I should have waited for the new Lenovo U300 and U400 instead of getting the X220

I just received my X220 last week and now I just read that Lenovo will come out with the U300s, U300 and U400 on October (next month).

I can still return it but I will have a 15% restocking fee. Maybe I should ask the Lenovo rep if I can just get the credit and apply it to the new U300s, U300 or U400.

Would you prefer the U300s, U300 or U400 over the X220?

Lenovo announces U300s Ultrabook, U300 and U400 IdeaPads, we go hands-on (video) -- Engadget

http://www.notebookreview.com/defau...o+announces+ideapad+u300s+u300+u400+ultrabook

 

No. Ultrabooks are anorexic and will probably have poor battery lives. Plus, they is glossy. I like laptops around 1 ~ 1.5" thick much better than the Ultrabook thin ones as not only do they have more processing power, they have keyboards (more throw), better battery lives, a lot more ports, and don't hurt your fingers when you hold it.

 

I personally prefer ThinkPads but those are gorgeous.

 

thinkpad ultrabook? a true successor to the X300 series sans optical drive would be amazing

 

It is clear that Lenovo does not make money with ThinkPad enthusiasts alone.

X300? Why "re-release" it when copying Apple is much easier. (Dell did it recently with the XPS 15z.) The U300 wants to be a MacBook Pro whereas the U300S wants to be a MacBook Air. Maybe Apple should start licensing "look" like Microsoft licensing Windows.

What are we lookin' at here?

 

the u300 is where the edge series should have went imo

 

I hate the x220's feet, the left one digs into my thigh. I actually wished the six-cell was the full width of the laptop.

 

There's no need to flame the OP because he has different laptop preferences... The U300s looks, at least right now, like a pretty solid machine built on top of the lessons Lenovo learned with the U260. Battery life should be okay, as Lenovo is promising 8 hours: I'd expect at least 6, which is very reasonable.

Usually, you would have to pay a 15% restocking fee if you return the X220, but I have heard of some people who have gotten out of the fee by arranging to buy a more expensive Lenovo machine instead.

 

Personally, I'd take IPS over thin every time.

 

yea thinness is over rated. as long as its not excessively bulky i think weight is more important. not to mention the sacrifices in durability/ruggedness that may come from slimming it down.

the air and ultrabooks wold be great to just slip into a briefcase without a sleeve or anything if they dint scratch so darn easily

 

When in doubt, copy Apple? I think that Lenovo is degrading its product name for a short term profit. In the long-term, it would be better for them to hire some good designers and create another recognizable product line.

[Now, Lenovo too, can have screens that can't open all the way, glossy screens we can't read, a nice sharp line to lay your fingers across, mediocre battery life from a battery that will be difficult to find...yada, yada...sharp corners...yada, yada...fragile...yada...with a look that's going make the customer say to themselves, "Oh, that reminds me, I should buy a Macbook air." : ) Lenove shareholders, attack me....now!]

 

Then it'll have an actual edge! (Yes, I know, bad pun.)

 

this looks pretty good.

 

lol, true.

It looks good but its too similar to MBP/MBA. I agree, rather come up with something original instead.

 

Riding the bandwagon seems to be something that many companies like to do even more.

 

Honestly does look like a good laptop, but it doesn't really suit my needs (nice screen, nice battery life).

 

Frankly these models are the worst of all worlds. None of the strengths of Thinkpad hardware (not just actual strength) and all of the woes of Windows. And the nail in the coffin will be that it'd be pretty embarrassing to walk around with a machine that so shamelessly copies the Mac's. Most people who want a machine like this are going to continue buy a MBP or MBA. I envision these Lenovo models flopping pretty hard.

 

Well, these are Ideapads and not Thinkpads. This model of computer is more for Lenovo testing the water and see what they should do to adjust their design and what not. But many of ultrabooks out there would be based on a similar design. If Lenovo flops on this, it won't be the only one.

It is probably going to be launched in Asian countries to see what sort of reaction people have about this machine. If it doesn't do well, Lenovo could just yank the cord on future sales.

 

I wont buy machines with glossy screens, so the X1 and U300s and so on are all irrelevant. I will be more interested in seeing whether the just announced Toshiba Z830 has a matte screen (appears to be the case, but no one has said in the reviews I've read).

