In the current deluge of ultrabooks, tablet computers, and hybrid gadgets the emergence of a good solid laptop almost goes unnoticed. If you’re talking about a Lenovo product, however, it’s a different matter. The famous technology company’s equally renowned Ideapad notebook breed has a new edition – the Lenovo Ideapad Z575. And by all accounts the Z575 is slated to become another winner what with its fetching design and all-round performance.
Here’s a detailed review to slake your curiosity:
Primary Facts
- Quad core 1.5 GHz AMD A6-3420M processor
- 15.6-inch screen with 1366 by 768-pixel resolution
- 6GB DDR3 RAM
- 500 GB Serial ATA HDD
- Windows 7 Home Premium OS (64-bit)
- Dual-GPUs (Radeon HD 6520G and HD 6650M)
- 48Whr Battery (6 cell)
- Measurements: 14.8 by 9.8 x 1.4 inches (width, depth, height)
Design
Lenovo have always imbued their notebooks with exceptional style and the Z575 certainly looks the part with its lustrous mainly metal frame and smart black and silver color scheme. And the various controls and ports are spread in all the right places around the notebook’s chassis. The latter houses an island type AccuType keyboard with sizeable, comfortably placed, and responsive keys. The accompanying touchpad supports multi-gestures and two-finger scrolling.
The 15.6-inch LCD backlit screen is clear and vivid affording decent viewing angles. Its 1366 by 768 pixel resolution supports the 16:9 aspect ratio and is the perfect tool to view high definition movies. The screen encapsulates a 0.3 megapixel webcam for video calling and even supports the patented VeriFace face detection.
Minor gripes? The Z575 is a mite heavy at 6 pounds and the body does seem to attract a few fingerprints. But overall the entire laptop exudes a sturdy, premium look and feel.
Performance
- The spiffy quad core 1.5 GHz AMD A6-3420M processor (capable of 2.4GHz turbo-charged speeds) together with the inbuilt 6 GB makes the Z575 a competent performer. Programs are accessed quickly, multitasking is facile, and computer freezes seem non-existent owing to the superior internal structure.
- A big merit is the presence of two graphics processors – an AMD Radeon HD 6620G and a Radeon HD 6650M (with 1GB of memory) – that collectively deliver extreme video and gaming performance.
- The enclosed DVD reader with writer facilitates dual layer burning and is adept.
- The stereo sound system too is enhanced: it supports SRS premium surround sound and OneKey Theater II knowhow making for sharper, richer, and more resonant audio output.
- The battery life is, however, mildly disappointing with the 48WHr battery yielding just around 2.50 to 3 hours on a single charge.
Software
The Lenovo Ideapad Z575 ships with the Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) operating system along with a few useful proprietary programs like Office Starter and MacAfee Security Suite as also Lenovo ReadyComm and Lenovo DirectShare for networking purposes.
Connectivity and Ports
The Z575 possesses an impressive list of connectivity options that allows you to exchange, transfer, and share your data with ease. The notebook supports:
- Proprietary DirectShare technology for wireless, web-isolated transfer of content
- eSATA port (shared)
- Ethernet
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
- HDMI
- USB 2.0 (4 in number)
- Multi-card reading
- VGA
- Bluetooth 4.0
Verdict
It’s hard not to find the Lenovo Ideapad Z575 appealing, small quibbles aside. Ultimately, the laptop has the features, the looks, the competitive pricing (roughly $550), and the performance to rope in legions of technology aficionados.
This is a guest post by Nathan Brown of buyatt.com, a site that offers savings and current information on Uverse, as well as att.com services.