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  • Review: Toshiba Chromebook 2 - back in business

Review: Toshiba Chromebook 2 - back in business

By Andre Schild, ITWeb contributor.
Johannesburg, 13 Mar 2015

After the introduction of the first Chromebook in June 2011, quite a few have been launched since. Big brands like Acer, Samsung and HP all manufactured numerous versions of this Chrome OS-based, thin-client notebook that relies heavily on the cloud.

Toshiba decided to play the waiting game and didn't present its vision on the Chromebook-concept until Q2 2014. Unfortunately, the device lacked a decent screen, making it somewhat of a failure. The new 13.3-inch Chromebook 2, however, features a better display and fresh, new hardware. Is this the Chromebook you want to use for your business?

We intensively worked with the device for a week using it for typical office and business tasks. To determine the maximum hardware performance, we confronted it with three benchmark tests. To accurately determine how long a fully-charged battery would last, we ran two separate torture tests. Finally, to determine the quality of the screen, we used dedicated measuring equipment to map brightness, contrast and colour reproduction.

Available in various configurations, we used the CB35-B3340 model, which in some parts of the world is also known as the Chromebook 2 CB30-B-104. It features a 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840 CPU, 4GB RAM, 16GB SSD storage and full-HD screen. Other configurations may produce deviating results.

Look and feel: plastic all the way

When comparing the looks of the Chromebook 2 with that of the first generation, we noticed only subtle differences. Both models feature a plastic exterior that tends to slightly bend when pressing on the back of the screen. The Chromebook 2 is, however, marginally thinner and more compact than its predecessor. This is the result of the new energy-efficient Intel Celeron N2840 that doesn't require a bulky cooling unit. As a result, it has no vents to dissipate hardware-generated heat, which helps keep the weight down to 1.3kg.

Despite the complete exterior of the Chromebook 2 being made out of relatively cheap plastic, it still feels solid and should survive rough days.

The keyboard feels solid and, most importantly, facilitates comfortable typing for longer periods. It features the characteristic, clean Chrome OS layout. Although the individual keys are flat, they have a rough finish so fingers won't slide off that easily. The touchpad is equally comfortable, despite being made of plastic. It offers more than adequate precision and registers multi-touch gestures and swipes.

Chromebooks are infamous for their lack of physical connection options and ports. Toshiba decided to stand out and supply its device with a HDMI-out, SD-card reader, USB 2.0 and even a USB 3.0 connector.

Hardware: entry-level

Chromebooks are manufactured so their final cost price can be kept as low as possible. As a result, the internal hardware is generally unimpressive. Chrome OS requirements are also quite low, so entry-level processors will do fine. In that light, this device is equipped with a dual-core 22nm Intel Celeron N2840 that has each core running at a base frequency of 2.16GHz. When necessary, they can briefly throttle up to 2.58GHz for extra processing power. The Celeron N2840 chip is based on Intel's Bay Trail architecture and, in essence, is nothing more than a souped-up Intel Atom processor.

As a result of this new hardware, there is no need for active cooling. To dissipate the small amount of heat still being produced, an aluminium heat sink on top of the chip is sufficient. Because the CPU uses less energy, the battery inside the notebook could also be reduced. It now houses a 45Wh capacity, where the first Toshiba Chromebook featured 52Wh.

For storage, the gadget has to make do with a tiny 16GB SSD drive. This is an obvious concession on Toshiba's part to keep the price low, but also inherently implies that demanding business users should supply the device with an extra SD-card. Although a Chromebook primarily uses the cloud, it also stores files locally (offline) in order to continue work when not connected to the Internet.

While Chrome OS doesn't require the same amount of system resources as Windows, Toshiba still fitted the device with 4GB of RAM. This comes in handy when concurrently using a large amount of apps and open browser tabs. Toshiba's first-generation Chromebook was fitted with only 2GB of RAM, and so are all the other devices we used in this review. It's a shame the RAM can't be increased later, since it is soldered to the mainboard. Because a Chromebook relies heavily on a fast and stable WiFi connection, the new device now also supports 802.11ac and 5GHz networks. That's good news for business users wanting to connect to the fastest WiFi available.

Benchmarks: consistently third

To determine how fast the device is, we ran it through three separate benchmarks. Test results were compared to that of similar priced devices from competitive brands, as well as its predecessor.

We started with Kraken, a JavaScript benchmark that measures internal hardware, operating system and browser. The faster the device, the less time it will take to complete a set of tasks. Therefore, a lower score (in ms) indicates faster hardware. It shows the Google Chromebook Pixel is by far the highest performer of all six Chromebooks.

Unfortunately, the new Intel Celeron processor appears unable to beat the older Celeron 2955U that formed the heart of Toshiba's first Chromebook. This can be explained by the presence of an active cooling fan inside the Chromebook 1, which was able to process heat more efficiently than a passive solution. Since the hardware was allowed to produce more heat, it could increase its performance accordingly.

