Which ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 or Lenovo U410?

College Life
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<p>Now that enough information is out I'm trying to decide on a new laptop for mainly school use as a business major. I wanted something productive and portable, and would be nice if it was a head turner. Wanted to keep it at $1,000 max budget.</p>

<p>I've narrowed it down to the Dell XPS 13 or Lenovo U410 ultrabooks:
XPS</a> 13 Ultrabook ? High-performance and lightweight laptop details | Dell
IdeaPad</a> U410 Ultrabook - affordable laptop from Lenovo (US)
For the XPS 13 I would get the base model (currently $1,000) and for the U410 I would get the Ruby Red (currently $880).</p>

<p>My thoughts:
Dell pros include it's super compactness (13" diplay in a 12" footprint), backlit keyboard, durable body construction/materials (aluminum, carbon fiber, magnesium alloy combos), and full SSD (128GB for base model). Cons include the lack of an SD slot and outdated hardware (Intel HD 3000 and 2nd Gen i5 when 3rd Gen is around the corner).</p>

<p>Lenovo pros include full array of ports (including 2xUSB 3.0 and SD slot), IB GPU, bigger storage capacity (albeit on a traditional HDD), 8 GB RAM (vs the standard 4), the price, and that red is to die for IMO. Cons include it's bigger footprint and extra 1lb of weight, GPU is only slightly better than HD 3000 but not as great as HD 4000 (NVIDIA GeForce 610M), and no backlit keyboard.</p>

<p>I passed on the new Dell XPS 14 ($1,100 base with 3rd Gen i5 and HD 4000) and Lenovo U310 (3rd Gen i5 and HD 4000) (the maker's 14 and 13" counterparts respectively) because I didn't like the style or colors offered. I passed on all other makes and models after researching for the last several months because of various reasons (Toshiba Z830/5 to flimsy/brittle-like, ASUS UX31 hurts my eyes to look at that odd shiny top, etc etc).</p>

<p>I eventually passed on Mac because I've always used Windows and am comfortable with it. I'm not worried about waiting around for Windows 8 - I tried the Consumer Preview and didn't like it much (I've used and had no problems with Vista for the last 5 years).</p>

<p>I really am leaning more towards the U410 because for a cheaper price I can get the newest hardware, but I'm weary of the size. I'd like to have a machine as portable as possible while being able to do as much as possible (some not-so-heavy gaming included). Is there a significant difference in feel between a 13 and 14" laptop? Is it feasible to take a 14" machine around school all day? Your thouhts? Thanks so much for the input! I am willing to wait another month or so for back-to-school sales, but generally I think the prices for both of these machines will have the same difference.</p>

<p>Oh, and in regards to the colors, obviously the XPS 13 only comes in the one, but someone mentioned to me about SkinIt. It would be a plus for the XPS 13 if I could just get a SkinIt of my color choosing for it (I checked that they do have a bunch of skins to order for the XPS 13 on their site), but are those generally safe to use on a laptop? Plus they are in the $30+ range. I'd hate to spend $1,000 on a machine just to spend another $30 to make sure it's a color I can stand to look at all the time (whereas the U410 would already be that way).</p>

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<p>The U410 should only cost you 829.00 not 880.00</p>

<p>Use this link and make an account
<a href=“http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/barnesnoblegold/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/StdAffinity:Home?home=barnesnoblegold&affinity=barnesnoblegold&menu-id=products[/url]”>http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/barnesnoblegold/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/StdAffinity:Home?home=barnesnoblegold&affinity=barnesnoblegold&menu-id=products&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Bump.
The Lenovo U410 just went on sale for <$800 until July 4th. Super tempting. I don’t think it would get much more cheaper than that by years’ end.</p>

<p>Still mainly worried about there being any size difference (I have messed with the XPS 13 numerous time in-store, but haven’t been able to fins a U410 to do the same yet). Anyone have reasons why I should favor the XPS 13 over the U410? Would the U410 dimensions be okay for taking it around campus daily (LxWxH - 13.5"x9.25"x0.8" @ just over 4lbs)?</p>

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<p>I’m seeing the Lenovo U410 Ultrabook on sale for $711.75 but it’s hard to find reviews on it.</p>

<p>Remember that Lenovo has great customer support ONLY for their Thinkpad line of notebooks. The customer support for the rest of the notebook line is as bad as Dell consumer class.</p>

<p>4 Lbs is okay but a 14" laptop may be a bit too big for some desks.
I know that my 13.3" Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 was a perfect fit for most of my desks at school so you may want to check where you’ll be using your laptop.</p>

<p>Edit: Why not consider the 13.3" U310 ultrabook for $674.25 instead?</p>

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<p>

Yeah, I know. The U310 and U410 were announced together, but the U310 went up for grabs it seems right before the U410 did so it looks like all the trusted review sites reviewed the U310 since they could get their hands on that first and the U410 was an afterthought.</p>

<p>

It’s as simple as that. When comparing the XPS 13 to the U310 (the 13" models) then I’d rather get the XPS 13, but when comparing the XPS 14 to the U410 (the 14" models) then I’d rather get the U410. But when I compare the XPS 13 to the U410 I end up with my original post.</p>

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<p>For fairness (or kicks and giggles), what are some thoughts between comparing the Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo U310 if I were to consider that one instead? The U310 comes with all the same specs as the U410 minus the bonus RAM (only 4GB). Do you think the U310 is a better value than the XPS 13?</p>

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<p>Here’s a hint when it comes to getting good prices on Dell laptops.
Check your PM for a bit more info.</p>

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