Apart from its business-oriented ThinkPad series, Lenovo has also unveiled a slew of new products for the consumer and gaming market. These include its IdeaPad line and its gamer-focused Y-series.

For starters we have the IdeaPad 710S. The IdeaPad 710S features the latest generation Intel Core processor (up to Core i7) and runs on Windows 10 Home edition.

The laptops sports a 13.3-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1800) display and features a narrow 5mm bezels. Lenovo is also giving consumers the option to get an Intel Iris graphics.

Other notable features of the IdeaPad 710S include two USB 3.0 ports, a micro-HDMI out, a 4-in-1 card reader, an audio combo jack, built-in JBL stereo speakers, Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth v4.0.

Then there’s the Lenovo Yoga line. The series is made up of three models – the Yoga 700, Yoga 900 and the Yoga 900S. The trio offers flexibility in terms of specs and pricing that should allow consumers to choose which model fits their needs.

In terms of display, the Yoga 900 boasts the biggest screen at 13.3 inches, followed by the Yoga 900S at 12.5 inches while the Yoga 700 is offered in either an 11-inch or 14-inch version. The Yoga 900 also has the best display with a resolution of 3200 x 1800, followed by the Yoga 900S with a 2560 x 1440 IPS panel.

Both the Yoga 900 and 700 can be configured with Intel’s latest generation Core i processors, while the 900S is built with Core M processors. All three models offer stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium certification.

Another interesting new product at Lenovo’s CES booth was the IdeaCentre 610S which comes with a projector module that allows users to project content into a wall.

Specs-wise, the device boasts 16GB of RAM, 2TB storage, Intel Core i7 processor, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce 750 Ti graphics card. The IdeaCentre 610S will be available starting June for $850.

Looking at the gaming department, we have the IdeaPad Y900, which promises top-notch gaming for $2000. The laptop comes equipped with the a 17.3-inch IPS panel with Full HD resolution, the latest generation Core i7 processor (that are overclockable) complemented by an Nvidia GTX 980M graphics (4GB or 8GB of VRAM), 64GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB storage.

In the connectivity department, the Y900 sports a trio of USB 3.0 ports, a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port, an audio and mic jack, HDMI 2.0 port, a 4-in-1 card reader and a DisplayPort.

To complete the gaming experience, Lenovo has also created a curved gaming monitor – the Lenovo Y27g, a stereo headset with 50mm high-performance drivers, a gaming optical mouse with a 4000dpi optical sensor and 5 programmable buttons, and even a gaming backpack.

 The Lenovo Y900 will be available starting June 2016.

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It seems gaming is a recurring theme at IFA this year; and it’s mostly the Taiwanese firms that are bringing their game on. While Acer has its Predator line and Asus has Republic of Gamers, Lenovo has its Y-series.

The series’ front liner are the IdeaCentre Y900 and Y700 desktop PCs and the IdeaPad Y700 gaming laptop. The desktop PCs can be equipped with 6^th generation Core i7 processor, discrete graphic options and can accommodate future upgrades.

Both models come with NVidia’s GeForce graphics cards with the Y700 featuring the GTX 970 with 4GB of RAM while the Y900 sporting a GTX 980 also with 4GB of video RAM. Memory goes up to 32GB via four DIMM slots (64GB for the Y900) and there are four hard drive bays that is compatible with 3.5 or 2.5-inch hard drives.

Lenovo didn’t skimp on the ports either. Both the IdeaCentre Y700 and Y900 are sporting multiple USB ports both front and rear as well as HDMI, DVI and VGA ports at the back. There’s also Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, Giga LAN, a 7-in-1 card reader and 6 audio jack with SPDIF.

As for the IdeaPad Y700, the laptop can be equipped with Intel’s latest Core processors, NVidia’s GTX 960M GPU with 4GB of video RAM and up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM.

Storage options can be a mix of spinning and solid state drives. HDD options can go up to 1TB (with 512GB SSD or 8GB SSHD). Lenovo has also worked with JBL in giving the laptop some audio oomph. To be more specific, the Y700 sports two 2W JBL speakers with chamber, a 3W subwoofer and Dolby Home Theater technology.

The keyboard is backlit with red LED and has two levels of brightness. In terms of connectivity, the laptop has 802.11 ac, Bluetooth v4.0, two USB 3.0 ports, a lone USB 2.0 port, a 2-in-1 audio combo jack, an HDMI port and a 4-in-1 media card reader.

The display department is made up of a 15.6-inch frameless display with Full HD resolution (users can also upgrade into a UHD version that has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels). The screen also has anti-glare coating with 10-point multi-touch.

For a full and immersive gaming experience, Lenovo has also created several accessories including a gaming surround sound headset, a precision mouse, a mechanical switch keyboard, a mouse mat and even a gaming backpack – totaling $389.95.

The laptops will be available starting October for $949, while the IdeaCentre Y900 and Y700 will be available starting November for $1599 and $999 respectively.

