Toshiba Satellite U845W-S430 Pro Reviews

While it's a relatively decent performer, the Toshiba Satellite U845W-S430 falls short of ultrabook greatness by hinging almost entirely on a wider display whose utility is questionable.

In an era of patent wars where the word “infringement” gets tossed around casually, one thing’s for certain: Few, if any, manufacturers will ever claim that the Toshiba Satellite U845W-S430 ($1,085.99 as tested, list) ripped off their design. Even in a crowded field of laptops and ultrabooks, its extra-wide display’s 21:9 aspect ratio sets it apart from the rest. Aside from this aspect (or aspect ratio, if you will), it’s a fairly standard ultrabook with a wide display that largely goes to waste.

Windows 8 could bring a new era of consolidated, simplified product lines. For now, that doesn’t seem to be the case–if anything, it seems to be encouraging even more diversification and experimentation. Of course, like natural selection, when there are many mutations, many will fail. The U845W is a failed device. The extra screen size only makes the device more expensive and more unwieldy; the actual benefits it offers are negligible and ephemeral. Plus, the U845W comes with Windows 8 pre-installed, which is a touch-based OS, and the Synaptics touchpad simply doesn’t cut it. It’s a Windows 7 touchpad on a Windows 8 device.

The Satellite U845W-S430 is a wide-screen experiment, but here's the rub: the Windows 8 world is chock-full of experiments already. Touch, folding hybrids, and tablets-turned-laptops are just the tip of an exciting and daunting iceberg. Going extra-wide-screen, frankly, is an experiment that Windows 8 laptops just don't need to undergo...not now, and maybe not any time to come.