Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Netbook Officially Announced

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 netbook became official today with specs and release date details being revealed by Lenovo. The much anticipated Nvidia Ion platform will be available on this netbook starting in mid-August, while the Intel integrated graphics version will be shipping in June.

As the name of this IdeaPad netbook indicates, the S12 will have a 12-inch screen. The S12's extra size will allow for a full-size keyboard to be fitted, negating the cramped keyboard downside that we often complain about with netbooks. The screen will be a 12" WXGA (1280 x 800) variety utilizing LED backlighting. Again, this resolution is more generous than your typical netbook where we often see a lower resolution WSVGA. The IdeaPad S12 will weigh in at about 3.45 lbs and be approximately 1.14" thin, so the weight is in line with other 10" screen netbooks and the profile is actually slimmer than many smaller such netbooks.

One of the most anticipated features of the S12 will be the new dedicated Nvidia Ion graphics chipset, which will give graphics performance equivalent to that of an Nvidia 9400m graphics card. This will allow for 1080p video playback, the ability to do some gaming and in general better performance for any other more graphically demanding application. The Nvidia Ion equipped IdeaPad S12 netbooks will be available mid-August with a $499 price tag.

The run down of varying specs for the IdeaPad S12 are below along with anticipated release dates for each configuration:

• Screen: 12.1" WXGA (1280 x 800), LED Backlight
• Processor: Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz)
• Graphics: Intel Integrated GMA 945 graphics (available June) Nvidia ION Graphics (available mid-August)
• Memory: 1GB
• Storage: 160GB (5400 RPM) 2.5" SATA HD
• OS: Windows XP Home
• Battery: 6-cell battery rated at 6 hours
• Dimensions: 292 mm x 216 mm x 22 - 28.9 mm (11.5" x 8.50" x .87 - 1.14")
• Weight: 1.55kg (3.44lbs)
• Ports: 3 x USB2.0 ports, one 34mm Express Card slot (Intel graphics platform only), 4 x1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS pro), Ethernet RJ45, VGA, Single Built in MIC with Echo Cancellation and
  noise reduction; Headphone, HDMI (only on ION platform)
• Camera: 1.3MP web camera
• Software: OneKey™ Rescue System; Lenovo Energy Management; Adobe Reader; NIS2009;
  Windows Live Toolbar; VeriFace™; Lenovo Quick start
• Pricing: $449 for Intel graphics version, $499 for Nvidia graphics version.

Stay tuned to NotebookReview.com for a full review of the IdeaPad S12 in the weeks ahead.

Related Articles:

• Lenovo Intros Updated S10-2 Netbook
• Intel Atom Dual-Core Netbooks Coming?

 

Great to see the Ion but too large a laptop to be using an Atom.

There were the rumors of an 11.6" model as well...though that's still kind of big.

 

come on now i was hoping around July for nvidia ion

 

I bet the 11.6 inch will replace this 12 inch version as they'll run out of 16:10 panels and have to switch to 16:9.

 

Video hands on GottaBeMobile
Laptop Mag video and Hands on

Can't wait to see how the Dell Mini 11 competes against this. The Dell though is rumored to use CULV processors, no idea if it will use Atom.

Also: "Lenovo will sell the S12 with VIA Nano processors overseas."

Laptop Mag says S12 with 945 is available today.

Link

 

Looks nice, I might consider it, if it gets more than a few hours of battery life. The price is pretty nice though considering. Also interested in if it can take 2 gigs of RAM.

Wonder if the Atom chip will bottleneck the 9400m like it seems to in games with the 9300m on the Asus netbooks. It'll be interesting to see.

And I guess Nvidia and Intel sorted out the whole Ion/Atom problem?

 

Wish.......
....it had a dual-core Atom (its going to be a long wait for that)
....the 6-cell battery does NOT stick out.
What is the maximum ram for these?
Seriously, play COD4 on a 12", $500 laptop????

 

12 is too big!give us 10",dual core atom and ion!

 

12" and 1280*800 is perfect for me! I love to have a poor mans x200. Just hope that they'll ship it with a internal 3g modem. I also wonder how the VIA Nano will measure up against the Atom, if the latest Samsung is anything to go by I guess we're in for a treat.

The biggest gripes I have against my s10e and the Atom is heat, fan noise and cramped keyboard. The s12 seams to be the cure for this...

 

Although the nvidia version looks nice, I still think 12in laptops should have a c2d CPU. But for those who only need to do basic tasks it is a nice choice. I just hope that the 12in laptop market doesn't get consumed by the netbook craze.

 

There's talk of the X200 getting a cheaper Celeron M723 CPU to chop down it's pricetag.

Also this isn't the only product Lenovo released today. They also released a new Ideapad U350 CULV and a new budget line G550.

http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/13836/1/

 

Sigh.... I really was hoping that it would have had a trackpoint. But I guess I am one of the few that prefers the trackpoint vs the trackpad.

Does look interesting though. I will have to wait for the reviews and benchmarks for the Ion one.

 

I don't know if I prefer the trackpoint, but it was very nice thing to have. And it would be really good with a netbook.

I wonder if mid-august is when the other companies will launch their ion platforms?

 

I too wish the trackpoint would make its way onto the Lenovo netbooks...seems like an ideal solution, given the lack of space for a proper trackpad. The old IBM Thinkpad 240x (10.1" 4:3 screen) had a trackpoint, and it worked great!

 

Thanks for the heads up, I've missed those PC's

The U350 looks like a possible alternative to the s12, though I guess it's a bit larger and heavier. I'm not looking for a "large" notebook as I've already own a T60 and a home built über gaming rig It's $250 higher price tag is also something to consider

I'll keep an open mind until reviews and availability pushes me this or that way...

 

I'm intrigued. I wonder if we'll see a Vista version as well (I'm sure this netbook will be able to handle Vista).

 

Microsoft just released new restrictions on ultra-portables and it looks like once Windows 7 is released Lenovo won't be able to sell the S12 with XP, Vista, or even Win 7 Starter (their netbook version) as the Ion supports DX10 and the screen is larger than 10.2".


Image Source: Engadget

Info Source: http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=619&pgno=3#max_netbook

 

More on the U350. It's gorgeous.

It's a 16:9 screen so it's smaller than your regular 16:10 13" (I think as a 16:9 it's diagonal should actually be 13.1" and 13.3" is a mistake) and at 3.5lbs. it's pretty darn light.

 

No thanks on 16:9. I was wondering what MS was going to do when 7 comes out and how they will deal with netbooks. I do wonder how the 270n could handle vista, I know the sony viao p does with a 1.3ghz.

 

n270 can run vista, but might be slow, similar to the sony vaio p.

 

Finally we get to see the ION platform, looks very promising.
The only thing missing is a built in optical drive.
Can't wait for the review.

 

Oh wow, only $50 more dollars for much superior graphics. Very nice, though I'd rather have a Via Nano based system.

 

Finally!!! Looks very good, and I'm not bothered by the 12" form factor at all, as long as the ion makes it to smaller netbooks later on as well.

 

I've been using Windows 7 on my Lenovo s10e (Atom n270) since build 6801 was leaked. Win 7 is so much faster on the Atom than Win XP. Before I installed Win 7 I gave Vista a brief run on it, didn't experience it as slow or sluggish (a few tweaks and you're set to go).

 

this x 1000. what a terrible decision, lenovo. i guess you really hate selling netbooks, huh?