Portégé laptop

The Dynabook Portégé X30-F is among the high-end 13.3-inch business laptops. In contrast to the recently reviewed Portégé A30-E, Dynabook hasn't opted for a completely new chassis here but continues to use the slim, lightweight case that was also used in its predecessors. There are changes inside: The current model uses Whiskey Lake processors. Competitors include devices such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X390 and X395, the Dell Latitude 7300, the HP EliteBook 735 G5 and 830 G5. 

Since the Dynabook Portégé X30-F and the Toshiba Portégé X30-D are identical in construction, we won't go into the case, connectivity, input devices and speakers. The corresponding information can be found in our review of the Toshiba Portégé X30-D.

Processor

Intel Core i5-8265U 4 x 1.6 - 3.9 GHz, Whiskey Lake-U

Memory

8192 MB  , DDR4 2400, single-channel, two memory slots (one slot occupied)

Display

13.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 166 PPI, Toshiba TOS508F, IPS, glossy: no

Mainboard

Intel Cannon Lake-U PCH-LP Premium

Storage

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, 256 GB  , 191 GB free

Soundcard

Realtek ALC285 @ Intel Cannon Point-LP PCH - cAVS

Connections

1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 2 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio, Card Reader: microSD, 1 Fingerprint Reader, TPM 2.0

Networking

Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5), Bluetooth 5

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 16.4 x 316 x 227 ( = 0.65 x 12.44 x 8.94 in)

Battery

48 Wh, 4080 mAh Lithium-Ion, 11.4 V, 3 cells

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit

Camera

Webcam: HD, IR camera
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix

Additional features

Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Microsoft Office 365 (trial version), 12 Months Warranty

Weight

1.05 kg ( = 37.04 oz / 2.31 pounds), Power Supply: 368 g ( = 12.98 oz / 0.81 pounds)

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

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The X30-F's matte 13.3-inch screen works at a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Contrast (1,319:1) and brightness (390.3 cd/m²) are good. Only the EliteBook 735 G5 offers a brighter display within our comparison field.

The display flickers at a frequency of 250 Hz at brightness levels of 20% and below. Due to the low frequency, headaches and/or eye problems may occur in sensitive users.

Toshiba TOS508F

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Center on Battery: 428 cd/m²

Gamma: 2.14

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

* ... smaller is better

↔    Response Time Black to White
34 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 16 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.800000011920929 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 88 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (23.5 ms).
↔    Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
56 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 26 ms rise
↘ 30 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.6919999718666077 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 90 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (37.1 ms).

Screen flickering / PWM detected	250 Hz	≤ 20 % brightness setting
The display backlight flickers at 250 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 20 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 22039 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Already out of the box, the screen has a very decent color reproduction. With a DeltaE 2000 color deviation of 3.2, it barely scrapes past the target (DeltaE smaller than 3). In addition, the display suffers from a very light blue tint. The display isn't able to fully map the AdobeRGB (60%) and the sRGB (95%) color spaces.

Dynabook has equipped the Portégé with a viewing-angle-stable IPS panel. Therefore, the screen can be read from any position. As long as the sun doesn't shine too brightly, this is also possible outdoors.

With the Portégé X30-F, Dynabook has a 13.3-inch high-end business laptop in its range. The device provides enough computing power for office and Internet applications. Our test device is available from about 1,150 Euros (~$1,270) and is therefore currently the cheapest representative in the series. Other configuration variants are available.

The Portégé is powered by an Intel Core i5-8265U quad-core processor. This is a ULV model (TDP: 15 watts) based on Intel's Whiskey Lake architecture. The processor operates at a base speed of 1.6 GHz. Turbo can be used to increase it to 3.7 GHz (all four cores), 3.8 GHz (two cores) and 3.9 GHz (one core), respectively.

The processor briefly works through the multithread tests of the Cinebench benchmarks at 3.3 to 3.7 GHz. The clock speed then drops to 2.3 to 2.5 GHz. The single-thread tests are run at 3.7 to 3.9 GHz. This is the behavior when plugged in. On battery power, the clock speeds range from 1.8 to 2.2 GHz (multithread) and 1.8 GHz (single-thread), respectively.

We test whether the CPU Turbo is used consistently when plugged in by running the multithread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark in a continuous loop for at least 30 minutes. The results drop slightly from the first to the second run and then remain at a constant level. The CPU Turbo is used to a small extent.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit

6113

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit

17361

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit

6115

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

161 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

551 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

43.5 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

97.80000305175781 %

Help

* ... smaller is better

The good results in the PCMark benchmarks demonstrate that the laptop has enough computing power for office and Internet applications. We haven't encountered any problems. The system is fast and smooth. A slight increase in overall performance would be possible by activating dual-channel mode. For this, a second memory module would have to be added to the laptop.

The system drive is an NVMe SSD (M.2 2280 format) from Samsung, which has a total capacity of 256 GB. Of this, approximately 191 GB is usable out of the box. Transfer speeds are very good. NVMe SSDs achieve higher transfer rates than SATA III models because they're connected via PCI Express.

