Overview of the best lenovo laptops in different price segments

Founded in 1984 by Liu Chuanzhi and 10 other members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, New Technology Developer Incorporated, later named the Legend Group, was on its way to success.

Lenovo is now one of the largest manufacturers of digital technology in the world. It owns about 20% of the entire market of computers and components. She earned her name for a reason. Following its New World - New Thinking slogan, Lenovo is constantly improving its products and following all the latest trends.

Lenovo produces a wide variety of technology, but today we will only consider laptops. Older Lenovo models may have small gaps between parts, which can cause them to creak and wobble.Which was the result of poor-quality assembly. However, Lenovo got rid of this defect a long time ago. Their laptops are always compact, reliable and convenient. In design, preference is given to ergonomics, elegance and lightness.

In this article, we will compile our list of the best laptop models from Lenovo for 2018. We will analyze their advantages and disadvantages and compare them in price. We hope that thanks to us, you will be able to make the right choice depending on your needs.

Lenovo ThinkPad Workline - E480 and E580

The legendary series, first introduced by Lenovo back in time immemorial. Notebooks of this series have always positioned themselves as devices for work. Strict design, ergonomics, convenience and quality assembly are the main distinguishing features of this series.

They are designed for convenient and comfortable work in any conditions, so their usual target audience is businessmen, journalists and other employees of the corporate segment who value convenience and reliability.

In 2018, the line of these laptops was represented by the Lenovo ThinkPad E480 and Lenovo ThinkPad E580 models.

Since these models have only minor differences, we will analyze them together.

This is what the E480 looks like:

And E580:

Design

These laptops are naturally a worthy successor to the ThinkPad tradition. The case is made of durable matte black plastic, while the lid is made of aluminum with a matte finish applied on top, which, like the matte plastic itself, traditionally collects fingerprints well. It shows the ThinkPad logo with a small circle above the "i" that glows during operation.

In the center of the keyboard, in its usual place, there is a trackpoint, classic for these models, designed to replace the mouse when it is not at hand.

The power button is moved away from the keyboard in the upper right corner. The touchpad is comfortable to use, it recognizes gestures well and quickly responds to touches.

The keyboard is simply designed for the most comfortable work. It is a pleasure to use it. The buttons are pleasant to the touch, fast response speed, the keys are pressed softly and smoothly, besides, it has a backlight. Although some versions of the E480 are available without it. Pay attention to this item when buying, if it is important to you.

Screen

Diagonal display E480 - 14 inches with anti-reflective coating. Full HD resolution with IPS matrix.The display has good viewing angles and high-quality color reproduction, the picture is visible quite clearly, however, like any IPS-ke, it lacks contrast.

The E580 has a larger display. Its diagonal is 15.6 inches. With identical other characteristics.

The anti-reflective coating traditionally does not have the best effect on the brightness of the image, as a result of which, for convenient use, the brightness will have to be unscrewed almost to the maximum.

However, it is unlikely that you will work with this computer in dark rooms, and in office lighting such brightness is more than enough.

Sound

The sound here is at a fairly average level, it is not particularly loud and high-quality, but it will be enough to watch the video.

Processor and performance

The latest generation Intel Core i7 processor with 4 cores and a frequency of 1.8 GHz is responsible for the performance. The AMD Radeon RX 550 with 2 GB of video memory is responsible for the graphics in the E480 and E580. There is a version of the E580 with an Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card, which is much inferior to the AMD Radeon RX 550 in terms of parameters, but costs almost 10,000 less.

Although the processor provides high performance, the video card here is clearly not the top-end, even if we are talking about the Radeon RX 550, however, it will be enough for simple photo and video processing. Although the laptop is not a gaming laptop, playing a couple of games in DOTA 2 or LoL on it is not a problem, but it is unlikely to pull something heavier than CS:GO with difficulty.

The laptop comes preloaded with 8GB of RAM, but there's another slot if you want to add more. The laptop supports up to 32GB of RAM.

For data storage, an SSD drive with a capacity of 256 GB is used.If this is not enough for you, there are versions with a 1 TB hard drive, but this will no longer be an SSD, but a regular hard drive.

Peculiarities

Also an interesting addition was the presence of a microUSB card reader.

Like all business laptops, the E480 and E580 have amazingly long battery life. It can reach 13 hours with a gentle mode with low brightness. With more intensive work with brightness turned up to 80 percent, and this is the brightness you need for comfortable work and watching videos, you can safely count on 10 hours of autonomy.

The USB TypeC output is used for recharging, it is also the only TypeC connector on this device. There is no fast charging function here, but nevertheless, the laptop charges from 0 to 100% in just over an hour.

