Toshiba Chromebook 2: A Feast for the Eyes

Toshiba Chromebook 2 Closing Thoughts

I have to admit that when I first saw the pricing on the Toshiba Chromebook 2, I was skeptical. When you have $200 (and sometimes less) alternatives like the Acer C720 floating around, and with a lot of Chromebook users going that route due to pricing considerations, tacking on an extra $130 is a tough sell. On the other hand, there’s no question about which device is more pleasant to use on a regular basis. The Acer C720 can do everything you might need to do, and it’s actually quite a bit faster than the Toshiba Chromebook 2, but the Toshiba CB35 is a far more enjoyable laptop thanks to its improved styling and keyboard, but more especially thanks to the great display – at least on the 1080p model we’re reviewing (don’t bother with the $249 1366x768 display version is our advice).

If you’re not beholden to Microsoft Windows, there are several viable alternatives right now: OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS all have something to offer. In the case of Chrome OS, it’s a lightweight OS built around one of the most popular web browsers, targeted primarily at laptops. For internet surfing, email, and moderate office tasks, a Chromebook is able to do everything most people need, and it’s able to do it while typically costing less than the Windows incumbents. It’s true that we now have inexpensive Windows laptops, but so far it doesn’t appear anyone has taken the challenge of building a good quality Windows with Bing option at the same price as the Toshiba Chromebook 2. There’s also the question of performance and features, and while living with Chrome OS with just 16GB of internal storage is relatively painless, the same can’t really be said for Windows alternatives. Battery life of Chromebooks also tends to be better than equivalent hardware running Windows, though we need to investigate the subject further before coming to any strong conclusions.

Perhaps more important than the cost and battery life, Chromebooks avoid the headache of viruses and other malicious software – and they do it with minimal effort on the part of the user. It’s possible to get a similar experience with Android or iOS, but the simplified user interface with Chrome OS and integrated keyboard make Chromebooks a great fit for educational purposes as well as for people that don’t have much technical skill (or a desire to acquire it). There are still limitations with Chrome OS, but additional apps appear on a regular basis, and part of the beauty of the platform is in not having too many choices. You can sit down with a Chromebook and surf the web painlessly, and that’s what a lot of people want – no mess, no fuss, no apps to dig through, etc. And if for some reason you do need to swap out for a new Chromebook, you can be up and running in a matter of minutes (or less) after logging in on a new device.

The biggest complaint I have with Chromebooks right now is that no one has really delivered “everything” in a single device at a reasonable price. If you want one of the fastest and least expensive Chromebooks, Acer’s C720 still holds that crown, but the keyboard and display are less than stellar. For a great typing experience and great battery life, I’d rate the Acer Chromebook 13 as the best option, but the display is again lacking and performance is clearly a step down from the C720. Toshiba’s Chromebook 2 with a 1080p display has the best display among the current offerings, but battery life is a bit worse and performance isn’t at the level of the C720 – and given the number of other Chromebooks using Celeron N2830/N2840, the performance story is similar for those. And if you want a touchscreen, the only options right now seem to be the Acer C720p or the Lenovo IdeaPad N20p, both of which again have other areas where they come up short.

My ideal Chromebook right now would be to take the display and general design of the Toshiba Chromebook 2 we’re looking at today, but pull out the Celeron N2840 processor and get a Celeron 3205U in there instead, and then give me a bit more travel on the keyboard – bonus points for keyboard backlighting as well. I’d even take an older Celeron 2955U if necessary, provided the screen and keyboard are left intact. Ironically you could get exactly that minus the display with the original Toshiba CB35-A3120, which is priced at $220 these days – and you can’t tell me that an extra $110 isn’t enough to upgrade the display! It’s almost like Intel has some mandate that you can’t ship a Celeron 2955U Chromebook with anything more than a lousy 1366x768 TN display. I keep saying that the Acer Chromebook 15 might be the closest thing yet to such a device, but then the 15.6” 1080p display means it’s larger and bulkier than the Toshiba.

In light of the lack of a clear winner in all areas, what we’re left with is a decision of where to compromise. Among the 13” Chromebooks the Toshiba Chromebook 2 (specifically, the CB35-B3340 model) is currently my favorite option, and it’s really all about the screen. If you appreciate a good display it’s practically the only game in town for Chromebooks right now, with the 15” 1080p Acer model due in the near future. On the other hand, if you’re not particularly finicky about display quality, you can get better performance and/or better battery life for less money by looking at some of the other options we listed above.

If you’re in the market for a Chromebook, the Toshiba CB35-B3340 is definitely worth a look and earns our Recommended by AnandTech award. It performs reasonably well and gets all of the major areas right, and that’s enough for most people. Give us an updated model with the Broadwell-U Celeron 3205U for under $400 however and this would be an easy Editors’ Choice award.