NEW DELHI: When it comes to branded PCs and laptops, Lenovo is one of the top brands in the industry. It enjoys a fair share of brand loyalty and is known to offer a diverse range of products. In laptops, the Chinese tech firm has three product lines - IdeaPad, ThinkPad and Yoga - designed to cater to different audiences and offer suitable configurations. Lenovo can always be counted on to deliver reliable and solid technology. Lenovo has refreshed its IdeaPad line of laptops with the launch of Lenovo IdeaPad 520S.
The Ideapad 520S was launched in July this year in India and comes only in one variant, priced at Rs 57,114. It is not the newest by Lenovo per se but is also not old enough for the market. The laptop comes with Intel 7th gen Kaby Lake processor and like other laptops in the Ideapad 500 series, caters to regular and multimedia users. We used the laptop for few days and unearthed if it is worth your hard-earned money or not. Read our review.
Design
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S, at a first glance, looks dull but durable. It is not as slim as some HP Spectre laptops but also not as bulky as some Dell Inspirons either. It seems to have a good blend of design and sturdiness. Aluminium is the dominant material used in the 1.7kg IdeaPad 520S and it's matte metal look also gives a touch of elegance.
Lenovo has kept the looks of the IdeaPad stable across the board without using different shades of metal or a different material for the mouse pad. The same matte finish (Mineral Grey version that we received) is seen on the entire keypad, touch pad area and even on the hinges. So, if you are expecting anything flashy, it's simple design might be a turnoff for you. The matte screen adds to the bland look of the laptop.
The laptop is not thick enough to support an Ethernet LAN cable. However, it still comes with some of the basics such as USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB Type-C 3.0, HDMI port and a 4-in- 1 (SD, SDHC, SDXC and MC) card reader. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack as well along with a dedicated power port on the left side. As expected, there are no side exhausts as the outlet has been entirely shifted underneath.
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S has the regular QWERTY keypad with a good amount of space between the keys. The backlit keys are made out of plastic but are not flimsy like we've seen in a few other brands' products. It is just like your regular keyboard and the travel time of the keys is the same as other laptops, making it easier to adapt. The touch pad works like it should and as well as the security fingerprint sensor placed below the keyboard area on the right corner.
There is a long cylindrical hinge connecting the screen to the rest of the body. It can flex up to 180- degree (almost) while keeping the screen wobble-free. Underneath the Ideapad 520S is a similar matte finish with a long exhaust grille and stereo speakers on the sides. This, however, is not a favourable design if you are browsing on soft surfaces like a bed. Exhaust and the speakers at the bottom not only heats up the laptop but also blocks the audio, hampering the overall multimedia experience.
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S has a 14-inch HD (1366x768 pixels) Anti-Glare display with a matte coating. The company has included a non-touch screen display, which also has a matte coating. One of the biggest cons of the laptop's matte display is that a slight change in the angle will hamper the viewing experience. But one major positive point is that it doesn't attract smudges and avoids reflections. So, if you and two others are watching a movie on a laptop, only the ones at the centre will be able to see the natural colours. However, we would've appreciated if Lenovo used a regular IPS LCD screen instead of matte.
Performance
In terms of performance, you cannot expect anything less than what you get in high-end laptops. Although the website mentions the laptop to come with 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, the unit we received came with Intel Core i5-7200U processor. The dual-core processor is clocked at 2.7GHz and is supported by 8GB RAM, which is enough to run some of the heaviest editing softwares simultaneously. In our tests, pretty much everything ran smoothly without any glitches at any point in time. Loading time of the laptop after waking up from standby is also impressive.
The device received P1542 in 3D Mark test and 7561 in PC Mark. Both are not the best scores but still decent for regular use.
Like we mentioned above, the device has the potential to become one of the best multimedia laptops given the price and the specifications. However, the matte display and the audio placed underneath act as obstacles at times.
You get the same old, familiar Microsoft Windows 10 operating system with all the basic features. You also get Windows Hello security, which is supported by the fingerprint sensor on the device. However, the differentiator in laptops from various brands are the extra apps they come loaded with.
In the garb of OS customisation, Lenovo has included its Lenovo Account Portal, Lenovo Companion and Lenovo Settings. The Account Portal lets you log in to other Lenovo apps using the same ID and password. The Companion app keeps the device updated with the newest software, keep it bloat free, stay updated with all the news and keep a check on warranty and services.
We have already mentioned the 'flawed' positioning of the speakers in the Lenovo Ideapad 520S.
However, when not kept on a soft surface, the stereo Harman speakers powered by Dolby Audio gives the 'immersive' factor the required push. Talking about the battery performance, the Ideapad 520S is not a bad option at all. While the company claims it can run for up to 12 hours on a single charge in best conditions, in our day-to-day tests it was able to survive for 7 hours on an average.
This included random use that is from editing videos and images to playing games and working simultaneously on multiple browsers and tabs. While it is difficult to say how much battery life the device will give as everything depends on the usage, we are pretty sure it should last for over 5 hours for an average or heavy user.
Verdict
The Lenovo IdeaPad 520S lives up to the promise it makes on paper. It has a good processing power that can handle pretty much everything thrown at it. 4K movies, documents and other apps are handled without breaking a sweat. The matte display, however, is something all users might not appreciate as it hampers the viewability. Audio is great as are the build and design.
With a promising design and performance combination, the Lenovo Ideapad 520S makes a device for light gaming purpose, multimedia consumption and general use. The pricing too is pocket-friendly as compared to other offerings in the market. In a nutshell, we found it an all- in- one laptop with a reasonable price tag.
