Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 crams an incredible number of features into a 13. 5-inch Windows notebook. On paper, it looks amazing.
Say you've wanted a thin laptop with a metal chassis and a speedy solid state drive, like Apple's MacBook Air. Say you've admired notebooks that can fold over backwards into a pill mode, like Lenovo's Yoga exercise series.
The Radius 12 has all of those things in a single Windows 10 laptop that comes with a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of MEMORY, and a Technicolor-certified extremely high-definition 4K-resolution (3, 840x2, 160-pixel) touchscreen display. (That's more pixels than you needed find in Apple's Mac-book Pro with Retina screen, and you don't get a touchscreen there. )
And in the Usa States, you can get this laptop for an impressive $1, 299. (UK and Australian pricing and availability haven't been announced yet. )
Plus, the Radius 12 has a forward-looking feature very few laptop computers have today: a face-recognizing camera that can automatically log you into Home windows whenever you're sitting in front of your screen, with no need to type a password or PIN. No kidding -- Windows Hello is quite convenient. It just doesn't work in bright light.
But you have plenty of selections in today's laptop market, and cramming a great deal of hot new features into a pc doesn't actually make it great. If you want a portable, comfortable machine with firm battery life and a great touchpad, this probably isn't very it. The aluminum-clad Radius 12 is pretty rough around the edges, and generally feels a good bit flimsier than you should expect from a $1, 000-plus machine.
Design and style and features
When shut down, the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 seems like a attractive, sleek and durable notebook. But open the lid and you'll find somewhat of a mess inside -- a weird mix of dark brushed aluminum, boring plastic and shiny sterling silver beveled edges that get the light.
Instead of being constructed out of a single block of metallic like many competing laptops, the Radius 12 merely sandwiches its components with each other with a few covered aluminum panels -- leaving some plastic parts between.
A positive: The Radius 12 is marginally thinner and light than a MacBook Air, just 2. 9 pounds (1. 3kg) and 0. 6 inches (15. 2mm) thick, despite fitting a touchscreen. The downside: it looks much cheaper, with loads of noticeable stitches. Toshiba's brushed metal complete traps the grease from my hand, making the surface feel just a little slimy after a while. You'll also find bare metal connectors inside each of the Radius 12's ports, and exposed hinges.
Okay, perhaps you don't care about cosmetics. Even so, you might object to the way Toshiba connects that backflipping 360-degree touchscreen to the chassis. In laptop mode, the hinges usually are taut enough to keep that screen from wobbling if I touch it. In tablet mode, the lid isn't rigid: its flex and bend when you grip it, which can make it an uncomfortable tablet.
I also noticed a few quality-control difficulties with our review unit, such as a screen that bulges somewhat where it satisfies the frame and a fan that wheezes when you hold the laptop a certain way. In case you buy this computer, I'd recommend you check it carefully.
At least Toshiba didn't skimp on the screen. Aside from the wobble, this Technicolor-certified, factory-calibrated 4K-resolution touchscreen looks and feels pretty excellent. I definitely got a kick away of viewing some of my own own dSLR images and videos on this bright, colorful display. That will said, the extremely-scratch resistant Gorilla Glass NBT cover glass does produce an awful lot of bright glare.
Also, keep in brain that 4K isn't all that useful. There's not a lot of 4K content to watch, particularly on computers where big companies like Netflix and Amazon refuse to stream their 4K content, and many Windows programs haven't been updated to look good on 4K screens.
Amazingly, Toshiba managed to deliver decent sound quality in a laptop this thin. While the integrated Harman/Kardon audio speakers don't have a lot of bass, they noise remarkably full and high in volume -- particularly in pill mode, where they create something of a noise chamber when you flip the lid against the frame. (The downward-firing individuals sound okay on a desk, too, but they will get muffled if you place the machine on your panel. ) Between the display and speakers, I'd definitely recommend the Radius twelve for watching movies and Television shows.
Say you've wanted a thin laptop with a metal chassis and a speedy solid state drive, like Apple's MacBook Air. Say you've admired notebooks that can fold over backwards into a pill mode, like Lenovo's Yoga exercise series.
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TOSHIBA Satellite Radius P25W |
The Radius 12 has all of those things in a single Windows 10 laptop that comes with a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of MEMORY, and a Technicolor-certified extremely high-definition 4K-resolution (3, 840x2, 160-pixel) touchscreen display. (That's more pixels than you needed find in Apple's Mac-book Pro with Retina screen, and you don't get a touchscreen there. )
And in the Usa States, you can get this laptop for an impressive $1, 299. (UK and Australian pricing and availability haven't been announced yet. )
Plus, the Radius 12 has a forward-looking feature very few laptop computers have today: a face-recognizing camera that can automatically log you into Home windows whenever you're sitting in front of your screen, with no need to type a password or PIN. No kidding -- Windows Hello is quite convenient. It just doesn't work in bright light.
