Today, Lenovo announced the launch of two new ultraportables from the brand new LaVie Z line: the 13" LaVie Z HZ550 ultrabook, weighing only 1.72 lbs, and the 13" LaVie HZ750 convertible PC, weighing 2.04 lbs.
This low weight is achieved by the Magnesium-Lithium (Mg-Li) alloy that the two laptops are using. The alloy is 50 percent lighter than aluminum and 30 percent lighter than Magnesium, while still maintaining the same hardness rating as Magnesium, according to Lenovo. The two laptops are also very thin, measuring only 16.9 mm in thickness.
The two devices were produced by the joint venture between Lenovo and NEC, a company that knows how to make thin and light devices. Before it got out of the mobile market in 2013, NEC could make 6.7 mm smartphones (thinnest in the world at that time) when most other flagship smartphones were still around 8.5-9 mm in thickness. It's not a surprise then that NEC is the one helping Lenovo build one of the thinnest and lightest notebooks in the world.
"We are thrilled to bring our first NEC products outside of Japan with the LaVie Z, two of the world's lightest PCs in their class," said Roderick Lappin, president and CEO, NEC Lenovo Japan Group and vice president, Lenovo. "The LaVie models are a true triple play -- on the cutting-edge for thin, light and powerful -- and the HZ750 adds another advantage - 360° mode flexibility – making these devices real game changers that stretch the bounds of innovation."
The LaVie Z HZ550 comes with a dual-core Core i5 Broadwell processor, 4 GB of LPDDR3 RAM (mobile RAM), an anti-glare 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) 13" IGZO panel, 128 GB SSD storage, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac.
The LaVie Z HZ750, which is not just an ultrabook, but a convertible with a hinge that can rotate 360 degrees, comes with an option between Core i5 and Core i7 Broadwell processors, touch panel that can have Full HD or WQHD resolution, the same amount of SSD storage (128 GB), and also Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac connectivity. The HZ750 has a 50 percent bigger battery than the HZ550, which should give it a rating of about 9 hours.
The LaVie Z HZ550 ultrabook will cost $1,299, while the LaVie HZ750 convertible will start at $1,499. Both should begin shipping in May.
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