Lenovo’s ThinkPads have always been extremely well built, but pretty ugly. Lenovo’s all-metal U300s is another story. Only 0.6 inches thick and equipped with a 1.8 Ghz Core i7, it’s not merely interesting. Dare I say it’s a little exciting?
Design-wise, the U300s has an all-metal body which strays from the usual plasticky designs of Lenovo’s previous U-series devices. With the lid open, the U300s ultrabook embraces a minimal design comprised solely of the keyboard/trackpad/power button. With the lid closed, it looks like a book, with a lip that protrudes from the top and bottom edges. Not only is this probably Lenovo’s best-looking laptop to date, it has a distinctive look.
The U300s boots in 10 seconds, has a 13.3-inch screen (1366×768 resolution), a 256GB SSD, and up to 4GB RAM. The battery lasts 8 hours and can charge to 50% in a half an hour. Compared directly against the MacBook Air and the Asus UX21, the Lenovo holds its own (on paper, at least). The Lenovo U300s will be available in November starting at $1200. [Lenovo]