Such autonomy is achieved due to an extremely capacious 3-cell battery with an energy reserve of 45 Wh.

Light weight and compact dimensions allow you to carry a laptop with you at least constantly.

Price

Upsets the price of the device. The ThinkPad line has always been expensive, as are almost all business accessories. In Russia, the price reaches 70,000 in the maximum configuration. In Belarus, the price tag fluctuates around 2,500 Belarusian rubles

It is worth noting that the E480 has many versions, but even the cheapest version with an i3 processor and without pre-installed win10 will cost no less than 38,000 Russian rubles.

The price of the E580 is almost the same, except for the version with a cheaper video card.

Advantages and disadvantages

• High performance, allowing you to safely perform all work tasks;
• The video card easily copes with simple photo and video processing and pulls average games according to the requirements;
• Great comfortable keyboard. Trackpoint replaces the mouse well, if you learn how to work with it;
• Design, ergonomics and reliability at the highest level;
• Long battery life.

• Only one USB TypeC port for charging and connecting additional devices, so you have to choose one thing;
• Excessively loud fan noise when working under high load;
• Built-in webcam of average quality;
• High price.

Conclusion

As a result, Lenovo turned out to be excellent, comfortable and elegant laptops for work that meet all the requirements of an enterprise class. It is a pleasure to work with him, but the price for them is appropriate.

Characteristic table

Main characteristics	ThinkPad E480	ThinkPad E580
CPU	Intel Core i7 8550U 1.8 GHz Intel Core i3 8130U 2.2 GHz Intel Core i5 8250U 1.6 GHz	Intel Core i7 8550U 1.8 GHz Intel Core i3 8130U 2.2 GHz Intel Core i5 8250U 1.6 GHz
Installed OS	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Display	14 LED 1920x1080 FHD IPS matrix	15.6 LED 1920x1080 FHD IPS matrix
Video card:	AMD Radeon RX 550 2 GB; Intel UHD Graphics 620	AMD Radeon RX 550 2 GB; Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM	4/8/16 GB	4/8/16 GB
Disk capacity	256 GB SSD; HDD 1000 GB; HDD 1000 GB + SSD 256 GB	256 GB SSD; HDD 1000 GB;
Connection	WiFi; Bluetooth	WiFi; Bluetooth
Ports and expansion slots	1x USB 2.0; 2x USB 3.1; 1xUSB-Type-C; 1xHDMI	1x USB 2.0; 2x USB 3.1; 1xUSB-Type-C; 1xHDMI
The weight	1.75 kg	2.1 kg
Dimensions	329.3 x 242 x 21.9mm	369 x 252 x 19.95mm
Color	Business Black (Black)	Business Black (Black)
Battery	3-Cell Li-Ion	3-Cell Li-Ion
Fingerprint scanner	There is	There is
Webcam	There is	There is

Lenovo Legion Y520 gaming laptop

For those who prefer gaming to work and want to keep up with the latest in the gaming industry, Lenovo also has its own solution. The Legion Y520 laptop is designed to meet the needs of avid gamers and provide a comfortable passage of the most popular games of the moment.

Design and ergonomics

In appearance, the laptop is not particularly remarkable. Lenovo clearly does not gravitate towards excessive embellishments for its technology, so even the gaming model has a strict design with a slight bulge on the lid in the form of a triangle, the corners of which are beveled to the edges. It also comes with a Legion decal.

The lid is easy to open, you can even open it with one finger. Island-style keyboard with medium key travel and red backlighting with red borders. The touchpad is responsive, fast, crisp and has the same red borders as the keyboard.

Similar solutions for the keyboard and touchpad are used in much more expensive models and there are no complaints about them.

The thickness of the device itself is 25.8mm, and the weight is 2.4 kg.

The kit comes with an additional power supply, which is quite compact and convenient.

Display

The display matrix is ​​made using IPS technology. The screen itself has a resolution of 1920x1080 (FullHD) and a diagonal of 15.6 inches with a semi-matte finish. The screen refresh rate is 60 Hertz.

As standard for IPS matrices, it has good viewing angles and good color reproduction, but lacks contrast. And because of the semi-matte coating, the screen is not too bright, but it does not glare, which is also important.

Hardware and performance

In the maximum configuration, the Legion Y520 is available with a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 7700HQ processor with 4 cores and 8 threads, respectively, operating at a frequency of 2.8 GHz and 3.8 GHz in turbo mode.

