Review: Toshiba Satellite L70-B-11C

Introduction and design

The traditional desktop replacement laptop has lost prominence over the last few years thanks to the growth in gaming notebooks and mobile workstations, but there's still plenty to like about larger laptops such as the Toshiba Satellite L70-B-11C.

For starters, it costs £599, or $935 in the States (about AU$1,011) – half the price, or less, of dedicated gaming or workstation notebooks with 17.3-inch screens. It also means you're getting more for your money when compared to rival machines: the Toshiba Satellite S50D-A-10G is cheaper but it's got a 15.6-inch screen and AMD internals, while the Lenovo Flex 2 15 is smaller, although it benefits from a 300-degree hinged mechanism.

Underwhelming design

The price puts this machine firmly in mid-range territory – and its design does, too. The Satellite's exterior is made from plastic, and much of the material feels hollow and cheap rather than solid and reassuring. Its looks aren't much cop, either: the champagne-tinted metallic plastic is coated with a subtle lined pattern. It's a better look than the plain metallic colour of the Satellite S50D, but it still can't match the dark, brushed finish used on the Lenovo.

There's a rattle from the wrist-rest, and the middle of the screen's casing depresses easily when it's pushed. Pressing the base panel saw the keyboard's shape distort. Such mediocre build quality means that we'd only travel with the L70 if it was protected by a case or sleeve.

Despite the lack of strength, the L70 still weighs 5.9lb (2.7kg) and is 1.33-inch (34mm) thick, so you'll notice when it's slung inside a bag. Both rival machines, with their 15.6-inch screens, are smaller.

It's not too satisfying to use the Toshiba's keyboard or trackpad, either. The keyboard is large enough, and its layout is fine, but the L70's typing action is hampered by a familiar Toshiba trait: a lack of key movement. The keys are light and fast, so we were able to work on the L70, but pricier machines will have better hardware.

The trackpad is smooth and accurate, but its buttons disappoint. When pressed towards the centre, they're not snappy enough, but in each corner the buttons require more pressure – and there's little feedback to indicate that they've been prodded.

Tech specs

The Satellite's internals don't stray from the mid-range notebook blueprint. The Core i5-4200U processor is the weakest low-part chip in the Core i5 range thanks to clock and Turbo speeds of 1.6Ghz and 2.6GHz. The Toshiba S50D's AMD APU beats both of those figures, at least on paper, and the Lenovo deploys a Core i5-4210U – the next step up in the range.

The processor includes the underwhelming HD Graphics 4400 integrated core, and there's 8GB of RAM, a DVD writer and a 1TB hard disk. Connectivity is fine: dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi is fast becoming the standard on all but the cheapest laptops, and there's Bluetooth 4.0 and Gigabit Ethernet.

Around the edges you'll find a decent laptop load-out. Pairs of USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports mean there's one more connector than most notebooks offer, and there's an SDXC card reader, two 3.5mm jacks and both HDMI and D-SUB video outputs.

Performance

• PCMark 8 Home: 2,293


• PCMark 8 Home battery life power saver 25% screen: 5 hrs 36 mins


• PC Mark 8 Home High Performance 50% screen battery life: 3 hrs 38 mins


• 3DMark: Ice Storm: 31,828; Cloud Gate: 3,896; Fire Strike: 529


• Cinebench R11.5: CPU: 2.48; Graphics: 16.23


• Cinebench R15: CPU: 230cb; Graphics: 21.77

In PCMark 8's Home test the Toshiba scored 2,293 points. That's a sliver ahead of the Lenovo Flex 2 15, which had a similarly-powered Core i5 part, but it couldn't catch its stable mate – the Toshiba Satellite S50D-A-10G, with its AMD APU, scored 2,611 points.

The Toshiba proved more successful in the Cinebench tests. In version R15 of the benchmark the L70 scored 230 points – the same score as the Lenovo, and ahead of the 118 scored by the Toshiba.

The L70 might trade blows with the competition, but it's unable to pull ahead of any of its rivals. It's a machine that's comfortable with low-end tasks and general computing, but it won't handle anything more demanding.

