IFA: Lenovo U300s Ultrabook takes on Apple MacBook Air

High performance 13in laptop is thinner and has longer battery life than MacBook Air, Lenovo claims

Lenovo has unveiled its latest range of IdeaPad U Series machines, which aim to provide high performance and match the portability of Apple's MacBook Air range.

The flagship U300s comes with some impressive specifications, including a 13.3in display, second-generation Intel Core processors, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and up to 256GB solid state drive.

Lenovo claims that the U300s is the thinnest laptop on the market, measuring 14.9mm from from edge to edge. This will make it thinner than the MacBook Air and Samsung Series 9, which are 17mm and 15.9mm at their thinnest points.

The U300s is shaped like a book, as opposed to a wedge that "tricks the mind into thinking devices are slimmer than they really are", explained Michael Littler, product group manager at Lenovo.

The U300s weighs 1.3kg, making it 10g lighter than the equivalent MacBook Air, but 30g heavier than the Samsung device.

Additionally, the laptop comes with a vent-less base, as it incorporates a 'breathable keyboard'. Air flows in through the keyboard and is expelled through the side vents so that it can be placed on a lap or on a pillow without overheating, Littler said.

Lenovo again claims that the U300s outperforms the competition in terms of battery life. The Ultrabook is capable of up to eight hours on a single charge, compared to seven hours for the MacBook Air and Samsung Series 9.

"The U300s has a long battery life due to a combination of reasons. The device comes with the Intel low voltage processor and SSD storage," Littler said during a pre-brief.

"Lenovo has also made improvements on the component side to enhance airflow. We've made components smaller, packing them together tighter so we can fit in a larger battery."

With RapidCharge technology, the U300s is capable of charging to 50 per cent capacity in 30 minutes.

Adam King, director of notebook product marketing at Intel, added that the ultrabooks will ship with Intel's Anti-theft and Identity Protection technology.

The Anti-theft feature is a hardware-based 'poison pill' that renders the device unusable if it has been stolen, even if the hard drive is replaced. Identity Protection, meanwhile, has two-factor authentication built into the chipset.

The U300s is due to start shipping in mid-October at around $1,200. Lenovo plans to offer the U400 for $850 and U300 for $800.