Lenovo IdeaPad U410 Ultrabook Review

Long gone are the times when Windows based laptops were chunky black boxes with no real style. The success of Apples various portable systems saw manufacturers needing to compete with the desirability factor and while they did reasonably well, the Dell Adamo range being one which looked rather nice, it wasn't until Intel started focusing the manufacturers that we saw real strides forward.

The idea behind Ultrabooks was to ensure that systems were thin (less than 21mm) and light while maximising battery performance (5 hours minimum). They also differed from netbooks in build quality and performance too, featuring higher specification components than those ultra-portable devices.

In June we saw the launch of the 2nd Generation Ultrabooks which moved from Sandy Bridge based CPUs to Intel's new Ivy Bridge architecture, adding requirements such as USB 3.0 support in the process. One of the latest systems to be released in the Ultrabook category is Lenovo's U410 which has a hefty advertising campaign behind it and GeForce GPU inside. Today we have one on our test bench and will see how it compares to the last generation system to see what the Lenovo offers in real world use.

Packaging and Bundle


We have seen a number of Ultrabooks now and it is fair to say that the boxes used are reasonably plain on each one. Lenovo is no different with a black container protecting the laptop inside, near identical to the packaging HP use. Inside the system is suspended in foam and wrapped in a cloth bag for extra protection. It is worth noting that this bag acts as a handy travel pouch when out and about.


Bundled with the system and sitting in a separate compartment we find a quick start guide, warranty information and a compact charger, this a Lenovo branded 65w compact PSU built by Delta Electronics.