On the stress test in AIDA64 at maximum load, the processor starts at 3.4 GHz with a load on all cores. However, he cannot keep such a frequency for a long time and soon the frequency drops to 2.8. Without turbo cooling, the processor heats up to a maximum of 80 degrees.

The case does not heat up above 30 degrees. The cooling system is quite quiet. Even at maximum load, the sound level does not exceed 42 dB.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card is responsible for the graphics, there is a version with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, but the price difference is small, and the Ti has enough advantages to overpay for it.

Results in games

Before moving directly to the games, let's look at the test results in 3D max TimeSpy. It is 2412 points, which indicates that its performance greatly exceeds the results of conventional gaming laptops and already borders on the gaming segment.

So:

• In PUBG, it will be most comfortable to play at medium settings, a couple of minor parameters can even be thrown to low ones. With these parameters, the game gives out 60 FPS, and in closed locations, such as buildings, FPS can jump up to 70;
• Hellblade Senya's sacrifice runs smoothly at the highest settings. At a speed of 35-40 FPS. However, if you reduce the draw distance and the shadow, you can play with maximum comfort without lags at all;
• Fallout 4 runs smoothly on ultra settings, consistently hitting 60 FPS;
• GTA 5 on settings close to the maximum runs at 60 frames and above.
• There will be no problems at all with CS:Go, you can safely set it to ultra settings and you are provided with more than 100 frames per second.
• World of Tanks at the highest graphics settings allows you to play at 60 FPS, and the processor runs at a higher frequency here, due to the fact that the game uses only one or 2 cores.

For all the time of gaming tests, the processor was never loaded at 100%, so to save a budget, you can consider a version with an Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor.

Software Features

In addition to the standard Windows 10 x64, the Y520 has a special program for Lenovo Nerve Sense gaming laptops, through which you can turn on the turbo cooling mode and set the Internet connection priority.

By setting a higher priority for games, you will not have a drop in ping, and the torrent may wait.

Through this application, you can enable the sound enhancement system, which enhances the sound effects in games. This significantly increases the quality of sound in games. Especially when you consider that the sound in the built-in laptop speakers is almost always not of the best quality.

Working hours

The capacity of the laptop's own battery is 45 Wh or 3900 mAh. It takes her a while. Literally 3 hours if you want to watch a movie, or 40-50 minutes of a game.

Price

In Russia, a laptop in the maximum configuration costs 75,000, but if you take the version with i5 and do not take an SSD, then the price can be easily reduced by 15-17,000.

Advantages and disadvantages

So let's now briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this desktop.

• Quality build. The laptop is easy to maintain, and the quality of the case, keyboard and touchpad is beyond praise.
• Performance. It uses well-balanced hardware, which allows you to achieve very high performance parameters. In addition, there is an option to build with an SSD, which will further increase performance.
• Price. For its characteristics, it has a very reasonable price.

• The matrix used, although suitable for games, is not suitable for professional work with video and photos.
• Throttling. The processor cannot run at maximum frequency for a long time, since the built-in cooling system cannot cool the processor for a long time at such capacities.
• Low autonomy. The computer cannot run long enough without recharging or an additional battery.

Conclusion

Despite these shortcomings, it does its main job as a gaming laptop. The most popular games run smoothly on it in FullHD resolution at medium and even high settings. You can not update it for a long time, especially if you take the version with 16GB of RAM. For the price, this is a pretty good deal.

Characteristic table

Main characteristics	Lenovo Legion Y520
CPU	Intel Core i5-7300HQ, 4/4 cores/threads, 2.5 (3.5) GHz, 45W; Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 4/8 cores/threads, 2.8 (3.8) GHz, 45W
Installed OS	Windows 10 x64 Home/Pro
Display	15.6'', 1920×1080 (FullHD), IPS
Video card:	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 768 CUDA cores, 2/4 GB GDDR5; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 640 CUDA cores, 2/4 GB GDDR5
RAM	4/8/12/16 GB
Disk capacity	HDD: 1 TB 5400 rpm or 2 TB 5400 rpm; SSD:128/256/512 GB PCI Express x4 3.0
Connection	WiFi; Bluetooth
Ports and slots	2 x USB 3.0 Type-A 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A 1 × 3.5 mm mini-jack speaker / microphone 1 x HDMI 1 x RJ-45 1 × SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC card reader
The weight	2.4 kg
Dimensions	380×265×25.8mm
Color	The black
Battery	3-Cell Li-Ion 45 Wh
Fingerprint scanner	Not
Webcam	1 MP

Ultra-thin and ultra-premium Lenovo Yoga 920

Lenovo has always been famous for its unusual series of Yoga Ultrabooks, which can be turned 360 degrees and used as a tablet. The Yoga 920 is the latest member of the renowned series. Let's see what's unusual about it.

