Lenovo IdeaPad U350

 The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is a 13.3" thin and light notebook based on the Intel CULV platform. It offers Intel processors ranging from the single-core SU2700 to the dual-core SU7300 with up to 4GB of DDR3 memory and your choice of 4-cell or 8-cell batteries for extended battery life. In this review of the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 we take a look at how well it performs in a wide range of tasks, including time away from the power outlet, to see if this is indeed the perfect travel companion.

 Lenovo IdeaPad U350 Specifications:

 Windows Vista Home Premium with SP2 (Now available with Windows 7 64-bit)
 Intel Pentium SU2700 CULV (1.3GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB cache)
 4GB DDR3 SDRAM (1066MHz)
 320GB 5400 rpm SATA HDD
 13.3-inch diagonal WXGA (glossy, 1366x768)
 Intel X4500M integrated graphics
 Intel 5100AGN, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
 Ports and connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, 2-in-1 SD-Card reader, RJ-45/Ethernet (Gigabit), stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, 1.3 megapixel webcam
 Dimensions: (LxWxH) 12.9" x 9.0" x 0.7-1.0"
 Weight: 3lb 10.3oz (not including weight of AC adapter).
 4-cell 41Wh battery
 One-year standard warranty

Design

Build and Design

The Lenovo IdeaPad series has always featured unique designs compared to other Lenovo notebooks, and the U350 is likewise a unique-looking laptop. For starters, the U350 features a cross-weave texture imprinted on the top of the screen cover where most notebooks are only covered with glossy paint. This gives the user a completely different tactile experience: you can feel the difference in texture the moment you touch this laptop

Screen

The 13.3" screen is average, providing decent color and contrast but suffering from noticeably shallow viewing angles. Low-quality TN display panels are normal since most of the thin-and-light notebooks costing very little, but some displays are better than others. For standard activities like browsing the web or typing documents you don't really notice the color shift, but when viewing pictures or watching a dark movie the color shift is very noticeable and distracting. Vertical viewing angles are good until about 10 degrees forward or back when colors start to shift considerably. Horizontal viewing angles are a little better as colors remain true except at very steep angles. The screen backlight level is rated at 200nit by Lenovo, and in our testing it works very well under bright office lights. The screen isn't quite powerful enough to overpower the reflections off the glossy screen outdoors under direct sunlight.

 SpeakersThe speakers are fine for listening to streaming radio or the occasional TV show. That said, headphones are a much better option to really enjoy music and movies from this notebook thanks to the weak bass and midrange from the built-in speakers. Another alternative is using the HDMI-out to pass digital audio to a home stereo.

Keyboard
The full-size keyboard is great for typing and the 13" form-factor is the perfect compromise between size and user comfort. Too much smaller and the palmrest won't actually support your wrists. Any larger and the notebook becomes too large to be travel friendly. Key action is smooth and quiet with a very mild click emitted when you fully press a key. Key wiggle is minimal and each key top is solidly attached to the scissor mechanism below. We didn't notice any keyboard flex unless we pressed down very forcefully on the keys. In short, the keyboard on the U350 easily ranks as one of the nicest ones we've used on a thin-and-light notebook.

Touchpad
The IdeaPad U350 offers a spacious Synaptics touchpad that is one of the better models we've seen in this form-factor of notebook. The surface texture is mildly rough and gives good traction without making it difficult to slide your finger across when moist. Speed and accuracy are great and we barely noticed any lag in our tests. Refresh rate of the touchpad surface is very good and prevents any "stutter" like what we've recently seen on a few Synaptics touchpads.

Battery
Battery life with the 4-cell battery and the SU2700 is less than we had hoped for. In our test with the screen brightness set to 70%, Vista on the "balanced" power profile, and wireless active the system stayed on for 3 hours and 35 minutes before going into standby mode. Power consumption during this test floated between 9 and 10 watts. Lenovo does offer an 8-cell battery with higher-priced models for users looking for better battery life, and the 8-cell battery should provide more than 7 hours of runtime.

Performance
System performance with the Intel SU2700 CULV processor is less than stellar. Most programs take noticeably longer to load or access information compared to faster CULV options. Even with 4GB of memory, the system feels as sluggish as most Intel Atom-based netbooks. That said, basic tasks such as web browsing, listening to iTunes, typing documents, or watching the occasional SD video are no problem for the IdeaPad U350. When we moved up to watching HD video while still multitasking, the system lagged considerably. If this system included the faster SU4100 or SU7300 dual-core processors this would not be a problem in the slightest.

support: notebookreview.com