Lenovo has released a number of business-oriented ThinkPad Yoga laptops at the IFA 2015, but they aren’t the only one which will see the light of the day at the big event. The company has introduced its updated line up of Ideacentre and Ideapad laptops and desktops, including the Ideapad MIIX 700, Ideacentre AIO 700, and Ideapad 300 and 500 laptops. All devices released are also available with Intel’s RealSense camera as well, but you may have to shell out some extra bucks for it.
“The philosophy behind all our products is simple – customers first. Whether you are looking for greater portability, higher performance or better design, there has never been a better time for consumers to upgrade their devices this holiday season,” said Dilip Bhatia, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and User Experience, PC & Enterprise Business Group, Lenovo.
“The new ideacentre and ideapad devices combine Lenovo’s elegant design with the great performance of the new 6th Gen Intel Core processor, Intel’s best processor ever. We are delighted to offer holiday shoppers exciting experiences with the new 6th Gen Intel Core processor and the Intel RealSense Camera in these amazing new systems from Lenovo,” said Kirk Skaugen, Intel’s Senior Vice President, General Manager, Client Computing Group
Starting off with the 12-inch 2-in-1 Ideapad MIIX 700, which comes with a detachable keyboard, giving users the option of using it as a tablet as well as a laptop. There are “dual watchband hinges” which allows users to use it as a tablet as well as laptop — something similar to the one found inside the Surface line up.
The new Ideapad MIIX 700 laptop features the latest 6th generation Intel Core M7 processors with up to 8GB of memory and up to 256GB of SSD storage. There’s a 5MP front and rear cameras, one USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 ports, Micro HDMI output, micro SIM jack for LTE connectivity and ships with Windows 10 as its operating system out of the box.
As far as the availability and pricing is concerned, the MIIX 700 will be available in November starting at $699, but this version will be without the RealSense camera.
Next up is the Ideacentre AIO 700 desktop offering users with a multiple screen size options, including 21.5-inch, 23.8-inch and 27-inch, all offering Full HD and UHD display options with 10-point multitouch, and up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A 2GB VRAM. The AIO also has up to 2TB of storage options, or a 192GB SSD, up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and ships with Windows 10 as its operating system out of the box.
The presence of RealSense camera also mean that users will be able to make use of Windows Hello as well, which means you can log in to your Windows 10 PC by just scanning your face. Lenovo Ideacentre AIO 700 will start shipping in October with the 24-inch model starting at $1,099 while the bigger 27-inch model will start at $1,899.
Along with the new hybrid and AIO PC, Lenovo has also introduced a number of new Ideapad laptops, including Ideapad 300, 500, 100S, 300S, and 500S, all shipping with Windows 10 as their operating system.
Lenovo Ideapad 100S is the cheapest of them all, starting at $189, and ships with Windows 10. It’s more of a Chromebook competitor, offering users with a decent set of specifications considering its cheap price tag. There’s a 14-inch variant of the laptop as well, which costs $259. The devices ship with entry-level specifications, including an Intel Celeron processor, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 64GB of storage and around eight hours of battery life on a single charge. The company also launches a variant of the Ideapad 100S which ships with Chrome OS and is even cheaper, starts at $179, and is expected to hit retail next month.
Lenovo’s Ideapad 300 comes with screen sizes of 14-inch, 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch. The first two offer users with full HD display boasting a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, while the bigger 17.3-inch model comes with HD+ resolution of 1600 by 900. Users also get up to 6th generation Intel Skylake processor options, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of hard disk, and ships with Windows 10 as its operating system.
Other connectivity options include two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, HDMI-out, VGA, 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC) and Audio Combo Jack. The 14-inch model starts at $399 and will be available for sale in October later this year.
Lenovo Ideapad 500 also offers 14-inch and 15.6-inch Full HD display options with up to 6th generation Core I7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of HDD storage. The Ideapad 500 starts at $499 and will be available next month.
The company also introduced the “S” version of the Ideapad 300 and 500, which the company claims are “even thinner and lighter”. And yes, they are priced lower than the non-S versions as well and are targeted towards budget-conscious users.
There are various screen sizes to choose from with the Lenovo Ideapad 300S offering users with either 11-inch or 14-inch display. The processing comes from the latest Skylake processors, up to 8GB of storage, up to 1TB of storage or 256GB of SSD, NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics and ships with Windows 10 as its operating system out of the box. The Ideapad 300S carries an extremely affordable price tag and will be available next month starting at $249 for the 11-inch model.
Last but not the least, Ideapad 500S comes with a similar set of specifications when it comes to processor, memory and storage options. However, it offers users with a bigger screen size options, including a 13-inch, 14-inch and 15.6-inch FHD display. The laptop also ships with Windows 10 and will be available next month with its price starting at $499 for the 13-inch model, and goes as high as $659.
Lenovo is the market leader when it comes to PC shipments, as per various market research firms such as Gartner and IDC. With the introduction of the new Skylake processors and Windows 10, and such budget-friendly offerings, it’s going to make it slightly difficult for users to choose the best model for themselves. The PC war is going to get a lot fierce as ASUS, Acer and other manufacturers showcased their own set of laptops and desktops at IFA 2015 in Berlin.
