Toshiba Satellite L755-13K review

Toshiba’s entry-level laptops are perfect for anyone looking for a no-nonsense machine that can handle everyday tasks, and the Satellite L755 is no exception. With a 15in screen, Intel Core i3 processor and spacious 640GB hard disk, there should be something here for everyone.

With its red plastic chassis, the L755 looks much more suited to the home than other Toshiba models. We would hardly call it lightweight at 2.5kg, but it’s still reasonably compact for a 15in laptop and you shouldn’t struggle with it when on the move. Connectivity is reasonable, too, and there’s an internal DVD writer, multi-format card reader and three USB ports, but the faster USB3 standard isn’t supported. You can connect an external display using either the VGA or HDMI port, or attach a set of external speakers using the 3.5mm audio in and outputs.

You may not have to, as the integrated speakers are slightly better than what we’re used to hearing from budget laptops. Developed in collaboration with audio specialists Onkyo, both mid-range and high-end notes were reasonably crisp and there was enough volume that we could listen to YouTube videos clearly from a few feet away. However, for watching films, we’d still recommend connecting a set of dedicated speakers.

The 15.6in screen is also suitable for casual video watching, but again isn’t ideal for movies. There was noticeable bleed from the backlight, which made blacks appear slightly grey, although other colours appeared vivid at full brightness. The 1,366×768 panel is detailed for watching HD video. Viewing angles were unsurprisingly average for a TN panel, but there was at least plenty of screen tilt. Even so, light reflections from the glossy display coating were a problem when working in direct sunlight.

We had no trouble playing high definition video on the Satellite L755, thanks to its integrated Intel graphics chip. This is powerful enough for 1080p, but modern games push it a little too far. In our Dirt 3 test, it could only manage a very jerky 13.7fps, far below what we would deem playable. Even so, older titles and more casual games should still be playable.

The graphics chip is just part of Intel’s Core i3 processor, which is easily powerful enough for web browsing, word processing and multimedia playback. The i3-2310m used here runs both of its cores at a respectable 2.1GHz, and although it doesn’t support Turbo Boost like the more powerful i5 series, it still coped well in our multimedia benchmarks thanks to 6GB of RAM. An overall score of 44 is very respectable for a Core i3. Battery life was also what we would expect from these components; five hours away from the mains is about average for a modern 15in laptop.

Toshiba has managed to squeeze in a full-size keyboard, as well as a separate numerical keypad, into the 15in chassis, but we only found it about average to type on. The flat, glossy keys had plenty of spring and reasonable travel times, but their close proximity to one another made our hands feel slightly cramped at times. The same was true of the touchpad. Although its rectangular shape matches the widescreen display, its small size meant we often ran out of room when navigating the desktop. The oversized touchpad buttons below it felt fantastic, but we would have preferred smaller buttons and a larger touchpad rather than the other way around.

There’s little not to like about the Satellite L755: it has plenty of performance for a budget laptop, good battery life and a decent screen; however, we were disappointed with the keyboard and touchpad, which are both important features for any laptop. For a similar amount, you could get the superb Dell Inspiron 15R, which doesn’t suffer from such issues.