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New Kira Ultrabook will make you "salivate", claims Toshiba

Meet the new king of Toshiba laptops. The Toshiba Kira Book is a new model to look out for if you want a premium Windows laptop with a quality screen.

By William Maher on May 8 2013, 3:16PM

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Premium laptops aren't cheap, but we often recommend them to people wanting better build-quality. The latest example in the premium market is this Toshiba model the Kira. (We could have sworn Toshiba was using the name "Kira Book" in the presentation we saw today, but the marketing material and press release we received just call it the Kira). Unveiled today at a media event in Sydney, the Kira starts at $1,799 and is on sale now. So what do you get for that sort of money? Click for the next photo.

One advantage in going premium is design. Build quality varies, even at the high-end, but in our experience it is the premium laptop where you'll more likely find crucial features done properly - the touchpad might be smooth and large, not clunky with awkward buttons, for example. Like a lot of laptops in the Ultrabook class, the Kira is definitely does not look cheap and plasticky. The chassis is made from magnesium alloy, designed with a honeycomb structure for strength.

Poorly designed keyboards and touchpads can ruin otherwise good laptops. The keyboard/touchpad here seem to be well-designed. As with Macbooks and various Ultrabooks, the touchpad is the variety without separate buttons.

At first glance, no issues with the keyboard from us.

Getting a nice balance between performance and thin-and-lightness is one advantage in going premium. As you'd expect, we're talking Intel Core processors here: Core i5 or i7. As with various other Ultrabooks on the market (and Apple's Macbook Pro) the Kira uses an SSD for storage, which will help speed up boot-up. Curiously there is only one option listed on the spec sheet: 256GB. Disappointing for those wanting more on-board storage, but you can always connect an external drive.

Another "nice to have" feature: the Kira has a backlit keyboard. Not unique (later model Macbook users have this too).

One of the new decisions you'll need to make when buying a laptop is whether to get a touchscreen model. We're in two minds on touchscreens. You can buy the Kira as a touchscreen model, or without this feature. For getting serious work done, we don't really find it very useful, either. That said, when you're used to using an iPad or another brand of tablet, it is sometimes handy to be able to swipe or press your finger to OK a selection - especially when Windows 8 is built for finger-pressing. It's a bit more expensive for the touchscreen model, plus that machine weighs a touch more.

In terms of weight, the Kira is 1.21Kg (the touch version is a slightly heavier 1.35Kg). Impressively, that's a tad lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air, which is 1.35Kg.

This "taper to a thin edge" style is very much in vogue among laptop designers.

The Kira has a 3 USB 3 ports. There is no Ethernet port - not uncommon these days.

When Apple introduced its MacBook Pro with Retina display, they raised the bar for screen resolution - very useful if you're a photographer or work with design images. Toshiba is also making a big deal about the screen on the Kira. The display resolution is 2560x1440, or 4x that of standard HD, as Toshiba's advertising points out. The company also claims their software calibration is a factor in better image quality. We noticed the screen angles back a bit more than some other laptops we've been using (notably, Lenovo's ThinkPad Helix). That's a good thing if you're tall.

There is a two year warranty for this laptop, plus a dedicated phone support line (during business hours).

Also keep in mind, this has a 13.3in screen. Not exactly large, but our favorite - nice and light, big enough to get work done.

Can't decide on a laptop or tablet? Click here for our handy 2013 laptop and tablet buying guide.

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New Kira Ultrabook will make you "salivate", claims Toshiba

Meet the new king of Toshiba laptops. The Toshiba Kira Book is a new model to look out for if you want a premium Windows laptop with a quality screen.

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