The Satellite Click Mini could've turned out very differently. Toshiba lifted the lid on its titular convertible tablet at CES 2015, but instead of emerging as a miniature version of the - quite frankly, ugly - Click 2 it's a surprisingly attractive and portable budget package.
Toshiba's £250 (around US$384, or AUS$492) device arrives in the form of a Windows 8.1 tablet that turns into a laptop when docked into the keyboard. At a fairly uncommon 8.9 inches it straddles the empty space between 8-inch tablets such as the Toshiba Encore 2 and larger 10-inch convertibles with keyboards like the Asus Transformer Book T100.
The Click Mini is a great size for a companion device to use when away from a larger laptop or PC, providing more than enough screen real-estate to get most tasks done while keeping the device plenty portable. It weighs just 999 grams with the keyboard dock attached, and a featherlight 470 grams without.
The Click Mini is one of the few small-to-medium-sized Windows tablets on the market with a 1900 x 1200 pixel-resolution display (toting a healthy 254ppi), which for a long time was exclusive the impressive but costly Lenovo ThinkPad 8.
The display is housed behind a vibrant IPS panel with superb viewing angles and colours that reminded me of the first time I laid eyes on the HP Chromebook 11's punchy pixels. It's just a shame that the thick, almost off-putting black bezel surrounding it is so chunky.
Connectivity-wise, the Satellite Click Mini packs a passable selection of ports into the keyboard, including microSD, full-size SD, micro-HDMI and micro-USB (for charging). Unfortunately Toshiba only managed to cram one full-size USB 2.0 port into the chassis, something you may have to get used to in the impeding one-port future that awaits.
Communication is provided via onboard 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, and the device is WiDi ready. On its front is a 2-megapixel camera which is complimented by a 5-megapixel snapper around the back.
Powering the Click Mini is an Intel AtomTM Z3735F CPU backed up by 2GB of DDR3 RAM. Storage is provided in the form of 32GB eMMC flash memory, which can be expanded by a further 256GB if each of the SD card slots are used to their full 128GB capacity.
The tablet felt nippy enough during our brief time with the device, opening Windows 8.1 apps and menus without experiencing slowdown.
The most noteworthy spec on the Click Mini's sheet is its touted 16-hour battery life supposedly achievable with the battery-equipped keyboard dock connected (or eight without), something we'll be testing in our full review.
The keyboard clearly isn't going to be as comfortable to type on as tablets for devices 10-inches and above, but it's serviceable enough to carry out light productivity work. It suffers from noticeable flex in the middle region of the keyboard which only adds to its unsuitability for heavier tasks.
Plumping the components into the tablet part of the Click Mini has made it top heavy as you would expect, but it's by no means a problem and doesn't come close to tipping over when you're typing. It's suitable for holding in tablet mode for reading sessions thanks to its lightweight nature and the display's wide viewing angles.
It clicks into the keyboard using a row of mechanical teeth, which proved a little awkward to insert and ironically didn't produce much of a click to signal when attached. Our sample was an engineering work-in-progress according to the Toshiba representative demoing it, so that could have been to blame.
If you're in the game for a keyboard-equipped Windows 8.1 tablet that doubles up a laptop, the Toshiba Click Mini could prove fantastic value for money.
It bears the hallmarks of a great companion device thanks to its portable nature, clear IPS display and potentially excellent battery life. It's less suitable as a main machine due to to its low internal storage and middling keyboard, and those seeking a more durable multimedia system probably won't find what they're looking for here.
The Click Mini undoubtedly resides at a level of quality above the dearth of low-cost tablets flooding the market, and the question will be how it goes up against competing tablets in its price bracket - including the Asus Transformer Book T200 and the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2.
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