The ultrabooks keep coming at IFA 2011. Toshiba’s entry into the space features a extremely light chassis — yes, even lighter than either the MacBook Air or the Acer Aspire S3.
Ultrabooks are meant to be portable, and weight is the enemy of portability, something that Toshiba’s designers clearly targeted with the Portégé Z830; at around 1.13kg it’s claiming the crown of the world’s lightest ultrabook. That’s largely due to a magnesium alloy body and extremely thin display keeping the weight down. At 15.9mm it’s not as thin as the Acer Aspire S3 that’s due to be previewed in Australia this week, which makes me wonder if there’s yet another vendor out there who’ll crack the thin and light matrix in one go.
On the specifications side, it’ll take up to a Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor, supports HDMI out and USB 3.0. The release only notes the presence of a 128GB SSD with no other option. A mechanical drive would undoubtedly pump up the carrying weight, but it’s a pity there doesn’t seem to be a larger capacity option, at least for now.
NewGadgets.De has a quick hands-on of the Portégé Z830:
The only word we’ve got on Australian availability is that it’ll ‘launch into the Australian market later this year.’ The full (US) release is below:
TOSHIBA UNVEILS PORTÉGÉ Z830 SERIES OF ULTRABOOK SYSTEMS
The World’s Lightest 13.3-inch Platform, Sub-2.5 Pound Portégé Z830 Series Match Style, Supreme Portability and Enhanced Functionality at Affordable Prices
IRVINE, Calif.—Sept. 1, 2011—Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today unveiled the Portégé® Z830 Series, the company’s first Ultrabook™ using 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors. Weighing less than 2.5 pounds and featuring a 0.63-inch (15.9 mm) profile, the Portégé Z830 Series is about 20 percent lighter and 40 percent thinner than the award-winning ultraportable Portégé R830 Series. These new systems offer unprecedented portability, durability and essential features with visibly smart style and responsiveness—and start at under $1,000 MSRP.Supporting the latest 2nd Generation Intel Core processors and ultra-fast DDR3 memory, the Portégé Z830 Series provides the performance needed for work and entertainment plus improved power management for great battery life. The Ultrabook device’s 128GB solid state drive delivers an extremely responsive experience, increased durability and increased energy efficiency. Paired with Toshiba’s new exclusive Hi-Speed Start Technology, the Portégé Z830 can power on and get users up and running at work or home in just seconds.
“The Portégé Z830 Series sets a new standard for thin and light systems, not just in portability, but also in affordability for such cutting-edge designs,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “Toshiba’s engineering achievements and expert craftsmanship have resulted in a brilliant and fully thought-through innovation that exceeds expectations, perfect for both mobile business professionals and consumers.”
The Portégé Z830 Series is built with a host of convenience-driven features such as a full-size LED Backlit and spill-resistant keyboard that makes typing easy in low light conditions and helps guard against accidents. The Ultrabook also includes Toshiba’s USB Sleep & Charge technology to give users the freedom to power up their smartphones even while the system is powered down. Stereo speakers with enhanced audio technology from Waves Audio make the Portégé Z830 ideal for listening to music, watching movies and video chatting.
The Ultrabook devices feature a light, yet durable magnesium alloy casing that is reinforced with an enhanced Honeycomb Rib design and new internal structures that provide shock absorption and increased rigidity. The systems also feature Toshiba’s EasyGuard® Technology, designed to address the security, reliability and durability issues mobile users encounter.
Images: Toshiba US
Caesar Wong
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 9:28 AMI’m no great Apple fanboy, but gees, it’s taken the competition 3 years to catch up…
vijay
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 9:36 AMDell released ADOMO XPS which is thinner than MBA. but it was bit expensive and finally it was flop. later the samsung and now these ultra books.
Andrew
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 10:03 AMYou forgot the Thinkpad X1
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/04/x1-flatviewfromside.png
olearymo
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 12:13 PMDude, Toshiba’s Portege line has been the forerunner of thin and light for years and years, way before the Macbook Air. Pull your head out.
TSH
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 10:54 AMThis. Used a Portege at uni for years before the Air came out. Even when Air arrived, Toshiba had a full-powered Portege at very nearly the same thickness that included a DVD burner and extensive connectivity.
MotorMouth
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 2:59 PMWTF!?! The first Air was a useless joke and it is only the current model, released very recently, that has bettered the Samsung Series 9 and can finally be taken seriously. I’d suggest that where Apple got it’s timing just right with the iPhone and iPad, it really jumped the gun on the first Air, bringing it to market long before the technology was up to the task. Then the second Air was woefully underpowered, again missing the mark. Even now, Sony’s new Z Series takes the game to a whole new level, leaving Apple way behind. About the only thing the Air has going for it at the moment is price (and I never, ever thought I would say that about any Apple product, ever), although by the time you factor in a license for Windoze, it loses most of that, too, which is why I opted for a Vaio SB19.
Rvpkash
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 9:40 AMFor less than a grand? I’d like to see that.
Andrew
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 10:05 AMThey do make their own SSDs… probably helps to keep costs down.
Shane-o
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 9:54 AMThey (ultrabooks) look interesting, but they don’t really offer any more benefits over a normal laptop. In fact, because of the form factor, it has less ports than my 2 year old Dell laptop that only cost $600..
I’d be interested in one once they’re below A$1000 RRP.
Brad T
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 12:29 PMIn US current R830 starts at US$899
R830 here is AU$1780 inc
So if Z830 is US$100 more expect to see AU price even higher
MacBook Air starts at AU$1099 for 128GB SSD
Crazy Apple is so much cheaper
T Brad
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 2:04 PMnever heard of importing i suspect? thats kinda the whole point/advantage of the internets these days
Russell
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 2:49 PMNot if the stupid Australian retail sector has anything to say about that…
Stephen
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 9:11 PMImported the (now discontinued) Toshiba R835-56X from U.S. (to Aust) for under $900 and very pleased with it. Would love the backlit keyboard from the Z830 but looking at the supplied pictures, prefer the port layout on the R835 and find the R835′s DVD reader quite handy.
Yes the Z830 is 20 percent lighter but as the R835 is half the weight of my previous laptop the additional weight loss would not make me trade in the R835.
Emwing
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 1:04 PMcan someone post the FCC ID for this?
I’d want to take a better look at its wireless performance.