While Lenovo is best known for its high-end ThinkPad laptops, it also offers a small range of high-quality entry level machines. The latest is the G550, a powerful, usable and portable system that vastly exceeds all expectations at this low price point.

The average build quality rears its head in other areas. The keyboard is sensibly laid out and the keys have a nice, positive action, but you don’t have to press too hard to feel the base give way underneath. It’s a shame, since it makes for a disconnected feel that isn’t as pleasant to type on as the best we've tried.

The fantastic 15.6-inch widescreen panel aids entertainment use. Stunning brightness, colour and contrast combine with deep black levels for truly vibrant images. The glossy Super-TFT coating is not overly reflective, making it easy to view in most lighting conditions.

Lenovo transitioned to a new touchpad on the G550, switching from the Synaptics model on the G530 to an ALPS pad. The ALPS pad doesn't have as quick of a refresh rate, so at times it feels like the pointer is lagging behind your finger. Another problem is the surface isn't as sensitive for users who like to use tap to click and tap to drag frequently. On the Synaptics pad it is easy to drag and lift off, while the ALPS models seem to need a strong tap at the end, otherwise it won't let go of the selected item and you keep dragging it around the screen. The touchpad buttons are similar to the old ones, with shallow feedback and giving off a positive "click" when pressed.

Usability is excellent. The wide keyboard proves accurate at all times. The large keys have a slightly spongy typing action, but not enough to hinder use. A full numeric keypad on the board's right-hand side makes it quick and easy to input data.

This machine features a dual-core processor and performance notably betters most rivals around this price. Applications run quickly and multiple tasks can be performed simultaneously without slowing the system down.

Graphics performance is less impressive, but betters the similarly specified Advent Roma 2000 and Toshiba Satellite L450-136. There is ample power for general home use, as well as basic photo and video editing, but don't expect to play the latest games on this machine.

The capacious 320GB hard drive doubles the capacity of the HP and Toshiba and will hold an entire family's files. This is one of the only laptops that has no card reader, however. Bear this in mind if you plan to upload photos from a digital camera.

Unlike the Advent and Toshiba, there is no HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV for a larger, high-definition (HD) digital picture. Analogue connectivity is provided by a VGA-out. Three USB ports let you add peripherals, with two on the chassis' left side and one on the right.

One of the big problems of the G530 was the battery life. The G550 uses a smaller battery but actually provides a longer running time than the older version and more on par with other budget laptops. Expect roughly three and a half to four hours of typical usage with two and a half when playing back video.

The Lenovo G550 is a very solid and durable notebook, but now is missing some of the features that were standard on the previous revision. From what could only be considered cost-cutting measures, Lenovo took away one USB port, removed the ExpressCard slot, and moved to an ALPS touchpad. These types of changes might not look as bad if the retail price also dropped, but it is selling for the same price as (if not slightly more than) the previous model. I would still gladly take this model over a lot of the small-business targeted notebooks on the market, but it is just a shame that it is no longer as nice as it once was.

Pros

• Very Sturdy Feel

• Excellent Keyboard

• Improved Battery Life Over G530

Cons

• Slightly More Expensive Than Similarly Equipped Laptops

• Lacks Support For 802.11n Wireless

• Fewer Ports Than G530 Model