Dynabook Portégé X50-G-10V
Another solid addition to Dynabook’s growing fleet of slim business laptops, but don’t expect fireworks
PRICE £1,419 (£1,703 inc VAT) from uk.dynabook.com
While some might criticise Dynabook for failing to make drastic changes to the Toshiba product line since it took over its laptop business, this Sharp-backed enterprise is slowly and steadily making its mark. The Portégé brand in particular now stands apart from the rest of the Dynabook portfolio, simplifying the purchasing process for business decision makers. If employees want a slim and light Dynabook laptop, they should buy a Portégé: the only job now is to choose a size of screen and the spec.
Sharp’s biggest influence is on the screen and, having reviewed many Dynabook laptops over the past two years, I can firmly recommend you opt for an IGZO display. This is Sharp’s own panel and, as a rule of thumb, it provides a more vivid and brighter image than the unexceptional IPS panels you’ll find in other Dynabook laptops. It’s the one area of the spec I urge you to check before buying.
That rule of thumb applies once more here, with the 1,920 x 1,080
IGZO panel blitzing its way through our technical tests. It covers 98% of the sRGB colour space with an average Delta E of 0.31, while contrast hits a punchy 1,511:1. Add a peak brightness of 523cd/m2 and a non-reflective display, and you have a laptop that works equally well in the office, park and hastily erected garden office.
Dynabook is more conservative in its choice of components. While rivals such as Dell, HP and Lenovo are all taking advantage of AMD’s Ryzen processors, Dynabook has so far stayed loyal to Intel. That may make sense from a customer demand point of view – I doubt that many corporate types are banging on the door asking for AMD inside – but the U series of Intel Core processors is slow compared to its AMD rival.
Take the Core i7-10510U in this machine. It can hold its own against the latest mobile Ryzen processors in single-core tasks – the X50 scored 1,141 in Geekbench 5’s single-core test versus 1,152 from the Ryzen 4800Hpowered Huawei MateBook 14 ( see opposite) – but the four cores held it back in PC Pro’s benchmarks and Geekbench’s multicore test. To be precise, the X50 scored 96 and 3,326 respectively, while the MateBook romped home with 248 and 6,534.
Intel might argue, fairly, that its H series chips are much faster, but we tend to see those in larger and more expensive laptops such as the Dell XPS 17 ( see p48). At least the X50 holds an advantage over its AMD-powered ri val when it comes to battery life, with a result of 9hrs 32mins a good two-and-a-half hours more than the MateBook (despite the Dynabook having a smaller battery).
The X50 is also a fraction lighter than the Huawei, and that’s despite the larger screen. Indeed, this 15.6in laptop really doesn’t feel like one; it’s so light and wellbalanced that you might imagine it was crafted from a super-futuristic metal. But no, it’s the standard magnesium alloy that’s used throughout the Portégé range and, as ever, it feels sturdy. There’s flex in the screen lid, which may encourage you to upgrade the single year of warranty, but I suspect the understated “onyx blue” finish will look almost as good in three years’ time as it does on the day you remove it from the box.
“The X50 is a solid and predictable addition to the Portégé lineup and, from an IT manager’s point of view, that’s no bad thing”
A tour around the laptop edges reveals little to titillate, with two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the right, along with a microSD slot and a full-size HDMI output. The left has an early 2000s feel, with two USB-A ports and a trusty 3.5mm jack.
A retro effect also stems from Dynabook’s decision to stick with a 16:9 screen, which results in thick bezels above and below the screen compared to modern rivals, but in practice I’d question how much that matters. Besides, it leaves plenty of space for the infrared camera (this supports Windows Hello sign-ins) and a privacy filter for the main 720p webcam. This captures respectable videos, but the real star of the show here is the excellent microphone. Trackpoint stalwarts will be pleased to see one in the middle of the keyboard, but the beautifully smooth trackpad is a superior option for speeding around the screen. Dynabook misses a trick by not making it larger, however, especially as it steals some of the space for the fingerprint reader. There is also enough room for Dynabook to have switched to a larger keyboard and thus made the spacebar larger, but as with other Portégés it’s cropped in line with the N key. This is awkward for touch typists, whose right thumb can easily hit the AltGr button by mistake. Aside from this, it’s an excellent keyboard, with a solid base, quiet action and otherwise well-sized keys.
Where does this leave the X50? As a solid and predictable addition to the Portégé lineup and, from an IT manager’s point of view, that’s no bad thing. With near-identical components throughout the range, management and updates should be a cinch. If you’re looking for cuttingedge excitement, though, you’ve come to the wrong place.
SPECIFICATIONS
Four-core 1.8GHz/4.9GHz Intel Core i7-10510U processor 16GB 2,666MHz DDR4 RAM Intel UHD Graphics 15.6in touchscreen IGZO display, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD IR camera
720p HD webcam 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (with data transfer, charging and DisplayPort support) 2 x USB-A 3 HDMI microSD slot combo 3.5mm mic/headphone 46.5Wh battery Windows 10 Pro 359 x 250 x 17.2mm (WDH)
1.42kg 1yr EMEA RTB warranty