Toshiba Kirabook Review

The Kirabook series from Toshiba was originally one of the only laptops to compete directly with

Apple's Retina display MacBook Pro series. It featured a highly polished design, fast processors and a better-than-HD display. The original Kirabook was in fact one of the first Windows laptops we reviewed with a display resolution higher than 1,920x1080.

The 2015 update to this premium 13-inch laptop keeps the same look and feel, and the same high-end display, but upgrades the processor to a fifth-generation Intel Core i7 (considered the top of the mobile CPU line). Like other fifth-gen Core i7 laptops, there's a cost associated with this level of performance, and the Kirabook's single 2015 configuration runs $1,499 in the US. The Core i7 Kirabook is £1,082 in the UK or AU$1,999 in Australia, but note that the UK version Toshiba is currently selling still has last year's fourth-generation Core i7 CPU. By way of comparison, the Core i7 Lenovo LeVie Z (minus a touchscreen) is also $1,499. Dell's XPS 13 is slower, but also has a very attractive higher-res tough display, and Apple's 2015 revision to the 13-inch MacBook Pro delivers largely similar performance. Both are $1,299 for a Core i5 configuration.

This is the third Kirabook model we've reviewed since 2013, and the look and feel of the laptop's body is essentially unchanged (much like the MacBook Pro we keep comparing it to). The body is made of a magnesium alloy, which is both lighter and stronger than aluminum, and the desktop footprint is noticeably smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro. At a hair under 3 pounds, it weighs the same as the Air, less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The Lenovo LaVie Z is around 2 pounds, and the lightest Core i7 laptop by a wide margin.

The keyboard feels unchanged since the previous Kirabook we reviewed, but since then, we've seen and used some excellent new space-saving laptop keyboards from Dell, apple and others. Compared to some of the 2015 competition, the keyboard here now feels held back by small-surface-area keys and an overall plastic feel. There's still very little flex under your fingers while typing, which is a positive feature we called out in the previous model.