Engadget: Review – Lenovo IdeaPad U260 Ultraportable Laptop
Joanna Stern liked almost everything about this new ultraportable, especially the sleek styling and the power of its Intel Core i5 processor, but battery life of about 3 hours is unacceptable, she says.
“We mean this with no disrespect to Lenovo, but when you first lay eyes (or hands) on the incredibly attractive IdeaPad U260, it’s pretty hard to believe that it was made by the company. Sure, the Chinese laptop manufacturer has always had a certain knack for creating very powerful and well-rounded ultraportables, but “drop-dead gorgeous” isn’t exactly how we’d describe systems like the Lenovo IdeaPad U160, Edge 11, or ThinkPad X301. The U260 is indeed a total 180 for the company, and it’s one of the most dapper and svelte laptops we’ve seen in a long time — there’s no question about it, its magnesium-aluminum alloy shell, leather palm rest, and glass touchpad even give the newest MacBook Airs a run for their money. But even better, the 12.5-inch system has the brawn to match that external beauty – its 0.7-inch shell has been injected with a Core i5 ULV processor, 4GB of RAM, and 320GB of storage. At $1,100 (the Core i3 version starts at $999), there’s no denying that it’s more than enticing, but is the U260 immune to Lenovo’s typical ultraportable pain points, including poor battery life and tepid temperatures? We’ve been lucky enough to spend the last few days with the beautiful machine (yes, we took it on vacation!), so jump down below to find out in our full review!
Lenovo IdeaPad U260
Look and feel
It’s obvious by now that we’ve got a real crush on the U260’s bronzish, mocha exterior (it comes in an orange hue as well), and a glance at a few of the pictures in the gallery above makes it very easy to see why. It isn’t as minimalistic as some others out there — say Google’s Cr-48 –but the soft-to-the-touch magnesium-aluminum alloy that envelops the system like a book cover gives the entire system a very clean and simplified look. Believe us, it’s more than a welcome change from the glossy lids and rounded edges that we’ve gotten used to on the ThinkPad Edge family. The U260 also feels as high-end as it looks — it may not have a unibody build, but it has a very rigid construction and that almost-rubbery metal lid not only seems to protect it from scratches, but feels really soft in hand. No, seriously, we’ve caught ourselves petting this thing a couple of times. Under the lid, the U260 loses its metal coverings, yet has an equally soft faux leather palm rest.”
