Lenovo U300s Owners Thread

I read about Downloads - two-finger-scroll - Two finger gestures for Synaptics TouchPads on Windows - Google Project Hosting in one of the threads this weekend and have bookmarked it for future research. I hear it's pretty good.

 

"Also, what options have people gone for in terms of external/usb ethernet/lan?
Any tips very welcome!"

This is the only item I added so far, works great.
And no problems with the laptop.

Amazon.com: Sandisk MicroMate SD / SDHC Memory Card Reader (Static Pack, New, SDDR-113): Electronics

 

So far, my trackpad has been great. Double tap and two finger scroll work as advertised. No issues. I wonder if they upgraded the driver since early November??

I'm using an HP NetBook bag I had for mine. Fits great and holds extras like my iPad charger, biz cards, etc.

Only externals things I've got - USB 3.0 7200 rpm harderive and HDMI cable.

Will be getting a USB SDXC reader shortly for my new camera!

Flex and squeaks were defiitely worse early on. I think it's the support structure underneath. My guess is that there is too much flex without it but I'm not sure it's actually attached to the keyboard and palm rest areas of the U300S. Maybe it's rubbing on those supports. Tough to make something so thin that is strong and to not flex. Just my guess though. Doesn't really bother or concern me.

Jay

 

There are several options listed at Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Networking, Wired Networking, Network Interface Cards, USB but some of them are too bulky.

I'm a bit of a Startech fan so I would probably get it. I bought the Apple connector (also listed) when I bought my MBA. I rarely use it.

 

A curious issue on the trackpad:

I just read Engadget's review of the U400 Lenovo IdeaPad U400 review -- Engadget which mentions that their U300s had a Synaptics touchpad, as supposed to the U400 which has a more error prone Cypress... not that what Engadget says is gospel...

I'm curious about Jay and Buck, other people that have had theirs longer than us newer owners. My 108027u model has a Cypress touchpad (according to device mgr). Cypress 2.3.6.14. What about you guys?

 

Dan76: Ive got the Synaptics touchpad on mine (i7 grey). It works great for me. Still jealous you have the orange u300s

I am sorry to hear about the one with the messed up screen. I can say that I open mine from the middle, just out of habit, and now will make that a conscious effort. I think that that u300s was a lemon and when you do mass production, some are bound to have problems. I can say that this is the first time I think we have heard of this problem however the point is still valid that one should probably be careful as the ultrabooks are super thin.

The UX31 by Asus does have a rather solid lid and because of its design, you can't open it from the corners. It's so narrow on the taper that you can really only effectively open the UX31 from the middle where it has a bit of a purposeful lip. The UX31's lid does not flex as much or hardly at all as the u300s, however, the other features are not as strong IMHO. I had two UX31 and had to return them both for very poor wireless performance and horrible touchpad issues (much worse than any you all have described here with the u300s).

My review on Amazon has more detail between the two for the gentleman who was trying to decide between the UX31 and u300s. After having owned both, the u300s to me is the superior overall machine. My philosophy is that individual specs are secondary to the overall performance and practicality of a computer. For example, the practicality of being able to fully charge the u300s in less than 30 mins is huge for me. If I am traveling and have a lay over in an airport, I can fully charge this thing in 30 mins and then enjoy it for an entire cross country flight if needed. Another example, I can use the u300s in bed on a pillow when I have to work late into the night, or just watch a movie. The UX31 could not do those things because it can't charge that fast and it gets hot on the bottom. Yet the UX31 has an SD card slot if that is something you really need.

Insofar as the creaks and touchpad physical issues mentioned, I can say that the creaks are present on mine but I have to actually try to make it creak. When I am typing like I am now on it I don't experience any creaks. And honestly, it's not like a creaking door opening that will raise the dead. It's something one may sense but its such a non-issue for me because, you have to try to notice it at least on my u300s.

