Lenovo has kept its promise. The ThinkPad T430u laptop, announced in January, will indeed be released this month. While its appearance is traditional, the new model actually qualifies as an ultrabook. It's a bit on the large side, with a 14" 1366x768 pixel screen. To qualify as an ultrabook, the machine has to be thinner than 20 mm and tip the scales at no more than 2 kilograms.
The ThinkPad T430 runs on an Intel Ivy Bridge chip, combined with up to 8 GB of memory and a 2.5" hard disk or SSD. Optionally, Nvidia's GeForce GT 620M graphics card can be installed. This GPU is based on the older 'Fermi' architecture, features 96 stream processors and communicates with its 1 GB of GDDR3 memory via a 128-bits interface. While the GPU isn't the fastest around, the extensive Nvidia drivers and 3D performance compared to the integrated Intel graphics could still offer an advantage.
The system has two USB 3.0 ports, in addition to mini-DisplayPort and HDMI outputs, as well as audio jacks. The integrated webcam is capable of recording video at a 720p resolution, while the battery should last over 7 hours on a single charge. Lenovo's ThinkPad T430u is mostly intended for a business audience, as illustrated by the fingerprint scanner, twin microphones to enhance audio during conference calls, as well as the hinges which allow the screen to be opened flat on the table. Prices for Lenovo's latest notebook start at $779.
Lenovo will launch its ThinkPad T430u later this month (Images courtesy of Fudzilla)
