Toshiba WT10-A Encore 2

ENTRY LEVEL WINDOWS.

SITTING SMACK BANG in the middle territory between premium and budget tablets is Toshiba’s WT10-A Encore 2. It o ers a unique value proposition, being one of the cheapest ways to experience Windows.

Possibly the biggest thing going against this tablet is, ironically enough, its size. e 10.1 inch screen isn’t abnormal for a convertible, but this is being sold as a dedicated tablet without a detachable base. Compared to other dedicated tablets, which tend to be both thinner and lighter than the 550 grams and 9mm on o er here, and this tablet soon feels a little ungainly. If you don’t mind the extra weight, the next thing to get your head around is the Operating System, which is Windows 8.1. Considering there’s no keyboard included in the box, the stylus will become mandatory. An optional Bluetooth keyboard is available, but it’ll set you back around $100 or so.

Performance of the Intel chip isn’t exactly record-breaking, but it’s enough to deliver a responsive system, especially for this price. When combined with the extremely accurate screen, it makes for a very pleasant desktop experience, whereas certain other tablets became frustrating as pages took longer to load, and touch inputs were mis-read. e 32GB of onboard storage sits in the middle of the pack.

Overall this is a rather unique tablet, in that it delivers the most a ordable way to enter the Windows 8.1, and now 10, ecosystem we’ve ever seen. It’s also a rather good tablet in the process.