Lenovo IdeaPad U350
Notebook Specifications
Notebook: Lenovo IdeaPad U350 (IdeaPad U Series)Processor: Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500M
Display: 13.3 inch, 16:9, 1366x768 pixels, glossy: yes
Weight: 1.6kg
Price: 700 euro
Average of 14 scores (from 16 reviews)
Reviews for the Lenovo IdeaPad U350
Source: Comp Reviews
Lenovo's IdeaPad U350 is certainly an attractive ultraportable with its price below $700, but it just doesn't stack up as well with similar offerings from the likes of Acer and ASUS. It uses a slower processor and less memory meaning it has slightly lower performance and the battery life is much lower. On the plus side, it is one of the nicer screens to be found amount the CULV laptops and the keyboard is trademark Lenovo when it comes to comfort.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/15/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: PC Advisor
The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is an ultraportable PC that is one of those rare products where actually using it makes it seem much stronger than its test results and feature set might make it seem on paper. In the end, the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 offers a fairly standard feature set with average performance, but it's all built into a nicely integrated, slick-feeling package that makes it a real joy to use as an adjunct to an office desktop. Just don't expect to watch a lot of movies on it.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/31/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Mag
Systems based on Intel's consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) chipsets—that is, laptops that run on budget-friendly, low-powered processors—are no longer rarities, appearing frequently on store shelves in the form of thin-and-light laptops. In speed, these CPUs rank above netbook processors by a mere grade or two, which isn't a whole lot. In return, though, the power savings can mean a great deal for battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 ($650 direct) is the latest to join the CULV family. The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is cheap, light, and well designed, but don't expect anything amazing from the ultra-low voltage processor and small battery.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/31/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Techradar
Will Lenovo's Ideapad laptop prove to be food for thought? Lenovo is best known for its excellent ThinkPad business laptops, but also offers entry-level machines via its 3000 Series. The IdeaPad range strikes a balance between the two, with the U350 offering a combination of mobility, usability and corporate features. Overall, the IdeaPad U350 finds a comfortable balance between Lenovo's ThinkPad and 3000 ranges. It may not be the best ultraportable, but it's a highly usable machine and sure to suit small to medium business use.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/27/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: PC World
The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is one of those rare products where actually using it makes it seem much stronger than its test results and feature set might make it seem on paper. This first hits you when, after you fire up and start typing, you realize that the keyboard is actually--dare I say it?--usable for touch typists. The LED-backlit, 13.3-inch, 1366-by-768-pixel screen appears more than adequate for typical office use and even light-duty photo editing. What you get is a decent ultraportable machine at a pretty reasonable price (our unit, as configured sells for $749). In the end, the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 offers a fairly standard feature set with average performance, but it's all built into a nicely integrated, slick-feeling package that makes it a real joy to use as an adjunct to an office desktop. Just don't expect to watch a lot of movies on it.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/25/2009
Rating: Total score: 72% performance: 58% features: 77%
Source: Hardware Zone
In all honesty, the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 impressed us with its beautiful design, form factor and appeal. It certainly serves as a notice to other manufacturers that there's really no need to imitate Apple in order to succeed. The U350 also does well to stay away from the overly used glossy exterior design seen on other laptops, while the interior finish stayed classic and chic. We do however wish Lenovo paid more attention to the keyboard which looked slightly out of place in terms of design. While there was quite a bit of flex upon using the keyboard, the typing feedback was a good one. The trackpad also needs some work as both its surface and the responsiveness which was lackluster and not up to Lenovo's usual standards.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/20/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Pro
The promise of a Lenovo-branded ultraportable for just £471 is enough to get many wallets out in an instant, and if it held all the usual Lenovo hallmarks we'd have been first in the queue. The U350, however, just isn’t the budget-priced wonder you might have been hoping for. It isn’t a bad laptop by any means, with a light weight and comfortable design, but caught in the crossfire between inexpensive netbooks and the slightly pricier likes of Acer’s Aspire Timeline 4810T, the Lenovo simply fails to make its mark.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/19/2009
Rating: Total score: 50% price: 67% performance: 33%
Source: CNet
