Lenovo LaVie Z 360 review

The 'world's lightest laptop,' but at what cost?

Lenovo LaVie Z 360 review

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The Lenovo LaVie Z 360 is by far one of the daintiest laptops in the world, weighing in at only 2.04 pounds (0.93 kg). It's far lighter than the 3.26-pound HP Spectre x360 and even more so compared to the 3.31-pound Acer Aspire R13. Even the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro and Asus Transformer Book T300 Chi outweigh the Lenovo hybrid – at 2.62 pounds and 3.14 pounds, respectively – despite both machines adopting thinner, fanless designs.

In terms of footprint size, the Z 360 is also fairly compact, measuring 12.56 x 8.35 x 0.67 inches or 319 x 212 x 17mm (W x D x H). It's narrower, but a bit thicker than the 12.79 x 8.6 x 0.63-inch (324 x 218 x 16mm) Spectre x360. The Acer Aspire R13 is by far the bulkiest out of this trio, with a 13.54 x 9.07 x 0.71-inch (344 x 230 x 180mm) frame.

Lenovo LaVie Z 360 review

Spec Sheet

Here is the Lenovo LaVie Z 360 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:

  • CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-5500U (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 3GHz with Turbo Boost)
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500
  • RAM: 8GB LPDDR3 (1,600 MHz)
  • Screen: 13.3-inch, WQHD 2,560 x 1,440 IPS multi-touch
  • Storage: 256GB SSD m.2 SATA
  • Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, HDMI-out, SD card reader, headphone/microphone combo jack
  • Connectivity: Intel Wireless 7265 (2 x 2 dual band) AC
  • Camera: 720p HD
  • Weight: 2.04 pounds
  • Size: 12.56 x 8.35 x 0.67 inches (W x D x H)

Lenovo LaVie Z 360 review

The Lenovo LaVie Z 360 only comes in one configuration, as listed above, and it comes priced at an extravagant $1,599 (about £1,026, AU$2,138). That's pretty dang expensive for any laptop, let alone a machine that feels too flimsy for its exorbitant premium and promises a scant six hours of battery life.

For $1,399 (or AU$2,399), you could pick up a top-end HP Spectre x360 rocking an upgraded 2,560 x 1,440 display, the same processor plus twice the amount of solid-state storage space. A slightly less impressive Spectre x360 outfitted with only an Intel Core i7-5600U processor and 256GB of flash storage is also available in the UK for £1,225.

With a $1,499 budget, you could pick up an Acer Aspire R13 with all the same bells and whistles as the Z 360, plus twice the amount of flash storage. Unfortunately, readers in the UK and Australia can only pick up this 2-in-1 laptop with a 1,920 x 1,080 display and 256GB SSD for £799 or AU$1,999.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.