Lighter than a MacBook Air with twice the battery: Japan’s wild $3,700 laptop is a record breaker | Daily Reports Online
- NEC unveiled a 999 g business laptop with exceptional battery endurance
- LAVIE BM94C uses carbon fibre to achieve a remarkably light business device
- AI battery management helps extend operating time throughout demanding working days
NEC Personal Computers has unveiled the LAVIE BM94C, a business laptop weighing just 999 g with a starting price of 584,100 yen (about $3,570).
The lightweight notebook is initially launching only in Japan despite attracting attention for combining premium hardware with unusually long battery endurance.
Developed as the flagship model in NEC’s latest LAVIE business lineup, the device focuses on portability, durability, and AI-assisted power management.
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Built around portability without compromising battery life
The BM94C was developed under what NEC calls Project 999, an engineering effort balancing an ultra-light chassis with a large battery normally associated with heavier business laptops.
Its body uses laminated aerospace-grade carbon fibre supplied by Toray, while the top panel incorporates the company’s ultra-lightweight core technology to improve rigidity without adding unnecessary weight.
NEC also applied fingerprint-resistant and abrasion-resistant coatings, making the notebook easier to clean while reducing visible wear from daily business use.
Power comes from a 99.9 Wh battery rated for approximately 30.5 hours of video playback and around 50.8 hours of idle operation under JEITA 3.0 testing standards.
According to NEC, a 30-minute recharge provides approximately eight hours of operation, reducing the need to carry a charger during short business trips.
The company also introduced Long Battery Mode, an AI feature analysing applications consuming unnecessary power before recommending ways to extend battery life.
NEC further claims its intelligent charging tech reduces long-term battery degradation, maintaining about 72.7% battery health after five years of regular charging.
The notebook is powered by Intel Core Ultra 5 322 or 335 processors alongside the Core Ultra 7 355, with memory configurations ranging from 16 GB to 32 GB.
Buyers can choose between 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB solid-state drives depending on storage requirements and professional workloads.
The BM94C features a 14-inch WUXGA display with 1,920 × 1,200 resolution, while its 16:10 aspect ratio provides additional vertical workspace for productivity tasks.
NEC pairs the display with Windows 11 Pro, aiming to improve productivity during document editing, multitasking, video conferencing, and extended office work.
Business features extend beyond lightweight hardware
Beyond its core hardware, the BM94C includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, HDMI, and Gigabit Ethernet for connecting modern peripherals and external displays.
Wireless connectivity comes through Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, while a Full HD webcam supporting Windows Hello provides secure biometric sign-in for business users.
Those connectivity options allow users to connect multiple displays, wired networks, external storage devices, and modern accessories without requiring multiple external adapters.
NEC said the portable laptop was designed for professionals travelling frequently while still requiring desktop-class connectivity throughout the working day.
The BM94C forms part of NEC’s refreshed LAVIE business lineup following the integration of its commercial computer operations under a single brand.
Via PC Watch (originally in Japanese)
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