Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 Notebook


Design and Build Quality



The Lenovo Y530, with its dimensions of 14.2" (w) x 10.3" (d) x 1.4" thick and a weight of 6.7 pounds (with battery) is a relatively handy and portable package. This can make the Y530 quite appealing to those seeking a full featured notebook for daily use, or while traveling. The outer case is black and textured with a weave pattern that not only enhances its looks, but provides a better grip, while eliminating the very noticeable fingerprints that smooth or glossy cases are prone to.  It has a minimalist design overall, that we feel is appealing to the eye. Flip the case open and you reveal the 15.4 inch glossy WXGA display with a native resolution of 1280x800, that equates to a 16:10 ratio if you're keeping track. The display is a "frameless" design which means the screen is flush to the surrounding bezel. We like the angled lid hinges that position the screen back from the laptop's base when opened. The Lenovo Y530 has a glossy black bezel that surrounds the monitor and matches the panel just in front of it that contains the touch sensitive multimedia keys. A 1.3 MP camera is mounted just above the monitor.



When you first lift the top of the Lenovo Y530 you notice the fingerprint resistant brownish-grey brushed metal surface surrounding the keyboard. There is ample space in front of the keyboard to rest your palms on while typing. On either side of the keyboard, the brushed metal plate has perforations for the speakers mounted underneath.

The 4.1 Dolby Home Theater Sound system consists of five speakers total, two placed on each side of the keyboard, two just ahead of and under the monitor in the rear most part of the base, and a subwoofer located to the rear left in the bottom cover.



The keyboard is of adequate size for this class notebook and feels responsive without any "sponginess". The function keys are an orange color that makes them easily visible even in dim light. The touch pad is both large and responsive. Scrolling mode is enabled when you touch the right or lower edge. Mouse keys at the bottom of the touch pad are also large and responsive requiring just enough downward travel to prevent accidental engagement while using the touch pad.



At the rear left part of the laptop base, you have an orange, back-lit power switch and just behind it is the "OneKey Recovery" button. This button is (by design) rather small and requires moderate pressure to feel (and hear) the switch-like click sound when positively activated. To the right of the power switch is the multimedia panel with touch sensitive buttons. On the left side, you have a mute button, a programmable button to open applications, and a Dolby setup button. To the right of the panel in the metal cover plate you have a rocker switch which controls volume. To the immediate left of it is a button that switches the right side touch sensitive buttons between equalizer and multimedia modes. In equalizer mode you have jazz, pop, dance, classical, and normal selections.  In multimedia mode the touch sensitive button selections are changed to "play / pause", "stop", "previous track", and "next track" controls.

On the front of the Lenovo Y530, you have a built in array microphone (one on either side), system status indicator, the wireless switch and a 6 in 1 multimedia reader slot that accommodates SD, MM, Memory Stick/Pro, and XD memory cards.

   


The left side of the laptop has the AC power jack, LAN port, VGA port, HDMI connector, ExpressCard / 54 slot, and two USB ports. The right side has a headphone jack, USB 2.0 port, Mini 1394 connector, Optical drive, and modem jack.

The Lenovo Y530 is very ergonomic and easy to use with intuitive controls for multimedia and other functions.
 

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