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- Good value
- Weighs only 3.2 pounds
- Includes optical drive
- No Bluetooth
- Short battery life
- Weak speakers
Reviewers say the Toshiba Portege R705-P25 laptop is an excellent value that balances performance and portability. Weighing in at a mere 3.2 pounds, this 13.3-inch laptop includes an Intel Core i3-350M processor, 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive. This retail configuration is sold exclusively at Best Buy. Other features include an HDMI output, a sleep-and-charge eSATA/USB combo port and Intel's Wireless Display (Wi-Di) technology, which allows you to stream content to a TV via a Netgear Push2TV adapter (*Est. $100). The Toshiba Portege R705-P25 is also one of the few ultraportable laptops that include an integrated optical drive.
Reviewers say the Toshiba laptop has a stylish design and performs well for most computer tasks (with the exception of gaming and graphics-intensive work). The chiclet-style keyboard is comfortable to use, and the glossy display doesn't kick back too much glare. However, battery life is a disappointment, lasting around four hours in most tests. The Toshiba laptop also lacks Bluetooth, and some experts think the speakers sound weak. If you can only spend a few hundred dollars, reviews point to the HP Compaq Presario CQ62-209WM (Discontinued) as worth considering. That basic laptop doesn't cost much more than a netbook, but it offers good performance for everyday computing tasks.
The best reviews of the Toshiba Portege R705-P25 come from CNET and PCMag.com. Both reviewers subject the laptop to extensive, hands-on testing, and rate the laptop so it is easy to see how it stacks up against similar laptops. Comparisons are made to other cheap laptops when appropriate. Engadget.com and SlashGear.com also have useful test-based reviews, but they don't provide an overall rating. We also found a few user reviews at BestBuy.com and Toshiba.com.
Our Sources
1. CNET
The Toshiba Portege R705-P25 scores an Editors' Choice award from CNET. Dan Ackerman says the Toshiba laptop is "close to a perfect balance of design, price, and performance." He would like to see a backlit keyboard, but overall Ackerman thinks the Portege R705-P25 is a terrific value.
Review: Toshiba Portege R705-P25, Dan Ackerman, July 22, 2010
PCMag.com gives the Toshiba Portege R705-P25 a "very good" rating. Cisco Cheng says it's one of the lightest laptops you can get with an optical drive and performance is relatively speedy (although the Toshiba lags behind Core i5-equipped notebooks). Its graphics muscle is also weak.
Review: Toshiba Portege R705-P25, Cisco Cheng, July 26, 2010
3. Engadget.com
Joanna Stern has lots of praise for the Toshiba Portege R705-P25, although she has some concerns about the laptop's heat output. Even so, she thinks this notebook is a winner. "Flat out, consumers haven't been able to get such a feature-packed ultraportable at such an affordable price until now," she writes.
Review: Toshiba Portege R705 Review, Joanna Stern, July 12, 2010
SlashGear.com doesn't rate the Toshiba Portege R705, but they give the budget laptop a favorable review. Ewdison Then likes the lightweight, sturdy build and comfortable keyboard. However, he would prefer dedicated graphics.
Review: Toshiba Portege R705 Review, Ewdison Then, July 26, 2010
5. BestBuy.comDetails/Subscribe
Although only about a dozen owners have weighed in, all like the Toshiba Portege R705-P25 well enough to earn it a high overall rating at BestBuy.com. Most users are very happy with the lightweight Toshiba laptop, saying it has reasonably fast performance and an optical drive. Less-than-claimed battery life is one downside, and there are a few complaints about the power adapter and cord.
Review: Toshiba Portege R705, Contributors to BestBuy.com
6. Toshiba.com
Even fewer owners review the Portege R705-P25 at Toshiba.com than at BestBuy.com. Reviews are brief and satisfaction isn't quite as high. Two owners complain that the fan or processor makes a high-pitched noise.
Review: Portege R705-P25, Contributors to Toshiba.com
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