Analyzed: Lenovo IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook

We got kind of confused as to which gadget we were about to test these past couple of days! The reason? We got the Sony Vaio Z and the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook at the same time! That's not something that happens quite often. The reason we were confused is because of the finish. One has a matte finish while the other has a brushed graphite finish. Close your eyes and hold them, and you probably won't be able to tell the difference. The other similarities are the webcam, both have a 1.3MP camera, a 256GB solid state drive and... yeah that's it.

From a usability perspective, the U300s is light, thin and easy to lug around. Carrying it around is a non-issue issue since it tips the scales at a little under 3lbs. You get 4GB RAM, an Intel i5 1.6GHz processor (that can be boosted to 2.3GHz), a Macbook type touchpad (which is quite annoying since they included... or tried to include the whole 2 finger, 3 finger slide type functionality that Macs have), 2 USB ports, an HDMI port and... a lack of an Ethernet port. This was a mystery to us. Yes Wi-Fi is all around but what if you were some place where you didn't have access to Wi-Fi and needed to use the Web. You will be sorely disappointed. The 13.3" display with a resolution of a mere 1366 x 768 pixels will further disappoint you especially considering the options that are available in other Ultrabooks these days. Still, you'll be able to carry out your day to day activities without a hitch. Point to note though: try to watch videos and you will definitely notice some trailing. It is common with most Notebooks and Ultrabooks but considering the fact that there are options out there where this does not occur, it will still bother you. The same goes for playing processor intensive games as well.

To say this machine is minimalist would actually make sense since you don't get any peripheral devices or even the very annoying from the factory software. That in itself is a big plus. And from a pricing perspective, the U300s is smack in the middle of the Windows 7 loaded Ultrabooks currently out in the market. 

The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s is currently on sale in India for Rs. 70,499 (~$1,410).

If you are trying to make up your mind, why not check out our reviews of the other Ultrabooks in the market.

You can also see how the U300s is made below.