Toshiba PORTEGE Z830 Ultrabook, Super Hero or Too Damn Dear...

As the Christmas shopping season quickly approaches manufactures are busily getting there wares out there to tempt us. Toshiba recently announced its latest temptation, the Portege Z830 Ultrabook. Having also updated their line-up of tablets and laptops Toshiba seems to be making a serious push in the portable computing market. Like all great comic book super hero’s an Ultrabook must have at least one super power. In the Z830′s case it can lighten both your wallet and your backup, simultaneously.

The Z830′s specifications on paper certainly indicate no compromise computing, a laptop that won’t keep you waiting. CPU choice is plentiful with the full range of second generation Intel Sandy Bridge CPU’s available, i3, i5 or i7 are up for inclusion. System memory can be expanded up to 6GB along with 128GB of storage with the included SSD. The display is a flat Matt 13.3″LED display with 1368×768 resolution, low on reflection and even viewable outdoors. The bezel around the LCD display is on the larger size but still blends in with the overall industrial look of the Ultrabook.

The Z830 has clearly been designed to be lightest laptop possible. The Magnesium Alloy outer shell includes special hexagon honeycomb ribs for rigidity and strength. The display is extremely thin and bright, helping to maintaining the laptops thin 15.9mm profile. While the Toshiba wins the weight race the Acer S3 is actually slightly thinner at under 15mm. The slender profile does make it tricky to fit all of the ports we consider standard these days. Running around the base of the Z830 are a USB 3, two USB 2, VGA, mini HDMI, network, headphone jack, microphone in and multi card reader. As with all laptop’s in this class that use Intel’s integrated graphics chips gaming is not really an option. If gaming is a requirement then either switch to AMD chip-set or a laptop with discrete graphics instead of integrated.

Technoid_Toshiba_z830_Ultrabook_Open2 — Slimline profile especially when open.

The design of the Ultrabook specification was from the outset intended to combine the power of a mainstream laptop with the dimensions of a Netbook, a no compromise ultra portable. In essence Intel hoped to raise the standard of the mid range Windows laptop to MacBook Pro levels, while maintaining a price advantage. Until Intel and it’s partners have hardware for sale we can’t tell how successful they have been. Intel hopes 40 percent of the consumer laptop market will consist of Ultrabook sales by the end of 2012. Intel obviously intends the Ultrabook to be the new standard in mainstream laptops.

Toshiba won’t have the Ultrabook market to themselves, available at the same time will be the Acer Ultrabook S3, the spec’s of which were recently leaked online, here.

The Ultrabooks will have a fight on their hands to become established as a new class of laptop. From above they must compete with the quality of the MacBook Pro and ultra thin Windows laptops already on the market – Samsung Series 7, Sony Z Series -. They also have a battle from below, with incredible value in the 15″laptop market at the moment, a decent spec 15″going for as little as $500. If Intel and it’s partners can get the price low enough on the Über sexy Ultrabooks they may just have a hit on their hands.

Toshiba Portege Z830 Specifications