Besides with the new IdeaPad G, Y, and Z series, Lenovo has expanded its notebook consumer line with the 13.3″ U310 and 14″ U410 thin-and-light laptops. These are offered in Ultrabook and non-Ultrabook variants, with former sporting built-in solid state drives for fast boot ups and system resumes.
The U310 and U410 are made of aluminum and are not noticeably thinner than their U300 and U400 precursors, measuring 0.70 and 0.83 inches respectively versus 0.72″ and 0.88″. The U310 weighs 3.74lbs, so it’s actually heavier than 3.48-pound U300, but the U410 measures 4.18lbs versus 4.36lbs on the old model.
Specs wise, despite different screen sizes the resolution on both models is the same – 1366×768 pixels. Inside the laptops one can find the 2nd and 3rd Generation Intel Core “Sandy Bridge” and “Ivy Bridge” processors, with a lack of the higher end Core i7 options.
You can check out the U310 vs U410 specs comparison in the table below. Besides different screen diagonals, its worth noting that the U410 optionally provides the Nvidia GeForce 610M dedicated video card and that the U310 has only one RAM slot, limiting memory amount to only 4GB. Also, the U410 has a longer estimated battery life, an extra USB port, and somewhat louder speakers.
| Lenovo IdeaPad U310 | Lenovo IdeaPad U410 | |
| Display | 13.3″ 1366×768 VibrantView (glossy), LED backlight, 200 nits brightness, 500:1 contrast ratio |
14.0″ 1366×768 VibrantView (glossy), LED backlight, 200 nits brigthness, 500:1 contrast ratio |
| Processor & Graphics | 2nd Generation Intel Core i3-2367M (2 cores / 4 threads, 1.40 GHz, 3MB cache)3rd Generation Intel Core i3-3217U (2 cores / 4 threads, 1.80GHz, 3MB cache) or i5-3317U (2 cores / 4 threads, 1.7-2.6GHz, 3MB cache) | |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 on models with 2nd Gen CPUs, HD 4000 on models with 3rd Gen CPUs | Intel HD 3000 on models with 2nd Gen CPUs, HD 4000 on models with 3rd Gen CPUs, optional Nvidia GeForce 610M 1GB with Optimus switchable GPU technology |
| Memory | Up to 4GB 1,600MHz DDR3, one SO-DIMM socket | Up to 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3, two SO-DIMM sockets |
| Storage | 500GB (5400 rpm) hard drive, optional 32GB mSATA solid state drive | |
| Optical Drive | None | |
| Webcam | 720p 1.0-megapixel, fixed focus | |
| Audio | Stereo speakers (1.5 watt x 2), Dolby Home Theater v4 certified | Stereo speakers (2 watt x 2), Dolby Home Theater v4 certified |
| Network | 802.11n Wireless, Ethernet LAN, no Bluetooth | |
| Ports | 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, HDMI, SD/MMC card reader | 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, HDMI, SD/MMC card reader |
| Input | Full-size AccuType isle-style keyboard, one-piece multi-touch pad with scroll feature | |
| Battery | 3-cell 46Wh, up to 7 hours of battery life | 4-cell 59Wh, up to 9 hours of battery life |
| Dimensions | 13.1″ x 8.9″ x 0.7″ | 13.54″ x 9.25″ x 0.83″ |
| Weight | 3.74 pounds or more | 4.18 pounds or more |
| OS | Windows 7 Home Premium | |
| Warranty | 1-Year | |
The new U310/U410 series laptops come in Aqua Blue, Cherry Blossom, Graphite Gray, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Spearmint colors and start at about $700.