Review: Toshiba Portege Z10t
By Mike Wheeler
By Mike Wheeler
Ok, we’ll put our hands up here and cough to the fact that we are fan boys of Toshiba gear. Our tried and trusted Satellite laptop circa 2006 is still going strong, although rarely used due to it being a leviathan compared to contemporary offerings. However, our household does have four other laptops – two Macbook Pros, an HP Pavilion Dv6 and another Toshiba Satellite circa early 2012. With the exception of the HP’s keyboard impersonating a visual version of Tourette’s Syndrome, all are doing Ok.
So we come to Toshiba’s Portege Z10t – one of those portable PCs that have people asking “Is it a tablet or a laptop?”, to which I always reply “Both”. This is because it is both – it has a detachable keyboard that takes it from being a fully functional laptop, to a tablet.
Like any piece of tech, the first thing to look at is its form factor, which is pretty normal. Nothing too special, but certainly clean lines and fits comfortably in a school bag or work satchel, and a nice 11.6-inch touchscreen.
What we really like about this unit is what is under its hood – an Intel Core processor (in this case the i5 vPro); 4GB or RAM, Windows 8 Pro operating system; and up to 256GB SSD for storage. What all these stats equate to is that this device is designed for the business person on the move – enough storage and processing power to belt out those spread sheets; research that important piece of information; keep important files close at hand; and sending emails back and forth. Make no mistake this is a business machine.
One thing that we’re not sure on (are we being too fussy here?) is that some of the connectivity options are on the keyboard, not the tablet. We would have liked to see them all on the tablet, but in saying that there are still some heavy hitting ports located there including an SD reader, micro-HDMI and USB 3.0.
Overall we think this is a nice piece of kit that will fit nicely into the detachable ultrabook space with its contemporaries. While there is nothing super standout about it, it will create enough interest for those looking for such a device to give it a second glance when out looking for a laptop/tablet.
Finally, there is the battery life. It isn’t too bad at six hours –we got about that with moderate use. You’ll also have to be aware that unlike a machine like the Asus VivoTab TF810C, the keyboard does not have a battery built-in. This, Toshiba says, is to save on weight.
Pros: Great specs; good functionality; great business tool
Cons: A little chunky; most ports in keyboard
4.1 Shacks Out of 5
