Slim, sleek and alluring ultraportables are all extremely well, but there are instances while you need a little extra oomph. That’s why we such as the Sony VGN-Z21MN/B so much, and why it’s resident on our A List. It could possibly not be as slim like a MacBook oxygen as well as a Lenovo X300, however it is light, boasts a terrific offer extra energy and – many thanks to its switchable artwork – has amazing battery existence as well.
Lenovo’s latest, the T500, might not possess the ability to compete using the ultraportables with regards to stamina and portability, but just one place it certainly isn’t lacking in is power. And while it can’t really boast supermodel looks, with its business-like straight lines, sharp, pointy corners, bevelled edges and all-black cloak, its sheer practicality races to the forefront.
Powerful specification
It boasts precisely the same exact potent processor – a 2.4GHz Intel center two Duo P8600 – which, coupled 2GB of DDR2 RAM, was enough to attain a extremely respectable rating of 1.19 within our application-based benchmarks. That’s lots enough to the extra intensive tasks, from film and photo editing to computer software progress and compiling, it’s intended for.
And, invisible under the black-suited exterior, there’s one more similarity. The T500 is equipped with dual switchable graphics: an ATI Radeon Mobililty HD 3650 provides a little extra energy for when it’s related to the mains, and Intel’s lower-powered GMA X4500MHD for when you’re out and about. The past isn’t as well shabby with regards to gaming all round performance either, achieving 61fps within our minimal settings Crysis check and 17fps within method settings test.
Gaming isn’t what this laptop’s all about, though, however the display is typically a different matter. It’s the two bigger at 15.4in compared to Sony’s 13.1in panel, as well as increased resolution, using a tremendous 1,680 x 1,050 providing acres of desktop space. The backlight isn’t an LED just one so it isn’t as really vibrant as we’d like, but color equilibrium is fine, there’s no backlight bleed and no proof of grain either.
Ergonomics and extras
If the appears aren’t something to create home about, the T500’s ergonomics certainly are. In conventional Lenovo fashion, there are the two keep track of place and trackpad, and the two are extremely usable. The trackpad, in particular, can be an development much more compared to X300’s instead erratic affair, and it’s build extremely slightly below the level within of the wristrest, decreasing the chance of brushing it by accident.
The keyboard is strong Lenovo fare, although it isn’t really up to the conditions we’ve can be found to expect. although nonetheless exceptional to most those people on most laptops we review, the just one adorning the T500 feels extra rattly and lighter to the touch than before workstation Lenovos we’ve tested.
That dark chassis is as powerful as its aggressive lines suggest, too, with thick, sturdy plastic material all-round jointly with a display that feels powerful enough to resist getting trodden on by an elephant. We certainly couldn’t make an impression – twisting it every and every which way and prodding it with all our may failed to produce any ripples or show-through for the screen.
And while the T500 is much from what you’d contact skinny at 2.6kg you do obtain a tremendous amount of goodies to justify the extra heft. This laptop is equipped with an HSDPA modem using a Vodafone SIM ready for relationship out within of the box, there’s a DVD-writer, a displayport exterior keep track of output (in inclusion to some traditional D-SUB socket), Bluetooth, a TPM module jointly with a fingerprint reader.
It’s certainly a beefy laptop – in extra than just one respect – but battery existence is by no shows bad. It can’t compete using the Z21’s enormous 9hrs 32mins, and in large all round performance mode, its time of 3hrs 43mins isn’t especially notable.
Switch it into vitality Saving artwork mode, however, and it’ll do much more than 5 jointly with a half several hours in lighting use conditions, and that is extremely amazing for just about any laptop with workstation pretensions. should you need to devote even extra time apart away from your mains an optional nine cell, 8,400mAh battery is available, which have to extend this even further.
And let’s not neglect there are each of the normal benefits of getting a Lenovo laptop here, as well. The great ThinkVantage assets allow quick, basic entry to crucial factors along the lines of the wireless modules and battery existence settings. There’s all method of other very helpful assets accessible by pressing the blue key just above the keyboard, too, from backup to method restore and update utilities.
Conclusion
In the T500, Lenovo has made however one more appear laptop. Ok, so it can’t boast the great appears or even the all-round panache within of the Sony Z21 with its amazing battery life, great all round performance and lighting weight, but, to can be found to be fair, it may be an altogether different proposition.
The mixture of that familiar, high-quality Lenovo keyboard using a large, high-resolution display and all-round supreme construct great make for just about any extremely capable desktop workstation. element within substantially decrease cost and that will make the T500 a tempting proposition; should you don’t views sacrificing sex appeal for comfort and reassurance, it’s a good, strong buy.
Lenovo T500