Toshiba has in the past few months been standing the PC industry competition with its 2-in-1 devices line-up, with multiple detachable-hybrid tablets now on the shelves. But the best of them all must be a convertible-hybrid laptop, the Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-B5224, basically a laptop that folds up and can be used as a tablet, to say the least.
Toshiba has outfitted the Radius P55W-B5224 with an Intel Core i7 processor and a spacious 1TB hard drive, and with these specs it offers some of the best performance we’ve seen in any convertible system so far, and for that it deserves a nod in our Editor’s Choice for midrange convertible hybrid laptops.
Design
The design is not very new in the market -a slim laptop that uses a dual-hinge design- similar to what we’ve seen in Lenovo’s Yoga 2 13 (MultiTouch) and other Yoga line-up laptops. One distinct feature with the design is that it lets you bend the display back and around for tablet functionality among other different use modes: Laptop, Tabletop, Presentation, Audience and Tablet.
The slim build, measuring 0.75 by 15.0 by 9.7 inches (HWD), and at 4.9 pounds makes this system portable enough for your daily endeavors. It is relatively heavierthan the similarly sized Intel-Core-i7 powered HP ENVY x360 15-u110dx (3.7 pounds), but relatively heavier and more unwieldy than more common 13-inch models, like the Lenovo 2 13 (3.4 pounds). What’s more, the laptop’s brushed aluminum cover with a Satin Gold finish give it a premium feel.
The 15.6-inch display boasts an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel and 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. For touch and tablet use, there’s also 10-finger tracking. The picture quality is excellent, with wide viewing angles and sharp details. Sound is equally good, thanks to two Harman/Kardon speakers built into a speaker bar that runs along the top of the keyboard. There’s both a full-size keyboard and a 10-key numeric pad, which you won’t see offered on smaller systems like the Lenovo Yoga 13 2, though the multimode Lenovo Flex 14 (15-Inch Touch) does have it.
Connectivity
Connectivity is quite decent on this machine, with three USB 3.0 ports (one with sleep-and-charge capability), an SD card slot, a full-size HDMI port, and a stereo headset jack. Wireless options abound, with dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi for network connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0 for pairing headsets and peripherals, and Intel’s Wireless Display (WiDi) for streaming HD content without a cable to any WiDi-equipped HDTV or adapter.
Main features
Outfitted with an 4th Gen Intel Core i7-4510U processor (2.0GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz)—designed for mobile devices like ultrabooks and convertible laptops—and 8GB of RAM, the Radius P55W-B5224 offers better overall performance than Core i5-equipped systems such as the Toshiba Satellite L55-A5226 or even the Toshiba Satellite E55T-A5320.
For your files, the Radius P55W-B5224 has a 1TB, 5,400rpm hard drive, which is double the capacity of the 500GB drives found in the Lenovo Flex 2 (15-Inch), the Lenovo Yoga 2 13 , and the HP ENVY x360 15-u110dx. What those other systems do offer, however, is an extra solid-state cache, for faster performance. While the drive may be a tad slower and the 5400rpm so yesterday for such a decent machine, the relatively enormous storage space should more than make up for it.
On the Radius P55W-B5224, gaming is nothing we should talk about, except for a few older titles at lower resolutions, modern games will be a complete failure. The system relies on Intel’s integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400, the Core i7 processor also provides a boost in graphics performance, with higher 3DMark scores in both CloudGate and Fire Strike Extreme, and producing higher frame rates as compared to gaming competitors.
But while the overall graphics performance is better, the Radius P55W-B5224 is still bound by the limitations of its integrated graphics. It should do very well with streaming media and even some multimedia creation and editing, but it won’t work as a gaming machine.
To add some cream to the subtle performance, the Radius P55W-B5224 boasts the longest battery life seen among the convertible-hybrid laptops. With over 7 hours 51 minutes, as compared to the Lenovo Flex 2 15 (only 5:30), I’m convinced that this is the only laptop-class convertible that will take you through a full work day.
Verdict
With its slim design and excellent performance, the Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-B5224 is one of the best convertible-hybrid systems we’ve reviewed. Admittedly, the 15-inch size is too big for most people to use as an on-the-go tablet, but for a 15-inch laptop that also offers touch and tablet functionality, it’s hard to beat. For the price, its stands out as a powerful hybrid laptop such as the Radius P55W-B5224’s price is more than a good.
If you’re on a budget, a Toshiba-verified refurbished is even better, with assurance that the performance, stability and great design are the same and you don’t compromise on performance. With superior performance and longer battery life, the Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-B5224 is easy to recommend, making it our Editors’ Choice for midrange convertible-hybrid laptops.
Our Pick