While it's hard for us to weigh design over performance when looking at a laptop, products such as the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 make it a little easier. As another entry in the growing field of affordable CULV thin-and-lights, the compact and really great-looking U350 is Lenovo's MacBook in terms of design. Lighter than it is thin, the Pentium U2700 processor-packing machine is clad in minimal silver and black and aims to keep a stylish low profile. If you're searching for a great-looking thin-and-light laptop at a good price, the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 bridges the gap between personal and professional and is worth checking out. But its design is more successful than its horsepower.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 73% performance: 60% features: 80% mobility: 60%
Source: Laptop Mag
Given its $749 price, we generally like the design and features of the IdeaPad U350. It’s lightweight and slim, and its black-and-silver look is attractive. (It’s certainly less smudge-prone and feels more solid than the $799 MSI X340.) However, while this ultraportable offers decent performance, its relatively short endurance is disappointing. We highly recommend that you purchase the 8-cell battery option once it becomes available. Overall, we prefer the $899 Acer Timeline 3810t among ultra-low voltage ultraportables under a grand, because it offers over 8 hours of battery life endurance. But the IdeaPad U350 is still a good value because of its better display and audio quality.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/03/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Computer Shopper
Depending on how you look at it, the 13.3-inch Lenovo IdeaPad U350 is either a step up from a netbook or a step down from an ultraportable. Like a netbook, this 2.8-pound machine is easy to carry, but it’s faster and more comfortable to use than any netbook we’ve seen to date; of course, the $749 price also makes it more expensive than a netbook. Coming at it from the other direction, the U350 is much less expensive than just about any 13.3-inch ultraportable or thin-and-light, but it delivers about half the performance and battery life. The bottom line: If you want an affordable, easy-to-carry laptop without the screen and keyboard trade-offs of a netbook—and can live with merely adequate performance—the U350 is worth a look. The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 mimics the MacBook Air’s thin profile, without the luxury materials, impressive performance, or high price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 79%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookcheck
DE→ENonline available, Long, Date: 09/14/2009
Rating: Total score: 87% performance: 661% display: 79% mobility: 91% workmanship: 88% ergonomy: 88% emissions: 92%
Source: Notebookjournal
DE→ENonline available, Long, Date: 09/10/2009
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 70% performance: 50% features: 30% display: 30% mobility: 50% workmanship: 70% ergonomy: 70%
Source: ZDNet
DE→ENonline available, Long, Date: 08/14/2009
Rating: Total score: 72% performance: 70% features: 80% mobility: 60% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Les Numeriques
FR→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 09/11/2009
Rating: Total score: 60% performance: 30% display: 60% mobility: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Source: Benchmark.pl
PL→ENonline available, Very Long, Date: 08/21/2009
Rating: display: 80% mobility: 60%
Source: Kiến Thức Laptop
VN→ENonline available, Short, Date: 08/11/2009
Rating: price: 80% mobility: 60%
Comment
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500M:
The graphics core of the Intel GL40 and GS40 chipset features a slower clocked GMA 4500MHD (400 versus 533 MHz). Because of the slower core speed, full Blu-Ray Logo support is not given and the gaming performance is a bit worse.
Lower end of Graphics Cards for users who want to play games. New games should run on these cards, but only with decreased details and mediocre resolution.
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core 2 Solo:
SU3500:
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
13.3": This is a common display format for subnotebooks. Netbooks, UMPC and some subnotebooks have tinier displays. Nevertheless, the majority of standard laptops has a higher format. The advantage of a small display is, that the subnotebook can be small dimensioned and can be carried easily. Further the small display needs few energy, which improves the battery runtime and in consequence the mobility. The disadvantage is that the reading of texts is a bit exhausting for the eyes, especially with high resolutions.
>> To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
1.6 kg: This sub-notebook weighs less than the average of all notebooks and represents a medium class of weight among the sub-notebooks. 11 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.
Lenovo: Lenovo Group Limited is China's largest and the world's fourth largest personal computer manufacturer. Lenovo produces desktops, laptops, servers, handheld computers, imaging equipment, and mobile phone handsets. Lenovo also provides information technology integration and support services, and its QDI unit offers contract manufacturing. Its executive headquarters are located in China and USA. It is incorporated in Hong Kong. Lenovo was formed in 1984 as a spin-off of the Chinese Academy of Sciences new technology unit. The company initially began as a reseller, distributor and later CM for foreign brands, including IBM, entering the Chinese market. In 1990, Lenovo started to manufacture its own PCs and by 1997 became the market leader in China. In 2004, Lenovo bought IBM’s PC business for $1.25billion. Market share regarding sales of personal computers in 2007 (market research IDC): HP 18.9 %, Dell 16.4 %, Acer 9.9 %, Lenovo 7.5 %, Apple 5.7 %
69.5%: This rating is bad. Most notebooks are better rated. This is not a recommendation for purchase.
>> Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
