Toshiba Encore 2 (8-inch)

“Although the specifications of the Z3735G processor don't appear to have changed much over the previous, early 2014 iteration the Toshiba Encore 2 WT8 shows us a product based on that SoC that is not as capable as Windows 8 tablets based on the earlier generation. We found differences in Turbo Boost that can affect CPU performance, elements of the GPU (mainly for video processing) that have been removed and with just 1GB of RAM we quickly saw limitations that affect multi-tasking. Given that the price of the Encore 2 WT8 is (at time of writing) not significantly cheaper than more performant Windows 8 tablets it's difficult to make a recommendation.The main competition to the Toshiba Encore 2 WT8 is the Lenovo Miix 2 8 which we have had the chance to directly compare during this review. The Lenovo Miix 2 has a similar look and feel, a similar sized battery and the same ports. The performance results are, however much better and you've got 2GB of RAM which removes at least some of the worry of virtual memory usage. The speakers aren't nearly as good on the Miix 2 8 compared to WT8. The other competitor is the Dell Venue 9 Pro which has a better screen and battery life. Toshiba have build a tidy, lightweight Windows 8 tablet with fast storage, a bright screen and good speakers that provides a smooth and enjoyable Windows RT experience and this might be enough for some but ultimately the price needs to drop for the WT8 to compete and if it gets to below $150 then it can be regarded as a reasonable Windows RT-style tablet.”

“If you’re looking for a compact Windows 8 tablet at the lowest price possible, Toshiba’s Encore 2 8 isn’t a bad choice, particularly if its asking price dips even more, as other Windows 8 tablets have in the past.At $180, it’s not exactly expensive for a Windows tablet, but the only thing that really sets it apart from other similar slates is its 1GB of RAM, most older Windows 8 tablets have 2GB. That’s not a good thing, especially when the Encore 2 had occasional performance hiccups in our time with it. It’s possible, though, that future software updates will fix this issue.And while the Toshiba tablet does have a nice IPS LCD screen, so does Dell’s Venue 8 Pro. The Dell tablet, while its processor is a bit older, felt more responsive and consistent in our time with it, likely thanks to its extra RAM. And while the Venue Pro 8 launched at $300, it’s now cheaper. As of this writing, B&H Photo and Video has the Dell tablet listed for the same $180 as the Encore 2 8 sells on Amazon. Given the choice between the two, we’d go for the Dell tablet and its extra RAM.”