Toshiba Satellite U845W Ultrabook Review: Going Wide at 21:9
by Dustin Sklavos on October 16, 2012 12:01 AM ESTConclusion: A Niche Worth Exploring
I've come away from my time with the Toshiba Satellite U845W with a largely favorable impression. What Toshiba has achieved here is very respectable and worthy of attention: they've designed a notebook that's pleasing to look at and by and large excellent for productivity. Intel's ultrabook initiative has meant a glut of similar designs hitting the market with different vendors prioritizing only slightly different aspects of the experience (much as has happened with Android tablets), so it's good to see Toshiba produce something genuinely distinctive that sets them apart from the pack.
In terms of build and design, I found the U845W to feel pretty durable. The materials used are solid and the whole thing feels well crafted. The aluminum and brown accents are also surprisingly attractive, taking the distinguishing point (the ultra wide display) and pushing further into making the U845W a unique product. Meanwhile, though the display quality is still on the mediocre side, the increased resolution makes it more suitable for productivity tasks, and Toshiba was able to eke a healthy amount of battery life out of the U845W while still keeping it running both cool and quiet. No trade-offs really needed to be made.
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At the same time, though, my enthusiasm for the U845W starts to wane when I look at what I consider to be the major miscalculations of the design. 10/100 internet in a $700 notebook in 2012 is unacceptable, period, end of discussion. Many users will be able to live without, but we're still stuck with 2.4GHz wireless and no way to upgrade it internally. The mushy keyboard is the nail in productivity's coffin, though. The U845W threatens to be a fantastic solution for a lot of users, so why cheap out on one of the most crucial parts of the experience?
Thankfully, Toshiba makes back a lot of ground on price. The $999 MSRP is on the cusp of reasonable, but the $699 price in retail is far more palatable and makes this unique ultrabook affordable for most people as opposed to just the bleeding edge consumers. With that in mind, I feel like the gulf between this $699 model with 500GB of mechanical storage supplemented by 32GB of SSD cache and the $1,159 model with just a 256GB SSD is far too great, especially when you can get 256GB SSDs for under $200. Toshiba should consider a model with a 128GB SSD at around $899 retail.
As for my wish list, I think Toshiba has the makings of a premium product with the U845W but actually needs work on the internals. I'd personally like to see a low end dedicated GPU option, a/b/g/n wireless, and the ethernet upgraded to the gigabit it should've been in the first place. The CPU is honestly fine for most users, and the middle ground 128GB SSD I suggested earlier would be fine for finishing it off.
If it weren't for the keyboard I would have few reservations about recommending the Toshiba Satellite U845W, but because it's (at least in my opinion) just that bad, you're going to want to see if you can try it out in retail before taking the plunge. Alternatively you can take advantage of Amazon's fairly lax return policy if everything else here appeals to you. I think Toshiba put a very strong foot forward with the U845W by introducing a notebook with an ultra wide display and then backing it up with a mostly solid design; now they need to go back and iterate. A second generation model with at least some of the changes I requested would easily be editor's choice material.
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Alexo - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - link
What about people that want to WORK on the road, not just watch movies. Bring back the vertical space!I would be ready to pay a premium for a system similar to the old T61 but with more modern components (Ivy Bridge) and better battery life.
The X230 could have been a great solution for me if it could be had with a higher resolution 4:3 (hell, I'll even agree to 16:10) screen.
ATC9001 - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - link
I know this isn't a perfect IPS panel with 1920x1080 or 1200 or even going 21:9 with 1080 or 1200 in the vertical, but I think it's a HUGE step up from anything with a 1366x768 panel. If you think about the average joe six pack user/laptop in this market segment (500-1000) VERY few come with anything bigger than 1366x768 when 15.6" and below, this laptop has decent enough hardware (yeah optimus would be nice, but if you're not gaming it works) with the extended horizontal workspace. Wide screen is the way of future, with 2 windows open at once you have a much larger work area and the more this goes into the general public the more people will want the higher resolution.I give toshiba props for trying this radical concept...it's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction IMO. I'd be interested in buying one (granted I'd rip out the 32gb mSATA and throw in a 128 drive) for graduate school...only thing holding me back is i'll probably just splurge on a zenbook (but thats 400+ more).
kmmatney - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - link
If they are going to do anything "radical", I'd like to see a 16:10 display instead. It would be radical, since they don't seem to make 16:10 laptops any more (much less 4:3 laptops).rickon66 - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - link
The all new Toshiba Bunker View Mega Scroll Ultra Book, featuring a screen no bigger than the firing slot in a WW1 bunker, amuse yourself with the endless delight of scrolling constantly to see any real web content as you enjoy the vast empty fields of space on each side. 21:9=faildeamon0 - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - link
I am looking forward to buy a ultrabook sometime this year end. Hence I am eagerly watching out for ultrabook reviews, needless to say the reviews here are informative, reliable and extensive. I love reading it.We know that in the coming months we will have a many new varieties of ultrabooks, it seems as though the race for the best ultrabook between popular brands has just begun. While it is good that consumers are spoilt for choices and now with the entry of Windows 8 some of them are also looking to multi-task as tablets. Though I'm not too keen on this type ultrabooks, if they can keep up the important features of a good ultrabook then they're most welcome.
Basically I think what consumers want (or at least what I want) from a ultrabook are :
1. Above average Performance
2. Good Display, resolution and battery life.
3. Good design with sufficient number of ports (like inclusion of Ethernet)
4. Lastly a "worth it" price point.
Hoping to find a ultrabook that satisfies above needs the best.
KPOM - Thursday, October 18, 2012 - link
"The lower half of the U845W's interior continues the same tasteful aesthetic of the lid."Apart from the 5 annoying badges on the left and the (hopefully easy to peel) large sticker on the right. I get that Intel requires this for the Ultrabook subsidy, but some manufacturers put them on the bottom or at least make the colors blend into the color of the palmrest.
Iketh - Friday, October 19, 2012 - link
I got excited at the headline, then I stopped reading at the specs...Why bother with this design if you're gonna provide less than 1920 pixels wide?
And then why bother if you're not going to make use of the extra keyboard space...
Use this form factor if you're providing 2520 pixels wide and a full sized keyboard... then i'll be all over this