Toshiba this week announced its new MacBook Air competitor, the Kirabook — part of Toshiba’s new luxury “Kira” line of notebooks. In pixel density, the Kirabook beats the Macbook Air’s 1,440 x 900 screen by a wide margin — its 13-inch display boasts a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution that the company calls PixelPure.
The Kirabook’s sleek 0.7-inch body is made of lightweight pressed magnesium alloy, and the notebook weighs in at 2.6 pounds, depending on the configuration. You can choose from either a Core i5 or i7 processor, and the notebook comes with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB Solid State Drive, and a high-capacity Li-Polymer battery.
Although not all Kirabook configurations will offer a touchscreen standard, touch-screen compatibility can be added for $100. Kirabooks with touch-screen capability feature Corning Concore Glass.
The Kirabook will also ship with a few extras including complete versions of Adobe Photoshop, Elements 11, and Premier Elements 11 software. Toshiba says the notebook will also ship with complimentary “Platinum” service and support, which offers a two-year warranty, 24×7 phone support, in addition to U.S. based agents, rapid repair, and annual tune-ups.
The Kirabook will be available for pre-order starting on May 3 and for purchase on May 12 at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Microsoft Store, B&H, Adorama, and direct form Toshiba’s website. Configurations start at $1,600 with the higher end model costing roughly $2,000.
To see some hands-on previews of the Kirabook, check out Engadget and Laptop Magazine.
