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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Finding a laptop that you like is typically like finding a needle in a haystack. Whether you personally like a laptop comes down to form, function, and features. This laptop by Toshiba, although a good performer for every-day use, seems to struggle with some moderately intensive tasks, and has a few quirks to boot.
I'll start off with the things I immediately don't like:
1. Exhaust fan placement: the exhaust fan is located on the bottom of the unit, toward the upper right -let's say under the letter "P" of the keyboard. The laptop's slim form factor probably requires this placement -the laptop is so thin that it would be impossible to position it elsewhere. However, this placement makes it next to impossible for the laptop to cool itself effectively if it's on your lap (typical) or on some other "non-flat" surface. You probably will use this on a bed, on a sofa, or on the floor. The vent for the fan is effectively covered when placed on such surfaces. The rear edge of the laptop is slightly raised to help provide a gap for cooling when used on a perfectly flat, hard surface, but this is defeated when placed on any other surface. Other than the cooling fan, there's only one other small vent that probably serves as an air intake. It's easy to block both. The end result is that the laptop sometimes audibly struggles to cool itself, even when doing something as mundane as watching a video.
2. No Kensington Security Lock slot: the lack of a Kensington security lock slot boggles my mind, especially on a laptop of this caliber. If you are going to be traveling with this laptop, and want to lock it up in a hotel or other area, you really need to lock it away. There's no way to lock it to a table or any other object to prevent theft. I can't forgive this oversight.
3. No VGA output connector: yes, I know, technology is changing. This laptop includes a standard HDMI output. While that's great, not every device you are going to encounter has an HDMI-in. Older monitors are typically hardwired with VGA cables, and if you plan on using a projector, chances are it won't have an HDMI-in. I know this was done to save on the form-factor and keep the laptop thin, and I know adaptors are available that will make it work, but it extremely limits the number of existing devices to which you can connect.
4. No physical switch to disable wireless: while the F12 function key doubles as a "softkey" to disable wireless, allowing you to toggle "airplane mode" on or off, there's no physical switch to permanently turn off wireless.
5. SD slot does not allow for full insertion: when you insert an SD card into the laptop, half of the card will hang out of the laptop. If you are using an SD card to expand memory, or simply to transfer files, this presents a hazard to the SD card. You have to be careful not to bump it, and you have to take it out before storing for travel. The card doesn't lock into place, so it's possible it can just fall out. It also makes it a visible target for theft.
6. No indicator for drive activity: There are only two indicators on this laptop: the power-on LED, and a small "wireless" LED. There's no way to know when the laptop is accessing data on the SSD (this laptop uses an Solid State Drive as opposed to a Hard Disk Drive), or whether it's doing anything in general if things start running slowly or seem to hang.
7. Speakers are on the bottom: this is another thing I can't forgive. If you have the laptop on your lap, the speakers are against your clothing. Granted, I know laptops aren't actually meant to be used on your lap (but that's how people use them!), but if our faces are facing the screen and keyboard of a laptop, I don't understand why speakers are placed on the bottom of the laptop. It quite often will result in less-than-optimal sound.
8. Trackpad clicks are extremely stiff: the clickable trackpad seems very stiff when clicked. I've used other laptops with similar pads that are much more forgiving when clicked. Many times, I get the wrong click response -a left-click is registered instead of a right-click. I've reviewed the settings and haven't been able to resolve this. It reminds me that nothing beats "a good old mouse".
9. Solid State Disk size: the installed-and-not-replaceable SSD is 250 GB. A lot of people will find this limiting. The usable space on delivery is about 180 GB. While you can free-up some of this space by removing installed applications and components, the only way to add storage is externally. Photos, music, and especially videos will eat this limited and fixed storage space quickly. Expect to do a lot of archiving to external drives or to the cloud. Or just deleting things, which is what I have started doing.
All of that said, how does it perform? Quite well actually. I think the combination of 8 GB of RAM, the 2.0 GHz CORE i7 processor, and the Solid State Drive (SSD) offer incredible boot-up and speed with common tasks. From a sleep-state, it's ready-to-go in under 10 seconds when you lift the screen. Applications open quickly, and file transfers from external drives are lightning-quick (again, I attribute this to the SSD). In Windows 8, the system earns a 5.7 on the "Windows Experience Index", limited only by the integrated graphics. For reference, the scores are: Processor = 7.1, RAM = 7.5, Graphics = 5.7, Gaming Graphics = 6.5, and Primary Hard Disk = 8.0.
