Toshiba Satellite T235-S1370 13.3-Inch Laptop ( Fusion Chrome Finish in Black) (Personal Computers)
Except for one "feature", you can't beat this laptop for its price in the 13", ultraportable, workhorse class. The LED screen is great and this computer's ergonomics are truly world class....the best anywhere. It's sturdy and the exterior form factor makes it feel and handle even lighter and smaller than its 3.8 pounds and actual dimensions.
The dual core Pentium 1.2GHz processor, a crippled version of the iseries, works much better than expected. I do wish the i3 and/or i5 had been an option as well as a 7200 rpm drive but, no matter, it's quite fast enough as it is. The integrated graphics are also really good for integrated graphics...again, the iseries architecture thing.
So, to the 3 star rating -- This laptop and other late model Toshiba's have a power off battery drain issue, or problem....how you view it depends on how you use your laptop. Left installed, the battery will drain at about 10%/day with the laptop turned off.....not sleep or hibernate, but off! Ten days max without use or charging and the battery's dead unless it's been removed. Turns out this is well known among users. Toshiba says it's normal behavior, which is just nuts, and won't address it further. Speculation is this is a motherboard design flaw possibly linked to to the USB port sleep 'n charge feature. Irrespective, please be aware of this and expect it before you buy. If you use your laptop daily and charge it often, or don't mind pulling the battery when it's not going to be used for a few days, this should not be a problem and the T235 remains an outstanding value...a bargain. If, like me, this is a secondary computer used for business travel that can routinely sit unused for a week or more....then it may well be a deal breaker.
The dual core Pentium 1.2GHz processor, a crippled version of the iseries, works much better than expected. I do wish the i3 and/or i5 had been an option as well as a 7200 rpm drive but, no matter, it's quite fast enough as it is. The integrated graphics are also really good for integrated graphics...again, the iseries architecture thing.
So, to the 3 star rating -- This laptop and other late model Toshiba's have a power off battery drain issue, or problem....how you view it depends on how you use your laptop. Left installed, the battery will drain at about 10%/day with the laptop turned off.....not sleep or hibernate, but off! Ten days max without use or charging and the battery's dead unless it's been removed. Turns out this is well known among users. Toshiba says it's normal behavior, which is just nuts, and won't address it further. Speculation is this is a motherboard design flaw possibly linked to to the USB port sleep 'n charge feature. Irrespective, please be aware of this and expect it before you buy. If you use your laptop daily and charge it often, or don't mind pulling the battery when it's not going to be used for a few days, this should not be a problem and the T235 remains an outstanding value...a bargain. If, like me, this is a secondary computer used for business travel that can routinely sit unused for a week or more....then it may well be a deal breaker.
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