This Windows 8.1 laptop-tablet is no jack of all trades
Toshiba makes some great Windows 8.1 laptops, but these tend to be the company’s more expensive models. Of late, we’ve been far less impressed by its cheaper laptops. The Satellite Radius 11 is Toshiba’s latest budget laptop, but it also functions as a tablet when you fold back its screen until it lies flat against the back of the keyboard.
Unfortunately, the Radius 11 isn’t an easy sell as a tablet. It’s chunky and heavy, weighing 1.3kg (light for a laptop, not for a tablet). You’re more likely to angle the touchscreen so that the keyboard acts as a stand (see image), making it more comfortable to use for watching videos and swiping through photos.
The glossy white-gold casing and black plastic construction is robust and looks classy, making it almost identical to the Satellite CL10. This similarity in looks initially had us concerned because the CL10 is far from Toshiba’s best. And while the Radius’ keyboard isn’t quite as shambolic as the one on the CL10, it’s still pretty substandard. Some of the keys, notably the tab, @ and *, are narrower than others, making them harder to hit when touch-typing. All keys suffer from a lack of feedback and travel, so typing is an uncomfortable experience and it’s easy to make typing mistakes. The touchpad is smooth and accurate, but its buttons barely give any feedback.
Although the quad-core Intel Pentium N3540 processor sounds powerful on paper, it’s actually one of Intel’s slowest. Paired with 4GB of memory, it’s barely fast enough for web browsing and basic office work, and too slow for video- and photo-editing. Although the N3540 is a power-efficient processor, the Radius’ small battery meant it ran out of juice after only six hours 45 minutes in our light-usage battery test, which is below average.
The touchscreen does at least respond well, and the display itself bright, with reasonably good colour accuracy, making up somewhat for its mediocre contrast and low 1366x768-pixel resolution.
The Satellite Radius 11 is a non-starter as a tablet. It could’ve been a cheap and cheerful laptop, if it weren’t let down by its poorly designed keyboard and so-so battery life. Unless you absolutely can’t give up Windows, a Chromebook would be a far better choice at this price.
A sturdily made budget computer undermined by a poor keyboard and unimpressive battery life.
SPECIFICATIONS
2.16GHz Intel Pentium N3540 quad-core processor • 4GB memory • 500GB hard drive • 11.6in 1366x768-pixel touchscreen • Intel integrated graphics chip • Windows 8.1 • 1.3kg (1.6kg with charger) • 22x289x199mm (HxWxD) • One-year warranty