Toshiba's Satellite Laptops Get Intel Haswell, New Designs

Toshiba has updated its entire Satellite laptop lineup, giving its notebooks slick new looks and outfitting them with Intel's Haswell chip. The improvements start with a simplified U-shaped design that mimics the look of the company's Kirabook, which is a welcome change from the company's previous offerings.

Toshiba Satellite P Series

At the top of the class is Toshiba's Satellite P Series lineup. Available exclusively through Best Buy stores or Toshiba Direct and starting at $799, the P-Series features an aluminum chassis that's 25 percent lighter than the previous generation's and a sleek frameless keyboard. Inside, the P Series gets Intel's latest fourth-generation Core processors, upwards of 32GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and Nvidia's GeForce GT740M graphics chip with 2GB of RAM.

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The P Series can be had with either a 15.4-inch or 17-inch TruBrite touch screen display, as well as Harmon Kardon speakers and DTS Studio Sound software. P Series laptops will also come with Toshiba's Sleep-and-Music software, which lets users listen to music even when the system is in sleep mode. And if you're looking for 4K video support, the P Series should be on your radar.

Toshiba Satellite S Series

Toshiba's S Series is a small step down from the P Series, though it still has its share of intriguing features. Like the P Series, you get Intel's fourth-generation Core series processors, up to 16GB of RAM, upwards of 1TB of storage space and Nvidia's GT 740M graphics chip with 2GB of RAM. Available displays include both touch screen and non-touch screen 14-inch, 15.6-inch and 17-inch options.

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Starting at $600, S Series notebooks will come with Harmon Kardon speakers and DTS Studio Sound software, as well as a backlit keyboard and optional Blu-ray player. Naturally, you'll also get a full complement of ports, including USB 3.0 and HDMI.

Toshiba Satellite L Series and C Series

If you're looking for a more budget-friendly option, you can opt for Toshiba's Satellite L Series notebooks. Starting at $500, the L Series is available with your choice of Intel or AMD processors and touch screen displays. The L Series' exterior now features a glossy finish, and the 15-inch model is roughly 25 percent thinner than its predecessor.

The C Series, which starts just below $400, is also available with a touch screen display. Toshiba says it has worked on the C Series' keyboards to improve rigidity, something the previous generation was sorely lacking.

Both the C Series and LSeries will continue to carry Intel's third-generation Ivy Bridge Core-series processors for the time being, though Toshiba representatives said the lines will eventually get access to the chipmaker's fourth-generation Haswell CPUs.

Toshiba says its P Series and S Series notebooks will be available June 9. The P Series can only be purchased through ToshibaDirect.com or at Best Buy stores. The S Series will be available nationwide.  Pricing and availability for the C and L Series have yet to be announced.

Daniel P. Howley
LAPTOP Senior Writer
A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.