Although there are many laptops in the market running the Intel 7th-gen Kaby lake processor laptops, the Lenovo IdeaPad 520S still has what it takes to make a name with those customers who want a device to handle everything in day to day life.
The Ideapad 520S was launched in July this year in India and comes only in one variant, priced at Rs 57,114. It is not the newest by Lenovo per se but is also not old enough for the market. The laptop comes with Intel 7th gen Kaby Lake processor and like other laptops in the Ideapad 500 series, caters to regular and multimedia users. We used the laptop for few days and unearthed if it is worth your hard-earned money or not. Read our review.
Design
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S, at a first glance, looks dull but durable. It is not as slim as some HP Spectre laptops but also not as bulky as some Dell Inspirons either. It seems to have a good blend of design and sturdiness. Aluminium is the dominant material used in the 1.7kg IdeaPad 520S and it's matte metal look also gives a touch of elegance.
Lenovo has kept the looks of the IdeaPad stable across the board without using different shades of metal or a different material for the mouse pad. The same matte finish (Mineral Grey version that we received) is seen on the entire keypad, touch pad area and even on the hinges. So, if you are expecting anything flashy, it's simple design might be a turnoff for you. The matte screen adds to the bland look of the laptop.
The laptop is not thick enough to support an Ethernet LAN cable. However, it still comes with some of the basics such as USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB Type-C 3.0, HDMI port and a 4-in- 1 (SD, SDHC, SDXC and MC) card reader. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack as well along with a dedicated power port on the left side. As expected, there are no side exhausts as the outlet has been entirely shifted underneath.
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S has the regular QWERTY keypad with a good amount of space between the keys. The backlit keys are made out of plastic but are not flimsy like we've seen in a few other brands' products. It is just like your regular keyboard and the travel time of the keys is the same as other laptops, making it easier to adapt. The touch pad works like it should and as well as the security fingerprint sensor placed below the keyboard area on the right corner.
There is a long cylindrical hinge connecting the screen to the rest of the body. It can flex up to 180- degree (almost) while keeping the screen wobble-free. Underneath the Ideapad 520S is a similar matte finish with a long exhaust grille and stereo speakers on the sides. This, however, is not a favourable design if you are browsing on soft surfaces like a bed. Exhaust and the speakers at the bottom not only heats up the laptop but also blocks the audio, hampering the overall multimedia experience.
The Lenovo Ideapad 520S has a 14-inch HD (1366x768 pixels) Anti-Glare display with a matte coating. The company has included a non-touch screen display, which also has a matte coating. One of the biggest cons of the laptop's matte display is that a slight change in the angle will hamper the viewing experience. But one major positive point is that it doesn't attract smudges and avoids reflections. So, if you and two others are watching a movie on a laptop, only the ones at the centre will be able to see the natural colours. However, we would've appreciated if Lenovo used a regular IPS LCD screen instead of matte.
Performance
In terms of performance, you cannot expect anything less than what you get in high-end laptops. Although the website mentions the laptop to come with 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, the unit we received came with Intel Core i5-7200U processor. The dual-core processor is clocked at 2.7GHz and is supported by 8GB RAM, which is enough to run some of the heaviest editing softwares simultaneously. In our tests, pretty much everything ran smoothly without any glitches at any point in time. Loading time of the laptop after waking up from standby is also impressive.
The device received P1542 in 3D Mark test and 7561 in PC Mark. Both are not the best scores but still decent for regular use.
Like we mentioned above, the device has the potential to become one of the best multimedia laptops given the price and the specifications. However, the matte display and the audio placed underneath act as obstacles at times.
You get the same old, familiar Microsoft Windows 10 operating system with all the basic features. You also get Windows Hello security, which is supported by the fingerprint sensor on the device. However, the differentiator in laptops from various brands are the extra apps they come loaded with.
In the garb of OS customisation, Lenovo has included its Lenovo Account Portal, Lenovo Companion and Lenovo Settings. The Account Portal lets you log in to other Lenovo apps using the same ID and password. The Companion app keeps the device updated with the newest software, keep it bloat free, stay updated with all the news and keep a check on warranty and services.
We have already mentioned the 'flawed' positioning of the speakers in the Lenovo Ideapad 520S.
However, when not kept on a soft surface, the stereo Harman speakers powered by Dolby Audio gives the 'immersive' factor the required push. Talking about the battery performance, the Ideapad 520S is not a bad option at all. While the company claims it can run for up to 12 hours on a single charge in best conditions, in our day-to-day tests it was able to survive for 7 hours on an average.
This included random use that is from editing videos and images to playing games and working simultaneously on multiple browsers and tabs. While it is difficult to say how much battery life the device will give as everything depends on the usage, we are pretty sure it should last for over 5 hours for an average or heavy user.
Verdict
The Lenovo IdeaPad 520S lives up to the promise it makes on paper. It has a good processing power that can handle pretty much everything thrown at it. 4K movies, documents and other apps are handled without breaking a sweat. The matte display, however, is something all users might not appreciate as it hampers the viewability. Audio is great as are the build and design.
With a promising design and performance combination, the Lenovo Ideapad 520S makes a device for light gaming purpose, multimedia consumption and general use. The pricing too is pocket-friendly as compared to other offerings in the market. In a nutshell, we found it an all- in- one laptop with a reasonable price tag.
Although there are many laptops in the market running the Intel 7th-gen Kaby lake processor laptops, the Lenovo IdeaPad 520S still has what it takes to make a name with those customers who want a device to handle everything in day to day life.
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