Lenovo IdeaPad U550 Review

Our Lenovo IdeaPad U550 review unit has the following specifications:

• 15.6-inch 720p (1366x768) glossy display with LED backlighting (220 nits, 500:1 contrast)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor (1.3GHz/3MB L2/800MHz FSB)
• Switchable graphics:
  Integrated power-saving Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
  Dedicated high-performance ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 512MB
• 4GB DDR3-1066 RAM (2x 2GB)
• 320GB 5400RPM hard drive (Fujitsu MJA2320BH G2)
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100 AGN
• Built-in Bluetooth v2.1+EDR
• 8X DVD burner
• One-year limited warranty
• 6-cell Li-ion battery (57Wh/5200mAh/11.1V)
• Weight: 5.3 lbs
• Dimensions: 14.8" (X) x 9.9" (D) x 0.9" ~ 1.2" (H)
• MSRP: $949

Build and Design
The U550 has a traditional notebook shape with no outstanding design features. It is extraordinarily thin and light for a 15.6-inch notebook; it measures just one inch thin on average. The plastic used on the chassis is of reasonable quality and did not feel cheap when I tapped it with my fingernail. The plastic used around the palm rest area is smooth and has an antiglare coating; fingerprints and dust show up rather easily on it. The back of the lid has a textured matte plastic that does not show fingerprints and dust. The only glossy plastic found on this notebook is the screen surround, which was almost impossible to keep clean.

The chassis exhibits mild flex when grabbed by the corners and twisted; pushing down on the palm rests also causes some chassis flex. These characteristics are typical of consumer notebooks and indicate the internal frame is not as strong as it could be. The lid twists without much effort when grabbed by the corners and has about a half-inch of play on either side. Pushing in on the back of the lid does not yield any ripples in the screen, which is impressive given how thin it is. The display hinges are sufficiently strong. I like how the lid of this notebook can be opened without holding down the chassis.

Fit and finish is good; all areas of the notebook are of about the same level of quality. Some edges like those around the lid are not as smooth as I prefer but for the most part, the edges are sufficiently smoothed out. On the whole the build quality is slightly above average for a consumer notebook. The plastics used are of decent quality and there is not as much flex as I thought there would be, given the notebook’s thinness.

Screen and Speakers
The U550 has a 15.6-inch display with a 720p (1366x768) resolution and LED backlighting for power efficiency. Brightness and contrast are satisfactory but not more or less than I am used to seeing from other 15.6-inch consumer notebooks. The display's glossy surface enhances clarity and colors but means a lot of reflections from surrounding light sources.

At full brightness the U550's display appears a touch washed out - colors could be more vibrant. One brightness notch above minimum is a good compromise between power saving and visibility on battery. Viewing angles are average; there is some color shift side-to-side and colors wash out and darken from above and below, respectively.

The 1366x768 resolution is much too low for a 15.6-inch screen. I think 15.6-inch notebooks should have a minimum resolution of 900p (1600x900). The U550's low 720p screen resolution hampers productivity; only one-half of a Microsoft Word document is viewable at one time and it is difficult to practically use two windows side-by-side. Additionally, high-resolution photos do not look as detailed on this screen as they would on a higher resolution screen.

The U550 has two 1.5-watt stereo speakers above the keyboard. Despite the "Dolby Sound Room" logo they sound tinny and have no bass. A notebook with a multimedia focus should have stronger speakers.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The U550 has a full-size keyboard with separate numeric keypad. The keyboard has superb tactile feedback and is fun to type on. The key travel is just right; this allows the keyboard to be very communicative since all key positions (fully up/down and in-between) are well-defined. The keys require enough pressure to push down that resting fingers on them does not cause them to depress. The keyboard is quiet and could be used in almost any environment without disturbing others. The keys sound nice when pressed and add to the typing experience.

This keyboard has a couple of oddities. The numeric keypad is squeezed in; as a result the keys are half-width and take some extra precision to press. The Home/End/PgUp/PgDn keys above the numeric keypad are very small as well. Another oddity is that the [Ctrl] and [Fn] keys in the bottom left corner are switched; the change took some adjusting. This is a holdover from Lenovo's ThinkPad business notebook lineup.

The touchpad has a matte surface which is easy to track on regardless of whether fingers are moist or dry. It supports multi-touch features such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling, however I found they worked sporadically at best. The touchpad buttons have excellent tactile feedback and are quiet.

Ports and Features
The U550 has a sufficient array of input and output ports. Notable included ports include HDMI (for connection to HDTVs), three USB 2.0 ports, and VGA. An optical drive is included, which I am mildly surprised at given the thinness of the chassis. Ports not present on the U550 include eSATA, USB 3.0, and an ExpressCard slot. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Front: Wireless on/off switch, toggle for switching from integrated/dedicated graphics, 4-in-1 media card reader (MMC/MS/MS Pro/SD)

Rear: Battery pack

Left: USB 2.0, cooling exhaust vent, VGA, HDMI, USB 2.0, microphone and headphone jacks

Right: Optical drive, USB 2.0, RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet, AC power, Kensington Lock slot