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In addition to the ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops, Lenovo also offers a value-priced series of laptops. Called ‘Essential’ on the Lenovo Web site, the products available in this line include the G Series, B Series, and V Series. Launched in 2009, the first laptop in the Essential range was the G530.
Contents
- G Series
- 2011
- G570
- G475
- G575
- G770
- 2010
- G455 and G555
- G460
- G560
- 2009
- G530
- G550
- B Series
- B470
- B570
- B460
- B560
- V Series
- V360
- V460
- V560
- References
While some web-based reviews tend to incorrectly refer to these laptops as IdeaPads, the products in the Essential range are referred to as the ‘Lenovo xx’ laptops. For example, Lenovo G470., G580
G Series
The Essential range of G Series laptops from Lenovo are designed for everyday use for cost-conscious consumers.
2011
The G Series laptops released in 2011 were the G470, G570, G475, G575, and G770.
G570
The G570 launched with the following specifications:
The 6-cell battery offered approximately five hours of battery life. The laptop could also be equipped with a Blu-ray drive instead of a DVD reader/writer.
G570
The G570 was launched at the same time as the G470.
The laptop’s specifications are as follows:
Like the G470, the G570 could also be equipped with a Blu-ray drive instead of a DVD reader/writer.
G475
The G475 was first announced in Japan.
The laptop’s specifications are as follows:
With a 6-cell battery, the laptop offered up to 5.6 hours of battery life.
G575
The G575 was scheduled for release in April 2011 by Lenovo.
The laptop’s specifications are as follows:
Additional features on the laptop included a two-in-one card reader, Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, a HDMI port, and Windows 7 Home Premium.
G770
Also released in 2011, the specifications of the Lenovo G770 are as follows:
2010
G Series laptops released were the G455, G555, G460, and G560.
G455 and G555
The G455 and G555 models were announced together in 2010.
The specifications common to the G455 and G555 laptops are as follows:
The laptops featured 14 inch and 15.6 inch widescreen displays respectively. The G455 was released in China as the G455A; the United States received a later release – March 2010.
The additional features on the G555 laptop are as follows:
G460
The G460 and G560 laptops were announced together at CES 2010.
The G460 laptop’s specifications are as follows:
The laptop was available with DOS (Disk Operating System) – no other standard operating system was included.
G560
The G560 was released in 2010 by Lenovo, and summarized by Notebook Review as “a solid consumer budget notebook with a weak touchpad”. The laptop weighed 5.73 lbs and had dimensions of 14.8 x 9.8 x 0.7~1.4 inches.
The laptop’s specifications are as follows:
Notebook Review listed the pros of the laptop as the build quality, the keyboard, the large number of ports, battery life, low noise and temperature levels, and overall performance. The cons were the touchpad which did not register clicks accurately, the glossy plastic lid which retained fingerprints, and the low screen resolution.
2009
The G Series laptops released in 2009 were the G530 and G550.
G530
The G530 was the first laptop in the Essential G Series laptops, and received an Editor’s Choice award from Notebook Review upon release. The laptop weighed 5 lbs and measured 14.1 x 10.1 x 1.45 inches.
The laptop’s specifications are as follows:
The G530 was compared favorably to the ThinkPad SL500, with Notebook Review stating that, “Lenovo should be pushing this notebook to small and medium businesses instead of the ThinkPad SL500, since the G530 feels like a much better machine”.
G550
The G550 was an updated version of the G530. The most significant difference between the two laptops was a change in screen aspect ratio from 16:10 to 16:9.
The laptop’s specifications are as follows:
The laptop measured 14.9 x 9.6 x 1.4 inches. Notebook Review listed the pros of the laptop as its tough construction, textured finish which successfully masked smudges, and the ‘comfortable and solid keyboard’.
Notebook Review also indicated that the laptop functioned well as a desktop replacement, handling web browsing, HD and SD movies, and 2D games with ease. However, some features of the G530 had been removed, among which were one USB port and the Express Card slot. These changes were listed as cons, because the price of the laptop remained unaffected, despite the absence of those features. lenovo has produced new version is called G 580 in G 580 contain webcam and other extra processors that is core i3, core i5, core i7, etc.
B Series
The Essential range of B Series laptops from Lenovo are designed budget-friendly laptops designed for small businesses.
2011
The B Series laptops released in 2011 were B470 and B570.
B470
The B470 laptop was announced by Lenovo in April 2011.
The specifications of the laptop are as follows:
B570
Released in 2011, the B570 laptop received a positive review from CNET, with the reviewer saying, “For such a modestly priced laptop, the Lenovo Essential B570 really does punch above its weight.” The pros of the laptop were listed as the low price, good performance, design, and display. The only con listed by CNET was the low storage capacity.
The specifications of the laptop are as follows:
2010
The B Series laptops released in 2010 were the B460 and the B560.
B460
The specifications of the B460 laptop are as follows:
B560
The specifications of the B560 laptop are as follows:
V Series
Like the B Series, the Lenovo V Series laptops are budget-friendly laptops designed primarily for small business users.
2011
The V Series laptops released by Lenovo in 2011 were the V370, V470 and V570.
The 2011 Lenovo V Series laptops offered screen sizes of 13.3 inches, 14 inches, and 15.6 inches respectively, with maximum resolutions of 1366x768 pixels. The laptops could be equipped with up to Intel Core i7 processors and up to 8GB of RAM. The laptops also offered up to 1TB hard disk drives, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 ports, a HDMI port and an eSATA port. The V370 offered NVIDIA GeForce 315M 1GB graphics while the V470 and V570 offered GeForce 525M 2GB graphics.
2010
The laptops released in the Essential range of V Series laptops in 2010 were the V360, V460, and V560.
V360
The Lenovo V360, released in 2010, offered the following specifications:
V460
The Lenovo V460 was summed up by LAPTOP Magazine as: “It looks great and has switchable graphics, but this lightweight notebook for small businesses doesn’t last long enough on a charge.”
The V460 offered the following specifications:
V560
The Lenovo V560 offered the following specifications: