The Toshiba Satellite M645 is a new 14 inch laptop that promises a lot in terms of both style and performance. While certainly not the cheapest notebook in its class, does the Satellite M645 have what it takes to stand out from other mid-range laptops currently on the market?
At first glance the Toshiba Satellite M645 looks very nice indeed, with a lovely textured finish that is both stylish and understated. Most of the Toshiba range is looking rather good in the style department of late, and the Satellite M645 is certainly no exception. However, with the choice of an Intel Core i5 processor, advanced Dolby audio, and Nvidia graphics, it is not only the looks department where the M645 shines.
The Satellite M645 features a well designed island keyboard, a 3.3 x 2 inch touchpad with multigesture support, and a touch sensitive control bar, all of which feel comfortable and operate well. The display is also nice, with a 1366 x 768 resolution displaying clear, sharp images; although the glossy display is not going to be to everyone’s liking.
One definite stand-out for the Satellite M645 is the quality and power of its sound. In sharp contrast to the inaudible bass and shaky treble put out by most laptop speakers, the Satellite M645 sounds fantastic – I don’t remember ever saying that before in a laptop review – with Harmon Kardon stereo speakers.
If you are looking for a laptop with good inbuilt sound without the need to purchase an external audio interface and speakers, this may very well be the computer for you. Two other notable features are the illuminated keyboard and the ambient light sensor.
In terms of graphics performance, the Toshiba Satellite M645 performs well, using the Nvidia Optimus technology that is being included on more and more laptops all the time. This allows users to switch between integrated and discrete graphics, in an attempt to boost battery performance and consume less power. However while the graphics are great, the battery life is mediocre at best when using the included 6-cell battery, with about 3 1/2 hours measured in most tests.
Consumers can choose to upgrade the battery to a 12-cell option, and can also configure the Satellite M645 in a number of other ways. The processor, RAM, hard drive, and graphics can all be configured, and the optical drive can be upgraded to a Blu-ray player. The Toshiba Satellite M645 starts from only $719, although be careful, because with a few upgrades here and there are you will be well over the $1000 mark in no time.
Specifications
Intel Core i3 /i5 configurable
up to 8GB RAM
up to 500GB SATA Hard Drive
14 inch LED display
1366 x 768 resolution
Nvidia GeForce GT330M with Optimus
DVD SuperMulti/Blu-ray
802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
3 x USB
7-1 card reader
Ethernet
HDMI
VGA