Design and convenience

In terms of aesthetic changes, the Yoga 920 is not too different from its predecessor Yoga 910. The body is still entirely made of metal. Weight and dimensions have changed by only a few grams and millimeters, so they can be ignored.

The new Yoga is now available in 3 colors: silver, copper and bronze.

If you look closely at the closed laptop, you will notice the absence of protrusions on the edges, which, however, had little effect on the overall perception of the design.

The case is only 13mm thick, making it very convenient and compact, and the transformer mode is well suited for presentations or watching movies on long trips.

The laptop opens smoothly and easily, partly due to the presence of a small notch for fingers in the middle of the lid. The webcam is now in its native place above the screen, and not below it, as it was in the previous version.

The keyboard and touchpad have not undergone significant changes, but there are still some improvements. For example, the right Shift key was returned to its usual place and size.

In general, the keyboard and touchpad are not satisfactory, although they take some getting used to due to the slightly smaller button size than conventional laptops. Thanks to the backlighting with two levels of brightness, the keys are easily visible in the dark.

On the right side is a biometric scanner, which performed well.

Display

The screen is framed around the edges with small black frames and is protected by tempered glass Gorilla glass.

The screen diagonal of this model is 13.9 inches with an IPS matrix. It is touch sensitive and comes with a drawing stylus. Resolution may vary depending on the model from FullHD to 4K (UHD)

Due to the absence of even a minimal air gap between the matrix and the screen, there is almost no glare on the glossy display. The sensor is responsive and recognizes finger pressure well.

A useful addition is the automatic brightness sensor, which allows you to automatically adjust the backlight level to the environment and save battery power.

Processor and performance

The technical characteristics of the laptop do him credit. The latest generation Intel Core i7 8550U processor with 4 Kaby Lake R cores and a minimum clock speed of 1,800 MHz is installed here.

With such a processor, all applications work very quickly, almost instantly, especially considering that it has a 256 or 512 GB SSD for data storage. And you don’t even have to spend money on i7, the model with i5 is enough. You won't even notice the difference in performance.

Speed ​​also helps from 8 to 16 GB of internal RAM, depending on the model.

In the AIDA64 stress tests at full load, the processor worked stably at a high frequency for a long time, however, when performing heavy tasks, the device became noticeably warm.

When performing normal daily tasks, the ultrabook does not heat up at all.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card allows you to perform simple graphics work, but this will be enough if you consider that it is generally not suitable for games.

Working with the voice assistant

An interesting feature of the laptop are 4 microphones located over the entire surface of the case for the convenience of working with the Cortana assistant.

Battery

Another advantage of the Yoga series has always been a long battery life. This model also has an impressive battery with a battery life of up to 8 hours when surfing the Internet, watching videos and working in a Word with 80% brightness. With a fully loaded processor, the operating time is reduced to 4-5 hours.

Charging time from 0 to 100% is an average of 2 hours.

Price

As befits a premium laptop, the price tag is quite impressive. In Russia, it starts from 100,000 rubles, and the maximum configuration with a 4K display will cost more than 120,000.

In Belarus, the same maximum equipment will cost 4,500 Belarusian rubles. And the price starts at 2500 for Core i5, 8 GB of RAM and SSD drive, with a capacity of 256 GB

Advantages and disadvantages

• Unsurpassed quality and reliability. This transformer is made of high quality materials, while being lightweight and comfortable.
• An excellent display with good color reproduction and viewing angles, especially if you buy the 4K version.
• Comfortable keyboard with touchpad. It takes a little getting used to, but for those who have used ultrabooks before, it will not be difficult.
• High performance. Everything loads almost instantly, no bugs, no lags.

• There is no card reader. Yoga is not unique here. This is a common problem with all ultrabooks, so it's better to use flash drives or take an adapter with you.
• The stylus mount is not connected to the body in the most convenient place. Because of what, the stylus, when it lies in it, closes access to the power button.
• The price, unfortunately, bites on this miracle of technology.

Conclusion:

Although visually this model has not changed much, it has received many noticeable improvements. For example, thanks to the latest generation Intel processors, it has greatly increased performance and speed. All in all, this is a good example of what a flagship ultrabook should look like.

