Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 14-Inch Ivy Bridge Notebook Visits the FCC

Unveiled by the company during this year’s CES fair, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y480 notebook powered by Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors just paid a quick visit to the FCC to receive WiFi certification for its US launch.

The notebook, which made a brief appearance on Amazon last week, is based on Intel’s third generation Core processors.

Lenovo’s laptop was designed to run the 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, and sports a 14-inch display.

At its heart there stands the Intel Core i7-3610QM processor that packs four computing cores clocked at 2.3GHz (3.3GHz maximum Turbo Boost speed), support for Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology and an on-die Intel HD 4000 graphics core.

However, for the version listed by Amazon last week, Lenovo decided that the IdeaPad Y480 needed more powerful graphics, so it installed a GeForce GT 630M dedicated GPU with 1GB of VRAM, which should also support Nvidia’s Optimus dynamic switching technology.

The fast Intel processor is paired with 8GB of system memory, as well as with a 750GB hard drive with a spindle speed of just 5400 RPM.

The rest of the features list includes a pair of JBL branded speakers, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI video output, as well as the standard Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (built by Broadcom according to Wireless Goodness) and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity.

When unplugged from the power outlet, Lenovo’s IdeaPad notebook gets its power from a Lithium Polymer battery that can provide about 4 hours of autonomy.

According to Amazon’s listing, which has been removed since last week, the price of the IdeaPad Y480 will be set at $999 (about 755 EUR).

No info regarding its release date is available yet, but we believe that the laptop will be made official at the end of April or beginning of May, soon after Intel introduces its 22nm Ivy Bridge CPUs.

Posted in: Hardware, Preview