Lenovo targets students with sleek new IdeaPads

Lenovo has revealed a range of new laptops aimed at students looking for a notebook for going back to school, including a smart-looking and svelte IdeaPad 720S alongside some new Flex 2-in-1 models.

Let’s start with the IdeaPad 720S, which is a 14-inch laptop (in a 13-inch chassis) designed to be svelte (the ‘S’ stands for slim), as well as look good. This machine benefits from an anodized aluminum casing and is 15.9mm thick with a weight of 1.55kg.

The 14-inch screen is an IPS panel with a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) and it’s driven by up to a Core i7 Kaby Lake processor, backed with up to 16GB of DDR4 system memory, and an Nvidia GeForce 940MX GPU.

As for storage, you get a PCIe SSD with a capacity of up to 512GB, and connectivity comprises of one USB Type-C port, a pair of USB 3.0 connectors, an HDMI port, along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The 720S also boasts other premium touches like a backlit keyboard (with a redesigned layout) and a Precision Touchpad (which supports nifty gestures under Windows 10). You can also plump for an optional fingerprint reader for extra security.

Another feature worth bearing in mind is ‘always-on charging’, which means you can plug your mobile device into the notebook and it’ll charge the phone up, even if the 720S happens to be switched off at the time.

So, how much will the IdeaPad 720S set you back? The laptop will be priced at $970 (around £750, AU$1,305) and will hit the shelves in June.

Lenovo is also introducing new IdeaPad 320 (pictured above) and 320S models, with the former coming in 15-inch and 17-inch flavors, and the latter ‘slim’ variant in 14-inch and 15.6-inch models (being 19.3mm and 19.9mm thick respectively).

All offer up to Core i7 Kaby Lake processors, with integrated graphics on the 320, and the GeForce 940MX with the 320S. They’ll also be out in June with the IdeaPad 320 retailing at $440 (around £340, AU$590) and $490 (around £380, AU$660) for the 15-inch and 17-inch notebooks, with the IdeaPad 320S pitched at $740 (around £570, AU$995) and $750 (around £580, AU$1,010) for the small and larger versions respectively.

Flex appeal

Lenovo is also launching a new 2-in-1 device in the form of the Lenovo Flex 5 which will come in 14-inch and 15.6-inch versions, with a 360-degree hinge that allows for the convertible to be used in laptop, stand, tent or tablet modes.

Again, these machines will run with up to Core i7 Kaby Lake CPUs backed with up to 16GB of DDR4 system memory, and GeForce 940MX graphics. Storage comes in the form of a PCIe SSD and a hard drive of (up to) 512GB and 1TB respectively.

It’s also worth noting there’s an option for a 4K display with the 15.6-inch model, as opposed to the standard Full HD resolution. The Flex 5 will be the first of this load of new notebooks to emerge, as it’s on sale later this month priced at $720 (around £555, AU$970) for the 14-inch model, and starting at $830 (around £640, AU$1,120) for the larger laptop.

Legion of gamers

Finally, the company also revealed the Legion Y920 VR-ready gaming laptop with a Full HD 17-inch display (IPS with Nvidia’s G-Sync tech), powered by a Core i7-7820HK or Core i7-7700HQ processor.

The notebook has 16GB of system memory and a GeForce GTX 1070 GPU with 8GB of video memory. Storage is provided by a 512GB SSD and 1TB hard drive, plus you also get a backlit mechanical keyboard, and sound delivered by twin 2W speakers and a 3W subwoofer.

The Legion Y920 will cost $2,700 (around £2,080, AU$3,630) and it’ll be available in June.