Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Graphite Gray)

Excellent ultrabook for the price range
Ive had this for about a week now, and this laptop is excellent for this price range. I searched quite thoroughly for laptops in the 500-700 dollar price range for class, and this was by far the best value. Keep in mind, this is not a gaming laptop. It seems to be able to run most lower end games fairly well, but that’s not what i got it for. I use it for college and for programming.Windows 8:I want to start off with windows 8 since this was one of my major concerns, i had seen it before and was not overly enthusiastic. However, after having a chance to play with it and set it up my way, it is actually a pretty good. I can not imagine trying to use windows 8 without a touch screen, or at least touch pad gestures, but luckily this laptop has both. If you do get windows 8, i recommend taking the time to play with it instead of immediately installing the add-on that makes the desktop mode like windows 7.Touchscreen:The touchscreen is fairly nice, it does not have as much of a terrible glare as some other touch screens. It is crisp and responsive. It may smudge a bit, but this comes with touch screen territory.Keyboard/TouchpadThis is my only real complaint, but i did not find it worth subtracting stars, especially for the value this laptop has presented for the price range(550$ at the time of purchase). The keyboard does in fact feel a bit cheap. They keys a spaced slightly too wide for my taste, and are not a “normal” size, but this is personal preference perhaps. I don’t personally notice any flexing or bending as i type, just the spacing of the keys, it makes it kind of odd to apply the right amount of pressure, im sure i will get used to it though. I am typing on it right now. The touch pad has a good response, though the left and right buttons are part of the touch sensitive pad instead of being independent, previous laptops have been separate buttons. This has its draw backs as the mouse can shift when you right or left click depending on how your finger moves, but it also provides the benefit of a wider touch pad, and with the touch screen, i don’t really care.power/graphics:its a low price ultra book, i did not expect a power house. It is powerful enough for what i need it for, school, programming, and moderate smaller gaming. The i5 ultra low voltage is good for battery life, but can still get stuff done.Battery life:fantastic, i can get upwards of 6 hours of light to moderate use on a full battery. great for class, just dim the screen, and try not to access the hard disk drive, it goes to sleep. also i find it worth mentioning as i like to when people bring up battery life. Lithium batteries are not like the old nickle-cadmium batteries. don’t let it die , ever. If you do it actually harms maximum capacity. Let it drop below 20% once a week ideally and at least once a month, and below 75 percent once or twice a week, ideally as well. Yes this consumes lithium recharge cycles, but its important to do so for the health of the battery. most batteries have AT LEAST 1000 cycles, upwards of 3000 or 4000, and lithium cycles are not like the nickle cycles. If you charge 50% – 100% you have used a 1/2 of a charge cycle. And using 1-2 cycles a week is not bad at all, that will last you a while. The only reason i bring this up in such a way in a review is the fact the battery is NOT removable on this model without taking apart the case. so replacement is not as easy. Luckily for those concerned with battery life this does include a “Battery Health” mode which will only charge the laptop to 59% and alternate charging on and off, if you want the mode on that is.Wireless:This seems to be a major concern among other buyers. I will say that in the same room, or within a reasonable distance, i get fine signal strength on “Balanced” performance mode. If you run this in “High performance” maybe it will get a larger distance. The only time i have had an issue was when i was clear across a house and through several walls/objects. I’m not using this for games, so if it has a mild or even poor signal strength at these distances its not a major concern. And it was only at that location, so maybe a issue with that router. No issue at all in same room, or adjacent room( of router ).Size/weight/durability:The laptop is thin, lightweight, and feels durable and well built.All in all a great value for the price.

ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!
When I first bought this computer, it was an absolute dream. It was great, able to connect to any wifi and run many things at a time. However, that was once upon a time. I cannot express the horror I felt 2 months into using it. The wifi connection became horrid, the touchscreen was a pathetic excuse: it glitched up so much, I quit using the touchscreen to tap on things and started using my touchpad. Then my touchpad became unresponsive at times. The real nightmare came one day when I opened my screen and it was cracked! The customer service is definitely acceptable, actually, I found their customer service to be quite enjoyable. I thought the computer was decent and decided to give it another shot. I used the warranty and got another one. So after using it for one year, I am now disappointed yet again! I cannot believe the horrid hinge design, it is so weak! One day when I opened it up, the hinge was loose… AGAIN! And after about 2 weeks, it completely fellapart. I tried closing the lid the other day and suddenly… POP! The entire hinge cap popped lose and a horrid cracking nosing went on for about 3 seconds. When I reopened the lid, my screen was a cracked in 5 places! I am disappointed beyond words! In fact, I will never, EVER, get this laptop again! I can’t describe the frustration that I am feeling. I hope you all learn from my experience!

Delivery was prompt but product was faulty and had to be returned. Laptop was unable to access internet via wifi due to very poor reception. The keyboard was also not impressive due to excessive flex.