Toshiba A655 Review

MSRP- $699.99

Best Features- Blu-ray drive; good multimedia laptop for a bargain price

Worst Features- Poor battery life; boring design

Conclusion- This affordable Toshiba may be a good option for those who want a multimedia ready laptop without a bunch of extra frills. This Toshiba A655 review will show that this may not be a good option for everyone.

The cheap Toshiba A655 may look like a great bargain on the surface. It’s hard to find an entry level computer that offers slightly more for a price under $700. It’s also hard to call this an entry level laptop since it does offer a better processor and more multimedia options than most other mid range laptops. However, the exclusion of some important features kick it out of the high end laptop field as well. This makes it hard for the Toshiba A655 review to classify it as either. Regardless, this could be a great option for a lot of people, including students and professionals.

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Toshiba A655 Review Specs

This Toshiba A655 review is specific to the S5176X model. There are other models available, but the base configuration for this one include a generous 500 GB hard drive, a 2.1 GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, an Intel HD 3000 graphics card, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit preinstalled. You’ll also find both VGA and HDMI video inputs, 1 USB 3.0 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 sleep and charge USB port, an SD card slot, a Blu-ray combo optical drive, and the standard Ethernet and 802.11 Wi-Fi.

Toshiba A655 Review Pros

For an entry level laptop, the Toshiba A655 review is quite positive. You won’t find a Blu-ray drive on many other low end models, making this a great addition.

The 15.6 inch display offers a 1,366 X 768 resolution. For a base level laptop this is really good. If you start trying to classify this as a high end model, this isn’t so great. Either way, the ability to watch Blu-ray with any clarity is a positive.

The inclusion of the Harman/Kardon speakers is a great aspect of the Toshiba A655 too. For a discounted Toshiba to offer top of the line speakers that actually out produce most other brands in terms of sound quality is noteworthy in and of itself.

The processor allows for easy multitasking with very little, if any, lag. During the testing for the Toshiba A655 review the laptop easily handled HD streaming content, light to moderate gaming, and supported multiple window computing with ease.

Toshiba A655 Review Cons

Even though the battery is an improvement over previous models, it still falls a little short. In video playback mode you’ll get about 4 hours of life. While that doesn’t sound bad, you can find other models similarly equipped that will give you 6 or more hours.

This notebook is heavy. Weighing almost 6 ½ pounds with the AC adapter, it’s not exactly comfortable to cart around in a backpack all day.

Because of the lower resolution, you won’t get an amazing Blu-ray experience. You also won’t have many viewing angles with the A655.

The webcam isn’t really worth mentioning. The low 640 X 480 pixel resolution doesn’t give you the opportunity to really capture good video.

Bottom Line

This Toshiba A655 review is overall positive. There are a few aspects where this laptop falls short, but in the long run for the money you end up with a solid laptop that is great for more than just basic computing.