Asus X54C-BBK7, a front view.
Sub-$400 full-size laptop price points are usually reserved for those based on AMD Fusion or low-end Intel Celeron processors. The Asus X54C-BBK7 15.6-inch notebook packs a faster Intel Pentium CPU instead, for $350.
Standard Laptops
This category is about standard laptops, with screen sizes ranging from 14 to 17 inches. These mainstream notebooks are designed consumers and small business users and can be used for everyday work tasks, multimedia, and causal gaming. The systems utilize from low- to higher-end processors and graphics. Standard laptops usually cost less than ultraportables and mobile gaming or enterprise-class machines.
Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B, NP900X4B Ultra-Thin Laptops Put on Pre-Order in US
Samsung NP900X4B-A02US
The thinnest 13.3″ and 15″ laptops so far, the NP900X3B and NP900X4B from the 2nd generation Samsung Series 9 are now available for pre-orders.
The Series 9 NP900X3B measures 0.51 inches in profile, while the NP900X4B is 0.58 inches thin. As it was announced last month, the laptops are priced at $1,399 and $1,499, respectively. The models offered at J&R are lower-end configurations with the Intel Core i5-2467M 1.60GHz processors and 128GB SSDs, but include high-res 1600×900 displays, Intel WiDi technology, and backlight keyboards. The smaller of the two notebooks – NP900X3B-A01US has 4GB of RAM, while the larger NP900X4B-A02US has 8GB.
Dell Inspiron 17R N7110 Review
This is the Dell Inspiron 17R N7110.
The Dell Inspiron 17R N7110 we reviewed last week is a 17.3″ inch laptop which belongs to the popular and affordable Inspiron R series. The model we tested had a Core i3-2330M processor, the Nvidia GeForce GT 525M dedicated graphics combined with the on-CPU Intel HD, 4GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, and 1600×900 display resolution.
Deal: Asus X44H-BBR5 14″ Core i3 Laptop for $400
The Asus X44H-BBR5 is the best laptop deal we found today. For only $400, the 14-inch model X44H-BBR5 packs the 2nd Gen Intel Core i3-2350M dual-core 2.3GHz processor. It’s an excelent CPU at this price point, since other $400 laptops today come with lower-end AMD Fusion, or Intel’s Celeron or Pentium chips.
The notebook comes with integrated Intel graphics empowering the 1366×768 screen, 4GB of RAM, and it has a built-in DVD burner. The main trade-offs on the Asus X44H-BBR5 is a relatively low estimated battery life of “up to 3 hours and 18 minutes” and a low hard drive space of 320GB, whereas some even cheaper laptops on the market include a 500GB HDD. Other drawbacks are a webcam with a small 0.3MP sensor and only two USB ports.
No 15″ HP Envy Spectre… At Least for Now
Many sites and DigiTimes as their news source today reported that Hewlett-Packard unveiled the HP Envy 15 Spectre series 15-inch ultrabook in Taiwan. Unfortunately, we think that this is a mistake and that the released laptop is actually the refreshed HP Envy 15, which is already available for some time in the US.
Since DigiTimes didn’t provide detailed info on the 15″ Spectre, we searched for its specs and found nothing. But, we spotted other reports from an HP’s event held yesterday in Taiwan, mentioning only the HP Envy Spectre 14 and the standard Envy 15 and showing off their images.
Asus U47 – 14″ Thin-Bezel Laptop with Ivy Bridge
Asus U47
The Asus U47 is one of the upcoming laptops with Ivy Bridge Intel processors. The aluminum-cladded U47 belongs to the thin-and-light U-series and is a successor of the U46, retaining thin LCD bezel. The shape of the 3-pound Asus U47 has changed and it ditches hinge-forward design. The next-gen model is slightly thinner and measures 1 inch versus previous 1.08. Besides 3rd generation Intel Core processors, the new Asus will sport up to 1TB of hard drive storage, built-in optical drive, and an 8-hour battery.