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Asus’ Republic of Gamers line has always been a brand associated with high-end and high-performance PC gaming. This year, Asus’ is going head-to-head with another Taiwanese PC maker – Acer.

To compete with Acer’s Predator gaming products, Asus unveiled several new Republic of Gamers products at the German event this week including two high-performance laptops, and a special edition small form factor desktop.

First one up, we have the ROG G20 special edition, which is actually a refresh of the G20 that was introduced at Computex 2014. This edition features the latest generation of Intel’s Core i7 processor and NVidia’s GeForce GTX Titan X GPU that supports 4K resolution displays.

The chassis of the G20 is adorned with Mayan-inspired markings and uses special design to naturally cool itself. Furthermore, the casing uses natural convection through hidden airflow channels with fans to cool its internal components. The chassis also features customizable LED effects that can show up to 8 million colors.

Then we have the new ROG G752 laptop. Just like any other gaming laptop announced at the event, the G752 boasts the latest Intel Core i7 processor which is complemented by an NVidia GTX 900M graphics processor.

One interesting feature of the G752 would be its innovative dust-release thermal solution that collects dust and channels it outside the device to prevent dust buildup and increase system stability and longevity. The laptop also features Armor Titanium and Plasma copper accents that add to the device’s gaming-centric design.

Then there’s the ROG GX700, which looks very similar to the G752 with its Armor Titanium and Plasma copper accents. It also packs the latest NVidia graphics processor, a 6^th generation Intel K-SKU processor and a 17-inch 4K IPS display.

The most interesting feature of the GX700 lies somewhere else in the form of an external water-cooling accessory which is said to provide better gaming performance through effective heat management.

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Remember the Razer Blade from 2013? The gaming laptop is getting an upgrade this year that bringing improved performance through more powerful innards that should help the model keep its spot in the pantheon of gaming laptops. 

On the outside, the new Razer Blade is unchanged using the same CNC-machined aluminum body with ectoplasm-green accents. The laptop sports a 3200x1800 IGZO display (262ppi), three USB ports and stereo speakers. 
The big changes are on the inside. The new Blade will sport the new NVidia GeForce GTX 970M chip that is based on the new Maxwell architecture and comes with 3GB of VRAM. The processor has also been bumped to an Intel Core i7 clocked at 2.6GHz, which can be overclocked to 3.2GHz with the Turbo Boost feature. The laptop comes with 16GB of RAM and will come with three storage configurations: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB SSD. 

The Razer Blade will run on Windows 8.1 and will of course be upgradeable to Windows 10 once the OS becomes available. Razer is already selling the updated version of the Blade on its own website and on Microsoft’s online store starting at $2200 for the 128GB model. 
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The market for gaming laptops has certainly grown these past few years. Apart from dedicated gaming laptop makers such as Razer, Alienware and Asus’s Republic of Gamers, mainstream manufacturers are also building gaming machines usually as a separate line in their product range just like HP’s Voodoo products a couple of years ago.

This year, HP is renewing its efforts in the gaming laptop market with the HP Omen. The Omen is packing a 15.6-inch IPS display with Full HD resolution and a capacitive touch panel. Performance is guaranteed by a 4^th generation Intel Core i7-4710HQ quad-core processor with 6MB cache and hyper threading, 8GB of RAM and an NVidia GeForce GTX860M with 2-4GB of dedicated video memory.

Users have three storage options including a 128GB SATA SSD, a 256GB PCIe SSD or a 512GB PCIe SSD. There’s also dual front-facing speakers, a customizable RGB backlit keyboard, HP’s TrueVision Full HD camera, Dual array digital microphones (with beam forming, echo cancellation, noise suppression and support for voice recognition), a number of USB ports, a miniDisplay Port v1.2 and an HDMI port.

If you’ve noticed, the Omen doesn’t have 4K display unlike its top competitor. The tradeoff is the device’s much lower price tag. HP will start selling the Omen this week for $1499.

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Acer is giving its Aspire line of notebooks the 4K treatment with the new Acer Aspire V Nitro Black Edition that packs a 15.6-inch 4K UHD display.

Just like other 4K laptop offerings from other manufacturers, the V Nitro Black Edition is intended for users who are using graphic intensive applications including games, photo and video editing and 3D modeling. Having said this, the notebook comes with Intel’s 4^th Generation Core i7 quad-core processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX860M graphics, dual-wireless antennas that support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, 16GB of memory, 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD.

The laptop also comes with four built-in speakers (8W total output) and Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater technology that provides users with powerful surround sound for gaming, movies and music. Moreover, Acer is also including its Build Your Own Cloud (BYOC) into the V Nitro that allows consumers to use the storage capacity on the device as a personal cloud storage device.

But in case you don’t need the UHD display, Acer will also be offering the V Nitro in Full HD versions in either 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch configurations. The new notebook will be available starting November 3 for $1499.99. As a bonus, Acer will also give buyers of the V Nitro with a code for a free digital download of Ubisoft’s Assasin’s Creed Unity PC game.

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