Lenovo IdeaPad U410

The Lenovo IdeaPad U410 definitely gives the current ultrabooks on the market some serious competition. The U300S big brother is more than just an upgraded version; it’s both bigger and better, but just as sleek.

What we like best

Just like Lenovo’s previous ultrabook (and indeed a lot of ultrabooks on the market), it could be easy to write it off as yet another MacBook lookalike.

Yes, it does look a bit like a knock off Apple product, and if you just look at the keyboard you’d almost be convinced it was. BUT despite this, it is a great alternative to forking out big money for a new MacBook Pro. We finally have a reason to invest in PCs again.

One of the really cool things with this ultrabook is the Lenovo smart update, which lets you update your email and instant messenger whilst in sleep mode, all ready for you when you log on again. It only takes one second to start up from sleep mode, so no thumb twisting while you wait for your computer.

The 21mm thick ultrabook with a 14 inch screen has a battery time of 9 hours, one of the best battery times among ultrabooks. Another feather in its cap is the graphics card. Instead of an integrated card, it’s a dedicated Nvidia Geforce 610m with 1 GB of video memory, enough to make gamers in particular, very happy.

What we like least

There isn’t much to put your finger on with the Lenovo IdeaPad U410, but if we’re going to be picky, the 1366 x 768 display resolution isn’t exactly impressive and it’s a little chunky for an ultrabook.

It looks sleek and performs well, but it’s a little on the big side.

It’s also a little pricey. If you’re looking for a cheaper ultrabook you’re better off picking up a Sony or a Toshiba machine.