Asus N46 / N56 / N76 Multimedia Laptops to Deliver Ivy Bridge, Aluminum Design
This is how design of the Asus N6 N46, N56, and N76 Series looks like.
Besides the gaming G5 series, Asustek had on the 2012 CES show the Asus N6 multimedia-oriented laptops on display.
As same as the G5, the N6 will be based on the 3rd-generation Intel Core Ivy Bridge processors. The notebooks will be offered with the Ivy Bridge Core i5 and i7, Nvidia GeForce 500-series GPUs (not 600-series?), and optional Blu-ray optical drives. They will be delivered in three screen sizes, like the current N5 with 14″ N45, 15.6″ N55, and 17.3″ N75. According to the naming scheme for the N series, their model names will be Asus N46, N56, and N76.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y470p Released, Brings Radeon Graphics
Lenovo has launched the IdeaPad Y470p 14” laptop, aimed at multimedia and gaming.
The IdeaPad Y470p shares the same design and most of the specs with the standard Y470, but packs the AMD Radeon HD 7690M 1GB dedicated graphics instead of the Nvidia GeForce (up to the GT 550M 1GB). The Y470p offered via Lenovo.com is a non-customizable configuration with the Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, DVD burner, Bluetooth, and Win 7 Home Premium OS. The display resolution is 1366×768.
Sony Announces Early 2012 VAIO Laptop Line Refresh
Sony has announced refresh of their laptop line, including new configuration and color options for the VAIO Z, new internals choices for the S and E series, and new finish designs for the VAIO C.
Lenovo ThinkPad T430u Listed with Non-Ultrabook Intel i5-3320M CPU
Lenovo ThinkPad T430u
Please take this with a grain of salt, because we are not confident in reliability of the source, but we have to share with you what we found on a Vietnamese website – a listing for the Lenovo ThinkPad T430u Ultrabook with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor.
More Details on 17″ Samsung Series 7 Laptop Revealed
This is the Samsung Series 7 Chronos 17-inch Laptop.
We reported last week that Samsung had launched an Intel Ivy Bridge-based 17″ version of the Series 7 Chronos laptops, but now we have its images and some new details. Engadget spotted the desktop replacement at the 2012 CES last week and revealed that it will include a 300-nit full HD display, unspecified ATI Radeon 2G graphics, and JBL-branded speakers.
New Colorful IdeaPad U310, U410 Thin Laptops Coming in May
Lenovo IdeaPad U410
Besides with the new IdeaPad G, Y, and Z series, Lenovo has expanded its notebook consumer line with the 13.3″ U310 and 14″ U410, both scheduled for release in May. According to the new model names and specs, the U310 and U410 appear to be updates rather to the classic thin-and-light U300 and U400 series laptops than to the company’s first ultrabook – the U300s.
Best Buy Reveals Ivy Bridge-Based Samsung 7 Series 17″ Laptop
A current Samsung Series 7 Chronos 15in laptop.
Samsung is going to expand its Series 7 laptop line with 17-inch models, but maybe it’s more important fact that the spotted NP700G7C-S01US on Best Buy will come with an Ivy Bridge processor, the quad-core Intel Core i7-3610QM.
Samsung Series 9 Laptops for 2012 Coming in February
Samsung Electronics today announced the new Series 9 premium-class thin-and-light laptops, featuring 13.3 and 15 inch 1600×900 400 nit displays with thin bezels, baclit keyboards, the Intel Core i5-2467M CPU, a 128GB solid state drive, and aluminum bodies.
This is the Samsung Series 9 laptop for 2012.
The laptops are expected to arrive on February 27th in the US, with prices of $1,399.99 for the 13.3-inch and $1,499.99 for the 15-inch model.
Lenovo IdeaPad Z, G, Y Series Laptops Updated
This is the Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 Laptop.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y, Z, and G series laptops for consumers have been announced at CES.
