Lenovo Adds New ULV Intel CPUs to U Series

Lenovo is first out the gate offering Intel's new Core series ULV chips.

Late last week Intel confirmed that new Core i3 and Core i5 ULV chips were scheduled to hit super slim and ultra portable laptops by the second half of this year. What with it only being May, we expected to have to wait until the end of June before hearing anything about Core i3 and i5 ULV machines. However, Lenovo has just refreshed its IdeaPad U Series line of slimline machines and under the hood is Intel's not yet launched Core series of ULV chips.

Lenovo this morning announced upgrades to the company's U Series line of laptops, which involve adding ultra-low voltage options to the 14-inch U460s and the 11.6-inch U160 in Core i7 (1.6GHz Core i7-640UM, 1.06GHz Core i7-620UM), Core i5 (1.2GHz Core i5-540UM, 1.06GHz Core i5-520UM, 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM) and Core i3 (1.2GHz Core i3-330UM) flavors.

Other than the change in processor, the U160 boasts an 11.6-inch (1366x768) display, integrated Intel HD graphics, support for up to 4GB of RAM, a maximum of 500GB of storage, a 3 cell battery, 802.11n, and Bluetooth. There's also the option for an external optical drive and WWAN connectivity.

The U460s packs a 14-inch (1366x768) display, NVIDIA GeForce 305M (512MB) graphics, support for up to 8GB of RAM, 802.11n, and Bluetooth. Again, there's the option to add WWAN and an optical drive. Though it weighs nearly a full pound more (the U160 clocks in at 2.76 pounds while the U460s is 3.8 pounds), the U460s boasts a much bigger 8-cell battery battery.

Availability is set for the end of June. Still, it's nice to hear something about the new ULV chips so soon after they were confirmed. Pricing will start at $699.