Physically, I like the design. While clearly mostly plastic, the metallic coating is a plus and virtually eliminates fingerprints -it's like a stainless steel finish for a laptop. It's light and extremely thin. It's barely thicker than a USB connector. All of the connectors are on the sides, and the four rubber feet on the bottom will keep it positioned on a table-top.
The illuminated keyboard is a plus, although personally I keep this feature turned off to conserve battery life. However, having the option to type in the dark is welcomed. I consider this a great high-end feature.
Battery life has been exceptional, far better than any other laptop or portable device I've ever used -but again, I attribute this to the low-power requirements of a Solid State Drive. On a full charge, the battery reads a full "8 hours available", but after about 90 minutes of use, this drops to about 6 hours of available charge. Granted, this number is highly variable and probably depends on what the laptop is being asked to do at any given time. Still, it's the best battery life I've ever seen, especially only when surfing the Internet or doing other mundane tasks such as writing reviews. Your ultimate battery life will depend upon your power settings, of course. I tend to be aggressive in order to maximize battery life...your mileage may vary. Charging takes a while, several hours to go from a low (under 15%) charge to a full charge.
The screen is beautiful. My middle-aged eyes cannot discern a single pixel -this is the closest to "print" that I've ever seen. It's bright and sharp. Personally I use it on the maximum resolution -which for this laptop is 2560x1440. Watching a movie or TV show is as "HD" as it can get. The touch screen is responsive -exactly the same as using any smartphone. My only complaint about the screen is that it is not as "fingerprint" resistant as the manufacturer claims -my screen is smudged all over the place. While this effect dissipates when you turn on the laptop and the screen illuminates, when the screen is off, you can see every single place you've touched the screen. Regular cleaning will be necessary.
The wireless chipset in this laptop is very good. I am on a 50 Mbps connection, and on the other side of my home, about 60 feet from the wireless router, on the first floor, through three walls, I manage to get a 25 Mbps speed-test result via wireless-N. Signal strength is always excellent, and I've never received a pop-up that the connection has been lost.
Sound quality is exactly what you would expect from a laptop. It features a Harman/Kardon sound system, so sound is marginally better than what I've heard on other laptops, but don't expect "movie theater" sound from such a small system. The one feature I do like is software processing that enables 3D and "surround" effects, which is interesting while watching movies and TV shows. I can clearly hear sounds behind me when using this feature. That said, the speakers are on the bottom, and this ultimately can affect the quality of the sound you hear, especially if it is on your lap.
What if you want to use this laptop for some more intensive tasks, such as 3D gaming? While this laptop scores a 6.5 in the "Windows Experience Index" for "gaming graphics", that means you'll typically get a "standard" resolution and performance out of it. I ran a benchmark test for a Final Fantasy game, and the result is that it will run "good" at 720p at about 30 frames-per-second, but the laptop generates an intense amount of heat, and the exhaust fan kicks into "very high" speed -to the point that it sounds like a jet engine. The benchmark test scored this as "standard"; however, I would be afraid of the long-term implications of running a modern (current release) game on this laptop for many hours -the heat alone could probably cause some long-term damage. That said, casual gaming on this laptop is more than fine. High-definition video may also produce similar noise from the exhaust fan, which I've experienced on occasion, especially when the laptop is positioned...on my lap.
The laptop includes a copy of "Adobe Photoshop Elements 11", and the laptop processes and produces previews of an image's modifications in a relatively short period of time, although not as quickly as I thought it would. However, the combination of fast processors and plenty of RAM means you can make adjustments to settings and view the results on-the-fly with relative ease. It's adequate for my use, but I am not a full-time photo-editor.
In general, the laptop build -which includes the hardware and software combination -has been extremely stable. It has not crashed after regular daily use in three weeks, and has only been rebooted when prompted by updates to Windows 8. Otherwise, I keep it in standby and it is always ready-to-go. Note: I won't get into the operating system (Windows 8), because my focus is on the hardware performance, but I will say this laptop is well-designed to take advantage of the "touch" aspects of Windows 8.