My touchpad is symmetric on all four corners with no lift or pressure sensitive areas that I can tell. I am assuming that the u300s I got was one of the first batches because I got it direct from the warehouse on October 30th. Perhaps I just got lucky and got one that did not have some of the issues others have mentioned. I do wish I had the orange version however I am by no means complaining about the grey; It is very pleasing to look at it.

We all know that in time, all these products will improve with newer generations. This is the first foray of PC based ultrabooks and having gone through the Asus and Acer models, the u300s is in my humble opinion the best of breed for usability and reliability.

Sorry for the essay I just wrote. I will try to answer questions as best I can for everyone and I hope my comments have helped. It's great seeing this thread grow and thank you Dan76 for being the one who had the idea to start this thread and the others from Amazon who have come here to help current and prospective u300s owners.

Best To All,

Buck

 

They are now on sale on the lenovo site with a 4 week delivery time at a rather hefty price.

 

Woah, they are finally up for sale on the Lenovo US site! ...$1899 for the i7 model, ouch!

Buck, thank you for the detailed and thorough information again, I really appreciate hearing your thoughts and experiences. It is interesting that we both have the core i7 model, but I have a cypress touchpad while yours is synaptics. I'd still like to hear what others have and what model it's in. That said, although the two finger scrolling is taking a bit of getting used to, it is working well and my complaints are minimal.

I, for one have no creaking at all. No flex or build quality issues, other than the wierd un-level trackpad (that doesn't cause a problem). I can certainly understand that there will be minor differences off an assembly line. I too am sorry about SneakR and the RMA... hopefully you'll have the new fixed one soon!

 

Mine is a grey i5 and I have the Cypress touchpad.

I noticed that the backup drivers stored on the D drive has drivers for both synaptics and cypress. Why did they not make their minds up on this? The only thing I am missing is a two finger tap on the touchpad. Synaptics have always done a great job at this. Cypress? I have never come across them before

I hope this doesn't become a gripe

 

I7 from Newegg, Synaptics

 

No way. I also bought the i7 from Newegg, the same day you told us here in the forum, and I have Cypress, so it looks like there's no rhyme or reason as to which touchpad we have; totally random. Thanks.

 

Hi folks, I have a U300s for review. i7 dual-core processor, Windows 7 Ultimate, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD.

I've reviewed some other Ultrabooks (ASUS Zenbook UX31, Toshiba Portege Z835). I'm finding a couple of things wrong with the U300s off the bat. First is the lack of a VGA port ... despite the fact that it's antiquated, I consider this a necessity until HDMI/DisplayPort is commonplace.

Secondly is the build quality. The chassis has some of the most severe flex I've seen in any notebook. I'm tempted to say it is defective! It makes me worry about how the internal circuit boards will hold up. Also it appears that my right palm rest is not entirely flat ... it seems to sit off the surface by a mm or two.

The lid also suffers from flex, it just bends so easily ...

Fan seems a bit noisy.

Lastly the touchpad - it's accurate but the clicks feel very vague.

I've read through the first couple pages of this thread, seems like some of you have noticed similar things.

 

Asking for a VGA port on an Ultrabook is pretty silly. They are plenty of connectors/cables that will convert from mini DVI, DP, or HMDI to nearly anything else including audio.

 

That may be so, but the Z835 had one and the UX31 came with an adapter for one. Projectors available in meeting rooms and classrooms almost always are VGA only, so not having one - yeah, it can be a big deal for some. Many people aren't aware of the fact adapters are available = lost sales for Lenovo.

 

The Z835 and UX31 have other deficiencies. I wouldn't buy or use either. The placement of the VGA port on the Toshiba was innovative but that was about all.

For everyone else there's startech.com and monoprice.com. Do your readers a favor and educate them on the types of adapters on the market at low cost.

 

One of the keys to ultrabooks is portability... that's why it should have long battery life so you can leave all the cords at home... no power brick, no VGA dongle, no ethernet dongle and even no mouse.

