Like the Y510, the 6.6-pound Y530 looks more consumer-friendly than other notebooks in Lenovo’s line form the outside: its black lid has a linen-weave textured surface and an elegant look and feel. At 14.2 x 10.3 x 1.4 inches, the notebook was slightly thicker and bulkier than other mainstream laptops; however, carrying it in a backpack on our walk home from the office didn’t cause any aches.

As with the Y510, the IdeaPad designers could have done a better job of continuing the Y530’s attractive exterior under the lid. The smooth, black and grey interior is offset by pumpkin orange media buttons, LED lights, and a volume rocker. Unfortunately, the orange reminds us of the buttons on an Atari. You won’t find Lenovo’s ubiquitous red pointing stick on the inside, but its very responsive touchpad feels soft and has little friction.

Fans of the ThinkPad keyboard will be pleased to find that Lenovo included a similar setup; the matte keys have an excellent, cushioned response, and the full-size layout feels spacious and comfortable. The trade-off is that the keyboard looks like it was lifted from a business notebook, as does the deck that surrounds it. (more…)