Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      MultiChoice hit with multimillion-rand fine for privacy ‘breaches’

      8 July 2025

      Still in play: Ramaphosa banks on talks to ease US tariff blow

      8 July 2025

      Apple’s AI ambitions rattled by defection to Meta

      8 July 2025

      Ramaphosa blasts Trump over threatened Brics tariffs

      8 July 2025

      Court battle brewing over contentious Joburg CCTV by-law

      7 July 2025
    • World

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025

      Jony Ive’s first AI gadget could be … a pen

      30 June 2025

      Bumper orders for Xiaomi’s YU7 SUV heighten threat to Tesla

      27 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on data governance in hybrid cloud environments

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Gadgets & Reviews » Toshiba Portégé R830 review: not quite the Air

    Toshiba Portégé R830 review: not quite the Air

    By Editor8 January 2012
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Just as every hardware manufacturer has leapt onto the tablet computer bandwagon with varying degrees of success, so, too, they’re racing to get ultraportable laptop computers to market.

    Toshiba’s latest offering, the Portégé R830, offers great competition in terms of price and features, even if it doesn’t do as well in terms of form or finish.

    The R830, like other ultraportables, is aimed at travellers and mobile workers that require high-end performance combined with portability, and it certainly hits its mark — in the first category at least.

    Available in a variety of specifications, TechCentral’s review model included a Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM (expandable to 8GB), and a 500GB Sata hard drive.

    The Portégé R830 offers two USB 2.0 ports — one of which doubles as a welcome eSata connection — one USB 3.0 port and HDMI-out, along with the regular VGA, Ethernet and audio ports.

    The inclusion of USB 3.0 and eSata connections is particularly noteworthy, as some ultraportables forgo these, limiting their longevity in the process. One of the most interesting decisions is the inclusion of an optical drive — something most competitors don’t offer due to space constraints and the desire to keep weight down. Considering how seldom people use their laptops’ optical drives, the added bulk and thickness the inclusion of one creates in the Portégé R830 makes us think Toshiba would’ve done better to leave it out.

    It’s this bulk that is one of the big failings of the Portégé R830. At 1,5kg it’s no mainframe on wheels, but it could have been a bit lighter with the drive left out.

    Also, the plastic outer shell and glossy trackpad and power and shortcut buttons feel cheap and collect dirt. The trackpad itself is fairly responsive, but the fingerprint reader between the buttons is awkward and the buttons themselves make a somewhat unpleasant clicking sound when pressed.

    With a 13,3-inch, 1366×769-pixel display, the Portégé R830 matches the likes of Samsung’s far more expensive Series 9 range, but comes in a little shy of the 1440×900 pixel resolution offered by the device that started the ultraportable craze in the first place, Apple’s MacBook Air.

    Of course, both the Samsung and Apple are considerably more expensive than the Portégé R830’s entry-level price tag of R8 999. Clearly it’s this price difference that led Toshiba to make the compromises it did, including the fact that it’s a third thicker than either and doesn’t offer a solid-state drive option.

    Unfortunately, these compromises are present in the keyboard, too. Aside from the fact that the keys are rectangular rather than square — which takes some getting used to — heavy-handed typists will notice tangible give in the middle of the keyboard, something which doesn’t inspire confidence.

    Also, like the trackpad buttons, the keyboard keys feel cheap and, although sufficiently low profile, aren’t the quietest by any measure.

    In terms of its innards, the Toshiba is a competent and capable device, but it’s let down by the poor quality of its finish. A key aspect of any ultraportable is that it’s likely to have to endure a lot of mileage and the Toshiba simply doesn’t feel up to the task.

    One area where the Portégé R830 excels, however, is battery life. Rated for nine hours, we actually got around six during moderately demanding use, but that’s still fairly respectable.

    The Portégé R830 range costs between R8 999 and R12 999 depending on specifications, and although that makes it cheaper than many of its peers, we’d recommend spending a little extra for a machine with a better build quality.  — Craig Wilson, TechCentral

    • Subscribe to our free daily newsletter
    • Follow us on Twitter or on Google+ or on Facebook
    • Visit our sister website, SportsCentral (still in beta)


    Apple Intel Toshiba
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleWhile HTC suffers, Samsung soars
    Next Article Google’s ‘Babel fish’ heralds future of translation

    Related Posts

    Apple’s AI ambitions rattled by defection to Meta

    8 July 2025

    Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

    7 July 2025

    TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

    4 July 2025
    Company News

    Stay warm this winter with Samsung’s energy-efficient air conditioners

    8 July 2025

    Huawei launches next-gen fibre-to-the-room solution

    7 July 2025

    Remote monitoring tools: IT lifesavers or hacker gateways?

    7 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.