Two terms often used interchangeably referring to mobile computers are the terms laptop and notebook.  Many people may just assume that a laptop and a notebook computer are the same and still others may not be sure about what the differences may be.  Well, there are significant differences between the two and in this article, I’m going to explain what those differences are.?

The Merrian-Webster dictionary defines a notebook as “a portable microcomputer that is similar to but usually smaller than a laptop computer”.  Dictionary.com has a similar definition, defining a notebook as “a small, lightweight laptop computer”.

So, what are the actual differences between a laptop computer and a notebook computer?

Size

Notebooks are generally a lot smaller/thinner and more portable, some even comparable to the size of an actual notebook.

Screen

Laptops are going to have a screen size of 14″ – 17″ measured diagonally.  Notebooks in comparison usually come with screens between 12″ and 14″ in size.

Weight

Notebooks are extremely lightweight and often under 6 pounds.  Laptops are heavier and can range anywhere from 2 – 18 pounds in weight.

Battery

A laptop has a battery life of 3+ hours depending on the laptop and a notebook can last from 4 – 5 hours because of lower processing power.

Processing

A laptop computer will contain higher end processors for things like video and audio, while notebooks will be on the lower end of the spectrum.

Optical Drive

Laptop computers will come with some sort of internal integrated DVD and/or CD drive.  Notebook computers do not have integrated drives, but allow external drives to be attached.

Keyboard

Laptops usually include a large full featured keyboard, while notebooks will have a smaller, compact keyboard.

The laptop is designed to be a full replacement to a desktop computer, having some upgrade-ability.  A notebook computer is designed for extreme portability and may only include the most frequently used functionality of a computer, having limited to no upgrade-ability.

Although people will continue to use these two terms interchangeably, you can now see that there are indeed significant differences between notebook and laptop computers.