Toshiba’s Satellite Radius 12, a 12.5-Inch Laptop Sporting a 4K Ultra HD Display


ToshibaSatelliteRadius12-1Screen resolution is a technology that keeps getting better and more competitive, and at the end of last year, the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 made a splash as being the first 12.5-inch convertible laptop with a 4K Ultra HD display (Digital Trends). That made out to 352 pixels per inch, which is a whopping 130 pixels higher than the Apple MacBook with Retina display, mind you. Now that the Windows 10 Satellite Radius 12 has been out a few months, it’s time to gather up the good and the bad from reviewers.

ToshibaSatelliteRadius12Aimed at professionals and on-the-go personalities, the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 sports a brushed metal exterior and two hinges to support its 360 degree rotations (allowing for not only laptop mode, but tent, tablet, and stand modes as well). It measures 11.8 x 8.2 x .61 inches, and weighs 2.93 pounds. When comparing its weight to lighter competition, like the similarly-sized Dell XPS 13 perhaps, remember that the Radius 12 is sporting a specialized display that can bend back on itself, and that takes some extra moving parts. Speaking of, display on this thing is a beaut. The 12.5-inch 4K touchscreen is packed with a whopping 3840 x 2160 pixels, beating all of Toshiba’s competition out of the park. Certified by Technicolor, images appear super sharp, its panel can produce 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut, and color accuracy scores a .59 (which beats the XPS 13 and MacBook).

ToshibaSatelliteRadius12-2The Radius 12 comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, Intel HD 520 graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It comes with a full-sized HDMI, two USB 3.0s, one USB 3.1 Type-C, SD card slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, stereo and headphone/mic jack; plus power, volume, and Cortana buttons. Finally, what’s up with battery life? Unfortunately, this is where Toshiba didn’t fully step up to the plate. The Radius 12 ran for just over 5 hours before copping out. Considering the ultraportable average is around 8 hours, I’d say this is a big bummer (Laptop Mag).

Everything up until battery performance felt perfect. It seems like Toshiba got everything right, but didn’t know exactly how to get such a high functioning device (mainly referring to the exceptional display) the battery it needed. That’s okay. There are several configurations to the Satellite Radius 12 to meet the needs of many. Starting at just $1,000, you could opt out of the 4K display, and probably get the battery life you need. I don’t know if I could trust using something that couldn't keep me feeling secure during a long day of business meetings. Could you? Display is a wonderful thing, but it isn’t everything. Perhaps Toshiba didn’t quite have its eye on the prize, here.

Topics: Technology News Convergence & Convertible Hybrid PCs Laptops & Ultrathin Ultrabooks Tech Reviews

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