The old adage "form follows function" should be taken seriously here and the latter shouldn't be compromised in favor of the former. The widescreen format, which dictates the shape of the notebook, also affects the keyboard layout. The U840W does not feature a locking display it's up to the hinges to keep the notebook closed. Although the display on our sample would rock a bit back and forth, the motion certainly remained within acceptable limits. The very wide display can easily be opened with one hand the hinges allow the screen to be tilted back a maximum of 140° degrees. Build quality is already impressive considering its pre-production state. The U840W oozes high-end and feels like it belongs in the upper echelon of Ultrabooks. This visual separation continues on the inside: the keyboard has a frame in steel grey while the palmrest is black and textured.Īs far as appearance and feel are concerned, our test sample makes a convincing statement. As a result, the display lid has two separate sections: one part is aluminum, the other has a rubberized and textured coating. The Toshiba designers incorporated the widescreen theme into the appearance. It takes some getting used to - but we became comfortable with the new notebook after a few minutes of use. We immediately noticed the different footprint during the unpacking process. Toshiba has cautioned us that the press images used for the U840W are not final, either. Since this is a pre-production sample, please keep in mind that not all specs or even the hardware have been finalized. Here, we specifically focus on the rather unconventional display. In the following test, we are going to take a look at a pre-production unit of the Satellite U840 Ultrabook. In addition to the Satellite U840W, a "regular" version (called the U840 and featuring a standard 14-inch display) will also be offered.
Movie fans are the obvious target, but Toshiba also expects advantages for the office-type user due to the additional 426 pixels of display width. To distinguish itself from the rest of the pack and to offer potential customers a differentiating feature, Toshiba will be gearing up to launch an Ultrabook with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Apple still uses the downright antiquated 4:3 ratio for the iPad - and with great success if the sales numbers are of any indication. That doesn't mean that the "old" aspect ratios are gone for good, since some manufacturers decided to stick with 16:10. Display aspect ratios have changed over the years, first from 4:3 to the more widescreen 16:10 later some manufacturers adopted the change to the even wider 16:9. Trends come and go - some prevail, most are forgotten almost immediately.