Notebook or hybrid? Weighing strengths of three offerings

WHAT’S the best way to go in a mobile Windows PC — score a proper notebook or go with a hybrid notebook cum tablet?

The Toshiba P30W hybrid notebook tablet: 7.5/10.

WHAT’S the best way to go in a mobile Windows PC — score a proper notebook or go with a hybrid notebook cum tablet?

I’ll cop out early and say it depends on your own preferences, but spending time with the latest Dell XPS 13, the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and Toshiba’s Satellite P30W hybrid helped sort out my own priorities in a mobile Windows PC.

The XPS 13 has been around for a couple of years and encapsulates the intent of Intel’s ultrabook marketing push. It’s small (316mm by 205mm), light (1.37kg), well made and the 13.3-inch touch screen that came with the 2014 refresh of the model makes negotiating the touch-centric Windows 8.1 operating system a whole lot easier.

It’s also pricey, with a starting ticket of $1699 for a version with Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of system memory and a 128GB SSD for storage. There’s also a pair of USB 3.0 ports and a miniDisplayPort, but no Ethernet connector.

We tested the top-shelf XPS 13 with Core i7 processor power, 8GB of system memory and a 256GB SSD that would set you back $2099.

We reviewed Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 in-depth previously. The review unit came with Core i5 power, 8GB of system memory and a 256GB SSD for $1549.

I am putting the Pro 3 in the hybrid tablet camp because I reckon few buyers will pass up the option of adding the $150 Type Cover clip-on keyboard that transforms the device into a quasi notebook.

Toshiba’s Satellite P30W is a true hybrid. At first sight it looks like a medium-size ultrabook, but the screen detaches from the full-size keyboard base and you are left holding a large (331mm by 249mm) tablet with a 13.3-inch, 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution touch screen that weighs 1.05kg. The tablet and base together weigh a hefty 2.05kg.

I found the Toshiba’s push to undock action difficult to operate. There are two latches holding the tablet to the base and I kept unlocking one and not the other, leading to a comedy routine of locking and unlocking each side in turn until getting lucky with the pressure and position to have them unlock at the same time.

The tablet portion sports a single USB 2.0 port, a micro SD card slot and a micro HDMI connection for hooking up larger monitors. The base adds a pair of USB 3.0 ports and a full-size SD slot and HDMI connector, but unfortunately no Ethernet port. The review Toshiba came with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of system memory and a 128GB SSD for $1599.

As notebooks, the Dell and the Toshiba shine. Both have good, backlit chiclet-style keyboards with large touchpads, screens easy on eyes, and plenty of grunt, although the Toshiba is a little light on for system memory for the price. As a notebook, the Dell is much smaller and lighter than the Toshiba for the same screen size, while the Pro 3 weighs just 800g as a tablet but add the almost mandatory Type Cover clip-on keyboard/screen cover and the weight bulks up to 1.09kg.

The Pro 3 with its clacky, clip-on keyboard gets shaded by the Dell and Toshiba as a notebook. While you can successfully peck away on the Pro 3’s optional Type Cover for long periods, it just doesn’t feel as pleasant as a real notebook keyboard. Also, both the Tosh and the Dell are easier to balance on your lap than the Microsoft gadget with the keyboard cover clipped on.

However, neither the Dell nor the Tosh can beat the Pro 3’s beautiful, 2160 by 1440 resolution, 12-inch touchscreen.

The problem with the Toshiba as a tablet is its size and weight. Unclipped from its base, this is one big tablet, thick and unwieldy.

This is where the Pro 3 comes into its own. It’s comparatively light, thin and much easier to wield than the Toshiba. The neat, multi-position kickstand that folds out of the case furthers the Pro 3’s hold on the tablet stakes and the stand comes in handy for everything from reading e-books to propping the tablet on an aircraft tray table. I love the included digitiser pen that turns the Pro 3 into an electronic legal pad, especially when combined with Microsoft’s free OneNote information gathering app.

So, which of the three is the best, all-round mobile computing device? The Toshiba gets cut first because while it’s a worthy, if large, 13.3-inch screen notebook, the tablet side could be better executed and I found the docking mechanism a struggle. That leaves the Dell and the Surface Pro 3 and here it’s pretty much a dead heat based on preference.

The Dell is a great small Windows notebook that’s light and easy to carry, either under your arm or in a bag, but remains an excellent typing/productivity platform, with the bonus of a sweet, touch-enabled screen. It also wins the lap-sitting stakes. The Pro 3 works OK as a small notebook with its optional Type Cover, with the advantage of unclipping the cover and having a true tablet.

Forced to pick between the two I’d (just) go with the Pro 3 and its optional Type Cover, mainly because it gives me a light but powerful Windows tablet and a usable if not brilliant physical keyboard in one device.