I like the fact that I can just take the Z835 and hook it up to an older KVM switch, older monitor or projector without worrying if I brought the adapter. And many LCD TVs still have a VGA port, not DVI or DP.

 

I honestly haven't used VGA in years. All new projectors and monitors are HDMI or dvi at the very least.

Back on topic, @Charles... sure, the screen as thin as it is, may flex a little if you force it, but I think the consensus among the owners is that the build quality of the U300s is superior and quite excellent. Perhaps the unit you received for review was a bad one off the line. I am extremely satisfied with the build quality and overall design. I'm impressed as this is my first Lenovo.

 

@dan76 - thanks for the feedback. I'm not seeing any physical deficiencies but the flex is quite severe. Leaving the notebook on my counter top, if I lift up the front right palm rest corner ... it lifts off the surface without the other side lifting up. Can anyone try this with their U300s and see if the same thing happens?

Do you own a U300s? If so do you have any feedback on the other concerns I noted in my original post

 

I personally could do with a VGA option. I work in a university and this will become a problem. So far I haven't found a cheap solution anywhere that looks easy to chuck in a bag.

The desktop background the u300s comes with shows a whole range of Lenovo adapters, but I can't find any of them available in the UK:

 

Not yet. I was going to buy one for my wife for Christmas but they aren't plentiful in the channel. I also don't like paying the early adopter tax though I would for her.

As for your post, it highlights a couple of things I wish the better reviews would do. First, the lid flex question. Some people say it flexes too much and others say it doesn't. Why? We need a scientific measure because human subjectivity isn't cutting it, and it's important. My wife is hard on notebooks so I'm not sure the U300s is going to hold up in her hands for three years.

Second, you say "Fan seems a bit noisy". Could you be a bit more precise? I would have preferred knowing the RPM and temperature of the machine to support a statement like that. Even more so, I would like to know why. Was a program or process running incorrectly and causing too much CPU or GPU utilization? Thus driving up the heat and the need to spin up the fan? The statement is just too vague.

I would like more information on the touchpad impressions. My wife currently uses a T400 and she uses the touchpad on it exclusively. Unlike me, she never uses a mouse or trackpoint. So moving from the T400 to anything else is a deep concern. If the touchpad sucks, I am going to hear about it.

In essence, I look for details in a review. Your post was fine for generating comments in a forum (the VGA port for example), but a review needs a higher degree of detail to support a thesis, statement or conclusion.

When you publish the review, please post a link.

Thanks

 

At one point when I was in university, I had a notebook without a VGA port. Got screwed over a number of times, namely when I needed to give a presentation and had to borrow a computer.

I'll address each of your points but before I do that - mind your tone; you're coming off as annoyed and dismissive. I'm not sure what I did to cause that or if you're always like that.
Either way, I am under no obligation to share my thoughts and give others a chance to provide input on what I write in a review. Can't say I know too many professional notebook reviewers that do that.

1. Lid flex - it's not necessarily the flex, it's what the flex causes. I can get ripples to show up in the U300s' display by pressing on the back, so it's a problem. That means the screen could be damaged more easily. It's especially important in a portable notebook like this.

2. Fan noise - no, I can't be more specific as I am not provided equipment to scientifically test it. I can pick out the fan noise from the TV and refrigerator in the background. That makes it intrusive in my view.

3. Touchpad. I have a T520 so I can relate; in my view these clickpads are far less accurate. The issue I have with the clickpads is that I use two fingers to navigate; one on the touchpad buttons, one on the surface itself. It causes accuracy issues when the whole thing is a touch sensor.

4. Details in the review - realize I only have so much space to write in; our site traffic statistics indicate traffic goes down steadily after a certain word count. I put in as much detail as I can. CNET and laptop mag reviews are far less in-depth than NBR reviews.

 

Looking forward to your review! Your experience is impressive, we appreciate your work. I've been obsessed about the U300s since I first heard about it Sept. 1.

The issues you mention in your machine are definitely cause for concern. I have never heard of any of the issues you mention. I wonder how difficult it would be to get a replacement unit to spend time with before you write your review?

