Lenovo Z-Series Updated at CES

[CES 2011] Lenovo is refreshing its “Fashionable” Z-Series of multimedia laptops with the latest from Intel, namely the second generation of Core i3 and Core i5 processors that use the architecture codenamed “Sandy Bridge“.  The updated models, named Z730, Z470 and Z570 have frequencies that range from 2.0GHz to 2.5Ghz and have an NVIDIA Series 400 discrete graphics processor (GPU) in addition to the Intel one already in the CPU itself.

On the specification sheet, all models (13.3″/14″/15.6″) feature a 1366×768 resolution, but we would expect that the 15.6″ can be upgraded to a higher definition.  The Z-Series also has an optional Blu-Ray player, which is one more reason to get a better display. If you are a power user, it’s possible the add up to 8GB of RAM and 1TB of disk storage (7200rpm). The only thing that we would recommend keeping a close eye on is the battery life: with a theoretical 5hrs, there’s no telling what that translates to in real-life, but it’s probably less. More specs in the full post.

CPU: 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5 2.5GHz to Core™ i3 2.10GHz
13.3”/14”/15.6” HD (1366×768) resolution display

Z370: up to NVIDIA® GeForce® 410M 1GB graphics
Z470/Z570: up to NVIDIA® GeForce® 525M 2GB graphics

Up to 8GB DDR3 1333MHz
Up to 1TB 7200 rpm HHD

Integrated DVD reader/writer or Blu-ray Disc™ drive
802.11a/g/n WiFi, 10/100M LAN, Bluetooth® (optional)

3 x USB2.0 ports(1 eSATA combo), 5-in-1 card reader(SD/SD pro/MMC/MS pro/XD) ,CRT, RJ45, HDMI, VGA, 1x Analog Microphone, 1/8″ Stereo Headphone Output Jack, 1/8″ Input Jack Microphone

2.0/0.3MP integrated web camera

Z370: 2.0kg (4.41lb)/ Z470: 2.2kg (4.85lb)/ Z570: 2.6kg (5.73lb)
Z370: 328mm x 20~33mm x 222mm (WxHxD)
Z470: 341mm x 20~34mm x 232mm (WxHxD)
Z570: 376mm x 20~35.5mm x 250mm (WxHxD)

Battery life: Up to 5hr with 6 cell battery