I’ve always drooled over Ultrabooks because they seemed to represent that glorious marriage of performance in a slim and lightweight package. Of course, there’s no way I could afford an Ultrabook, so it always seemed to me that if I ever did get a notebook of my own (I currently make do with a desktop for my work), it would probably be one of those big ass laptops with large and low res screens. Well, Lenovo certainly had me itching to whip out my wallet the other day while I was in attendance at E’s Bar at the Shangri La Hotel Manila when they officially launched the Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 and Z500 notebooks in the Philippines.
The Looks
So technically, they’re not Ultrabooks, but in many ways, they are actually better. The Idea Z400 and Z500 are both full-fledged notebooks, but one thing that’s great about them is that they are 25% slimmer than a typical notebook with a same sized screen. So you’re getting a slim and sleek notebook that you’d be proud to flaunt next to a genuine Ultrabook, while still getting a full laptop experience. Both of them come in fancy color options, including Coral Blue, Dark Chocolate, Peony Pink and Enamel White, so you don’t have to settle for yet another black gadget. I’m particularly feeling the Z400 Coral Blue variant 😀
The Display
The Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 and Z500 sport a 14 inch and 15 inch back-lit HD LED widescreen display respectively. Both come in either a touch or non-touch option, with the touchscreen options obviously designed to take advantage of the Windows 8 touch-optimized interface. The touchscreen option will support up to 10-point multitouch to further maximize multitasking in Windows 8. However, the touchscreen variants for the IdeaPad Z400 and Z500 won’t become available until sometime in April, so I was told.
The Brains Behind it All
One thing I like about these slim notebooks is that they come with standard voltage processors rather than the feeble ULV (ultra low voltage) solutions that are found in Ultrabooks. That means you get the same processing power as you would from a full fledged laptop or desktop computer. The Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 can come powered by up to a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor, while the Z500 can come equipped with up to a Core i5.
The Graphics
On the most basic configurations, the IdeaPad Z400 and Z500 are powered by Intel HD Graphics 4000. It’s not what you would call a powerful graphics solution, but it’ll get the job done for movies and casual gaming. Of course, you can go all the way up to the Nvidia GeForce GT 645M so you can play games like Black Ops 2 during your lunch break. Certainly an upgrade over Intel’s solution.
Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Specs
- Intel Core i3-3120M / Core i7-3632QM Processor
- DOS / Windows 8 OS
- 14 inch HD display (1366 x 768), 16:9 aspect ratio
- 4Gb DDR3 RAM
- Intel HD Graphics 4000 / Nvidia GeForce GT 635M / Nvidia GeForce GT 645M
- 1Tb Hard Drive
- Integrated Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
- Integrated DVD Writer
- 2x USB2.0, 1x USB 3.0, 2 in 1 Card Reader (SD/MMC)
- Integrated 720p Webcam
- HDMI Output
- 4-cell battery
- 2 Year Warranty
- Currently Available in Dark Chocolate, Peony Pink and Coral Blue
Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Specs
- Intel Core i5-3230M Processor
- Windows 8 OS
- 15.6 inch HD display (1366 x 768), 16:9 aspect ratio
- 4Gb DDR3 RAM
- Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
- 1Tb Hard Drive
- Integrated Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
- Integrated DVD Writer
- 2x USB2.0, 1x USB 3.0, 2 in 1 Card Reader (SD/MMC)
- Integrated 720p Webcam
- HDMI Output
- 4-cell battery
- 2 Year Warranty
IdeaPad Z400 and Z500 Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 non-touch version starts at Php29,995 for the base configuration powered by a 3rd generation Intel Core i3-3120M and Intel HD Graphics 4000 and is already available at Lenovo Exclusive Stores and authorized business partners. On the other hand, you can get the non-touch Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 by the end of the month starting at Php37,995 for the variant that’s powered by a 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3230M processor and an Nvidia GeForce GT 635M GPU. If you’re waiting for the touchscreen version of these babies, you’re going to have to wait until April.
