"A little short on battery life and savings, this thin and light
13-inch laptop has the best looking FHD screen of any Chromebook. Just
watch out for that glare."
For
Gorgeous 1080p screen
Thin and light
Against
Blinding screen glare
OK battery life
Mismatched casing parts
Introduction
The golden age of Chromebooks
is here. Google's little cloud computing experiment has blossomed into a
new segment of affordable and long last laptops. All throughout the
year we've seen new, yet very identical Chromebooks. Now after long last
last we're start to see some new models that shake up the formula
including the sequel to the Toshiba Chromebook. The
new 13.3 inch Toshiba Chromebook 2 uses a fanless design made possible
with a an Intel Bay Trail processor. Ditching the fan has made the new
laptop slimmer and lighter. What's more, it also comes with a 1080p
screen to join the ranks of the slowly burgeoning group of full HD
Chromebooks, including the 13-inch Samsung Chromebook 2 and Acer Chromebook 13.
On
paper, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 looks to be an improvement in every way
compared to the original, but has this laptop sacrificed anything for a
shinier screen?
Design
The Toshiba Chromebook 2
smaller and thinner than its predecessor despite sticking with a
13.3-inch screen. Thanks to the new fanless design Toshiba has shaved
down the dimensions of its original Chromebook from 12.9 x 8.9 x 0.8
inches (W x D x H) to 12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inches. A few fractions of an
inch might not sound like a big deal, but the mark two model noticeably
lighter at 2.95 pounds compared to the 3.3 pound predecessor.
Beyond
numbers the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is a sleeker package that tapers off
to a noticeably thinner edge, whereas last year's model resembled a
thick wedge. What's more, Toshiba has slightly tweaked
the design of the Chromebook 2. The notebook's glossy finish has been
replaced by a matte coat of paint that's also better at deflecting
greasy fingerprints. The corners of the laptop are also squarer, which
also adds to the Chromebook 2's edgier look.
Overall,
the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is neither bad looking machine nor does it
feel like it was made on a flimsy budget. That said, it's not going to
turn any heads when you pull it out of your bag at the cafe, because of
its traditional design. The only knock I have against the
design is the bottom side of the laptop is made with a piece of white
plastic while the rest of the device is painted in a metallic silver.
This mismatching sticks out from the laptop's otherwise completely
silver body and almost seems like the laptop was mistakenly built with
the wrong bottom panel.
Along
the right side is an HDMI port to plug in your Chromebook to an
external monitor or HDTV. Additionally, on the right side of the laptop
you have one USB 3.0 port, which is a downgrade considering Toshiba's
original Chromebook came with two. On the opposite side, there's a USB
2.0 port for a mouse or any other peripherals – not that you'll need
them. The keyboard is more than serviceable with a traditional layout
and below it is a large trackpad that clicks with precision.
Specifications and performance
Although the Toshiba Chromebook sports a 13.3 inch screen,
it's an extremely light machine, weighing only 2.95 pounds. By
comparison, 11.6 inch Chromebooks such as the Samsung Chromebook 2 and Acer C720
only hold a slight lead tipping the scales at 2.65 pounds and 2.8
pounds, respectively. As more fanless designs come out, the weight
difference between a few more inches of screen real estate will become
even more negligible. In terms of the dimensions, the
12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inch Toshiba Chromebook 2 is also almost as thin as
the Acer C720, which measures 11.34 x 8.03 x 0.75 inches. The Samsung
Chromebook 2, however, is the smallest laptop in the bunch with
dimensions of 11.40 x 8.60 x 0.66 inches. Here is the Toshiba Chromebook 2 configuration given to TechRadar:
Spec sheet
CPU: 2.16GHz Intel Celeron Processor N2840 (dual-core, 1MB Cache, up to 2.58GHz with Turbo Boost)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 4 GB DDR3L
Screen: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1090 TruBrite TFT display
Storage: 16GB SSD
Ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, HDMI, SD card slot, headphone/mic jack
Connectivity: Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 72608, Bluetooth 4.0
Camera: HD webcam
Weight: 2.95 pounds
Size: 12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inches (W x D x H)
The
Toshiba Chromebook 2 comes with a higher premium of $329 (about £205,
AU$382) compared to its predecessor, which originally retailed for $279
(about £167, AU$309). That said, the latest model is also better
equipped with 4GB of RAM and a higher-resolution 1080p screen. As one of
the newer Chromebooks, the Toshiba also comes equipped with a Bay Trail
processor plus the fanless architecture to go with it.
Of
course there are other dirt cheap options including the Samsung
Chromebook 2 and Acer C720, both of which retail for $249 (about £154,
AU$282). While you'll save a bit more money, keep in mind going for
these lower end models also means settling for a lower resolution 11.6
inch, 1366 x 768 screen and only 2GB of RAM. (That said, Toshiba also
offers a 1366 x 768 option for the Chromebook 2, also at $249.)
Performance
After an annoyingly sluggish experience with the Samsung Chromebook 2,
I was afraid the Toshiba Chromebook 2 wouldn't perform well at all. The
two laptops share the same 2.16GHz Intel Celeron Processor N2840 and to
top it off the Toshiba decided to go slap on a full HD display. Thankfully
I had little to no performance issues with the Toshiba unit. The laptop
ran swimmingly with a dozen and half web browser tabs open and Google
Music streaming in the background. It also churned through 1080p video
without any stuttering or streaming hiccups.
