Lenovo Finally Ships its First 4K Laptop

By Kevin Parrish
published

Image: Lenovo

After months of delays, Lenovo finally shipped its very first 4K laptop, the IdeaPad Y50 UHD. There are actually two models: one for $1,299 and the other for $1,599, the latter of which relies on larger VRAM, memory and an SSD.

The specs show that this laptop offers a 15.6-inch UHD LED-lit screen with a 3840 x 2160 resolution. This screen is backed by an Intel Core i7-4710HQ processor, 8 GB of DDR3L memory, and a hybrid SSHD with 8 GB of SSD cache and 1 TB of HDD storage. The graphics are handled by a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M GPU with 2 GB of VRAM.

Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a 720p webcam, a backlit AccuType keyboard, premium JBL speakers and a battery promising up to 5 hours of Wi-Fi browsing are also included. Ports include two USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, a headphone/mic combo jack, HDMI output, a 4-in-1 card reader, Ethernet and SPDIF. An optical drive is not included.

The more expensive version of the IdeaPad Y50 UHD features a Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M GPU with 4 GB of VRAM. The laptop also packs 16 GB of DDR3L memory and a single 512 GB SSD.

Image: Toshiba

Lenovo's new laptop is similar to Toshiba's Satellite P50T, which also sports a 3840 x 2160 resolution on a 15.6-inch screen. Toshiba's solution, costing $1,499.99, includes an Intel Core i7-4710HQ processor, 16 GB of DDR3L memory, AMD's Radeon R9 M265X GPU, and a 1 TB hard drive.

Included in Toshiba's laptop: a Blu-ray writer, dual-band Wireless AC and Bluetooth connectivity, DTS sound and a non-removable 4-cell Lithium ion battery promising just over 3 hours on a single charge. Ports consist of four USB 3.0, HDMI output, Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card reader, headphone and microphone jacks.

Toshiba's more expensive solution, costing $1,629.99, uses Intel's Core i7-4700HD processor. This version also supplies a DVD burner.

Both Toshiba Satellite P50T laptops are expected to ship on July 14, 2014, and feature Windows 8.1. Meanwhile, Lenovo's 4K solution is available now.

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Kevin Parrish
17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Dblkk
    Would this be the Maxwell or keplar version of the 860m? I'm guessing keplar? Which is a shame, the Maxwell 860m is such a nicer gpu, same performance fraction power consumption and less heat.
    If the msi gs ghost would've used the 860m Maxwell, it would've been the perfect laptop! Though its still great, but that would've pushed it from 4 to 5 stars in my book.
    Reply
  • zanny
    2 GB of VRAM for 4K? HA. Yeah okay.

    A 4k framebuffer is only 300MB. So even triple buffering only uses 1GB of vram. Regardless of vram density you won't run modern titles on a 860M at 4k without using either really low poly counts or significantly stunted fps.
    Reply
  • icemunk
    2 GB of VRAM for 4K? HA. Yeah okay.

    lol, it's not like you're going to be running many newer games at 4K with a 860m. That chip is decent for a laptop, but it still only gets 20-30 frames at 1920X1080 on newer games.. up that to the 4K, and you'll be 1/4th at.. 4-6 frames per second. lol.
    Reply
  • coolitic
    4k on 15.6 inch laptop? That is pointless and a waste of performance/money.
    Reply
  • nukemaster
    So we get to use dpi scaling on day to day programs and Windows DPI scaling is not the great. Somethings look great, but others just look much less sharp. Some programs even do not run right or have other issues with DPI scaling.

    This is a case of technology that may be best left to larger screens.

    It is the megapixel war all over again.
    Reply
  • hannibal
    It improves the the text reading from the laptop screen so this is good upgrade! This is not for gaming, this is for work usage. I have win8.1 with DPI scaling and it work well in all office applications and other important programs too!
    But a Maxwell based GPU would be quite nice because it would eat less energy when in light usage!
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    It improves the the text reading from the laptop screen so this is good upgrade! This is not for gaming, this is for work usage. I have win8.1 with DPI scaling and it work well in all office applications and other important programs too!
    But a Maxwell based GPU would be quite nice because it would eat less energy when in light usage!
    Might not be intended for gaming, but those specs say it can do a pretty good job anyway.
    Reply
  • falchard
    What is 3840 x 2160 x 32? That's about 32MB. Each buffer will be about that large. I really don't think Laptops are ready for that yet. MSI uses 3K displays, but pairs them with sufficient graphics horsepower. I don't see this being the case. I don't see the GTS860M being capable of 8 million pixel operations a frame.
    Reply
  • Solandri
    Would this be the Maxwell or keplar version of the 860m? I'm guessing keplar? Which is a shame, the Maxwell 860m is such a nicer gpu, same performance fraction power consumption and less heat.
    Dunno about the Toshiba, but the Lenovo uses the Maxwell 860m. So far I've only seen the Kepler 860m in laptops where the 870m is also available as an option. The 870m is Kepler-only, and apparently using the Kepler 860m allows manufacturers to use it as a drop-in replacement part for the lower-end laptop. But freed from that constraint, manufacturers seem to be using the Maxwell 860m.
    Reply
  • willie nugs
    The Lenovo IdeaPad comes with 802.11AC, not N like you stated in the article... thank goodness
    Reply