Lenovo's IdeaPad U150 joins a crowded market filled with low-cost, low-voltage 11.6-inch consumer notebooks and netbooks. At $749, this somewhat pricey machine stands out by virtue of its snazzy design and above-average battery life. Drawbacks like a mushy keyboard and warm temperatures keep it from leading the pack, but the U150 is one of the better ultraportables in its class.
Design
At 11.4 x 7.5 x 1.4 and 3.2 pounds, the IdeaPad U150 is larger than the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T (11.2 x 8.0 x 1.2 inches; 3.2-pounds), but lighter than both the Toshiba Satellite T115 (11.3 x 8.3 x 1.4 inches; 3.4 pounds) and the Dell Inspiron 11z (11.5 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches; 3.4 pounds). Only 0.5-inches at its thinnest point, the U150's six-cell battery juts out of the bottom, causing the chassis to stand at an angle and the thickness of the backside to balloon up to 1.4 inches.
The IdeaPad U150's subtle design has some unique and attractive elements. The lid, which comes in either black or red, features a hard matte surface with subtle lines and a web pattern that reminds us of a DNA strand or series of atoms. The same pattern is etched into the plastic deck. The keyboard (excluding the top row) and textured touchpad share the same silver color, and the touchpad is covered with a layer of dots.
Heat
The exterior of the IdeaPad U150 can get unpleasantly warm. After running a full-screen video on Hulu for 15 minutes, the touchpad registered a toasty 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the left front of the bottom reached an uncomfortable 114 degrees. We consider anything above 95 degrees to be unacceptably hot. Fortunately, the keyboard stayed cool at 92 degrees.
