Toshiba Satellite A305 Review

The Toshiba Satellite A305 is a redesign of the older Toshiba A205, vastly improving the look and feel of the notebook, as well as adding the incredibly durable Fusion finish. While some of the lower body looks similar to the older notebook, everything from the waistline up has changed to a sleeker, softer, and glossier feel. Read on to see how well this notebook stacks up against its older brother, and find out if this notebook is worthy of a spot on your lap.

Our review unit of the Toshiba Satellite A305 features the following specs:

• Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10GHz, 3MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
• 15.4" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display at 1280x800 (WXGA)
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 with 512MB video memory
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 4GB)
• 200GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (5400RPM) Primary
• 200GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (4200RPM) Secondary
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive with Labelflash
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Harmon/Kardon stereo speakers
• Fingerprint reader
• Dimensions (WxDxH Front/H Rear): 14.25" x 10.5" x 1.4" /2.25"
• Weight: 6 lbs 13.5oz with nine-cell battery
• 120W (19V x 6.32A) 100-240V AC Adapter (6.0" x 2.55" x 1.45" and weighs 1.56 lb)
• 9-cell (6000mAh) Lithium Ion battery
• 1-Year Standard Limited Warranty
• Price as configured: $1,249.99
  

Build and Design

The first thing you will notice is every part of this notebook is glossy, from the screen cover to the palm rest, and even the keyboard keys. Toshiba is really showing off their new durable Fusion finish on every part of the notebook that they can, and in some ways it is a very good thing. Durability is a big thing with notebook finishes, as many glossy finishes will dull and scratch over time. The new Toshiba Fusion finish on this notebook is incredibly durable, and has yet to actually scratch throughout my testing. With multiple trips in my backpack, I can't find any visible scuffs on the cover, where other notebooks would show fine scratches almost out of the wrapper.

So what does this Fusion finish mean to you? Your keys will not go from matte to glossy over time as they wear down (they are already glossy). Every part of the notebook will get full of smudges and fingerprints, but you can always wipe it down in a couple of minutes to make it look brand new. On other notebooks you get all the smudges, but it would take some hard work with some plastic polish before you ever got it looking new again.

Build quality is excellent in most areas, giving the notebook a very solid feel. Squeaks and creaks are not present, and panel flex is at a minimum. The only areas that stand out as needing some improvement are the wobbly battery, and rough edges around the screen frame where the two plastic pieces meet.