Gaming gulf

The Toshiba didn't impress in gaming tests. Its result of 31,828 in the low-intensity 3D Mark Ice Storm benchmark lags behind both rivals, and the gulf is clear in the tougher Fire Strike test. In this high-end benchmark, the L70's 529-point result is only ten points behind the Lenovo, but it's less than half the pace on offer from the other Toshiba. If you want a laptop that's affordable but can still play games, the L70 isn't it – buy the S50D instead.

Our standard battery test uses PCMark 8's Home benchmark with Balanced power mode and the screen at 50% brightness. The Lenovo lasted for 3 hours 38 minutes, which isn't far behind the S50D – and more than thirty minutes more than the Lenovo managed. We increased the L70's result to beyond five hours by using Power Saver mode and toning down the screen brightness.

Display shortcomings

The screen has a 1,600 x 900 native resolution. That's an improvement on the 1,366 x 768 screens found on most budget 15.6-inch laptops – including both rivals – but it still feels disappointing. With a 17.3-inch diagonal, we would have preferred a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, which would have improved the L70's versatility and made Windows 8.1 and its icons look smaller and sharper. As it is, the entire OS looks overblown and rough around the edges.

Our benchmark results also indicate that this screen isn't cut out for serious work. Its colours aren't accurate enough, as a poor average Delta E of 9.4 demonstrates, and its colours are affected by colder tones – the colour temperature of 7,263K is a long way beyond the 6,500K ideal result.

The cold inaccurate colours are paired with poor contrast. The measured contrast ratio of 411:1 is better than the other Toshiba machine, but it's still an unimpressive score that means this panel lacks punch and vibrancy. The poor colour handling is further highlighted by the 73.2% sRGB gamut coverage level: again, it's better than the smaller Toshiba, but it's still nowhere near the best notebooks. On the L70, it means that reds, purples, pinks and darker blues are rendered particularly poorly.

Positives are tricky to find. The 267cd/m2 brightness level is good, and means that this machine can be used outdoors and under bright office lights, and its glossy layer isn't obnoxiously reflective. Viewing angles are similarly accommodating.

Toshiba has switched from Beats to Skullcandy for its audio gear, but old issues remain. The L70 is one of the loudest laptops we've tested, but the audio produced is hampered by muddy, thick bass tones. They dominate the mid-range and high-end, both of which sound underwhelming. The lack of quality audio means we'd avoid using the L70's speakers for music or games, despite the booming volume.

Verdict

The Toshiba Satellite L70-B-11C costs a little more than its rivals, but there's more bang for your buck available from this £599, or $935 (about AU$1,011) system. Its 17-inch screen is physically larger and has a higher resolution than the 15.6-inch panels included on rivals, and it's a better looking laptop than some of the other Toshiba efforts we've seen recently.

In other areas, the Toshiba doesn't better the competition. It's no faster in applications or games, with mediocre ergonomics, and build quality doesn't improve in the move to a 17.3-inch screen.

We liked

The screen didn't return the best benchmark results, but it's got good brightness and reasonable viewing angles, which means it's ideal for basic work and web browsing. That pairs well with the Core i5 processor, which has enough grunt for less intensive applications and multi-tasking.

It's a decent looking system, too: the champagne-coloured plastic stands out more than the metallic material used across many other Toshiba Satellite systems.

We disliked

The screen is good enough for basic computing, but it doesn't have the contrast or colour accuracy required for more demanding tasks. It's the same story with the internal components, which don't have enough grunt for intensive applications or high-end games. The speakers, too, aren't much cop – loud but bass-heavy.

The keyboard can be used for long-form writing and work, but it's not got enough travel or feedback to prove truly satisfying. Also, the trackpad's inconsistent buttons are an irritation.

Final verdict

The L70 has a better screen than the S50D, but the Core i5 processor can't match the APU inside the smaller Toshiba when it comes to getting the balance right between applications and games. Ergonomically, the larger laptop is thicker and heavier while offering no real improvement.

The Lenovo has similar performance inside a slimmer and more versatile chassis. Toshiba's larger L70 is only worth buying if the added screen resolution and quality is the prime consideration.

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