Netbook Choice » Lenovo Ideapad U150

Lenovo Ideapad U150 reviewed – great build quality; 5hr battery

Jet Sun — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:39:07 +0000

Peter over at Netbooked has put the Lenovo Ideapad U150 ultra-thin through its paces and it seems to be well regarded. The build quality is a step above most netbooks, the keyboard is very comfortable to use, it plays HD Youtube videos and even has a reasonable 5-hour battery life.

Other positives included good audio quality and one of the best touchpads he’s used. There were a few annoyances however, including the placement of Ctrl and Fn keys (a staple of most Lenovo laptops), the 6-cell battery protrudes and it was a little noisy. Check out the key review points after the break.

Key review points of the Lenovo Ideapad U150:

The U150 build quality feels solid all over. The lid & palm rest areas have a nice textured pattern that adds to the premium feeling. This also brings another benefit, no fingerprint marks!
The 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display is bright and folds back to 135 degrees. The bezel is glossy and picks up fingerprints.
The keyboard gives good feedback and one of the favourite used for a while. This is despite the Ctrl & Fn keys being swapped. There is a tiny bit of keyboard flex.
The multi-gesture touchpad feels the nicest that Peter has used. The mouse buttons are soft to the touch. The multi-touch gestures were slightly unresponsive though. Also, touchpad movement was jerky.
The Intel Celeron SU2300 processor (1.2GHz) handles HD YouTube video very well.
The sound quality from the speakers is very good but slightly lacking in bass. Volume should be loud enough for a small room.
Judging from the battery tests, you should expect between 4 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours of usage out of the U150.
Access panels on the bottom give easy access to the RAM, HDD and two Mini PCI-E slots (one is used for Wi-Fi).

Lenovo Ideapad U150 now shipping in US

Jet Sun — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:02:11 +0000

Lenovo’s 11.6-inch CULV-powered Ideapad U150 is now shipping in the United States. Two models are being offered, the base model costs $699 and has a 1.3GHz CPU (SU4100), 3GB RAM and a 250GB HDD. A more expensive ($849) model includes a 1.3GHz dual-core CPU (SU7300), 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD.

However, the cheaper SKU has a wait time of “more than 4 weeks” whilst the more expensive version should ship in 16 business days. The Ideapad U150 sports an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, 1.3MP webcam, HDMI, two USB ports, card reader and unusually a combo USB/eSATA port.

Via Netbooked.

Lenovo Ideapad U150 gets US launch details

Jet Sun — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:05:09 +0000

Lenovo US has officially announced the 11.6-inch Ideapad U150 ultra-thin. This follows on from the recent Japanese launch and video unboxing. The Intel CULV-powered machine is set to launch in the United States in mid-November with prices starting at $585.

The US Ideapad U150 has an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display and is powered by an unspecified Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It comes with 2GB RAM (4GB max) and a 250GB or 320GB HDD (the largest SSD is 64GB). Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, 1.3MP webcam, HDMI, two USB ports, 4-in-1 card reader and unusually a combo USB/eSATA port. The optional 6-cell battery should last for around 6 hours according to the company.

Via Laptop Mag.

Lenovo Ideapad U150 unboxed [Video]

Jet Sun — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:24:22 +0000

The 11.6-inch Lenovo Ideapad U150 ultra-thin was released in Japan last week and Peter over at Netbooked picked one up to review. Initial impressions appear to be positive, with superior build quality over the similarly-specced Acer Aspire AS1410. It comes with a 6-cell (4680mAh) battery that does bulk out of the bottom more than the AS1410. Accessibility is easy as the U150’s bottom panel reveals access to the hard drive, two RAM slots as well as a free PCI-E slot.

The Ideapad U150 sports an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display and is powered by a 1.2GHz SU2300 processor. It comes with 2GB RAM (8GB max) and a 250GB HDD. Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, 1.3MP webcam, HDMI, two USB ports, card reader and unusually a combo USB/eSATA port. Check out the video unboxing after the break.

Lenovo’s 11.6-inch Ideapad U150 CULV sees Japan launch

Jet Sun — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:07:51 +0000

The Lenovo Ideapad U150 CULV-based ultra-thin has gone official in Japan today. It has made an appearance on the company’s website finally giving away its full system specifications. The Ideapad U150 sports an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display and is powered by a 1.2GHz SU2300 processor.

It comes with 2GB RAM (8GB max) and a 250GB HDD. Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, 1.3MP webcam, HDMI, two USB ports, card reader and unusually a combo USB/eSATA port.

As we’re finding with most ultra-thins, the U150 ultra-thin comes with Windows 7 Home Premium. It weighs 1.5Kg and at its thickest point measures 34.3mm. Pricing hasn’t been announced despite the U150 launching in Japan today. We would expect availability in other regions to be announced shortly.

Via Netbooked.

Lenovo’s 11.6-inch Ideapad U150 manual unveiled

Jet Sun — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:30:31 +0000

The CULV-based Lenovo Ideapad U150 made a quiet appearance at CEATEC 2009 earlier in the week. Despite the low-key unveiling, the 11.6-inch U150’s manual has already made an appearance online.

Strangely, the manual references two display sizes (11.6” or 11.1”) for the Ideapad U150. I’ve not heard of this before, maybe Lenovo are planning different displays for different regions? The U150 will also have 3/6-cell battery options and options for 3G, WiMAX and SSDs.

Apart from that, the specifications have also been fleshed out. The touchpad will support multi-touch gestures and interestingly there’ll also be an eSATA/USB combi port. Check out the specs and a hands-on video from Engadget after the jump.

Lenovo Ideapad U150 Technical Specifications:

Display: 11.6” HD display OR 11.1” HD display
CPU: Intel Montevina SFF ULV BGA processor
Memory: DDR3 SO-DIMM (2 RAM slots)
HDD: 2.5” SATA (160 / 250 / 320GB 5400rpm) or 16/32GB mini-PCIe SSD
Webcam: 1.3MP pixels
29Wh 3-Cell battery size and weight: 291.8 x 192.4 x 24.4mm / 1.35kg
57Wh 6-Cell battery size and weight: 291.8 x 192.4 x 34.3mm / 1.50kg
2x USB 2.0 ports
1x eSATA / USB combo port
Headphone and mic-in jacks
VGA and HDMI out ports
4-in-1 card reader
Kensington lock
RJ45 LAN port
Bluetooth / WiMAX / Integrated 3G on particular models / countries
Multi-touch touchpad with 3-finger flicks, 2-finger scrolling

Via Netbooked.

Lenovo Ideapad U150 showcased: 11.6-inch ultra-thin

Jet Sun — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:10:46 +0000

Lenovo has shown off the 11.6-inch Ideapad U150 at the CEATEC show in Japan. I’ve not come across this device before, it seems to be Lenovo’s entry into the 11.6” ultra-thin segment.

It is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM and Intel GMA X4500 graphics. It certainly lives up to its ‘ultra-thin’ tag, measuring just 13.5mm in thickness and weighing 1.35kg. There are no details on where this device will be available and for how much, however we’ll keep you posted. Check out some more pictures after the break.

Via Netbooked.