Lenovo announced this week at its Accelerate Channel Partner Forum its new ThinkPad S431, a premium laptop PC featuring an elegant floating design. Touchscreen display an option in versions coming out this July. Optimized for Windows 8, the ThinkPad S431 offers enhanced performance and 15 percent faster processor speed than previous generations. The laptop is ideal for professionals who want a combination of style and substance. It is also a good fit for small businesses that need a laptop to do it all – great performance for work tasks and an excellent experience for personal computing.
Jay Weiss, one of our contributing writers, made his way out to the Lenovo event this week, which was held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. While at the event, Weiss was able to meet and greet with Lenovo executives, test out new products, such as the ThinkPad S431
The progressive design of the ThinkPad S431 will help small businesses impress their customers. The ThinkPad S431 offers an intuitive Windows 8 experience with the power needed to accelerate productivity.
The S431 is one of the first ThinkPads to feature Lenovo OneLink technology, which allows users to connect to the ThinkPad OneLink Dock with a single cable for dedicated video, additional USB 3.0 ports and gigabit Ethernet, all while powering the system.
Featuring an ultra-thin bezel, the ThinkPad S431 is able to fit a 14-inch LCD screen in a 13-inch frame. The aesthetic exterior includes beveled edges on the front and side, giving the illusion that the PC is floating and making the 20.5 mm frame look even thinner. I know something about this, being a professional magician for over 30 years. It's true the S431 does have a magical look when sitting on a table. A real aluminum LCD cover, available in fashion-forward silver or graphite black, is sand blasted and anodized, making it smooth to the touch for a premium feel.
The ThinkPad S431 also boasts a simplified interior with a five-button clickpad with glass surface to eliminate clutter, adding to the overall clean look of the laptop.
The ThinkPad S431 comes with a multi-finger touchscreen that makes swiping, selecting apps and resizing images a breeze – allowing Windows 8 to be used as intended. The display features 180-degree open angle that lets users interact with the laptop in a number of usage modes and improves the overall touch experience.
The device has a six-row backlit keyboard that includes Windows 8 optimized shortcut keys. Additionally, the large, responsive touchpad supports Windows 8 gestures, providing users with a powerful and intuitive way to be more productive and interactive with their laptop.
The ThinkPad S431 is powered by Intel 3rd generation Core processors, making it 15 percent faster than its predecessor with up to nine hours of battery life. With up to 8 GB of memory and 500 GB of storage, users don’t have to sacrifice responsiveness for performance. The S431 can store up to 150,000 MP3s or 250 full-length feature films. The laptop features two USB 3.0 ports for fast data transfer.
The ThinkPad S431 is available beginning June 2013 from business partners and on www.lenovo.com. Pricing for the ThinkPad S431 starts at $699. The ThinkPad OneLink Dock is available beginning May 21.
For more information on the new ThinkPad, check out Jay’s video report here.
