Dynabook Shows Off New G-Series Laptops: Under 2 Pound Ultrabook With 19 Hour Battery Life
by Anton Shilov on January 23, 2019 3:00 PM ESTDynabook, a maker of laptops from Japan, has unveiled its new 13-inch G-series ultra-portable laptops. Based around Intel's 15W dual and quad-core Whiskey Lake-U processors, the G-series aims to offer a high-quality 13.3-inch display and a long battery life without compromising on portability. The new notebooks weigh between 779 and 859 grams – lighter than your average 13-inch ultrabook – with battery runtimes rated for between 9.5 and 19 hours. As an added bonus, the mobile PCs also feature a rare native GbE port.
Dynabook’s G-series family consists of the G8, G7, G6, and G5 models. All of the SKUs come with a 13.3-inch Full-HD non-glossy IGZO display from Sharp in a chassis that measure 308.8 × 211.6 × 17.9 mm. The enclosure features either an Onyx Blue or Pearl White finish and is made of magnesium alloy, which is an extremely lightweight and rigid material that allowed Dynabook to build such a light notebook. All told, Dynabook seems to be rather bullish on the toughness of their alloy and underlying design; the PCs are rated for a drops up to 76 cm, can withstand -20°C and +60°C temperatures, and survive for 10 days under environment humidity of 95%.
Under the hood, the specifications of Dynabook’s G-series laptops are fairly typical for Japanese ultra-portable laptops. The cheapest G5 model is based on Intel’s dual-core Core i3- 8130U processor accompanied by 4 GB of DDR4-2400 memory as well as a 128 GB NVMe SSD, whereas the most powerful G8 model is powered by Intel’s quad-core Core i7-8550U CPU paired with 8 GB of DDR4-2400 DRAM and a 512 GB NVMe SSD. Meanwhile, the G5 and G6 notebooks are outfitted with an “S” battery rated for 9.5 hours, while the G7 and G8 laptops are equipped with an “L” battery rated for 19 hours.
When it comes to connectivity, the Dynabook G-series notebooks feature an 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2 controller, a GbE jack, one USB Type-C connector, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, an HDMI output, a microSDXC slot, and a TRRS audio jack. The laptops also have a webcam (the G7 and G8 SKUs have IR sensors for Windows Hello), stereo speakers with DTS enhancements, a microphone array, and so on.
Dynabook G-Series General Specifications | ||||||
G8 | G7 | G6 | G5 | |||
Display | 13.3" non-glossy IGZO panel with 1920×1080 resolution | |||||
SoC | Intel Core i7-8550U 4C/8T, 1.8 - 4 GHz, 8 MB Intel UHD 620 15 W |
Intel Core i5-8250U 4C/8T, 1.6 - 3.4 GHz, 6 MB Intel UHD 620 15 W |
Intel Core i3-8130U 2C/4T, 2.2 - 3.4 GHz, 4 MB Intel UHD 620 15 W |
|||
RAM | 8 GB DDR4-2400 (soldered down) | 4 GB DDR4-2400 (soldered down) | ||||
Storage | 512 GB NVMe SSD | 256 GB NVMe SSD | 128 GB NVMe SSD | |||
Wireless | 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.2 |
|||||
I/O ports | 2 × USB 2.0 Type-A 1 × USB 3.0 (?) Type-C 1 × HDMI 1 × GbE 1 × microSDXC |
|||||
Camera | webcam with IR (w/Windows Hello) | webcam | ||||
Audio | Integrated speakers 1 × TRRS 3.5-mm jack for headset |
|||||
Dimensions | 308.8 × 211.6 × 17.9 mm | |||||
Weight | 859 grams | 779 - 799 grams | ||||
Battery | L Battery - 19 hours | S Battery - 9.5 hours | ||||
OS | Windows 10 Home | Win10 Home/Pro? | ||||
Fingerprint | Yes | |||||
Finish | Onyx Blur | Onyx Blue Pearl White |
Onyx Blue | |||
Availability | January 2019 ¥200,000 (~$1,830) |
January 2019 ¥180,000 (~$1,650) |
January 2019 ¥160,000 (~$1,465) |
January 2019 ¥140,000 (~$1,282) |
Dynabook will start selling its G-series laptops on January 24. The most affordable G5 model will be priced at ¥140,000 ($1,280) w/o tax, whereas the high-end G8 SKU will cost ¥200,000 ($1,830) w/o tax.
Related Reading:
- Fujitsu Announces 13.3" Lifebook U937/P and UH75/B1: 7th Gen Core i5, 8hr Battery, Under 1.77 lbs
- Samsung Updates Notebook 9: Kaby Lake, USB-C, Starts at 816 Grams
- ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA: Kaby Lake, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, TB3, 14" FHD, 2.4 lbs
- Lenovo Reveals Yoga 910 Convertible: Intel’s Kaby Lake Meets 4K Display and Ultra-Thin Form-Factor
Source: PC Watch
24 Comments
View All Comments
c4v3man - Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - link
802.11AC wifi isn't enough info... what chipset?Otherwise, looks like a decent box, but at $1500+ I'd expect 16GB, not 8GB.
Prestissimo - Thursday, January 24, 2019 - link
The Good:- GbE port on Ultrabook
Deal-breakers:
- last gen processors
- absent dGPU and screen options
- soldered RAM and Wi-Fi
- 2x USB-A 2.0, 1x USB-C 3.0, 1x microSD, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x proprietary charging, no USB-PD
- no disclosure on battery capacity
- what looks like terrible inputs and speakers
- $1,300-1,900 USD
What it should look like:
- Whiskey Lake or Ryzen 3rd gen
- MX150 / Vega 10 class dGPU and better screen options
- socketed, expandable RAM and Wi-Fi
- 2x USB-A 3.0, 2x USB-C 3.1 TB3, 1x UHS-II full SD, 1x HDMI 2.0b, all USB-PD
- 130 Wh battery (because 19 hours)
- excellent keyboard, touchpad and speakers
- starts at $800 USD with i3 / R3
Better alternative: Thinkpad T480s
MamiyaOtaru - Saturday, January 26, 2019 - link
wtf is that space bar? that's almost just a space keyabufrejoval - Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - link
This one has "Excel machine" written all over it.I totally understand that it doesn't find friends in an enthusiast crowd here, but IMHO these things are designed to last a long business trip and to take a beating without complaining for a couple of years.
Enjoy the diversity!