Lenovo debuts sub-$1,000 IdeaPad L340 Gaming line for low-glow gamers
Plus, the company refreshed its Legion gaming line with the new Intel ninth-gen mobile processors and Turing-generation Nvidia graphics.
The new Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming in 15- and 17-inch versions; the bigger model has a lot of empty space around the keyboard and bigger bezels around the display.
Lenovo finally launches its own everyday-gamer laptop line with the IdeaPad L340 Gaming, a variant of its budget thinnish-and-lightish 300 series with discrete graphics. It joins Acer Nitro, Dell G series, HP Pavilion Gaming, Asus X series and more in the ever-lengthening line of companies to expand beyond their traditional gaming lines.
In this case, it means a slim black slab with blue accents and illumination, in 15- or 17-inch models, starting at $870 and $920, respectively.
Inside you'll find up to a Core i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1650 and a 16GB Intel Optane option, among other things.
IdeaPad L340 Gaming Specifications
| 15 inch (15IRH) | 17 inch (17IRH) | |
| Screen | 15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 45% NTSC (39% sRGB) in IPS 250 nits or TN 220 nits | 17.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS 72% NTSC (100% sRGB) 300 nits or 60% NTSC (52% sRGB) TN 220 nits |
| Processor | Up to Core i7-9750H | Up to Core i7-9750H |
| Graphics Processor | GeForce GTX 1650 | GeForce GTX 1650 |
| Memory | Up to 16GB DDR4 | Up to 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | Up to 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16GB Optane | Up to 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 16GB Optane |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) 1x1 or 2x2, Bluetooth 4.2 | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) 1x1 or 2x2, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Connections | 2 x USB-A 3.1 (5Gbps), 1 x USB-C 3.1 (5Gbps), 1 x HDMI 2.0, Ethernet, combo audio | 2 x USB-A 3.1 (5Gbps), 1 x USB-C 3.1 (5Gbps), 1 x HDMI 2.0, Ethernet, combo audio |
| Size | 14.3 x 10.0 x 0.9 in / 363 x 255 x 24 mm | 16.3 x 11.2 x 1.0 in / 413 x 285 x 25 mm |
| Weight | 4.8 lbs/2.2kg | 5.5 lbs/2.5kg |
| Starting price | $869.99 | $919.99 |
| Availability | May 2019 | May 2019 |
The L340 Gaming in profile.
How did Lenovo manage to price the L340 Gaming so low with that hexacore i7? By using the ultra-blech narrow-gamut (39% sRGB), dim, TN-technology displays like the one we disliked in the Legion Y530. The 17-inch model's base option has a slightly bigger gamut, but probably not enough to make a difference and it's still dim.
They will also offer an easy way to switch between "Quick" and "Quiet" modes, which is likely a manual discrete vs. internal GPU setting to control Nvidia's Optimus technology.
The company has also taken the opportunity to refresh its Legion Y-series gaming laptops with options for the new Core i5 and i7 and Nvidia graphics.
In addition to the ninth-gen and latest Nvidia bumps, it also gets better display choices, because as I mentioned earlier, the Y530's display was really not good.
Legion Y540 quick specs
| 15-inch | 17-inch | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 1,920 x 1080 IPS at 144Hz, 72% NTSC (100% sRGB) 300 nits, 60Hz 72% NTSC (100% sRGB) 300 nits, 60Hz 45% NTSC (39% sRGB) 250 nits | 1,920 x 1080 IPS 72% NTSC (100% sRGB) 300 nits 144Hz or 60Hz |
| Processor | Core i7-9750H or i5-9300H | Core i7-9750H or i5-9300H |
| Graphics processor | GeForce GTX 1050 3GB, 1650, 1660 Ti, RTX 2060 | GeForce GTX 1650, 1660 Ti, RTX 2060 |
| Starting price | $1,209.99 | $1,269.99 |
| Availability | late June | late June |
The Legion Y740 also updates with an i7-9750H, but the 15-inch model gets a display-option update: a 1,920x1,080 144Hz IPS display with 100% sRGB color, G-sync and 500-nit brightness.
Finally, the Legion Y7000, Lenovo's basic gaming laptop, looks like the 15-inch will get the same processor and display options as the Y540 15, and the same GPU choices with the exception of the GTX 1050. The Y7000p is the Optane-optional model with some other slight configuration differences.