But you have plenty of selections in today's laptop market, and cramming a great deal of hot new features into a pc doesn't actually make it great. If you want a portable, comfortable machine with firm battery life and a great touchpad, this probably isn't very it. The aluminum-clad Radius 12 is pretty rough around the edges, and generally feels a good bit flimsier than you should expect from a $1, 000-plus machine.
Design and style and features
When shut down, the Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 seems like a attractive, sleek and durable notebook. But open the lid and you'll find somewhat of a mess inside -- a weird mix of dark brushed aluminum, boring plastic and shiny sterling silver beveled edges that get the light.
Instead of being constructed out of a single block of metallic like many competing laptops, the Radius 12 merely sandwiches its components with each other with a few covered aluminum panels -- leaving some plastic parts between.
A positive: The Radius 12 is marginally thinner and light than a MacBook Air, just 2. 9 pounds (1. 3kg) and 0. 6 inches (15. 2mm) thick, despite fitting a touchscreen. The downside: it looks much cheaper, with loads of noticeable stitches. Toshiba's brushed metal complete traps the grease from my hand, making the surface feel just a little slimy after a while. You'll also find bare metal connectors inside each of the Radius 12's ports, and exposed hinges.
Okay, perhaps you don't care about cosmetics. Even so, you might object to the way Toshiba connects that backflipping 360-degree touchscreen to the chassis. In laptop mode, the hinges usually are taut enough to keep that screen from wobbling if I touch it. In tablet mode, the lid isn't rigid: its flex and bend when you grip it, which can make it an uncomfortable tablet.
I also noticed a few quality-control difficulties with our review unit, such as a screen that bulges somewhat where it satisfies the frame and a fan that wheezes when you hold the laptop a certain way. In case you buy this computer, I'd recommend you check it carefully.
At least Toshiba didn't skimp on the screen. Aside from the wobble, this Technicolor-certified, factory-calibrated 4K-resolution touchscreen looks and feels pretty excellent. I definitely got a kick away of viewing some of my own own dSLR images and videos on this bright, colorful display. That will said, the extremely-scratch resistant Gorilla Glass NBT cover glass does produce an awful lot of bright glare.
Also, keep in brain that 4K isn't all that useful. There's not a lot of 4K content to watch, particularly on computers where big companies like Netflix and Amazon refuse to stream their 4K content, and many Windows programs haven't been updated to look good on 4K screens.
Amazingly, Toshiba managed to deliver decent sound quality in a laptop this thin. While the integrated Harman/Kardon audio speakers don't have a lot of bass, they noise remarkably full and high in volume -- particularly in pill mode, where they create something of a noise chamber when you flip the lid against the frame. (The downward-firing individuals sound okay on a desk, too, but they will get muffled if you place the machine on your panel. ) Between the display and speakers, I'd definitely recommend the Radius twelve for watching movies and Television shows.
Windows 10 64-bit
| Type | Company | Date | Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth Filter Driver Package | Intel | 03/11/2015 | 6.7 MB | Here |
| Bluetooth Link | Intel | 03/11/2015 | 16 MB | Here |
| Card Reader Controller | Realtek | 03/11/2015 | 14.6 MB | Here |
| Chip Set Utility | Intel | 03/11/2015 | 4.7 MB | Here |
| Chroma Tune | (NA) | 06/04/2016 | 59.7 MB | Here |
| DTS Studio Sound | DTS Inc. | 03/11/2015 | 9.1 MB | Here |
| Display Driver | Intel | 06/04/2016 | 172 MB | Here |
| Intel Dynamic Platform Thermal Framework | Intel | 03/11/2015 | 18.9 MB | Here |
| Intel Management Engine Interface | Intel | 03/11/2015 | 63.8 MB | Here |
| Rapid Storage Technology Driver | Intel | 03/11/2015 | 13.4 MB | Here |
| Service Station | Toshiba | 22/12/2015 | 4.7 MB | Here |
| Sound Driver | Realtek | 03/11/2015 | 139 MB | Here |
| Webcam driver | Realtek | 06/04/2016 | 16.9 MB | Here |
| Wireless Lan Driver | Intel | 22/10/2015 | 366.2 MB | Here |
Windows 7 64-bit
| Type | Company | Date | Size | DOWNLOAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS Update | Toshiba | 18/12/2015 | 8.1 MB | Here |
| Test & Diagnostics | Toshiba | 08/10/2015 | 342 MB | Here |
| Test & Diagnostics | Toshiba | 08/10/2015 | 342 MB | Here |
| Wireless Display | Intel | 27/06/2016 | 124 MB | Here |
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