Toshiba unveils new AMD/Ivy Bridge Satellite C, L, S, P, and Qosmio laptops
Looking for a next-gen laptop? Toshiba's are coming soon, but you won't see many differences on the outside.
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Should you wait to buy a new laptop? If you're looking for a Toshiba Satellite or Qosmio, you'd better prepare to wait until June.
Toshiba unveiled its line of Ivy Bridge-ready laptops for 2012 today. The new Satellite and Qosmio laptops are all non-ultrabooks, and notably absent is any announcement on new Porteges.
As for the new Satellite lines -- the C800, L800, P800, S800, and Qosmio X875 -- you'd be hard-pressed to find cosmetic differences at first glance. Or, even second. The look of the Satellites has been advanced somewhat with larger touch pads and cleaner lines, but that's about it. Of course, the real updates here are processor-related: newer Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs promise better integrated graphics and slight speed improvements, and next-gen Nvidia graphics (in the case of the new Qosmio, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 670M) should push the envelope well beyond what last year's laptops were capable of.
It's sometimes been a challenge to navigate Toshiba's Satellite lines, but note that the letter-based models of yesteryear (M, A) have been swapped out for all-new lines (P, S). In order of ascension, the new Satellites go as follows: C, L, S and P.
The Satellite C800 entry-level line of Satellites looks more attractive than last year's bare-bones black look, and comes in both next-gen Intel and AMD CPU flavors, along with basic specs (DVD drive, USB 3.0). Prices will start at $399.
The Satellite L800, another budget-oriented line, is a step up from the C with Intel/AMD processor options, a variety of colors (silver, black, white, red and blue), a larger touch pad, and optional Blu-ray. Prices start at $449.
The higher-end S and P series laptops address the "media" laptop zone that the older Satellite A and M series used to occupy.
The new Satellite S800 is a more affordable middle-ground laptop compared with the higher-end P series, and comes in both Intel and AMD processor options. The Satellite S800 starts at $699, and comes in one color: Ice Blue.
The Satellite P series was first introduced last year, but the new Satellite P800 includes Intel Ivy Bridge processors and next-gen Nvidia GeForce 630M graphics, as well as a backlit keyboard and optional Blu-ray. The P800 laptops will start at $799 (14-inch P845 and 15.6-inch P855) and $849 (17.3-inch P875).
All Satellite C, L, P and S laptops will come in 14, 15.6 and 17.3-inch versions.
Finally, the new Qosmio X875 and X875 3D have a retweaked "Black Widow" design and an aluminum body (goodbye, plastic). Harman Kardon quad speakers, dual hard drive combinations up to 2TB, and an optional 1080p 3D-ready display are just a few of the bells and whistles. The Qosmio X875 starts at $1,299 and tops out at $2,499.
All of these laptops should be available on June 24. As for other Ivy Bridge laptops? Odds are they won't be far off this date.