Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 Inch FHD Laptop - (AMD Athlon Gold, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, Windows 10 S Mode) - Platinum Grey

Product Information

The next test we run is video transcoding using the HandBrake 1.4 app, which is an open-source tool for converting multimedia files to different resolutions and formats. Converting video files is a CPU-heavy task, so we don't expect much from budget laptops on this score, as they normally use weaker processors with fewer cores. On the PCMark 10 test, none of these models reached the 4,000 mark, which we typically regard as indicating excellent performance on every day tasks like word processing, web browsing, and videoconferencing. The IdeaPad 1 is distinctly behind the VivoBook 15 and IdeaPad 3 15, though solidly ahead of the Asus Laptop L410 on this test. For the best in innovative, stylish products – look no further than Lenovo. They offer user-friendly products that look and feel great to use. With super-clever features and cutting edge design, Lenovo are the ideal choice for everyone – from social media addicts to hard-core gamers. There are just a few other points to mention. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3’s speakers are, you may gave guessed, pretty poor. They have the thin, bass-free sound typical of your average budget laptop.

But while the IdeaPad 1 14 might not be as modern-looking as some of its competitors, neither is it ugly. Our review unit is gray, which is vaguely sleek without being boring. This is not a svelte premium ultraportable like the Dell XPS 13, nor is it a corporate-chic laptop like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. But after using it intermittently for a few days around the house, I found that it certainly looks like it belongs on your coffee table or kitchen, and probably would do just as well in a fluorescent-lit classroom. (Photo: Molly Flores) Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light. Gloss level measurement A cheap laptop doesn't exist without compromise, but despite being sold at a budget price, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 feels premium. Its snappy performance, sturdy build, and additions like a USB-C port, Wi-Fi 6, and a fingerprint scanner help the IdeaPad 3 outclass its competition.The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 has an Intel Core-series processor, one more powerful than the typical Windows 10 S laptop. So why is Windows 10 S even here? The laptop has limited RAM and storage, and the restricted software is a heads-up of who it’s meant for. Next is Maxon's CPU-crunching Cinebench R15 test, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor cores and threads. Cinebench stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads.

Choose this laptop’s priorities with Q-Control. With a simple tap of a button, you can switch between the ‘Max’ and ‘Battery Saving’ modes. Max mode will give you thrilling speeds that’ll let you pull off killer combos in tournaments, while you might want to switch to ‘Battery Saving’ when you’re spending the day unplugged. This means that whether you’re trying to give it your all in a match, or you’re on-the-go, it can give its best performance at all times. Every laptop in this comparison makes use of integrated graphics—either Intel's newer Iris Xe silicon, the standard Intel UHD Graphics found in many budget laptops, or in the IdeaPad 3 14's case, AMD's Radeon integrated GPU. Graphics benchmarks are sometimes hard to run on budget laptops, as some don't have enough memory or a strong enough GPU. It runs Windows 10 S, which means you’re restricted to Windows Store apps unless you switch it to full Windows 10. You can do this for free in a matter of seconds, although will see some performance compromises.You should expect reasonable battery life, though, and here the IdeaPad 1 14 won’t let you down. It lasted for 12 hours away from the power outlet on our video rundown test, which involves playing a 720p video file at 50% screen brightness with Wi-Fi turned off.

The narrow bezel of this laptop gives you a spectacular field of view. By reducing the wasted space at the edge of the screen, you get a much more immersive experience and a stylish modern look to boot. This makes watching boxsets and movies that much more enjoyable, and documents and presentations will look extra impressive too. Naturally, one of the most efficient ways to keep the price down is to cut out on the display. This is why the IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2022) is offered with a choice of two TN panels – 768p and 1080p ones, as well as a Full HD IPS option. Turning to the ports, the IdeaPad 3 14 features a good selection. On its right side, you’ll find an SD card slot and a USB 2.0 port.Now, you probably wouldn't do any serious multimedia work on a budget laptop, but if you did, the IdeaPad 3 14 wouldn't be a bad choice. Despite the 10-minute completion time, the IdeaPad 3 14 stands tall among the competition on this test, with the VivoBook S14 at a distant second place.

The IdeaPad 3 14 did well, tapping out after 10 hours and 32 minutes. A valiant effort—but still coming up short when compared with the Asus VivoBook S14, the HP Pavilion x360 15, and the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 13. Budget laptops can be full of unwanted preinstalled software known as bloatware, but the IdeaPad 3 14 is mercifully light on it. The usual offenders are here: Spotify, Disney Plus, McAfee Antivirus, and Alexa are just some of the apps taking up your precious storage space, but you can simply uninstall them if you don't need them.The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 keyboard also suggest this laptop is meant more for work than play. While there’s a certain hollow sound to key presses ringing through the plastic shell, if you type hard, this is actually a lovely keyboard for long-form typing.