I think this laptop places "form over function", in some respects. I know it is challenging for manufacturers to get certain features into a laptop when they are trying to maximize its form, especially if they want to make it as thin as possible. However, the number of things that I listed as obvious oversights or problems cannot be forgiven in a "high-end" laptop. It performs well, it has beautiful form, but the lack of some features and the design decisions made for others keeps this from being "perfect".
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program When it comes to laptops, I'm at a point in my career when I am no longer willing to compromise in terms of performance and style. That mindset costs me a little more in terms of the purchase price of a new machine, but when I consider that I usually keep a laptop a minimum of two years, then the premium I pay for a truly state-of-the-art laptop like the Toshiba KIRAbook 13 is about $1 a day more than a model with weaker specs and FAR less style. To me, that's the definition of "affordable luxury" and given how many hours of use my laptop gets, it's well worth it.
I had an opportunity to test both KIRAbook 13 touchscreen models--the i5 and the i7--before deciding which one to go with. On paper, the differences are negligible. The KIRAbook 13 i5 has a 3rd gen Intel i5 processor and the regular version of Windows 8. The KIRAbook 13 i7 has a 3rd gen Intel i7 processor and Windows 8 Pro. If you're not hung up on processor specs, or need the few incremental features of Windows 8 Pro, then save yourself $200 and go with the quite-capable i5 model.
My testing involved a number of real-world scenarios that relied on the software tools I use on a daily basis--the Microsoft Office 2013 suite, the Adobe CS6 suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Lightroom 4, and Photoshop primarily), and various other programs that are RAM and storage hogs. I also did a lot of testing of media files like streaming video, downloaded 1080p video files, super-high-resolution graphics files, and streaming radio and music. The media tests gave me a good idea of graphics throughput and the ability of the large 256Gb SSD to perform when massive amounts of data were being written to the disk. The final set of tests were benchmark tests designed to see how well the hardware performed in real life vs. rated speeds published by the manufacturers of specific components.
I'm not a big fan of wordy, highly technical performance reviews like the ones you might find on Tom's Hardware, so here's what I learned in plain English:
Processor performance: The i7 is definitely faster in terms of the benchmark scores, but the real-world difference is negligible unless you're using industrial strength software like Photoshop or InDesign. Those programs are going to tax any processor, and you will definitely notice a meaningful speed boost when you're driving the i7 KIRAbook. For me, that kind of performance bump alone is worth the extra $200.
SSD performance: Incredible. The KIRAbook throughput is faster than any SSD-based machine I have used, and is as good as anything on the market. Boot time is awesome, as is awake from sleep (one word: instantaneous).
Graphics performance: Also incredible. The Toshiba KIRAbook has the highest resolution display of ANY Windows laptop and it is absolutely STUNNING! Anybody who works with spreadsheets or programs with tons of toolbars (like the Adobe CS6 applications) will LOVE the expansive real estate you get with that display. Watching a movie is a joy, as well, and I would offer that once you've experienced a 1080p movie on the KIRAbook display, you will absolutely hate having to watch one on any other laptop.
In terms of head-to-head testing, the machines are nearly identical in every meaningful way. The i7 is faster in certain applications, and Windows 8 Pro does have legitimate incremental value for power users and those who work in corporate environments. Aside from that, the two machines are identical twins.
For me, the real test wasn't i7 machine vs. i5 machine, it was Toshiba KIRAbook vs. the competition. I have a background in graphic design and product development, and how a machine looks and feels is as important as what's under the hood--sometimes more so. Toshiba really nailed the design of the KIRAbook. Sure, it's as light as a feather compared to most laptops AND ultrabooks, but I'm not as concerned about engineering feats as I am about what the machine feels like in my hands, and how it looks on a conference room table next to my colleagues' machines. In this regard, the KIRAbook kicked a**. No matter where I used one of these laptops, people would come up and want to see it and try it--particularly that Retina-quality touchscreen. I love it when a device I own elicits a response like that, and I can assure you that that alone is worth the extra $1 a day it will cost you to own the sexiest computing device on the market.
The Toshiba KIRAbook 13 i5 and i7 models are BOTH fantastic performers and genuine head turners. Want one? Go for it!
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I spent a number of weeks with this ultrabook before writing this review.
