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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15-inch
ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The IdeaPad Slim 3i is connected merchantability astatine Costco for $669.
- It's an affordable 15-inch laptop with a full-size keyboard and bully enactment of ports.
- The artillery isn't spectacular, and its show is lackluster.
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Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3i is an affordable, versatile laptop with a competent acceptable of hardware for students oregon professionals. It's got a full-size keyboard (something that's not each that common for a 15-inch), a bully enactment of I/O, and a lightweight physique successful a acheronian bluish colorway.
However, the $500-$999 terms scope is progressively crowded with immoderate awesome laptops, making contention fierce and forcing comparisons crossed manufacturers (while highlighting plan oregon diagnostic flaws).
Also: The champion 15-inch laptops: Expert tested and reviewed
The IdeaPad Slim 3i avoids immoderate overt flaws of this sort, but mightiness beryllium overshadowed by competitors with much compelling features. Still, connected marque designation alone, Lenovo's IdeaPad lineup consists of reliable, versatile machines, and the Slim 3i is nary exception.
The laptop comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 210H processor, 16GB of non-upgradable DDR5 5600 RAM, and a 1TB M.2 QLC SSD. The integrated Intel GPU is capable for mundane tasks and airy gaming, but not overmuch much than that. Overall, there's not a batch of customization here, but the hardware is capable for mundane enactment oregon location use.
It besides has conscionable capable ports. You get 2 USB-A slots, 1 USB-C with powerfulness delivery, an HDMI, an SD paper reader, and a headphone jack. The paper scholar is an absorbing prime here, since this laptop isn't precisely primed for moving with ample video files, but it does spend immoderate further usage cases.
Despite the laptop's coagulated build, 1 of the archetypal things that gives distant its terms constituent is the display. It's not bad, but the heavy bezels, max 300 nits of brightness, and matte IPS surface don't precisely shriek premium. It is simply a touchscreen, though, and the 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) solution gets the occupation done.
The surface exhibits immoderate effects you mightiness spot connected likewise priced LCDs, similar the dimming and brightening that occurs erstwhile swapping windows, oregon erstwhile going from an app successful acheronian mode to 1 that's overmuch brighter, similar a Google Doc, for example.
Also: Finally, a 16-inch Windows laptop that I wouldn't caput putting distant my MacBook Pro for
The full-size keyboard is simply a affirmative point, successful my opinion. If you privation entree to a fig pad and admit Lenovo's signature design, it doesn't disappoint here. Key question is satisfying enough, and though the integrative keys themselves are creaseless and deficiency immoderate benignant of texture, they inactive consciousness good.
Another tiny happening I truly like: the ample rubber stopper connected the bottommost of this laptop makes for 1 of the astir unchangeable laptops I've ever used, staying perfectly stationary connected immoderate aboveground it's on. Normal usage of the laptop results successful fundamentally nary surface wobble whatsoever.
In presumption of performance, the IdeaPad Slim 3i gets the occupation done for basal tasks but mightiness stutter with much demanding workflows. Program installations tin instrumentality a fewer minutes, and moving tons of tabs mightiness effect successful immoderate slowdowns. During my testing, for example, determination was immoderate show dip portion multitasking during a video call.
It's imaginable to bash immoderate gaming connected this laptop, arsenic agelong arsenic you're not moving thing excessively demanding. The Intel Core Ultra 5 210H processor volition beryllium good for thing connected the debased extremity arsenic good arsenic unreality gaming done Nvidia GeForce Now, but it's not designed for top-tier titles.
Also: Why my favourite MacBook Pro alternate is this Windows laptop with a striking design
Similarly, the artillery connected the IdeaPad Slim 3i isn't bad, but I can't assistance but comparison it to its competitors with amended longevity, particularly those with amended show (like the MacBook Air M2), oregon lighter signifier factors (like the Asus Zenbook A14), some astatine comparable terms points.
During my testing, I got a small implicit 9 hours during our online streaming trial astatine fractional brightness implicit Wi-Fi. In regular, sustained usage during the workday, it didn't rather marque it done the afloat day, with the artillery tapping retired conscionable earlier the eight-hour mark. I should note, however, that you could perchance get much retired of the laptop with amended powerfulness absorption -- I was moving astatine max brightness the full day.
ZDNET's buying advice
I'd urge the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i to consumers who similar Lenovo laptops and privation an inexpensive, 15-inch instrumentality for mundane tasks. With its full-size keyboard, larboard selections, and approachable terms point, it's particularly bully for students.
Also: How to wide the cache connected your Windows 11 PC (and wherefore it greatly improves performance)
The terms constituent it sits in, however, is progressively competitive, with competing laptops that are much awesome than the IdeaPad Slim 3i. The antecedently mentioned Asus Zenbook A14 is conscionable a fewer 100 bucks more, lighter, and faster, with an OLED show and marathon battery.
Similarly, with MacBooks seeing immoderate steep terms points this twelvemonth crossed the board, the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 -- Apple's latest and top lightweight Mac -- is lone astir $300 more.
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