Vizio details its first laptops: two thin-and-lights and a mainstream 15-incher, on pre-order for $898 and up (Video)

Back at CES, Vizio taught us a valuable lesson: you don’t need to be a seasoned PC maker to build a beautiful laptop. The outfit, best known for its value-priced TVs, didn’t dip its toes into the personal computer market so much as plunge in, head first: it teased three notebooks (along with two all-in-ones), each bearing a clean, surprisingly tasteful design. Now, right on schedule, they’re finally going on sale. The company just announced that its first laptops, the 14-inch Thin + Light, the 15-inch Thin + Light and the 15-inch Notebook, are available for pre-order, each starting at $898.

Funnily enough, as much as we’ve written about these laptops, we didn’t know their names (much less specs) until now. So listen up: it’s time for a quick (and long-overdue) run-down. First up, there are two “Thin + Lights” (Vizio isn’t using the word Ultrabook). These come in two sizes: a 14-inch version with a 1600 x 900 display and a 15-incher with a 1080p panel. Aside from the resolution, the two models offer similar specs: Ivy Bridge processors, Intel HD 4000 graphics, SRS Premium Sound HD audio and battery life rated at seven hours. There’s also a mainstream laptop, appropriately dubbed the 15.6-inch Notebook, which offers similar innards, except it has an unspecified Kepler GPU from NVIDIA. It, too, is rated for seven hours of runtime.