I spoke about the lid flex earlier... mine flexes very little. Subjective, yes. I just pressed on the back and there are absolutely no ripples at all. I pressed all over it.

I have never heard fan noise at all! I was actually a little worried the fans weren't working, but I changed the power profile to high and opened several programs and I could hear the fans only when I lifted the side up to my ears. And that's in a silent house with only the refrigerator running.

Touchpad - This is the tough one. The touchpad is the only part of my U300s that is not perfect. For me, the 2 finger scroll is about 80% accurate; 20% jumpy. Single finger movement and accuracy is 100% perfect. Another thing I mentioned earlier, my trackpad is not level. The bottom left corner is slightly more recessed than the bottom right. There is no dysfunction and it does not cause a problem.

The overall build quality and experience I have had with my U300s is excellent. The palm rests are completely solid with no flex, absolutely no creaking. Typing and this keyboard is really great, way better than I expected it to be.

This is only my experience. Charles, I sure do wish you could review a model built like mine, not the possible lemon that you may have. If anything, Lenovo maybe needs to work on their quality control off the line. Maybe there were a few problems with some rushed out before official release. Actually, today is the official US release date, per Lenovo's public US site.

Anyway, sorry for my long-winded post. Thanks!

 

Is there a difference between the Canadian U265 model and the U300?

 

Hmm, thanks for sharing that. A Cypress trackpad was what the Engadget guys got for their U400 review and they hated it. They said compared to the Synaptics they had in their U300s test model, it was terrible. I guess both models though are hit and miss with the trackpad manu. Nice to know what kind of quality $1900 gets you.

 

I appreciate the feedback. I do find it strange that you can't reproduce ripples on the screen. I pressed inward with one finger on the back of the display and (the notebook needs to be on for this) witness the display 'rippling'. You don't notice that? I don't think we're 'testing' using the same methods.

 

That's what I thought you meant. With the lid open and turned on, I'm looking at the screen, but reach around and press on the back of the lid towards the screen. Nothing at all, no ripples! I've pressed all four corners, top middle bottom, etc. I'm actually a bit surprised myself as I have seen this on other laptops. Mine is apparently very solid! ...it's the orange i7 btw.

 

Orange you say? Hmm:
Newegg.com - lenovo IdeaPad U300s (108027U) Notebook Intel Core i7 2677M(1.80GHz) 13.3" 4GB Memory DDR3 1333 256GB SSD HDD Intel HD Graphics 3000
Didn't know they came like that. Looks awesome.

Unfortunately mine is the dark gray one. Apparently yours might have stronger metal. Mine is very flexible all over.

 

Thanks, I'm loving the bright orange color and solid black interior! I still think yours is a lemon... others in this thread have the grey one and have not mentioned the issues you speak of.

As far as models, I believe for the U300s, they are as follows:
10802bu - core i5 128gb in Grey
108026u - core i7 256gb in Grey
108027u - core i7 256gb in Orange

 

Granted other people might not test the way I do but I am going to contact our Lenovo rep anyway.

 

Charles, please let us know the outcome of this.

 

There are more models than that. In fact, they are now visible and for sale on lenovo.com. $1899 for a U300s is outrageous.

 

You are right!! ...about the new models, maybe models unique to buy direct from Lenovo? two new numbers, i5 & i7, both gray, orange "coming soon" That's $450 more than I paid Newegg for the exact same specs!

 

Anyone know if the U300s (all models and SKUs) are all made in the same factory using the same supplier parts? The inconsistencies that have come up here in the past couple of days don't sound good. I hope Lenovo gets on top of this and resolves any materials and QA issues.

 

The i7 configuration is now $1499 on the US site. Looks like Lenovo realized their gaffe as this seems to be more in line with what retailers (newegg and others) are selling them for.

 

How about we try and figure out how to recognise a Synaptics or Cypress model? Usually there are clues in serial numbers etc. this might be useful for future buyers.

