Lenovo has dropped the price for their newly released E480/E580 again. E580 with i7-8550U Was $1249 less than a month ago, and now $1199 delivered with coupon code DEALS. Update: with "API Leisure & Lifestyle Purchase Program", you can get it for $1139.03 delivered with this link. YMMV.
- Intel Core i7-8550U (quad core, 1.8GHz with 4GHz turbo, 8105 PassMark)
- 15.6" FHD IPS display
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB M.2 SSD
- AMD Radeon RX 550 2GB (benchmark — slower than GTX1050, but faster than GTX950m in ThinkPad E570)
E580 is a big upgrade from E570 with
- Quad-core Kaby Lake R CPU
- USB Type-C (for power as well)
- Thinner bezel & weight reduction (2.1kg)
- Backlit keyboard $50 option
Now I just wish Lenovo can bring 10-keyless keyboard back to their 15.6" laptops. External display support is also restricted to one single HDMI port (or via USB adapters).
E480 with similar spec is $1149 delivered with coupon code DEALS as well. Or less with student discount.
Not bad - would keep my eye out for the Inspiron 15 7000 over this though, especially the 7577 with the 1060 Max-Q
..if gaming performance matters to you anyway.