Dell’s new Z-series Inspiron notebooks will be the company's thinnest and lightest laptops ever. They'll still pack a punch, however, with an Intel Core 2 Solo ultra-low-voltage or Intel Core 2 or Core 2 Duo processor.

The Dell Inspiron ‘Z’ notebooks will come in a variety of sizes including 11z, 13z and 14z models. The laptops are all approximately 1in thick. They can be equipped with up to 8GB DDR3 memory, up to 500GB of storage and a DVD drive. The laptops all feature 16:9 displays, with the ‘z’ in the name referring to the screen size. For example the 11z features an 11.6-inch display and the 14z a 14-inch display.

The Inspiron ‘Z’ 11z weighs less than 1.4kg and the 14z starts at approximately 1.9kg with a 4-cell battery. The chassis colours on offer will be black or cherry red.

The Inspiron ‘Z’ series will feature Wi-Fi as standard with optional mobile broadband, and has a choice of 4-cell (4-hour) or 6-cell (8-hour) “power sipping” batteries. Dell claims its Express Charge feature will recharge the battery to 80 per cent capacity in 60 minutes.

“People who want mobility, value, great performance and easy Internet access have made Inspiron our most popular consumer brand,” said Stuart Buxton, Inspiron brand manager for Dell ANZ. “These new, thin, lighter-weight systems offer all-day performance with the latest Intel power-saving processors.”

Australian pricing is yet to be announced, but the Dell Inspiron ‘Z’ 11z is currently retailing in the US for US$449, the 14z starting at $649; 13z pricing is yet to be announced.

The Inspiron ‘Z’ 14z will be released in Australia in late September, while the Inspiron ‘Z’ 11z and the Inspiron ‘Z’ 13z will be released in late October.