Sleek laptop with an orbiting touchscreen
In our last issue we reviewed the HP Envy x360, a full-size laptop that folds over to work as a tablet. Here’s another of that type. Their specifications are similar, and that includes the brushed metal finishes over a plastic chassis. But Toshiba has managed to pack everything into a slimmer, lighter case, and topped it off with a crisp Full HD screen.
At the time of writing, there were some tempting cash-back offers knocking around. However, you should read the small print as many require you to pay up front then reclaim the cash-back amount. We’d rather see straightforward pricing so customers can pick the best deal with the least pressure.
So what will you be getting for your money? Not exactly the most portable PC around (at 2.24kg), but it is a reasonably thin one (a fraction over 2cm at its thickest and tapering away to the front). Rubber edges give away that this isn’t an Apple-quality laptop, but it feels classy and robust.
The 1920x1080-pixel screen isn’t exceptional for a full-size laptop, but shows much more detail than the 1366x768 Envy x360, and with better contrast and a wider range of colours. It’s unapologetically glossy, so reflections can be distracting – but of course it’s a touchscreen, so don’t worry, it’ll soon be covered in fingerprints anyway. You can use the touchpad when the keyboard is folded out in laptop mode, but it’s quite cramped, weirdly placed over to the left, and is excruciatingly poor – so swiping the screen may be your preferred approach.
Rotating the keyboard all the way round, to sandwich backwards against the screen, gives you something less likea tablet and more like, well, a folded-up laptop. But it’s usable, and when you do want to type, you’ve got a proper keyboard, with a numeric keypad, that feels much more convincing than most tablet add-ons.
As with the Envy x360, the i5 processor provides adequate performance for tasks including basic photo- and video-editing, and the integrated Intel HD Graphics chip just about manages older 3D games. In our video-playback tests, the battery ran down 56 per cent in two-and-a-half hours, so you’d struggle to get six hours out of it, which is acceptable but not great for such a heavy machine.
As something that mostly sits on a desk but has tablet capability, the Radius is quite appealing – more so than HP’s Envy – thanks to the screen. But it’s not cheap for the so-so processing power you get.
VERDICT
We’re still not convinced by the hybrid format, but Toshiba has done a neat job here, but at a price.
SPECIFICATIONS
2.2GHz Intel Core i5 5200U processor • 8GB memory • 1TB hybrid hard drive • 15.6in 1920x1080-pixel touchscreen • Webcam • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.0 • 2x USB 3.0 ports • USB 2.0 port • 4K HDMI port • Windows 8.1 Home (upgradable free to Windows 10) • 20.1x379.5x244.9mm (HxWxD) • 2.24kg • One-year warranty