Lenovo introduces a new thin & light model with the ThinkPad Edge S430. The laptop is 0.86” thick and is designed to look business-like (believe it or not, but it does matter in some circles…). The exterior is painted with a soft-touch paint that is well-known for its use on smartphones. This gives the computer a “leathery” feel and should provide additional grip to avoid a slippage that would end up badly.
In terms of performance, the ThinkPad Edge S430 can be configured with pretty much any of the second-generation Intel Core processors, and we bet that the Core i5 and Core i7 will be chosen by most buyers. The memory can go as high as 16GB (DDR3 1600), although we suspect that most users could comfortably use 6GB+. That said, the memory prices have crashed in 2011, so it’s worth checking the upgrade price. For the local storage, it’s up to 500GB with a hard drive (7200rpm or 5400rpm), but we recommend the 128GB SSD – if you can afford it. An NVIDIA Optimus-enabled graphics processor can be optionally selected for those who care about gaming and it shuts itself completely when not in use, so there’s no downside. With 2GB of graphics memory, that choice should run recent games decently, and older games rather smoothly. The 14” has a higher resolution option (Lenovo did not say how high), and a 720p webcam at the top.
Finally, this laptop features Intel’s a Thunderbolt/DisplayPort connector. It’s a ultra-high speed Input/Output port that is even faster than the new USB 3.0. You can find specialty Thunderbolt mass storage units and other high-end devices that use it, but most people will prefer sticking with USB 3.0 devices for the lower price. It’s a nice option to have though.