Toshiba AT300 review

A decent enough tablet for a first-timer, but it's certainly no all-rounder Tested at £340

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

For the money, a decent tablet for a first-timer, but it's certainly no all-rounder

Pros

  • +

    Price

  • +

    Easy to use

  • +

    Sounds good through headphones

Cons

  • -

    Cheap-feeling and flimsy build quality

  • -

    Built-in speakers do not sound great

  • -

    So-so video playback

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Toshiba’s presence in the tablet market might be a tad muted compared with the big-spending Samsungs and Googles of this world.

Price is most definitely on its side – this AT300 32GB variant comfortably undercuts many of its rivals. And you’ve got the added attraction of being able to double the memory by slotting in a suitably capacious SD memory card, something that’s just not possible on the iPad.

Toshiba AT300: Tech specs

There’s also a micro HDMI socket for connecting to a TV, and a micro USB connection for dragging and dropping files from your computer.

The 10.1in touchscreen boasts a sheet of gorilla glass on the front (unfortunately, the claimed anti-fingerprint coating didn’t deter our greasy paws) and a textured plastic rear panel. For the money this is just about acceptable.

Toshiba AT300

Toshiba AT300

What isn’t acceptable is that the Toshiba flexes too easily and, on our sample, the plastic back cover started to come away from the chassis. And it's annoying that you can't use the supplied dock connector to charge from your computer. This needs to be done using the supplied mains adapter.

Given the Toshiba’s price, it’s good to see specification has stretched to an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, although the operating system is standard Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

Toshiba AT300: App store

The on-screen layout sticks to standard Android principles – a grid for apps and customisable screens. The Toshiba responds quickly to swipes, the screen’s haptics technology performing powerfully as you prod.

Toshiba Places offers similar features to Google's Play store. There's a good selection of movies (provided by Acetrax) and music (courtesy of 7Digital), although games and apps are relatively thin on the ground compared to rival offerings.

Toshiba AT300

Toshiba AT300

Individual speakers can be found either side of the dock connector. There’s less chance of your hands getting in their way, but they do sound thinner and tinnier than rival tablets.

Toshiba gives you plenty of scope to change audio performance whether you’re listening through the built-in speakers or a pair of headphones. It’s nice to be able to tweak, but we couldn’t find any that improved on the standard, out-of-the-box audio settings.

Toshiba AT300: Sound and video

Hook up a pair of headphones and the Toshiba sounds very listenable – music displays a fine sense of rhythm. Lows are weighty and punchy, while highs don’t sound too excitable.

Play some HD video and the Toshiba is watchable, but can’t match the advantage in pixels shared by Asus and Apple. Edges aren’t as sharply defined, and the general look is softer and lacking in punch.

Blacks don’t appear as deep, and shadow detail isn’t as pronounced as it could be. It’s similar with standard-def content as, though the softly drawn lines don’t allow for too much judder, there’s a lack of depth to the image.

Toshiba AT300

Toshiba AT300

Toshiba AT300: Verdict

Video grumbles aside, if you don’t have the budget to stretch to the likes of the Apple iPad or Asus Transformer, then the Toshiba marries price with capacity to passable effect. A decent entry-level machine.

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What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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