First of all this is a gorgeous laptop with an amazing display. The screen is a touch screen which is ideal for Windows 8. You can certainly use Windows 8 with a mouse and keyboard but it is optimized for a touch screen.
The machine is fast since it sports a core i7 and 8 gigs of ram not to mention a 256 gig SSD drive boot times are measured in less than 10 seconds. Opening applications are fast and even opening a 100,000 word document in Word is a dream because it just appears without any sluggishness. This cannot be said for all computers nor my Macbook Pro 15" Retina. Speaking of retina the Kirabook has a crazy display. It's full resolution is 2560x1440.
The machine ships with very little bloatware. Kudos to Toshiba for that. They do include Norton internet security but you can uninstall and then install Microsoft Security Essentials and reclaim some resources. The computer also ships with a full version of Adobe Photoshop. The keyboard is tight and easy to use. I find this to be one of the most important parts of a computer since I'm a writer and I write on a laptop 95% of the time.
There are a few issues with this computer that keeps it from competing with the big boys.
First of all Windows 8 must be run (in desktop mode) in a magnified mode (150%). If you turn off magnification you will looking at text so small you need a real magnifier. The graphics chip is the competent Intel 4000 but where is the discrete graphics chip? For close to the same price you can get a 15" Macbook Retina with a discreet graphics card that allows playing of games. For a $2K computer to miss this is a serious error. When you run in 150% magnified mode the touch screen becomes very wonky with games. Things don't line up and to turn off the magnification you have to log out of the laptop and log back in.
Battery life claims to be over 6 hours. In real practical use it's about 4 hours. I have used this as my daily computer for over 3 weeks and it is a huge downgrade from the 7 hours I get from my mac. But this has been a consistent problem with windows 8 laptops. I've tried the Vizio offerings and the ASUS Zenbooks. If you are a road warrior that needs a long lasting battery then this computer is not for you.
The case is nice and made of a "pressed magnesium" material which sounds great on paper. In person the shell looks like plastic and somehow, even though the machine was kept in a case at all times, it has a scratch on the top and I can't imagine how that happened because this laptop has been treated with kid gloves.
Another glaring issue is the sound. Even when the soundcard is bypassed and run through a USB Dac (Fiio E17) the sound is bad. There is a hiss and static to music. The quality is poor and this was after updating drivers. The speakers, on the other hand, are strong and bright. Just don't expect to get good sounds out of headphones.
For the price of a Macbook Pro Retina this machine really can't compete. I'm by no means an apple fan boy but I do prefer my mac because it is tough and really does have a long lasting battery.
If this machine were priced at about $1499 it would be a bargain.
Honest reviews on Toshiba KIRAbook 13 i7 Touchscreen Laptop
Ok, I am so happy. Just got my Kirabook and it is everything I hoped it would be...and with some great services which is a new twist. I really wanted a lightweight beautiful laptop but didn't know what to get, and I didn't really want to go Apple. I like Windows. I know it, it works great for me and I'm super productive with it. I did some research and David Pierce's review on The Verge convinced me to look closely at Toshiba's new Kirabook. He said, "the first truly premium Windows 8 laptop we've seen in a long time, competitive across every spec and feature with the best of what Apple can offer". I love that it comes with two years of Adobe Photoshop, security and 24/7 support which gives me good peace of mind but the best thing is how beautiful the display is. I can't get over how crystal clear it is this device is fast and sleek. Love it. Thanks Toshiba for bringing back some powerful beauty!
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Probably not a showstopper for everyone, but I thought I had a defective one when it would not connect to my office WiFi. Turns out that the issue is that there IS no 5GHz WiFi (nor a lan port or even a dongle). Seems crazy for a $2000 laptop to skimp on what must be $2.00 in manufacturing costs. Other than that, the screen is really top-notch...looks better than a retina iPad side-by-side on the same site. Build quality was good with little flex in the machine. The screen was a little loose on mine (had some play when touching). Keyboard was outstanding (moving from a Sony Vaio S, since they seem to have no desire to release a touch screen in the Z or S lines) and the touch pad was responsive as well with only a bit of accidental recognitions (usually seemed to happen when logging in and typing password). If you don't care about 802.11a WiFi, then this is a really spectacular laptop...one of the nicest I've used (albeit for a brief amount of time). Probably give this one away and wait at this point and see what comes out on the new Haswell platform.
