows 7 netbook is surprisingly fast, considering the mobile processor, and can actually multitask well. Overall, the Acer Aspire is extremely easy to use, has a large keyboard and provides a great overall value for the price.

HP mini Netbook $280 210-1010NR (Link)

The HP mini netbook has a similar design of their flagship laptop, the HP Pavilion. This Windows 7 OS netbook includes a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, 5-in-1 card reader, webcam and a long-lasting battery life. The keyboard is spaced out enough for easy typing, while the trackpad is relatively easy to use, but we suggest purchasing a small USB mouse for heavy use. The netbook is quick, but the lack of 2GB of RAM makes multitasking much slower than on the ACER. Overall, this small netbook provides an excellent value for the price and students will appreciate the extra features.

BlueGear Netbook $220 (Link)

The value priced BlueGear netbook comes equipped with 120GB of memory, 1GB of RAM, 1.3MP webcam, 2 USB ports and built-in Wi-Fi. Powered by the Windows 7 OS, the netbook combines speed and power for students on a budget. We liked the lightweight footprint of only 2.2 lbs, but felt the exterior design left much to be desired. Overall, this generic brand netbook provides some great features at a true bargain price, but lacks a large hard drive and cool design.