Sequential Read: 1912 MB/s

Sequential Write: 1469 MB/s

512K Read: 553.5999755859375 MB/s

4K Read: 52.40999984741211 MB/s

4K Write: 104.80000305175781 MB/s

4K QD32 Read: 232.60000610351562 MB/s

4K QD32 Write: 255.60000610351562 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3309 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1494 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 273.70001220703125 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 300.8999938964844 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 1723 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 1507 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 3738 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 102.0999984741211 MB/s

Sequential Read: 1886.52001953125MB/s

Sequential Write: 1150.6300048828125MB/s

4K Write: 107.58999633789062MB/s

4K-64 Read: 708.510009765625MB/s

4K-64 Write: 603.6599731445312MB/s

Access Time Read: 0.05999999865889549ms

Access Time Write: 0.03500000014901161ms

Copy Program: 232.1699981689453MB/s

Copy Game: 482.1499938964844MB/s

Intel's UHD Graphics 620 graphics core takes care of graphics output. The GPU supports DirectX 12 and reaches working speeds of up to 1,100 MHz. The results in the 3DMark benchmarks are at a normal level for this GPU. An increase in performance would be achieved by activating dual-channel mode. The decoder integrated into the GPU can unload the processor when playing videos. Therefore, using streaming services isn't a problem.

The hardware of the Portégé X30 allows playing some of the games that are in our database smoothly - at low resolutions and low quality settings. This includes games that only have moderate hardware requirements. By installing a second memory module (= dual-channel mode active), an increase in frame rates would be achieved. But even then, most of the games of the last three to four years wouldn't be playable. 

When idle, the fan is often turned off and silence prevails. It turns up under full load. In this way, we measure a sound pressure level of 40.1 dB(A) during the stress test.

Noise Level

Idle		30.4 / 30.4 / 30.4 dB(A)
Load		37.8 / 40.1 dB(A)
	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max:    Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30.4 dB(A)

The Dynabook laptop completes our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least an hour) on battery power and plugged-in in the same way. The CPU operates at 1.6 to 1.7 GHz at the beginning of the test. The clock speed then drops to 1.3 to 1.5 GHz, then later to 1.1 to 1.2 GHz and it remains at this level. The clock speed of the graphics core increases from the initial 550 MHz to 900 MHz. The stress test represents an extreme scenario that doesn't occur in everyday life. With this test, we check whether the system remains stable even under full load.

The Portégé doesn't get excessively warm. During the stress test, we only register a temperature of 40 °C (~104 °F) at one measuring point. In everyday use, the values are consistently in the green range.

Power Supply (max.)  40.6 °C = 105 F | Room Temperature 22.5 °C = 73 F | FIRT 550-Pocket

Power Supply (max.)  28.3 °C = 83 F | Room Temperature 22.4 °C = 72 F | FIRT 550-Pocket

(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.5 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 30.6 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 35.7 °C / 96 F, ranging from 21.4 to 58.4 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 38 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.6 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 30.6 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 24.9 °C / 76.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (+3.4 °C / 6.1 F).

The energy demand remains at a normal level over the entire load range for the hardware platform installed here. In idle usage, we measure a maximum power consumption of 5 watts - a good value. During the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least an hour), the demand briefly increases to up to 39 watts. The output of the USB Type-C power adapter is 45 watts.

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.56 / 0.44 Watt
Idle	1.5 / 3.8 / 5 Watt
Load	29 / 39 Watt
Key: min: , med: , max:         Metrahit Energy Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Our practical Wi-Fi test uses a script to simulate the load caused by accessing websites. The "Balanced" profile is active, the power-saving functions are deactivated, and the display brightness is adjusted to about 150 cd/m². The Portégé X30-F reaches a runtime of 11:36 h.

Battery Runtime

+ bright, contrast-rich IPS display

+ high-quality materials

+ stable base unit

+ low weight

+ little heat development

+ excellent battery life

+ two Thunderbolt 3 ports

+ easily maintainable

- lid could be more stable

- case attracts fingerprints

- not WWAN-ready

- absurd SSD placement

With the Portégé X30-F, Dynabook is mainly doing a model update. The same chassis is used here as with its predecessors - for example, the Toshiba Portégé X30-D. Therefore, the new model inherits many advantages and disadvantages of its predecessors. A low weight, a stable base unit and easy maintainability are the pros. The weaknesses can be found in the mediocre keyboard, the susceptibility to fingerprints and the lid that's easy to twist.

The newest incarnation of the Portégé X30 is also made for users who are often on the move.

The Whiskey Lake quad-core processor provides enough computing power for office and Internet applications. However, the CPU uses its Turbo only to a very small extent on battery power. Positive consequence: The X30-F delivers excellent battery life.

An NVMe SSD (M.2 2280 format) makes for a fast system. A replacement of the SSD is possible but involves effort. The SSD is mounted on the inaccessible side of the motherboard; this means that the motherboard would have to be removed in order to replace the storage device.

The matte IPS screen scores points with stable viewing angles, a good contrast, sufficient brightness and decent color reproduction out of the box. Our test device doesn't have an LTE modem. Furthermore, one can't be retrofitted. If necessary, a different configuration variant of the X30-F would have to be chosen.

The two Thunderbolt 3 ports allow the connection of docking solutions and/or an external, powerful GPU. The ports naturally support both Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort via USB-C (this requires an adapter that needs to be obtained separately).

Dynabook Portégé X30-F-10N - 2019-11-04 11/04/2019 v7
Sascha Mölck

Connectivity

66 / 75 → 88%

Games Performance

50 / 78 → 64%

Application Performance

81 / 85 → 95%

Subnotebook - Weighted Average

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