PC_Pro_Issue_274_August_2017

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Reviews
Toshiba Portégé
X20W-D-10V
A super-light 2-in-1 design
that packs in lots of power
and a free stylus – there’s
much for businesses to like
SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪
PRICE £1,333 (£1,600 inc VAT) from
laptopsdirect.co.uk
Most 2-in-1 convertibles make
compromises. For instance,
the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (see
issue 273, p72) used an ultra-lowpower
processor to keep its weight
and dimensions down. The Portégé
X20W, on the other hand, packs
serious specs, stonking battery life
and enterprise-grade biometric
security. All in a chassis that weighs
1.1kg, which is 140g lighter than the
XPS 13 2-in-1.
Admittedly, its magnesium alloy
chassis feels flimsy next to the rigid,
aluminium-framed Dell, but this
remains a premium piece of design.
For instance, the hinge is sturdy with
a smooth action, and once in position
I had no concerns about it shifting or
falling down. Visually, it looks sleek
and professional, with a brushedmetal
effect on the black lid and
keyboard surround.
At 15.4mm thick it’s a shade
bulkier than the Dell, but in return
you’re getting a proper Intel Core i7
Kaby Lake chip. The Core i7-7500U
processor outmuscles the XPS 13
2-in-1’s Core i7-7Y75 with a
vengeance, as an overall score of 53 in
our benchmarks shows: that’s almost
twice as fast as the 31 of the Dell.
The inevitable price is that Toshiba
sacrifices the fanless design of its
competitors. This means the Portégé
switches into hairdryer mode when
taxed, emitting a loud and irritating
whine as the fans go into overdrive.
Theoretically, this should only happen
when you push it to the limit, but I
found it happened regularly.
BATTERY: video playback, 10hrs 58mins
BENCHMARKS
OVERALL 53
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150
BREAKDOWN SCORES
Image
editing
89
Video
editing
56
Multi
tasking
39
The battery life, thankfully, was
unaffected. In our video-rundown
tests, the Portégé racked up a
mammoth score of 10hrs 58 mins. This
outstrips not only Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1
(7hrs 45mins), but even the mighty
MacBook family.
As is common for ultraportables,
connectivity options are light: there’s
a single USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port for
power and data, one USB 3 port, and a
3.5mm jack for headphones and
microphones. I’d have liked to see an
SD slot and at least one extra USB port.
Still, there’s no shortage of security
features. The Portégé X20W supports
Windows Hello’s biometric
authentication in two forms, with a
fingerprint reader built into the
trackpad and an IR camera above the
screen. This is in addition to Toshiba’s
BIOS and TPM 2 encryption.
The Portégé’s screen isn’t
particularly attention-grabbing on
first glance. While the 12.5in mattecoated
panel is well-suited to office
environments, it lacks the razor-thin
bezels that make devices such as the
XPS 13 so attractive, while its 1,920 x
1,080 resolution is merely average.
Look beyond these disadvantages,
however, and you’ll find an excellent
display. The Portégé offers superb
contrast, a capable 354cd/m2 top
brightness and colour accuracy.
There’s minor undersaturation
on the reds, but sRGB
coverage is excellent at
more than 95%.
ABOVE This tiny
machine still packs a
quad-core Intel Kaby
Lake processor
RECOMMENDED
“Most 2-in-1 convertibles
make sacrifices... The
X20W packs serious specs,
stonking battery life and
enterprise-grade security”
BELOW The X20W
comes bundled with a
stylus, unlike most of
its convertible rivals
The touchscreen is smooth and
responsive, with the Portégé’s AES
stylus and palm-rejection technology
ensuring that jotting notes or
sketches can be done quickly and
easily. It’s not as well-suited to
graphics work as the Surface Book
with its Surface Pen – the stylus
doesn’t feel as fluid or natural to use
– but it’s perfect for annotating
documents or taking notes in
meetings. Plus, the stylus is bundled
into the package, rather than being an
expensive after-market extra.
The keyboard itself is
pleasant to use. The keys
are well-spaced with
decent travel depth, with
my only complaint being
that the feedback from the
keys isn’t as crisp and
defined as the XPS 13. As
with its Dell rival, the trackpad is fine
if a little small.
You can buy the X20W in four
configurations, with the cheapest –
the 10Q, with a 256GB SSD, 8GB of
RAM and a i7-7200U processor –
costing £1,400 inc VAT. When a
similarly specced XPS 13 2-in-1 costs
£1,400 excluding VAT, it’s clear which
is better value, even after factoring in
the Dell’s superior warranty.
So, while it has its niggles, don’t be
fooled by the X20W’s demure exterior:
this Toshiba is secretly an enterprisegrade
powerhouse. ADAM SHEPHERD
SPECIFICATIONS
Dual-core 2.7GHz Intel Core
i7-7500U processor ● Intel HD
Graphics 620 ● 8GB RAM ● 12.5in
IPS display, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution
● 512GB SSD ● 720p webcam ● 802.11ac
Wi-Fi ● Bluetooth 4.2 ● USB-C/Thunderbolt
3 ● USB 3 ● AES stylus pen ● Windows 10 Pro
● 299 x 219 x 15.4mm (WDH) ● 1.1kg ●
1yr RTB warranty
57