The Portégé X40L-K, a new 14-inch flagship by Dynabook, has been announced. The device will be available in April for $1,799.99. I haven’t seen a complete list of the configurations available, but I’m intrigued as to how much it will cost.
Dynabook is known for producing ultra-light notebooks. Its Portégé series has some of the world’s lightest models regularly. The X40L-K, at 2.3 pounds, won’t be the most lightweight 14-inch laptop on the market, but it’ll be close. There are already a few 14-inch laptops that weigh less than 2.2 pounds — the Asus ExpertBook B9 and the LG Gram 14 come to mind — but the difference is so tiny that I doubt it will make a difference in anyone’s life. The Acer Swift 7, which weighs under two pounds but hasn’t been updated in a few years, is another option.
Of course, for most shoppers, thinness isn’t everything. While several businesses are focusing on sub-3-pound laptops this year, they’re cutting corners in various ways to get there. Port options, battery capacity, keyboards, and touchpads have all shrunk. It’ll be interesting to see where Dynabook chooses to compromise, but we won’t know for sure until the review process is completed.
Dynabook, for one, promises that there will be no sturdiness difficulties. According to the company, the device is designed to meet MIL-STD-810H criteria, including drop tests, pressure tests, and other similar procedures.
Dynabook claims that the Portégé will be certified by Intel’s Evo programme in terms of specifications. It will have 12th-generation P-Series i5 and i7 processors and up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory. There’s no GPU option (which would be surprising at this size), so it’s all Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics.
There are two Thunderbolt 4 connectors, an HDMI port, and two USB-A ports. It is possible to connect up to four external screens. The aspect ratio is 16:10 (yay!) Blue-light reduction technology is included (as is the case with most of the screens we’re examining these days). The speakers are Dolby Atmos compatible, which isn’t uncommon at this price but is usually a good sign.
The battery is just 65Wh, which makes me anxious, but because I haven’t tested any of these new 12th Gen chips yet, I’ll wait until the review process is complete before passing judgement.
According to the company, on the software side, Dynabook Online Meeting Assist “uses AI to ensure faces are bright and visible in a wide range of lighting conditions,” according to the company. These kinds of effects can be beneficial, but they can also appear contrived, so we’ll have to wait and see how it looks in testing. There are also 360-degree dual-array microphones and AI noise reduction, useful for conference calls.
Some of the company’s 13-inch models, such as the Portégé X30L-K and the convertible Portégé X30W-K, are also getting an update. Both devices now have Intel’s 12th Generation processors, LPDDR5 memory, and Wi-Fi 6E. The prices for the two variants will be $1,379.99 and $1,599.99, respectively.
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