What about other ultrabooks? Modern ultrabooks featuring the 3317U fare worse in the wifi test. Acer's Aspire V5-571G (3 hours) suffers under its 37 Wh battery. Asus' UX32VD and Dell's Vostro 3360 both last for 4:17 hours. Asus' Zenbook Prime UX31A manages 4:42 hours. Samsung's 530U3C-A01DE is on a par. Toshiba's Satellite U840W (14 inch) is better with 5:40 hours. Samsung R25 Battery

Toshiba's Satellite Z930-119 is a well-designed successor of the first Japanese consumer Z830 ultrabook of late 2011. The manufacturer could increase the processing performance - and even the gaming performance marginally - by using Intel's Ivy Bridge. The 256 GB SSD, which clearly breaks away from the Z830's 128 GB drive - is a significant speed bonus. Samsung R20 Battery

The ergonomics are not affected by the higher performance especially since Toshiba now has the Z830's buzzing fan under control. Neither this nor the temperatures will cause any inconveniences. Regrettably, the manufacturer ignored the complaints made on the screen and continues to install a run-of-the-mill TN screen with both poor contrasts and viewing angles. Samsung NP-R25 Battery

All in all, Toshiba places a slightly unbalanced ultrabook package on the shelf. If you want an extremely light device that supplies a very high application performance despite a long runtime (without throttling), you will find it in the Satellite Z930-119. Samsung NP-R20F ac adapter

The price of EUR 1200 is not a bargain (EUR 1000 for the 128 GB version; beware! could incl. a much slower SSD). Asus' Zenbook Prime UX31A is 300 grams heavier but also better with a Full HD IPS screen and a 256 GB SSD. The Prime's price is also EUR 1200. Here, weight versus a perfect screen. We know what we would choose. Samsung NP-R20 Battery

The IdeaPad Y Series offers some of the best performance for the price as far as Lenovo is concerned. In recent years, the Y models have always included moderately high-end Intel CPU and GPU options at the time of their respective launches. The 2010 Y460/Y560, for example, are powered by mid-tier Radeon GPUs (e.g., HD 5650, HD 6570M), while the 2011 Y470/Y570 models made the switch to GeForce cards with the 550M/555M. Samsung X65 ac adapter

Now that the Ivy Bridge and Kepler debuts are out of the way, it was only natural that the 2012 Y480/Y580 models would be armed with both of these latest offerings from Intel and Nvidia. Revealed at CES earlier this year, Lenovo promises a system with a Core i7-3610QM, 2GB GeForce GTX 660M GPU and 8 GB RAM for $899. Samsung X460 X60 Battery

In this review, we take a closer look at the 15.6-inch Y580-20994BU. While this particular model starts at $1099, it's worth noting that the base model includes the same CPU and GPU and even an equal amount of RAM for $200 less; the only noteworthy differences are the 5400 RPM HDDs (500GB vs. 1TB) and display resolutions (720p vs. 1080p). Nonetheless, users should be able to customize with higher-end i7-3xx0M CPUs and an mSATA drive for RST caching purposes. Samsung X360 Battery

Make no mistake – opting for a consumer-oriented IdeaPad instead of a professional ThinkPad means sacrificing both case quality and durability of the latter for potentially better internal performance and consumer-centric features of the former. With that in mind, the Y580 has an exterior more akin to a stationary DTR than a notebook that is meant to be constantly carried and transported around. Samsung R710 Battery

Appearance has been notably improved over last year's Y570. Samsung R70 Battery While thickness has remained unchanged at 35.7 mm, the sleeker dark gray outer lid and black palm rests now have a lustrous and silky brushed metal appearance instead of the more dull and plastic look of the predecessor. The chassis utilizes both aluminum and polycarbonate plastic, although the metal is used much more conservatively. Samsung R65 ac adapter

The inner bezel, for example, is mostly reflective plastic that seems a bit out of class compared to the more elegant brushed finishing of the lid and base. In other words, the plastic lining makes the Y580 look cheap relative to its one grand price tag. The rest of the notebook is otherwise quite stylish from its chrome-lined touchpad, buttons, and JBL speakers. Be ready to face fingerprints and dust, however, as they will accumulate everywhere quite easily. Samsung R610 Battery