Performance
issues only cropped up while I playing Bastion at full resolution. As I
foraged forward in and the game's environment fell from the sky, the
frame rate dropped to a choppy 10 to 15 frames per second. This
isn't all too surprising considering the the minimum system
requirements state it needs a graphics card with 512MB of video RAM,
even if it is a browser game. But you'll still be able to play all your
Facebook and other less taxing browser games.
All the colors of the rainbow
If
there's one thing Chromebooks have been starved for (other than apps)
it's screen resolution. For too long Chromebooks have been saddled with
paltry 1366 x 768 resolution screens. Now we're starting to see a new
crop of HD laptops including the 13-inch Samsung Chromebook 2 and Acer
Chromebook 13 – and now the Toshiba Chromebook 2. This
small resolution increase makes a world of difference even for laptops
that serve little more as dedicate web browsing devices. Thanks to this
higher resolution text on websites looks sharper and there's more screen
real estate to multitask with.
The
Toshiba Chromebook 2 not only has more pixels but is also a better
quality screen in general. Rather than use a TN panel as most
Chromebooks have, Toshiba has opted for a TFT screen, which renders
vibrant colors and produces deep blacks. This is the
first Chromebook with a great screen that I've actually wanted to watch
videos with. I can only hope Adobe will release its Photoshop Cloud
program to the public soon, because this would be an excellent platform
for photographers as well. If only Toshiba went with a
less reflective finish on the screen. As it stands, the screen looks as
shiny as the protective plastic covers made for comics, reflecting every
beam of light back into your eye. It's not only distracting while
you're using the laptop indoors, it's blinding in the presence of
sunlight.
Pinched battery life
Of course, the
downside of pushing so many more pixels is shorter battery life. The
Toshiba Chromebook 2 only lasted 6 hours and 26 minutes between browsing
on a Chrome dozen tabs, catching up with friends on Google Hangouts,
streaming music on the web, watching snippets of Transformers Dark of
the Moon through Google Play, and writing this review. This
test was also done with the display just a tick under 50% screen
brightness and the speakers set at roughly 20-percent. Compared to the
original Toshiba Chromebook, which lasted six hours and 16 minutes, this
is actually a small improvement.
However,
the world has moved on, and now I come expecting an extremely extended
battery life out of Chromebooks such as the Acer C720's run time of 8
hours and 30 minutes. The Samsung Chromebook 2, which again comes
equipped with the same Intel Bay Trail processor, also lasted an hour
longer with a battery life of 7 hours and 32 minutes. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 will still outlast most notebooks outside of Ultrabooks. But if you have a particularly long day ahead of you, be sure to bring the power cord along.
Verdict
The Toshiba Chromebook 2 is a complete shake up and improvement from
last year's model in every way. It's a bit more expensive for that
sharper screen. But, considering it's better equipped with double the
RAM and slightly better battery life than the original, these are all
upgrades well worth the bigger price tag.
We liked
The original Toshiba Chromebook
felt budget in every way and to make it worse, it was made with a
repurposed low-end Windows 8.1 laptop chassis. This time around, the
mark two version feels like it was purpose built to be a Chromebook.
Toshiba slimmed down the laptop thanks to the fanless Bay Trail
architecture and tinkered around to make it a sleeker package. External
aesthetics aside, the 1080p screen is a big bonus of the laptop. It's a
small premium, but the sharper resolution makes everything look better,
from smoother text to sharper images. Plus the excellent screen is
paired with a decent set of laptop speakers made by Skullcandy. It all
adds up to make the Toshiba Chromebook 2 an excellent streaming system
for everything from YouTube and Google Play to Hulu Plus and Netflix.
We disliked
The
screen glare is real. You'll never want to take this notebook outdoors.
Even in the shade, the display simply reflects everything. This is
great if you want to see what's happening behind you or to use the
laptop screen as a mirror. Otherwise, be prepared to have the
screen brightness turned up all the way to try and combat the glaring
problem. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 also has a fairly short battery life
when compared against its competitors, most of which you can get for a
bit less money.
Final verdict
For $329 (about £205,
AU$382), the Toshiba Chromebook 2 pushes the envelope on what a
Chromebook can be. The laptop comes with more RAM and a full HD 1080p
screen, making it a step up from the Samsung Chromebook 2 and Acer C720.
Considering the difference in cost between these three laptops isn't
that dramatic, I would gladly choose the Toshiba over everything else,
even considering its somewhat shorter battery life. All said, you
should consider that both the price and configuration is pushing the
Toshiba Chromebook 2 closer towards the territory of an affordable Windows 8.1 laptop. This is especially true as Microsoft and laptop manufacturers create more affordable options, like the HP Stream. A
Windows laptop such as the Stream won't be as thin or provide as much
battery life, but it's built on a much more fully-featured operating
system with support for image editing, gaming and much more than web
browsing. Due to these reason you might want to consider what
Windows-flavored options you can pick up for the cost of a Toshiba
Chromebook 2. But if you're one of the millions already engrossed in
Google's ecosystem, Toshiba just put forth an affordable, gorgeous
solution to access all that good stuff.
