Lenovo Launches Barrage of New Notebooks and Desktops
CES may not officially start until tomorrow, but a cursory glance at our CES 2012 hub will tell you that things are already well underway in Las Vegas. Lenovo is joining the host of companies trying to be grab headlines ahead of tomorrow's opening day with the launch of a new line of laptops and desktop computers.
The company today announced new additions to the IdeaPad U Series, Y Series, S Series and Z Series in a variety of different colors. First up are the IdeaPad U310 and U410 (pictured below). These two ultrabooks follow on from the IdeaPad U300s and feature Intel's Core i-series processors as well as up to 500 GB in HDD storage. The U310 has a 13.3-inch HD 16:9 display and Intel GMA 3000 HD graphics, while the U410 features Nvidia GeForce 610M 1 GB graphics instead. Of course, the whole purpose of Ultrabooks is to be as lightweight and as portable as possible. To that end, the U310 and U410 weigh in at 3.74 lbs and 4.18 lbs, and measure 18-mm and 21-mm thick, respectively. The new IdeaPad U Series laptops will be available beginning in May from $699.
Next is the update to the IdeaPad S line, the IdeaPad S200 and S206. These are mini laptops designed to fill the gap between the netbook and laptop segments and are described as lightweight and super thin. Both pack an 11.6-inch HD widescreen display and are just 20.7-mm thick and weigh 2.8 lbs. Spec-wise, you're looking at a dual core Atom and up to 32 GB of storage for the S200 (the 206 is a dual-core AMD option), 4 hours of battery life (no, that doesn't seem to be a typo), a 0.3-megapixel HD webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth on selected models. Both come with Lenovo Quick Start "instant on" function, which allows users to get online in seconds and run basic apps without starting Windows. The S200 and S206 will be available in Cotton-candy Pink, Crimson Red, Electric Blue, Graphite Grey and Pearl White. The new IdeaPad S Series laptops will be available beginning in June from $349.
The IdeaPad Y480 and Y580 are 14- and 15-inch "ultimate entertainment" laptops geared towards intensive multimedia apps. These high-performance laptops are powered by Intel's Core i-series of CPUs and feature Nvidia's GeForce GTX 660M 2 GB GDDR5 graphics, a backlit keyboard, an HD camera with night view, optional TV tuner and WiDi, Dolby Home Theatre V4 enhanced audio, JBL-designed speakers, and OneKey Theater II for one-touch audio-visual optimization. The new IdeaPad Y Series laptops will be available beginning in April from $899.
The IdeaPad Z580, Z480, Z380 are being touted as budget-friendly performance notebooks and come in 13.3-, 14-, or 15.6-inch variations. Lenovo is promising "the latest processor and graphics options" but doesn't mention anything more specific than the fact that graphics options go right up to a Nvidia GeForce GT 640M 2 GB GPU with DirectX 11. Other specs include a backlit LED HD display (1366 x 768), 16:9 widescreen, integrated DVD reader or Blu-ray Disc drive, HD graphics support, HDMI output, and WiDi. The Z580, Z480 and Z380 are available in Amber Orange, Apple Green, Cherry Red, Coral Blue, Graphite Grey, and Peony Pink. The new IdeaPad Z Series laptops will be available beginning in April from $599.
Lenovo also announced the launch of the IdeaCentre B540 and B340, two high-performance touchscreen AIO solutions. The B540 features a 23-inch, full-HD, frameless display with multitouch and optional 3D. The B540 is based on Intel's Core i-series of processors and has up to Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 2 GB with DirectX 11 for graphics. The B340 is the B540's little brother and packs a 21.5-inch touchscreen display. Both AIOs come with Lenovo High-Sense (720p HD) webcam for video chat, and a DVD reader or Blu-ray Disc drive. The new IdeaCentre B Series will be available beginning in June from $699.
Lastly, there's the IdeaCentre K430 (above). This is probably the most hardcore of the lot, with optional dual-graphics support, twin HDDs, up to 32 GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 4 TB in HDD storage and up to a 128 GB SSD. It also comes with a custom designed portable HDD (500 GB) and the ability to switch between turbo, auto and cool running modes with a color-coded Power Control Switch. The IdeaCentre K430 tower will be available beginning in May from $599.
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Additionally, Lenovo added three new 14-, 15.6-, and 17.3-inch laptops to its G Series in the form of the G480, G580 and G780, but the company has provided very little in the way of hardware specs. Lenovo also added a new H520s, which is a slimmed down desktop PC that's reportedly half the size of a standard PC desktop. Again, nothing really offered on hardware specs, so we'll keep you posted on that. The new Lenovo G Series laptops will be available beginning in June from $399 while the H520s desktop will be available beginning in June from $499.
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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Pyree GTX 660m, I would classified them as laptop gaming class graphic card. Does that mean Lenovo is finally making a gaming line of laptops?Reply -
back_by_demand Do my eyes deceive me?Reply
A Lenovo laptop that doesn't look identical to every other Lenovo laptop since before IBM used to make them?
Surely not! -
shabodah I'd love to see an AMD Fusion A4 Thinkpad, because I don't like the touchpad, give me the trademark thinkpad stick/nub, thank you very much!Reply -
madooo12 back_by_demandDo my eyes deceive me?A Lenovo laptop that doesn't look identical to every other Lenovo laptop since before IBM used to make them?Surely not!yes it's great lenovo now makes a good looking laptopReply
it looks better than a macbook pro
and that mate finish looks great
shabodahI'd love to see an AMD Fusion A4 Thinkpad, because I don't like the touchpad, give me the trademark thinkpad stick/nub, thank you very much!i really want to see a trinity notebook NOW -
freggo All those glossy and shiny cases and screens... but unless I get at least 1200 lines resolution my wallet stays in my back pocket !Reply
I am sick and tired of 1080p displays for computing use. It is simply not enough these days !
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digitalzom-b Looks nice. When I looked at the laptop though, I immediately thought it looked like a Mac Book. Anyone else? Not saying it's a bad thing, just an observationReply
Good to see Lenovo offering a nice gaming setup too, that seems like quite a customizable system, wondering if you get to pick different cases for it too (for better cooling, of course). -
digitalzom-b digitalzom-bLooks nice. When I looked at the laptop though, I immediately thought it looked like a Mac Book. Anyone else? Not saying it's a bad thing, just an observationGood to see Lenovo offering a nice gaming setup too, that seems like quite a customizable system, wondering if you get to pick different cases for it too (for better cooling, of course).Reply
Well I guess maybe not since it mentions the "tower," so it must be a beast. I'm excited to see what they have to offer, and with a starting price of 600 dollars, perhaps a decent price on a decent gaming system.
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rebel1280 digitalzom-bWell I guess maybe not since it mentions the "tower," so it must be a beast. I'm excited to see what they have to offer, and with a starting price of 600 dollars, perhaps a decent price on a decent gaming system.Not only that but you can buy the base model and upgrade as necessary for those not so in tune with computer hardware build up.Reply -
gokanis And at night an evil Chinese transformer robot comes out when you are sleeping and steals socks from your sock drawer......Reply -
Why are the graphics HD3000? That means it's a Sandy Bridge and not an IvyBridge. Why wouldn't they be announcing IvyBridge considering we're talking about May and June deliveries? The HD4000's were impressive at CES according to reports. Not sure why they would make an UltraBook with old hardware. Just seems silly...Reply