Toshiba Tecra R850: Business Class on a Budget
by Dustin Sklavos on June 6, 2011 12:01 AM ESTAt Least the Viewing Angles are Good
We get tired of griping about LCD quality, but what more can we do? This is a 15.6" notebook with only one screen option: a matte screen with a 1366x768 resolution, and as expected that's a TN panel. As far as overall quality, it ranks among the worst we've tested. Even after calibration I'll admit I found it had an impressively difficult time actually producing accurate color. The nicest thing I can say (at least until we talk about viewing angles) is that it's bright...even on a dark image.
You'd think someone forgot to tell Toshiba's engineers that you don't want a high score on the black level and delta-E, as it ranks dead last in our charts for those areas. The R850's screen is usable, and mercifully matte, but its results rank among our worst and are very poor. But there's at least a silver lining to this story.
The R850 may have horrible color and contrast, but the viewing angles are actually pretty good. I didn't find myself having major sweet spot issues with the screen like I'd expect to, and you could probably safely have one or two people crowd around the screen without too much trouble.
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Roland00 - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
I meant TG not THrel - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
I'd like a notebook designed like this except with the GT555 GPU. 1080p high contrast screen is a must.FlyBri - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
Totally agree. I don't get why it's so difficult to offer a 1080p option. It's not just for watching Blu-Ray movies -- I got my current laptop with a 1080p screen specifically to have more screen real estate for work. And please, for the love of god, give us choices for a high quality screen! It just seems like laptop manufacturers just don't get it...jackpro - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
It would be nice to know if the screen is aAS-IPS, cPVA, H-IPS, IPS, MVA, P-IPS, P-MVA, PVA, S-IPS, S-PVA, TN
as it would really help with understanding the colour accuracy possible.
like this excellent site does
http://pricespy.co.nz/category.php?k=393
Dustin Sklavos - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
For notebooks, it's going to be TN 99% of the time. We'll only specify when it's something else.Pratheek - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
If there were a good 1080p display along much more battery capacity, I would have certainly booked it...nitrousoxide - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
For a 1000-dollar-laptop with a crappy screen.JarredWalton - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
Editor's Choice for a high quality build with great general performance; put on a real screen and this would have been Silver at least.Gigantopithecus - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
I almost purchased an R700 but did not because of three issues: its poor screen quality, the terrible keyboard (the keys had so little travel that typing wasn't unpleasant, it was downright painful), and the fact that it got ball-burning hot. I'm glad Toshiba fixed the heat issue, but it looks like the other two remain.I strongly suggest anyone interested in this laptop try it out in the store if possible (Best Buy should be carrying it). That keyboard is imho *terrible.*
TrackSmart - Monday, June 6, 2011 - link
I have the Toshiba R705. It's a great form factor, but yes, the screen is very poor in all metrics (viewing angles, contrast, color reproduction) except for brightness. The other issues are minor by comparison (e.g. the heat is not that bad and the keyboard isn't terrible once you get acclimated). But that screen...