Toshiba Satellite L755-13K review

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.