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Review on πŸ’» Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14 14.0" Laptop: Affordable, Intel Celeron, 64GB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, Win 10 in S Mode - Ice Blue by Jason Lockwood

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Good choice for Windows, alternative to Chromebooks (for price and performance)

The I figured laptops are going to be junk because most of them under $300 are junk. But for the price it's really good, it definitely has some performance related limitations, but for $250 I think it's a good laptop for web browsing and basic apps. It's not meant for gaming or CPU-intensive tasks, it can basically do what Chromebooks can but with the benefit of being able to run Windows apps from the Microsoft Store and from the web. You'll need to disable "S mode" to install apps from the web, but it's really easy and you'll be prompted the first time you try to run the .exe. The exterior is really modern and has a light blue color that gives the laptop a unique and refreshing look. The screen is your main 1366 x 768 LCD panel, the cheaper type of TN display you'll find on almost all sub-$400 laptops. It doesn't have the best viewing angles, and colors shift if you get too far off-axis when looking at it at a 90-degree angle. It's not that bright and pretty, but to be honest this is the kind of screen you're getting at this price point, it is what it is. The webcam is also the most common potato camera at 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels). This is actually a slightly lower resolution than a typical webcam, which is typically 1280 x 720. At least there's a nice bright LED to indicate camera access, which is a nice privacy feature. The keyboard is above average for the price, I even like it. Typing isn't bad at all, white letters against a black key background make it easy to read in low light. The trackpad is made of plastic but is a good size and is easy to scroll and easy to press. It is programmed with the standard gestures used in Windows 10. I've seen worse trackpads on more expensive laptops. The screen can be tilted backwards, I really like this feature, it doesn't rotate all the way like a 2 in 1 but it rotates further than a lot of laptops. The internal specs are pretty rough to be honest, but I'm trying to remind myself that for the price, this is about average. The Intel Celeron N4020 is a dual-core processor that is pretty much an entry-level processor. It's not very fast, but it does everything you do online with a browser, as well as simple applications like Microsoft Word, or play videos locally with a media player like VLC. He shouldn't have too much trouble making Zoom or Skype calls. This laptop does not have a fan, so it is passively cooled. Playing games like Fortnight or Warzone is just not possible on this laptop. It only has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (half of which is already occupied by Windows). There is no way to upgrade memory or anything here. The way it comes out of the box is what you hold on to. However, if you just need a laptop for basic day-to-day tasks, this PC is for you. I typically use a 2020 i7 quad-core laptop and this laptop doesn't feel much slower when loading webpages or running apps. I've found that Windows updates aren't as fast, but that's probably because the storage is eMMC-based and not NVMe (SSD). I recommend getting an external SSD or at least a USB stick to have more space for files and apps. It also has a micro SD slot, but I'd advise you to use what I mentioned instead of a micro SD card as it's much faster with USB ports. USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly known as 3.0) ports, allowing them to transfer data at speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second. It's much faster than a micro SD slot (assuming you're using an external SSD). If you're just buying a flash drive, there's not much of an advantage over micro SD cards. There's also an HDMI port if you want to connect an extra monitor or just want to use a larger monitor. This laptop isn't powerful and lacks a lot of the bells and whistles that you would get on a premium laptop. But not everyone needs the extra power and high-tech features. This is a good laptop that will serve you well once you understand what it is for. We have many laptops that cost more and offer the same or even less. I think the Lenovo Ideapad 1 offers good value for money. It looks modern with smaller bezels around the screen and has a good keyboard. Pros + Nice modern cool blue design Affordable Good keyboard and trackpad Slim, light and quiet Decent battery life (6-8 hours) Decent port selection (2x USB A at 5Gb/s, Micro SD, HDMI, Aux 3 jack 0, 5mm) Includes $80 additional cost, 12-month Microsoft 365 Personal subscription (can be added for 5 devices) Cons: Celeron 4020 paired with 4GB RAM limits this laptop's capabilities No option to upgrade RAM or storage Only 64GB memory eMMC

Pros
  • Light and thin, this Windows 10 laptop (S mode) weighs just over 3 pounds and is less than 1 inch thick
Cons
  • Could have chosen a newer model