Toshiba Satellite M305-S4819
Notebook Reviews > Toshiba Satellite > M305-S4819

Review Date: 21st July' 08

M305 is a new consumer orientated laptop by Toshiba. This 14.1" laptop has the potential to attract and keep power users happy with its powerful hardware.

This new M305 Satellite unit has an overall improved look over its predecessors. M305 has a mirror-like finish, it is tempting to handle the laptop all over but be cautioned that even slight touch will leave behind fingerprints all over it.

The keyboard has the same glossy features as the laptop lid, fingerprints on the reflective surface does leave a bad taste. However the keys respond very well to rapid typing, except for short key action. The touchpad have a matte surface material, it is easier for the user to distinguish the active area without taking his eyes off the screen. The pad is quite small, and its finish seems odd in comparison with the build of the rest of the laptop as it is the only textured portion. The sensitivity of the touchpad is average.

The M305 has a 14-inch wide-screen LCD display which is capable of offering up to 1,280x800 native resolution. The resolution support is pretty standard among 13- to 15-inch displays. Users should usually be aware about getting an overly glossy screen coatings. However, this is not evident in the M305, the display itself is glossy but there is no excessive reflections or glare from other light sources on the screen. The backlight of the screen is even, due to the glossy surface, colors seem to pop vividly across it. The display is definitely good enough, it has vibrant colors, minimal reflectivity and good brightness.

This laptop has three USB 2.0 ports which is standard for 14.1-inch laptops. Besides USB ports, M305 also includes Firewire and Express Card slot. Power users would certainly enjoy having all these features.

Performance wise, the M305 performs much better than average laptops. It is tested with various benchmarking softwares and subjected to image and light video editing tests. The result indicates that while this Satellite unit is not the ideal mobile gaming machine, it has enough power for average as well as intermediate users.

Satellite M305 also comes equipped with a small version of the Harman Kardon speakers, audio performance is slightly above average. The perfect audio fans will probably complain that the bass response is not rich enough and the highs are slightly tinny on the M305's audio system, but we found that the sound produced is natural at all volumes with rare distortion. The audio system on this unit performs reliably enough to complement its excellent video output.

At 5.25 pounds, the M305 is perhaps a little heavy for its size. However for an adult, this weight is nothing but a testimony to the quality build of the Satellite unit.

On a test run, the Satellite M305 ran for about 1 hours and 40 minutes when it is subjected to a DVD battery drain test. The battery life is not really impressive in comparison with other laptops in the market. However users can expect up to three solid hours of computing on a single charge if this laptop is used for usual tasks like Web surfing, presentation and typing.

Like all new Toshiba Satellite models, the M305 also sports the Sleep-and-Charge feature, users can plug in and charge their USB devices through the laptop, regardless of it being in sleep or hibernate mode, or even powered off, provided that it is plugged into an outlet.

The Satellite M305 unit is an above average laptop in terms of style, portability and performance. However, there are laptops that outperform it in almost every department. Thus M305 is recommended for average users who want to use it for the usual tasks and are content to spend low $1000 budget for it.