Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E review: Compact and light convertible

Although the Dynabook brand has now been around for over three years, the name still seems comparatively unknown. The predecessor, Toshiba PC, on the other hand, should be a familiar name to most. With the Protégé model series, the manufacturer offers light and compact notebooks for everyday use, including a 2-in-1 convertible that weighs just under 980 grams. We took a closer look at exactly that and tell you what to expect in the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E review.

Technical data

Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E review: the scope of delivery

The Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E comes in an inconspicuous cardboard box. However, the dimensions of the outer packaging already suggest that a really compact notebook awaits us here.

Nevertheless, there is a lot inside, because the manufacturer even includes a matching stylus with a loop for attaching it to the device in addition to the convertible notebook, USB-C power supply and the obligatory instructions and notes.

Design and finish

• High-quality, sleek magnesium chassis
• Compact case
• Low weight of only 979 grams

Without a doubt: from a visual point of view, the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E makes quite a splash. The manufacturer calls the color Mystic Blue, which looks extremely classy with the anodized finish. The case is made of a resistant, light and robust magnesium alloy and feels very high-quality and quite stiff.

The color scheme reminds me a bit of the current Huawei notebooks like the Matebook 16s (our review) or the Matebook D16 (our review). With the difference that the Dynabook model comes along much slimmer and handier.

We are talking about dimensions of 303.9 mm x 197.4 x 17.9 mm (width x length x height) and a weight of only 979 grams. Thus, the 2-in-1 convertible is hardly bigger or heavier than a modern tablet and can also be held very well with one hand.

The manufacturer’s logo can be found on the lid in silver. Many large rubberized feet on the underside ensure a secure hold. The webcam setup in a notch catches the eye when you open it, including an IR webcam with a dual microphone for logging in with Windows Hello. But don’t worry: The notch of the cameras fits in the display bezel anyway and accordingly does not take anything away from the picture.

However, since the Protégé can be completely folded down thanks to the 360-degree hinge, Dynabook even installs another 8-megapixel camera in Full HD resolution above the keyboard. A clever and pleasing detail.

The workmanship of the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E

• Good and robust workmanship
• High-quality 360-degree hinges

There is nothing to complain about the build quality of the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E convertible notebook. The case feels sturdy and of high quality. The 360-degree hinges also leave a very good impression.

Especially since the manufacturer promises a particularly high robustness thanks to military standard MIL-STD-810H certification. In tablet mode, i.e. when you fold the display back, the device rests wobble-free on the table or other surfaces.

Dynabook also installs rubberized feet around the keyboard, but I don’t quite understand their purpose. After all, they are lower than the keys of the full-size keyboard and don’t offer any added value.

Features and ports

• Fast CPU
• Performant working and system memory
• Modern Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2

In terms of features, the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E is not stingy either. Our test model is powered by the Intel Core i7-1260P processor, which combines 12 cores with 16 threads and a TDP of 28 watts.

It is supported by 16 gigabytes of fast LPDDR5 working memory with 5400 MHz. The manufacturer also offers the convertible with other CPUs, less or even more working memory. In addition, there is a 512 GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. In short: The features leave nothing to be desired.

This also applies to the built-in stereo speakers from Harman/Kardon, which even support Dolby Atmos. They realize a clear sound and achieve a really convincing volume.

The webcams, on the other hand, are merely useful and realize a picture quality that is sufficient for Windows login or occasional video calls. In low light conditions, however, the picture looks noisy and somewhat lacking in detail.

The 2-in-1 convertible also communicates wirelessly in the current Wi-Fi 6E standard and works quickly and securely with various devices via Bluetooth 5.2. Thus, the device collects plus points here as well.

Great connectivity

• Many, modern ports
• Two times Thunderbolt 4

On the other hand, the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E collects a lot of plus points with its selection of ports, which easily puts even some significantly larger notebooks in its pocket.

On the left side, you will find two USB-C ports that support the fast Thunderbolt 4 standard in addition to the power port. They enable data transfer, can charge the convertible thanks to PowerDelivery, and have a DisplayPort stream for image rendering.

Next to that, you’ll find a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, as well as a combined 3.5mm jack for connecting headphones and microphones. On the right side, you’ll find a USB 3.2 Type-A port, as well as a microSD card reader next to the power button.

Keyboard and trackpad

• Good chiclet keyboard with backlight
• Very small trackpad with mediocre features

The chiclet keyboard stretches across the entire width of the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E, which scores with a pleasant typing feel and comparatively large keys as well as coherent key spacing.

This circumstance is once again a positive surprise in view of the compact dimensions, as the keyboards of corresponding convertible notebooks often look very compressed. But not in this case.

The manufacturer has also given the keyboard a white backlight for working in the dark. It’s not very bright, but it offers a real added value. Thanks to the FN key, most keys also have a secondary function, which you can use to adjust the brightness or volume, for example, or to lock the notebook.

As much as I like the keyboard, the built-in trackpad falls short. It turns out quite small and can’t completely convince in terms of feedback. Especially since the case yields noticeably during use. The trackpad is certainly okay for now and then, but a real mouse is a much better choice. Or you can simply use the touchscreen, which is a real enrichment, especially in tablet mode.

The display in the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E review

• Matt Full HD display with very good contrasts
• Convincing and precise touchscreen

That also brings us to the display. The Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E relies on a 13.3-inch matte Full HD panel (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) that realizes a maximum brightness of 400 cd/m².