 

I refuse to buy any Macbook Air competitor with a 1366x768 screen larger than 11.6"

I wish manufacturers would get this right. The 11.6" Macbook Air has 1366x768, so give 11.6" Ultrabooks this resolution. But, the 13.3" Macbook Air has 1440x900, so give Ultrabooks 1440x900 at least, or 1600x900 if it is simply not possible to muster up a 16:10 display.

1366x768 is generally not a bad resolution for a 13.3" screen, but it's simply unacceptable for a 13-inch Macbook Air competitor.

 

really? i quite like the u300s's design, the lack of vents on the bottom with the addition of a breathable + spill-proof keyboard is amazing
if you look at it, the u300s is less a copy of the MBA than the other ultrabooks, they seem to have taken the concept literally

 

Totally agreed.

 

Pretty disappointed. I've long since wondered how much better an MBA would be if they ditched the tapered thickness, and went for 17mm throughout. Lenovo basically did that, but hardly put anything better in it (save for better drive possibilities, and USB 3.0 port).

-Battery life not superior to MBA
-Lower screen resolution on the 13-14"

 

Really, the only failing of these is the screen resolution, easy enough for Lenovo to fix. I'm interested to see more, even if I won't be buying one for a year or two. The design looks superior to the Macbook Air to me.

 

In what way? It looks pretty much the same to me.

 

I must have missed this earlier, but +1

 

any chance of the 6470 GPU showing up on the U300?

 

My opinion, too.

Maybe Lenovo could offer two lines: the thin line (could be heavy), and the lightweight line (not necessarily smallest in size). I will choose the latter without question.

 

Doesn't U300 come in the normal U300 and U300s already?

 

Im not sure, I didn't see it, but can the new u300 or u400 be docked? I like my docking for my x220

 

I seem to recall that the bottom was very nondescript (as shown in the Engadget video). So, no.

 

no they can't be docked.

 

Ditto. I've never understood the fascination with glossy screens. Is it simply a matter of manufacturer expediency or cost-saving to present glossy screens to consumers who don't know any better, or is there a collective preference for glossy screens from persons who are familiar with the difference between them and matte screens?

Puzzling indeed.

 

Maybe it's because the glossy screens look better in the store, the colours and blacklevels stand out compared to the matte screens. Like with TVs. In the store all TVs are set to settings that are very bad for when you are actually watching the TV but that makes it "pop" more than realistic settings in a store environment.

 

glossy, apparently, is one less panel layer to apply, and is also more direct in light path...


so it does have a marginal battery benefit, something a battery strapped thin Ultrabook/MBA would need, I guess

 

After researching these laptops, the X220 seems to be way better. And it doesn't look like a MBA clone.

 

I remember reading somewhere that glossy displays actually require 1 more layer of coating on the LCD panel than matte displays, and are more expensive to manufacture...

 

I thought glossy screen requires one less layer of coating then the matte screen.

 

If was true, why the cheapest netbooks are all glossy ?

 

To look pretty and fit in with the rest. The coating itself shouldn't add that much cost.

 

I don't think so.

Surely the stupid glossy trend stared by apple and sony has a part on the matter, but practically all of the netbooks available with a matte screen are more expensive than the glossy counterparts.

Be sure that in cheap device even half dollar is considered during the design phase.

 

But that could be purely coincidental. My netbook was $250 when I got it 2 years ago, and it has a matte display along with matte everything but lid, bezel, and part of the battery. At the time of purchase, it was one of the cheapest netbooks around and had comparable specs to all the other netbooks.

 

Comeon guys, let's get practical...

Intel i7 processor, 750 GB HDD, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, decent graphics card(GPU):

MBP/MBA(15") ~ $2500
Lenovo U400(14") ~ $999

Don't believe at the pictures... if you physically compare MBP/MBA to the Lenovo U400/U300 you would actually feel that the Lenovo looks better or atleast at par with the MBP/MBA

If you are die hard Apple/Mac fan you should definitely go for MBP/MBA, no better laptop can win your reviews. Windows isn't bad either.
We always talk about the horse-power that MBP/MBA have got... but ask yourselves... How many enterprises really use MBP/MBA? Compare that to Lenovos... most of the giant corps use Lenovo as their Office Laptops(there should be something in a Lenovo)

But if you do a practical unbiased comparison the Lenovo U300/U400 are truly Value-for-Money... MBP/MBA are definitely good to have being the best-in-class laptops but are you really willing to shell-out those extra bucks?