Lenovo IdeaPad U350

The ThinkPad range is synonymous with high-quality business laptops, but Lenovo has so far struggled to make an impact in the consumer market. This month we sneak an exclusive first look at Lenovo’s slick new arrival, the IdeaPad U350.

Marking Lenovo's first take on Intel’s Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage platform, the IdeaPad U350 is a major departure from the workmanlike ThinkPad. We’ve already seen CULV notebooks in the guise of Acer’s superb Aspire Timeline 4810T, but to sum it up in simple terms, Intel’s CULV means one thing: ultraportable notebooks at sub-£1,000 prices.

The U350 certainly has the credentials to make a superbly affordable travelling partner. Pop it on the scales and it weighs in at just 1.64kg, while the lack of an optical drive allows it to be just 29mm thick.

Dressing in the dark

Looks, however, aren’t really the IdeaPad’s strong point. The lid is finished in an odd, textured brown check; the keyboard surround in a silvery gold that’s intended to resemble brushed metal, and the screen bezel in gloss black. It’s not quite the white socks and sandals style disaster it could have been, but a less haphazard palette would certainly have made more of the U350’s petite figure.

Politely ignore the visual deficiencies, though, and prodding it reveals build quality that, while not up to ThinkPad standards, is almost on a par with the Acer. Building an ultraportable is all about compromise, and while there’s a little flex in the base and the lid, the U350 feels solid enough to survive. The wide wristrest is firm and squish-free, and the keyboard above it is a good example; despite a very slightly bouncy feel, it proved a pleasure to use for long stretches of typing.

The trackpad isn’t half bad either, with its dimpled finish feeling pleasant under the finger. There are horizontal and vertical scroll zones and even basic multi-touch functions. Multi-touch is probably too grand a description, though; zooming in and out of pictures with a pinch of the fingers is as fancy as it gets.

The IdeaPad's glossy 13.3in display, meanwhile, opts for the increasingly popular 1,366 x 768 resolution. That makes for a spacious desktop, especially so when compared to less well-endowed netbooks, and quality is good. There’s plenty of brightness and colour reproduction is up to par, too. What it isn’t, however, is exceptional. Compared directly against the Acer Timeline, it lacks the sheer punch and vibrancy that its rival manages to impart to images, both still and moving.