Lenovo U400

Lenovo U400 099329U Laptop Review

Lenovo U400 099329U Laptop Lenovo U400The Lenovo U400 099329U is proof that powerful laptops needn't come in big, clunky packages. This sleek laptop boasts an excellent hard drive size, a whopping 6 GB of RAM as standard, a sleek metal casing and even an internal DVD drive in such a lightweight body. However, there are some crucial shortcomings that may just influence your decision over which ultraportable laptop to buy.

Key Specs For The Lenovo U400 099329U

  • RRP: $899.99

  • Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium
  • Size: 13.4” x 9.1” x 0.9”
  • Weight: 4.4 lbs.
  • Display size: 14”
  • Storage: 750GB HDD
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 2.5GHz
  • RAM: 6GB DDR3
  • Battery life: 6 hours

Lenovo U400 099329U: The Pros

Price: The Lenovo U400 costs around $900. This may not sound cheap compared to the many entry-level laptops on the market, but in its class of laptops weighing around 5 lbs and less, but still with powerful features, this is a very well-priced model.

Design: The Lenovo U400, like many ultraportable laptops, makes use of a sleek all-metal casing. This helps it to stand out against lower class laptops, and when you're using it you really feel as though you're using a well-made machine. The build quality is solid, and the action on the keyboard makes typing easy.

Keyboard: Unlike many other laptops, the Lenovo U400 doesn't come with any vents on the bottom. This means that you don't need to worry about blocking the fans when you use the machine on your lap or on a bed. Instead, the air flows through vents on the keyboard to keep it cool as you use it.

Size: Although the size of the Lenovo U400 is slightly bigger than many ultraportable laptops currently available on the market, it's still extremely thin at just 0.89 inches. This means that it's easy to slip in your bag and transport around with you. The screen is a generous 14 inches, which makes it a good choice for those who want a portable laptop but still want a decent-sized screen.

RAM: For a portable laptop in its price range, the 6 GB RAM on the Lenovo U400 is very impressive. It means that you won't have any trouble running a number of programs at the same time, good for those who need to work from their laptop and multitask within a variety of different applications.

Weight: Weighing in at over 4 lbs., the Lenovo U400 may seem heavy for an “ultraportable” laptop. Look more closely, however, and you'll see that it's not actually bad at all. For one, the 14 inch screen on this model is bigger than you'll find in most ultraportables, and the Lenovo also features an internal disc drive. If these are the kind of features you need from a laptop, then the 4 lbs. weight is actually very good, and still makes for a very portable laptop that's easy to travel with.

Massive Hard Drive: Few laptops in this weight range come with such a big hard drive as the Lenovo U400. 750 GB is huge for a small laptop, making this perfect for those who love to download large movie files and games. That said, few people will need the full 750 GB – but it's a bonus for those who like to know they've got the space to expand into. (Note also that this is not a super-fast solid state drive like you'll find in the top end ultraportable laptops).

Internal DVD Drive: It's never easy to find a lightweight laptop that also features a DVD drive, which is why many users opt for the Lenovo U400. It doesn't weigh much more than an ultraportable laptop, yet the latter don't include a drive internally. You can read and write both CDs and DVDs with this drive, which is useful if you tend to backup/ transfer data in this way, or install a lot of programs via disc.

Lenovo U400 099329U: The Cons

Battery Life: The 6 hour battery life on the Lenovo U400 certainly isn't bad, but it doesn't match up to its main rivals which can offer 7-9 hours as standard. 6 hours is pretty much average, so it's still better than many laptops out there, and worth putting up with if you like the design and lightweight laptop that features an internal disk drive.

Sensitive Touchpad: Unfortunately, the design of the touch pad on the Lenovo U400 means that it's almost impossible not to press it accidentally when you're typing. It's quite large, which doesn't help, but it's also extremely responsive, meaning that even the slightest touch can take you out of what you're doing and create errors. It just means that there's more getting used to the way this laptop works, and this issue has frustrated a good deal of buyers.

Is The Lenovo U400 099329U Worth Buying?

The Lenovo U400 really is a well-designed and powerful laptop that comes in at a very reasonable price compared to its main competitors. The real complaint, however, comes in the fact that the trackpad is simply too responsive. This is an issue that most customers will get used to in time. The question is whether you want to put in the effort.