Despite the upgrades in overall appearance, case quality is a mixed bag. The outer lid in particular is very susceptible to pressure and feels very thin; a slight depression can be observed even by putting a smartphone on top of the notebook. Compared to other notebooks we have tested, the stability of the outer lid is below average and we would recommend a carrying case or sleeve if the notebook is to be transported by backpack alongside other items. Samsung R60 Battery

On the bright side, the hinges are relatively stiff (only minor amounts of vibration if not on a stable surface) and the lid shows no severe amount of edge-to-edge twisting. Samsung R510 Battery The base of the notebook is moderately well-built and sturdy with no creaking or significant flexing. Even the center of the keyboard, which is usually a weak spot for most notebooks, has better-than-average resistance to pressure. Perhaps the only area in need of most improvement is the touchpad itself as it can also feel quite thin and cheaply made. Samsung R505 Battery

The overall chassis is satisfying in appearance, but the feel and texture lean towards a plastic impression that is not quite representative of its high starting price. Especially when compared to the similarly priced HP Envy 15 series, the Y580 could benefit from stiffer and hardier materials. Samsung R460 ac adapter

A multimedia-centric notebook such as this should be littered with enough connectivity options to satisfy the home user. In this regard, the Y580 provides just enough for home entertainment use. Samsung R45 Battery

All ports are easily accessible as most are located on the left- and right-hand edges. Samsung R410 Battery In fact, the ports have undergone a slight rearrangement and so the left edge now contains an equal number of available ports as the right edge. The left-hand ports can still feel a bit clumped if thicker cables and USB devices are connected. Many of the commonly used ports, such as USB and the 3.5 mm audio jacks, are unfortunately positioned closer up front and may be vexing in the long run. Samsung R40 Battery

Of particular note is that the Y580 offers an additional USB 3.0 port compared to its predecessor, but at the same time has dropped the eSATA port. VGA is fortunately still supported, and the notebook can stream to both video-out connections simultaneously. Samsung Q310 Battery

Missing features include ExpressCard, Smartcard and dedicated docking station support. Such connectivity options, however, should be of no concern for the target IdeaPad audience. Samsung P60 Q210 Battery

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Y580 ships standard with the dual-stream (2x2) Centrino Wireless-N 2200 PCIe Half Mini Card with integrated support for Bluetooth and WiDi. Not much is offered beyond WLAN as WWAN and GPS functionalities are beyond the scope of the notebook. Nevertheless, there is a second PCIe Mini Card slot with mSATA support for additional end-user expandability if needed. Samsung P60 ac adapter

Lenovo is no stranger when it comes to offering wide selections of first-party notebook accessories. The options are somewhat narrower for the Y580 due to the lack of a dedicated docking port, but generic accessories such as cases and headsets are in no shortage. Samsung P560 Battery

As usual, a base warranty of 12 months is automatically included with every notebook purchase from Lenovo. The protection is rather bare as it mostly covers factory-made defects and damages. Both accidental damage and in-home service coverage are available together for about $50 and can be extended up to 3 years for $150. Samsung P50 Battery

The layout, spacing and dimensions (34 cm x 11 cm) of the full-size keyboard here have been translated perfectly from the Y570. Ever since Lenovo axed the classic beveled keyboard, the curved and slightly rounded Chiclet-style keys can be found on practically all new Lenovo notebooks ranging from the U410 Ultrabook to the ThinkPad T530. Samsung P460 Battery

Feedback from the keys is a little on the soft side, but we found the depth and spacing to be satisfactory and not overly cramped. Samsung P210 Battery The numpad and arrow keys are a tad smaller compared to the main QWERTY keys and the Shift and Enter keys are both shorter than usual, which may result in more unintended hits, at least initially. We can certainly look past these minor complaints as Lenovo has finally added a backlight as standard. The light can only be toggled on or off with no levels in between unlike certain ThinkPad models, but the backlight option is better than no backlight at all. Samsung NP-X60 Battery

The keyboard may have been unaltered, but Lenovo has completely redesigned the touchpad to mostly better results. The dedicated click keys found on the Y570 have been removed in favor of a larger (10.5 cm x 7 cm) touchpad and the textured surface has been replaced with a flat, smooth and even somewhat glossy finishing. The chrome lining is a nice touch and shows that Lenovo was focused on aesthetics first and foremost when the redesign. Samsung NP-R70 ac adapter