We then ran it through the Peacekeeper benchmark. This test focuses even more on the browser performance than Kraken does. Since the majority of apps run in the browser, it becomes a key performance indicator for every Chromebook. Peacekeeper showed the same top-three hierarchy as the previous benchmark. The HP Chromebook 14, Asus Chromebook C2000MA and Samsung Chromebook 2 all perform marginally less than Toshiba's Chromebook 2.

Our third benchmark test is a relatively new one, called WebXPRT. It specialises in measuring the browser's performance by using scenarios created to mirror everyday business tasks. For that, it uses both HTML5- and JavaScript-based workloads. Again, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 comes in at third place. Both its predecessor and Google's Pixel Chromebook outperform the device with relative ease.

Battery life: better off with Asus

Battery life is a key consideration, as it means less dependency on a power source or charger. The device houses a 45Wh capacity battery while only those from Samsung (36Wh) and HP (37Wh) feature lower capacity versions. Google's Chromebook pixel has the highest capacity (59Wh), followed by the Toshiba Chromebook 1 (52Wh) and Asus C200MA (48Wh).

Since Toshiba's first-generation Chromebook was able to last for an excellent eight hours and 20 minutes on a fully-charged battery, we were keen to know how the latest would perform. We ran two separate torture tests that aim to drain the battery as fast as possible. These tests effectively create a worst-case scenario; the minimum time you can expect the device to function. The first test simulates continuous business use. The second continuously plays a 1 080p video until there is no energy left.

According to the test results, it can survive for almost seven hours without external power when continuously being used for business tasks. That is significantly shorter than its predecessor. The Asus Chromebook was able to last for an impressive 11 hours and 20 minutes, while Google's Pixel Chromebook shuts down after four hours and 40 minutes. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 should be able to reach the end of a regular eight-hour working day, but don't expect it to have any energy left.

When playing non-stop Full-HD video material, it lasts up to five hours and 50 minutes, which is significantly less than its predecessor and the Asus Chromebook.

In the end, the more energy-efficient Intel Celeron N2840 is unable to compensate for the decreased battery capacity. Where the first-generation Toshiba Chromebook lasted almost eight-and-a-half hours, its successor has trouble reaching seven hours. Although that is still a good score, business users specifically looking for a Chromebook with lots of stamina are better off with Asus.

Screen: Excellent

On paper, the screen is the biggest enhancement over the first Chromebook. Not only does it offer a higher resolution of 1 920 x 1 080, it also uses the relative new In Plane Switching (IPS) technology instead of the older, and inferior, Twisted Nematic (TN) technology.

The viewing angles are excellent, which is usually the case on IPS-screens. With the older Toshiba Chromebook, colours started to shift when looking at the screen from above or the sides. Unfortunately, Toshiba decided to fit the Chromebook 2 screen with a reflective top coating. This makes colours more vivid, but introduces slightly annoying reflections caused by light sources like lamps or direct sunlight.

These pesky reflections can be somewhat mitigated by increasing the screen's brightness, but that will also lead to decreased battery life. Nonetheless, it is able to display a pretty high maximum screen brightness of 393cd/m^2. The only other Chromebook that can barely top that is Google's Pixel device (396cd/m^2). All other Chromebooks still use the older TN-technology, which prevents them from reaching brightness levels higher than 271cd/m^2 (Asus Chromebook).

Pros: Great screen, thin and lightweight, 4GB RAM, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, passively cooled, 2x USB, HDMI-Out, SD-card reader, 802.11ac and 5GHz WiFi support
Cons: Reflective screen, only 16GB storage, RAM non-upgradable
Dimensions: 320 x 218 x 22mm
Weight: 1.3kg
Screen: 13.3-inch (1 920 x 1 080, 166 pixels per inch)
Connectivity: USB, HDMI-out, WiFi. Bluetooth
Camera: 0.9MP front
CPU: 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840 (dual-core)
GPU: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333
Storage: 16GB SSD (expandable with SD-card)
OS: Chrome OS 4.0
Rating: 8/10
Price: R4 250 (unofficial price)
Availability: Q2 2015
Product page: http://www.toshiba.com/us/computers/laptops/chromebook/cb30/CB35-B3340

The relatively high-quality screen also reflects in its contrast values, which we measured using our SpectraCal C6 colorimeter. They proved to be very good, especially for a device with a relatively low price tag. Only the Google Pixel was able to display slightly higher contrast values. Colour reproduction is also excellent and proved to be the most accurate of all Chromebooks we have tested.

Verdict

While Toshiba's first attempt at a Chromebook proved a big disappointment, mainly as a result of the poor screen quality, Chromebook 2 hits the spot perfectly. It features an excellent screen, thin and lightweight design, and a comfortable keyboard and touchpad. There's also 4GB RAM, the option to expand internal storage with an SD-card, ample connectivity options, WiFi 802.11ac/5GHz support, and is even passively cooled.

Although performance and battery life are not the best of the best, it is still more than capable to please demanding business users who do most of their work in the cloud.

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