Toshiba Portégé Z830-104 review

Ultrabooks are certainly desirable, but they aren't designed for the workplace – a point that Toshiba aims to correct with the Portégé Z830, an ultra-thin laptop aimed at businesses. Tom Morgan takes a closer look to see if it succeeds.

IT Pro Verdict

Although it has several unique features that are sorely missing in Ultrabooks from other manufacturers, the Z830 isn’t head and shoulders above its competition. No other manufacturer has managed to perfect the formula so far, but they all have selling points that make them more desirable than the Toshiba. If you're not beholden to Windows, the 13in MacBook Air, which is available with a similar specification to the Z830 at a similar price, is still our preferred ultra-portable laptop, but Ultrabooks are slowly catching up.

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The SDHC slot is located on the side of the Z830 next to the headphone and mic connectors.

The SDHC slot is located on the side of the Z830 next to the headphone and mic connectors.

Toshiba installs the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional as standard on the Z830, as well as a host of OEM software. Face Recognition and Security Assist are the most useful, but unlikely to replace any security systems already in use by your company. BIOS controls are also fairly limited, but IT administrators will at least be able to password protect it to prevent any unwanted changes and it is compatible with the Computrace remote tracking service.

The Z830 gets a lot of things right, but it's not the perfect Ultrabook performance and screen resolution are both only average and the keyboard and touchpad leave a lot to be desired. The fairly wide selection of full-size ports are definitely welcome additions. Although the adapters used by other laptops aren't large or bulky, they are one more thing to forget and leave behind when you're in a rush.

So what's our verdict?

Verdict

Although it has several unique features that are sorely missing in Ultrabooks from other manufacturers, the Z830 isn’t head and shoulders above its competition. No other manufacturer has managed to perfect the formula so far, but they all have selling points that make them more desirable than the Toshiba. If you're not beholden to Windows, the 13in MacBook Air, which is available with a similar specification to the Z830 at a similar price, is still our preferred ultra-portable laptop, but Ultrabooks are slowly catching up.

Processor: Intel Core i5-2557m, 1.7GHz Memory: 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM Graphics: integrated Intel HD Graphics Hard disk: 128GB SSD Display: 13.3in 1,366x768, LED-backlit screen Features: 0.3 megapixel webcam, integrated microphone Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 Ports: 2x USB, 1x USB3, 1x SDXC card reader, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm headphone, 1x 3.5mm microphone, 1x Gigabit Ethernet Dimensions: 16x316x227mm Weight: 1.12kg Warranty: one year RTB OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Part code: PT225E-00800DEN BENCHMARK RESULTS Image editing 62 Video encoding 41 Multiple apps 43 Overall 46 Light usage battery life – 6h48m POWER CONSUMPTION Sleep 1W Idle 17W Active 42W

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