Toshiba Satellite U845-S406 Pro Reviews

Initially, the U845 left me a bit disappointed. I wish that more companies would pay attention to the overall end user experience, the same way that manufacturers approach serious smartphone and tablet products, and the way ASUS is doing with their Zenbook systems. I'm not saying that every system needs to be super thin or supremely powerful; obviously, at certain price points it just isn't possible to create a mind-blowing system. But even at low to midrange price points, it's worth paying attention to the minor details that can affect the overall experience. Toshiba clearly knows this, as shown by their Excite line of tablets, which makes it all the more plexing why they can't do it with their portable PC products. It’s about time something legitimately shook up the notebook industry. In the meantime, street pricing of the U845 is about $280 less than the MSRP, and that makes the product viable. If you're in the market for an Ultrabook but don't want to spend a lot, this is the sort of compromise you end up with. It won't win any awards, but after uninstalling all the bloatware you end up with a reasonable thin and light laptop.

The Toshiba Satellite U845-S406 is a thin, light, affordable system that will work well for business users on the go.

The Toshiba Satellite U840-S406 doesn't reinvent the wheel but is nonetheless a decent system for users looking for a well-designed, reasonably priced ultrabook for day-to-day use.

The Toshiba Satellite U845 is a serviceable but generic-feeling 14-inch ultrabook that, in a quest to become more affordable, has fallen into a grey zone: not all that compact, not all that rich in features.

If you can find it priced under $800, as we did at Staples while writing this review, and you like its brushed-aluminum aesthetics, the Toshiba Satellite U845-S406 is a decent ultrabook buy. It's especially worth looking at if you find the 13-inch screens on most other ultrabooks a smidge too small. Its WiDi wireless abilities make up a bit for its 1,366x768 resolution, especially if you’ve got a 1080p TV that you can easily connect it to. And its performance, while it generally doesn’t break away from the ever-swelling pack of midrange ultrabooks, is certainly solid, and much better in most ways than lower-priced options like HP’s Envy Sleekbook 6-1010us.