This ensures good legibility in bright environments and, in conjunction with the matte coating, that the screen is not too susceptible to fingerprints despite touch operation.

The 16:9 display and resolution are absolutely sufficient for a notebook of this size. However, you should quickly lower the Windows-side scaling to 150 percent, because otherwise some controls and menus are displayed a bit cropped.

Thanks to the matte coating, the screen is also quite well protected against reflections and scores with a high viewing angle stability and a good contrast ratio. The color reproduction is also quite pleasing, even though the color space coverage is only partially sufficient for professional image and video processing.

In return, texts and fonts present themselves nicely sharp and enable a very good work. The touchscreen also implements touches and inputs accurately and without delay. This ensures a very good usability when used in tablet mode. Optionally, even with the help of the included stylus, which also does a good job when writing or drawing, but should glide a bit quieter over the matte display.

Practical and benchmark test

• Convincing system performance across the board
• Quick startup thanks to Intel Evo

The combination of a fast and performant CPU, fast working memory and no less convincing system memory ensures a thoroughly convincing performance in the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E test.

Thanks to the Intel Evo platform, the manufacturer also ensures that the convertible starts quickly even in battery mode and that the battery is supplied with new energy just as quickly. It takes 4.8 seconds after pressing the power button for Windows to boot up and be ready for use. The performance is pleasing across the board, regardless of whether with or without a power cable.

The convertible masters multitasking, web browsing and simultaneous video streaming without problems and doesn’t even get unpleasantly loud. Without demanding work, the fans also remain relatively quiet, which is of course very pleasant, especially in office environments. However, the convertible doesn’t work completely silent and it can even get quite loud under load – I didn’t notice any coil whining, though.

I also like the cooling performance very much. The X30W-K-11E does blow out quite warm air at the air vents – but that’s what they’re there for. The display and keyboard stay pleasantly cool.

Benchmark: Productivity, system and SSD

Of course, the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E also had to face various benchmark tests, which we used to test the performance. To be fair, we did not include gaming tests with 3DMark, since the convertible only satisfies gaming ambitions to a limited extent anyway.

I measured the productivity and system performance with PCMark 10 and Cinebench R23. PCMark 10 simulates different workflows that include word processing, web browsing and spreadsheets when running the benchmark. Cinebench, on the other hand, measures the speed of the CPU cores individually, as well as in multi-core mode.

PCMark 10 and Cinebench R23

First, I looked at the system performance and that of the CPU. The Cinebench R23 benchmark paints a coherent picture for the Dynabook convertible and the results rank in the upper third of what the built-in Intel Core i7-1260P CPU is capable of.

With 6,172 points in the multi-core test and 1,639 single-core points, the CPU with Alder Lake chip places itself on average just below the Intel Core i5-12500 and scores with a good performance – especially in single-core mode.

The Portégé X30W-K-11E only has to admit defeat to the much better performing i7-12700H, which is used in Huawei’s Matebook 16s, in the multi-core benchmark. Both chips are almost on par in the performance of the individual cores.

The results of the PCMark 10 test are also very positive. In the end, 5,059 total points are recorded. A very good result that is only about 800 points behind the 12700H. After all, all hardware components intertwine in the benchmark.

SSD benchmark

I test the speed of the installed 512 GB SSD from Samsung using the AS SSD benchmark. You can freely use around 477 GB of it. Fortunately, Dynabook did not skimp here and installed a very fast PCIe 4.0 SSD that not only easily outperforms the Matebook 16s but also gaming notebooks like the Tulpar A7 V14.3.1 (our review).

The convertible achieves 4,139.40 MB/s in sequential read and also an excellent 2,133.83 MB/s in write. In combination with the low latency or access times, this ensures a fast working speed. Especially in combination with the fast DDR5 working memory, there is no bottleneck that slows down the system.

Battery life and charging time

• Up to 11 hours of battery life
• Quickly charged via USB-C

Despite its compact dimensions, the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E has a 53 Wh battery that actually makes it to a surprisingly good battery life. At 50% brightness and balanced settings, I ended up with around 10 hours and 42 minutes of use in normal office and browsing mode. A very good rate.

Of course, the runtime is reduced accordingly at maximum brightness and maximum performance. However, it still lasts almost seven hours, which is almost enough for a full workday. Also a convincing rate.

At the same time, the battery’s charging time using the included 65-watt power adapter is also pleasing. Thanks to Quick Charge, the convertible notebook only needs 30 minutes on the mains for another four hours of battery life; a full charge takes about one and a half hours.

Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E review: Conclusion

The Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E presents itself as a high-quality and high-performance business convertible that hardly has any serious weaknesses. I particularly like the elegant and robust magnesium case in combination with the compact dimensions and the pleasantly low weight.

It is great to work with when folded over on the lap, which is not least thanks to the high-resolution and bright display and the fast and precise touchscreen.

Despite the compact size, the manufacturer has not skimped on ports. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports are a real house number. CPU, SSD and RAM performance are also impressive. Only the trackpad and webcams have room for improvement, while the stylus’s gliding properties are naturally not quite as good as it would be with a glossy counterpart due to the matte display coating.

However, all of this is only minimally annoying. If you decide to buy the Dynabook Portégé X30W-K-11E, you will get a powerful, fast and very high-quality convertible with a long battery life in a compact and light case, which is really worth it.