Characteristic table

Main characteristics	Lenovo Yoga 920
CPU	Intel Core i5 8250U 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7 8550U 1.8 GHz
Installed OS	Windows 10
Display	13.9; 1920x1080 FHD IPS, glossy 13.9; 3840 x 2160 4K IPS, glossy
Video card:	Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM	8/16 GB
Disk capacity	256 Gb SSD;512 Gb SSD; 1024 GB SSD
Connection	WiFi; Bluetooth
Ports and slots	2x USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3); 1x USB 3.0; 1x3.5mm jack
The weight	1.37 kg
Dimensions	323x223.5x13.95mm
Color	Copper/Silver/Bronze
Battery	4-Cell Li-Ion 70 Wh
Fingerprint scanner	There is
Webcam	1 MP

Cheap and beautiful - Lenovo IdeaPad 320

Lest you get the impression that Lenovo produces exclusively premium and expensive models, we suggest that you consider a laptop from the IdeaPad budget line.

Design

Despite being cheap, the IdeaPad 320 looks quite aesthetically pleasing.The lid is smooth and silvery, reminiscent of brushed aluminum, but it is made of plastic, like the rest of the case. The lid is pressed through, so you need to handle it carefully. The center of the keyboard also bends when pressed, but this is not too noticeable and there is nothing critical about it. In general, the build quality is at a good level.

The laptop itself is gray, except for the large black bezels around the screen. The keyboard is comfortable to use, despite a slight punching, it only lacks a backlight, but what is not there is not there. The touchpad is also comfortable, but not particularly responsive. Nevertheless, this should not cause problems.

On the right is an impressive stub, instead of which you can put a disk drive or a hard disk / SSD of your choice.

Processor and performance

Inside is a sixth generation Intel Core i3 6006U processor with two cores designed for 4 threads. The clock frequency is 2.0 GHz. There is no turbo mode here. It will be enough for watching movies, office work with documents or for medium games like DOTA 2 or World of Tanks. Additional performance is provided by 8 GB of RAM and a built-in SSD drive for a different amount of memory depending on the model.

There is another additional slot for RAM, if the built-in is not enough.

Graphics are provided by a discrete graphics card NVIDIA GeForce 920MX with 2 GB of video memory. You shouldn't expect miracles from it, as it allows you to feel more or less comfortable only in medium games, giving out 40-50 in DOTA 2 or WoT at medium graphics settings.

Engage in video editing or 3D modeling on it, of course, will not work.

The cooling system copes with the work of the processor under any load.Hoya temperature and keeps around 70 degrees, then it does not grow.

Display

IPS matrices for such a price can not be expected, so there is a cheap TN with all the ensuing problems, such as low contrast and small viewing angles. However, TN matrices have a high pixel switching speed, but whether this is such a plus is a moot point.

Nevertheless, despite not the best matrix, the FullHD screen resolution will help smooth out the initial negative impression.

autonomy

Battery life is 3.5 hours under the Creative accelerated test in PCMark. This time is provided by a Li-ion battery for 2 cells with an energy reserve of 30 W * h

Price

His price is right. In Russia, you can buy it for about 33,000 in the average configuration.

In Belarus, the price for the same equipment will be about 1200 Belarusian rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Good value for money. For the price, this laptop has decent specs. It can even be considered as a gaming option if you are not chasing the latest in the industry.
• Nice design. The laptop looks nice and elegant for its price.

• Reliability leaves much to be desired. Despite the rather good assembly, the case is made of not very reliable materials, and you should be especially careful with those places that are pressed through.
• Weak built-in battery. 3-3.5 hours of battery life is still not enough. And if you play games on it, the battery will drain even faster.
• Difficulty in disassembly. To change something, you have to disassemble it almost completely.

Conclusion

A big plus of this model is a huge selection of modifications that allow you to choose the model that you want at an affordable price for you.

However, the TN panel and the not-so-rugged chassis are definitely a downside to look out for.

Characteristic table

Since this model has many modifications, here we will display the characteristics of only the model that was discussed.

Main characteristics	Lenovo Ideapad 320-15ISK
CPU	Intel Core i3 6006U 2 cores 2 GHz
Installed OS	Windows 10
Display	15.6 1920x1080 FHD matte, TN+film matrix
Video card:	nVidia GeForce GT 920MX 2 GB
RAM	4 GB DDR4
Disk capacity	SSD 256 GB
Connection	bluetooth; WiFi
Ports and slots	2x USB 3.0; 1xUSB Type-C; 1xHDMI; 1x3.5mm jack (audio output)
The weight	2.2 kg
Dimensions	260 x 379 x 22.9mm
Color	Grey
Battery	Li-Ion 4600 mAh
Fingerprint scanner	Not
Webcam	There is

And finally

So, we have selected four solutions from Lenovo for different price categories, each of which perfectly performs its functions. We hope you found this article helpful and consider our recommendations when choosing your laptop.