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Lenovo announced two new multimedia consumer workstation laptops that offer power, features and broad capabilities, as well as a new less expensive laptop that promises the basics for users who don’t need all the bells and whistles of a fully equipped machine.
The new machines debuted on May 27 just before the company’s first-ever Lenovo Tech World technology innovation event began at its headquarters in Beijing.
The Z41 (pictured), with its 14-inch display, and the Z51, with its 15-inch display, include home-entertainment features, powerful processors, plenty of memory and plentiful storage for both work and play.
The new Ideapad 100 is targeted as a budget machine for users who don’t need as much power and storage.
“We’ve created the new Lenovo Z41, Z51 and Ideapad 100 laptops specifically for customers who want simple and functional design,” BAI Peng, vice president and general manager of the Lenovo notebook business unit in the company’s PC group, said in a statement. “But because our customers are diverse, so our products are not ‘one size fits all’ either. Our three new laptops offer customers the choice to select the one that’s right for them—two specialized for multimedia and one all-rounder.”
The Lenovo Z41 and the Z51 each include FHD displays, optional upgraded AMD graphics capabilities and Dolby DS 1.0 home theater surround sound systems, as well as built-in 802.11 a/c WiFi capabilities. Both machines run on Microsoft Windows 8.1 operating systems.
The Z41 and Z51 laptops can be equipped with a wide range of processor options up to the Intel Core i7 CPU, as well as RAM configurations up to 16GB of DDR3L memory. Standard or solid-state hard drives up to 1TB are also available in both models.
The Z41 and Z51 are available in ebony black or chalk white, while and crimson red is also available to Z41 buyers.
In addition, an optional Intel RealSense 3D camera can also be purchased as part of the Lenovo Z51 machine. Featuring full 1080p color and a depth sensor, the 3D camera allows the laptop to sense and capture depth like the human eye, according to Lenovo. Using the camera, owners can scan objects in 3D to prepare them for 3D printing, while also being able to play 3D games or use hand gestures to control the laptop.
The Z41 and the Z51 will be available in June, starting at $499 for the Z41 and $599 for a Z51 equipped with a RealSense 3D camera, an Intel Core i5 CPU and 8GB of memory.
The Lenovo Ideapad 100
With the Ideapad 100, Lenovo said it wanted to build a lower-priced laptop for users who need only the most essential features, such as Internet and email capabilities, document writing features, and list creation and management. To that end, this basic machine, which starts at $249, includes simpler processors up to the Intel BayTrail-M N3540 CPU, integrated Intel graphics capabilities, up to 8GB of DDR3L memory, standard hard drives up to 500GB or solid-state drives up to 128GB. The Ideapad 100 will run up to 4 hours on a single charge and comes in versions with either a 14-inch or 15-inch HD display. The Ideapad will be available in June through Lenovo.com.