R700 screen question??

I saw the R705 over the weekend at Best Buy and really loved it, but I found the screen to be not the best. Is the matte screen on the R700 any better than the R705? If not, is there any way we can upgrade the screen to something better? I watch look at a lot photos all day and want something that has a good viewing angles and color. Other than the screen R700 is the prefect machine for me.

btw is there a difference between the battery life of the R700 vs the R705?

 

Anybody please?

 

Hello,

AFAIK, there is only one screen available from the manufacturer - That being the matte finish. www.laptopscreen.com is a good place to start.

In regards to the Battery Life - They are going to be the same - Difference between R700 and R705 is Pre-Installed Software and Location of Sales - R705 is for Retail Distribution.

In Peace and Agape,
Trav...

 

Doesn't the R700 also come with a dock port and an extra usb port? I thought the Best Buy model didn't have the matte finish?

 

Hello Brookedale1,

The Display is as described by Toshiba:
Display Type*
HD TruBrite® LED Backlit display with Intel® Wireless Display Technology
This is NOT a matte finish - It is a glossy finish - though I have seen engineering samples with the "matte finish" I can NOT find them on sale - It would seem that Toshiba (America) has chosen to sell only the "TruBrite" version. That is all the information I have available to me. Sorry - I see so many samples from so many manufacturers that I get confused -

As far as accessories goes, it all depends on who is selling the box and what they want to bundle with it.

In Peace and Agape,
Trav...

 

Interesting. Best Buy told me that in store the R705 is glossy while if you order the R700 from Toshiba you get a matter display that maybe of better quality.

 

Good Job brookedale1 -

Only difference between matte and glossy is the glare from ambient light, such as sun light. The GPU on the device is the same regardless of the LCD connected to the device.

Good Luck...

In Peace and Agape,
Trav....

 

I know what the difference is, but is there difference in actual screen quality, color clarity and stuff like that because it is use better panel? If its not, can I put a better screen on there because the R700 is the right machine for me at the right price, but lower quality screen isn't for me as I look at a lot of pictures, text, and do editing.

 

I purchased the R705 last week. It's only $699 right now at Best Buy, which is a great deal.

But as you pointed out, the screen is terrible. The quality is similar to the (awful) screen on my Acer netbook. The colors are washed out, black text has a greyness to it, and the viewing angles are terrible (the vertical viewing angles in particular are truly awful - WORSE than the Acer netbook). The contrast seems worse, too.

I can't tell you if the R700 has the same exact screen, but i can tell you that whatever screen it has is also terrible. Read Anandtech's review for the full details on the R700 screen: Toshiba Portege R700: A Truly Ultraportable 13.3" - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

I'm sorry to say that you can't get around the poor screen quality. I love everything else about this little machine (well, maybe not the annoying humming that the fan gives off). I strongly considered returning it (despite the 15% restocking fee) due to the poor quality of the screen.

At the end of the day, I kept it, because my alternatives (13" MacBook Air, Sony Vaio Z, etc) were approximately twice (or three times) the price.

If you can afford it, and screen quality matters a lot to you, go for the Sony Vaio Z or one of MacBook lines. This one will disappoint you. Of course, you could buy two of these for the price of the alternatives I mentioned...

 

Can you like switch the screen, like use the screen of a better 13.3in screen or something?

 

It would be extraordinarily unlikely. It's possible that some third-parties make replacement displays for the Toshiba R-700 series, but I guarantee you they won't be of much higher quality (probably lower quality, since they'd be competing on price).

You're pretty much stuck with whatever the manufacturer offers. In this case, a very low-end display.

 

Really, if display quality is important to you, you should just buy a laptop that has a good quality display to being with. You might have to spend a bit more money, but there are other options available.

The Macbook Pro or 13" Macbook Air are two options ($1200-$1400), Sony Vaio Z ($1600), and there should be others if you do your research.

 

MBA is average when you add the specs in it, and a bit to glossy for my taste. The Z is too pricey for my taste as its $900 more than I want to spend. I know LG in other countries makes a 13.3in device with a good screen, can I not just swap with that? It really is a shame that Toshiba isn't putting a better screen on it, because that could it gain some extra sales because of it.

 

I agree it's a shame. Until people at the lower price-points start demanding laptops with better screens, there's not much that can be done.