Dynabook Tecra X50: Killer style, weak battery

The Dynabook Tecra X50 is essentially a rebranded Toshiba Tecra laptop packaged with lofty, but ultimately unmet, claims. The laptop looks sleek and stunning, but it is unfortunately mediocre in almost every other regard.

CPU performance is disappointing. While the Core i7-8665U in our unit can power through most office tasks, it falls behind the cheaper Core i7-8565U. Most workers won't notice the performance dips, but the added cost of the higher-end 8665U is not worth it. Worse still, the more expensive chip is, by all accounts, a worse choice.

Perhaps the biggest letdown is the battery life. When Dynabook announced the Tecra X50, the company excited many road warriors with claims of 17+ hour battery life. Our tests shattered those dreams; the Tecra X50 we reviewed (Intel Core i70-8665U, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB NVMe SSD) managed only 4.5 hours in our WiFi battery test. It's probable that a weaker chip, like the Core i5-8265U, will improve battery life, but we can't imagine it would add 12.5 hours to the machine's longevity.

On the plus side, the Tecra X50 is very light and compact for a 15.6-inch business laptop. It's easy to carry without sacrificing a lot of screen real estate. Additionally, the keyboard is a joy to use, and port selection is decent for such a thin device. The two Thunderbolt 3 ports make the Tecra X50 a versatile Ultrabook for a variety of office setups.

Ultimately, the Tecra X50 is a good-looking business laptop that fails to wow where it counts: battery life and performance. If you need a long-lasting machine to get you through the workday, look elsewhere.