Model: Grey i5
Trackpad: Cypress
MFG date: 11/11/21

 

Orange i7
Cypress
AB20003***
Mfg Date: 11/11/08 China (I guess that would be 11/08/2011 US date format)

 

I am looking to upgrade/extend my warranty, however my serial # is not yet recognized on the Lenovo site.
Has any one already done this or just called them.

Mine is exactly as dan except Synaptics

 

Hm

So maybe the serial can't help us. Bummer. I hope the Cypress trackpad driver gets tweaked soon

 

I'll check what version I have. I think it's synaptics.

 

On a slightly different topic. I've been pretty unhappy with the jerkiness of the Cypress touchpad. I'm convinced this is a software issue, and I've found a Google Chrome extension that proves this... also, it almost solves the problem of jerkiness.

Smooth Scroll

I tweaked my settings to look like this:



Have a play around.

All I'd like now is:

1. Momentum/bounce on my scrolling alá MacBook/iPhone
2. The option for a two finger tap to act as middle mouse button

And I'd be content

 

Hey guys, mine is a Synaptics.

However I also have a U400 for review and it has the Cypress. I'll see if I notice the difference.

I've decided to review the U400 first so I can sort out the issues with the U300s' build quality. The flex is significant enough that it will adversely affect the ratings ...

 

I'd love to hear your direct comparison between synaptics and cypress behaviour. I am starting to worry about living with this cypress trackpad

 

@therourke, the Chrome smooth scroll extension was a huge find! Thank you!! I use both Chrome and FF and can see a huge difference!

One thing I discovered today... if you two finger scroll in the exact center of the touchpad, it's more reliable. Scrolling on either side does not work as well. Maybe that's just in my head, but it feels true.

Certainly good to hear it may just be a software issue with Cypress. Hopefully we'll get an update, or someone else will tweak them for us.

 

Does the Chrome extension only work for the browser, or the entire OS and all other apps?

 

Correct. It only works in the Chrome browser itself. For me, that's really the only place I scroll so it's a huge find. I wonder if there's a similar app for the OS?

 

GRAY i7 - 256GB SSD
Synaptics Touchpad (firmware v. 15.3.18.1 FWIW)
Build Date: 11/10/06 (Oct 6, 2011?)
s/n: AB20002***

Jay

 

Hi Charles. Thanks for asking for the feedback!! I think that makes for much better reviews and I think you do your members a good service by asking!! (perfect example - so many amazing reviews about the Samsung Series 9 but not one mention about the significant wifi issue. If only all of those reviewers would have looked here or asked for feedback! I never would have known about the wifi issue and would have purchased the Sammy based on just the reviews!).

A few of my observations: I am not refuting that your review unit may have a lot of flex, however, I don't have any with mine. In fact, after your mention of the screen flex, I pushed all over the back cover and, unless I push VERY hard there is no impact on the screen. I can definitely move the corners in opposite directions if I pry them a bit but in normal operation I haven't noticed the screen flex at all - it is VERY thin though.

I have the Synaptics touchpad and it's been great. I think my build is 10/6/11 and I got one of the first out. I wonder if they thought they could price them higher and when they found out they couldn't, they went for less expensive components? Or maybe the supply issues with the flooding made them seek less expensive components to make up for the increased cost of those supplies? Either way, mouse works as advertised with double click, 2 finger zoom, etc.

Wifi has been awesome. Really no issues at all. I've connected to everything from strong routers to crappy hotel routers to GOGO inflight. No drops or problems to report.

Speed seems very good, on/of and boot times are awesome! Keyboard is great. My only issue is a weird 'f' key that keeps giving me problems. I seem to be the only one though - I've been looking for other posts to corroborate that it's a U300S issue or just mine. Looks like it's just mine.

Battery life has been great. First time I've ever taken a noteboook with me for the day without bringing a charger! As someone else mentioned, a big plus is the quick charge where you can get a 50% charge within 30 minutes. That is great for layovers or a quick hop back to the hotel room while checking email, etc. VERY useful and probably one of the more underrated/unknown pluses of this model!

