Lenovo Z480

Keyboard and Touchpad Lenovo and Toshiba employ "Chiclet" or island-style keyboards on most of their notebooks. Toshiba's implementation isn't bad but has a plasticky feel like the rest of the Satellite L840. It's not a bad feeling keyboard by any means but would benefit from having keys that aren't so easy to press down. The IdeaPad Z480 has a noticeably better feel than the Toshiba; pressing the keys feels sure and accurate. The tactile feedback is simply better. The touchpad battle actually goes to the Satellite L840. It has a traditional touchpad with two physical buttons; the IdeaPad Z480 has a button-less "clickpad" which has occasional accuracy issues. Additional things I like about the Toshiba's touchpad include the obvious physical border (obvious to your fingers that is) and the textured surface. Performance I won't be awarding many points in this section simply because both notebooks are more than powerful enough for everyday usage; i.e. there is no difference between them. The Lenovo Z480 will win if you compare these notebooks with synthetic benchmark tests thanks to its faster Intel Core i5-3210m processor. The storage drive is the slowest component in both cases; a 5400RPM hard drive is as slow as it gets. Fortunately the storage drive can be replaced easily without voiding the warranty.