Desktops and laptops have been for long time, then came netbooks, and now ultrabooks and relatively newer tablet hybrids. Tablet Hybrids are duo type devices which are tablet-convertible ultrabook or vice-versa. Such so-called tablet-laptop hybrid are actually windows 8 based tablets(windows 8 pro, not windows 8 RT) with dockable keyboard. Some Manufacturers like Dell and Sony has started calling such devices Duo as in Dell xps Duo 12 or Sony vaio Duo 11. So, such laptop-tablet convertible are both tablets as well as ultrabooks. Hence, with addition of these new terms for all these devices, confusion really add up. You may feel confused and asking youself as whether I should buy laptop or netbook or ultrabook or windows 8 tablet laptop hybrid. Here is a detailed comparison of all these computer device types to make your buying decision easy.
| Netbook | Tablet Hybrid | Ultrabook | Notebook Laptop |
| Smallest size – 10 inch | Size similar to netbook, between 10-12 inch | 13-14 inch usually | 14-18.5 inch |
| Slim, light weight | Very slim, very light- weight | Slim, weighs less | Varies, heaviest of all. |
| Powered by Atom processor | low-power consuming version of Intel Core i3, i5 or even i7 processors | Ultrabook specific i5 or i7 processors | Laptop specific version of i3, i5 or i7 processors |
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Computing speed slow< |
Depends < or = |
Depends < |
Depends, Fastest of all |
| RAM:1 GB usually | RAM : 2 GB or 4 GB | RAM: 4GB or higher | RAM: varies and upgradeable easily upto 16 GB |
| Hard disk drive: 160-320GB | 64GB-128GB SSD or internal flash drive | 128-256 GB SSD or maybe higher in few models | HDD and in Some cases SSD – Easily upgradeable |
| No optical drive | No optical drive | Optical drive present | Optical drive present |
| Low resolution display: Usually 1024*600 | Multi-Touch screen High Resolution display: HD or FULL HD, maybe protected by Gorrila Glass | High resolution display: HD or FULL HD, IPS display in some cases | HD and Full HD display, IPS display, In some cases Retina Display(Macbook Pro) |
| Gaming: Almost none | Reasonable | Reasonable | Depends, Best high-end gaming possible |
| Portablitity : Good | Very Good | Portability: Good | Portability: Not as good as others |
| Battery Backup: Good (4-6 hours) | Battery Backup Very Good – 5-10 hours or more | Battery backup Good – 5-7 hours | Battery backup Not good: 2–4 hours. |
| USB 2.0 Ports | USB ports | USB 3.0 ports | USB 2.0 and 3.0 |
| 0.3 megapixel vga front camera | Front and Rear Camera of high mega pixels | Single camera of low mp | Single camera of low megapixel or in some case, HD camera. |
| No extra sensors | Extra sensors like gyroscope sensor, magnetic sensor, GPS sensors, 3d acceleration sensors, etc present | No sensors like these | No such extra sensors |
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