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Lenovo IdeaPad C340, S340, S540 are practical laptops with premium details

All-aluminum chassis, slim display bezels and other niceties reach the mainstream.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
Joshua Goldman
2 min read
Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Lenovo's newest IdeaPads announced today at MWC 2019 blur the line between its mainstream and premium slim laptops and convertibles. 

The IdeaPad C340, for example, is a two-in-one available in 14- and 15-inch versions with a fiberglass top and slim bezels -- a design touch once solely found on Lenovo's high-end laptops. The same goes for its webcam-blocking Privacy Shutter and rapid charging feature, which Lenovo says gets the battery to 80 percent in an hour. A backlit keyboard, active pen support and a fingerprint reader are available options as well. 

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Lenovo IdeaPad C340

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The 14-inch IdeaPad C340 will start at $450 (about £345 or AU$630) for Intel and AMD models, while the Intel-only 15-inch will start at $500. 

Those prices will get you low-end components like an AMD Athlon 300U or Intel Pentium 5405U processors and a 1,366x768-pixel resolution TN display. But, you can also expect options like a full HD-resolution IPS display, up to a Core i7-8565U processor and discrete Nvidia GeForce MX230 graphics when it arrives in April.

Lenovo's new consumer laptops bring a load of welcome options

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Joining the C340 are the slim IdeaPad S340 and S540 laptops. These, too, come in 14- and 15-inch versions and are built with higher-end materials like carbon fiber and aluminum, slim bezels around their displays, Dolby Audio, rapid charging and webcam privacy shutters.

The lower-end IdeaPad S340 will feature:

  • Up to Intel Core i7-8565U or up to AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
  • Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU (Intel only)
  • Up to 14-inch full HD IPS display or 15.6-inch full HD IPS touch display
  • Up to 12GB of memory
  • Up to 256GB M.2 SSD (NVMe support) or 128GB SSD + 2TB HDD storage
  • 14-inch Intel starts at $370 (AMD pricing not currently available)
  • 15.6-inch Intel starts at $450, AMD starts at $430
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Lenovo's Privacy Shutter lets you quickly block the webcam. 

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The slightly higher-end IdeaPad S540, which starts at $850, has an all-aluminum chassis and adds Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics to the 15.6-inch version and dual-action cooling fans to handle its heat, up to a 512GB PCIe SSD and a full HD IPS display with 300-nit brightness (all the other panels top out at 220 or 250 nits). 

Lenovo also announced the IdeaCentre AIO A340 desktop. Available in 22- and 24-inch sizes, the full HD touchscreen all-in-one PC stands on an asymmetric steel tube base that skirts the line between modern office furniture and cheap lawn chair. Inside you'll find up to an Intel Core i5-8400T processor with AMD Radeon 530 discrete graphics. It also arrives in April with prices starting at $500 for the 22-inch and $680 for the 24-inch. 

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IdeaCentre AIO A340  

Lenovo

As well as the PC announcements, Lenovo tacked on a pair of Yoga ANC Headphones. Coming in July for $170, the headphones feature active and environmental noise cancelling, are optimized for Skype, have voice controls and connect to your phone or computer via Bluetooth 5.0 or USB-C. No UK or Australian prices were announced.