Toshiba Portégé R700-15X review

The 13.3in screen has a matte finish, which doesn't reflect light from overhead lighting sources. This is a welcome feature, since glossy screens can be very reflective. These reflections can cause glare which looks very distracting. Other matte screens we’ve seen can look very grainy. This graininess often spoils the quality of on-screen images, but thankfully the R700 doesn't suffer from this problem.

Although the R700 has a dedicated connector for a port replicator, Toshiba is pushing its new range of port replicators which use a standard USB port instead. The R700 has three USB2 ports, one of which doubles as an eSATA port. Unsurprisingly, given the R700's slender frame, it doesn't have any ExpressCard slots or legacy ports, but these won't be missed unless you have specialist peripheral needs. We'd have preferred a bigger hard disk, but the included 320GB model should be big enough for most needs, such as storing lots of office documents.

The R700 comes with a three year warranty, but it only provides service if you take it to your nearest Toshiba dealer or customer service centre. Several extended warranties are available, providing either collect and return or onsite service. There's also the option of purchasing data recovery and insurance cover from Toshiba.