Fan noise is neglible at best for me. I naively thought that it was passively cooled the first few days I had it (I couldn't figure out how they could cool an i7 passively but I figured it was the 'breathable keyboard'!!!). I barely notice the fan noise at all in my machine. Every once in a great while, I will notice it when watching video or other processor intensive tasks but usally I don't notice it at all.

I've said this before but I truly believe that if I had 4G built in, I might carry this around with me as much as my iPad. I really find myself having to decide which one to use at times. The instant on makes such a difference that you don't notice until you have it.

Once more, thanks again for asking for feedback! I'm looking forward to your review!

Jay

 

Thanks for the detailed insight, Jay. I've not tested most aspects of the system yet; currently typing this on the U400.

Do you have the Orange model?

 

Agreed on that, but for what it's worth, the Series 9 wifi problem seems to be solved. The current versions have a third antenna going from the card up into the screen bezel. The wifi card also is now an Intel Centrino 6300.

They just kinda forgot about all the people who payed $1600 for those machines for the first two versions and before the recent price drop. No recall or any fix for them. I recently dug into the Series 9 thread and this is what I got out of it. I don't know how it'd compare (wifi ability) to the U300s.

 

Charles:

I have the i7 256GB Synaptics touchpad u300s grey.

1. None of the flex issues that you mention exists on mine. No finger pushing on the lid causes ripples on the screen.

2. Option for a VGA is a parameter that affects the buyer's usage of a product and therefore should not be used to add a positive or negative mark against the device. It's like saying: I'm giving the Honda Accord poor marks because I can't take it on the race track like my Porsche 911 Turbo. If you want a car to go on the tracks, get a track car. Review products on the performance of the functionality that is inherent in the product. This is the biggest compliant I have with these so-called professional reviewers. They never seem to review the product for it's supposed to do and complain about what it was never meant to do in the first place. If you are indeed a professional review and make your living this way, your reviews by seen as more objective if you stick to this philosophy instead of complaining about the things you wish it had because, frankly, no one laptop or computer or device can be all things to all people.

3. You have one u300s. I hope in your product review you don't demean its quality by somehow implying that the issues you have had are ubiquitous to the entire product line when in fact many of us u300s users are very happy with the u300s. It would be sad if you mentioned your issues but somehow failed to mention those of us who are satisfied with our choice and its performance and lack of problems you have faced.

4. Body flex is hardly there and not an issue. Fan noise is barely there at all, most quiet laptop I have ever owned.

5. I agree very much with the poster who mentioned the need for a more scientific methodology to ascertain the quality of a product from screen flexing to build quality. Since there isn't such a parameter that is quantifiable, we as users rely on writers to give us their supposed professional opinion on matters that can not be measured objectively. To me, a good professional reviewer would find out what materials were used to create, for example, the lid and body, how the pieces were assembled (glued, screwed, molded), decibels for determination of fan noise instead of comparing it to your own refrigerator (Really??? you're comparing a laptop fan to a refrigerator fan?? How many types of refrigerators are out there again??? Now I've got to try and understand the LFNATRFNAR or Laptop Fan Noise Amplitude to Refridgerator Fan Noise Amplitude Ratio??).

6. Finally, the fact you didn't know that the u300s comes in Orange is a little raw to me if you are a professional reviewer. Are you not supposed to be an expert on the makes and models available to consumers and publish articles that elegantly combine objective information with astute case study observations to help consumers make educated decisions? How could you possibly do that when you do not know the options available to consumers?

I am going to say that it is refreshing to see a professional reviewer like yourself come to a consumer thread and express and engage us. Because of that alone, I have respect for your motivation as a reviewer. I hope you do, however, take into consideration the points I and others have made and help consumers by providing them with actual information they can use to make the best decision for them and not give information based on prejudices or single user experiences.

Respectfully,

Buck