Not an aluminum or magnesium casing; the IdeaPad 3i is a slab of Arctic Gray ABS plastic measuring 0.78 by 14.1 by 9.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 3.6 pounds. That makes it trimmer than the comparably priced Acer Aspire 5 we recently reviewed (0.71 by 14.3 by 9.9 inches, 3.88 pounds), but does qualify as an easily transportable ultra-portable 15.6-inch laptop. Though you’ll feel quite a bit of flex if you grab the corners of the screen or crush the keyboard, the build quality is fair.
Surrounded by a thick bezel, it’s a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel non-touch screen; the webcam doesn’t offer facial recognition, but the power button doubles as fingerprint recognition, so you can skip entering a password with Windows Hello. Pre-installed Lenovo Vantage software includes system checkups and updates, choice of power and cooling modes (“Extreme Performance” mode is used for benchmarking), Wi-Fi security, blue light reduction, and $29.99 per year. A trial of McAfee LiveSafe is the only bloatware included.
The IdeaPad 3 has a compact 14-inch display that runs at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and is reasonably bright and crisp. The bezels around the display are thicker than can be found on the very best laptops out there, and while the viewing angles and maximum brightness are not particularly top-notch, this is a laptop you have to judge in relation to its price – and for the money it is we were very pleased And for the money we were very satisfied.
Whether you’re browsing the web, writing up an essay, or sitting down to watch some movies from your favorite video streaming platform, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3’s display holds up. It doesn’t support a touchscreen, but at this price, you wouldn’t expect it to, and while the 16:9 aspect ratio isn’t as suitable for viewing documents and web pages as 16:10, it’s very well suited for video content, and after browsing around on YouTube, it works very well The Lenovo IdeaPad is a very good choice for video content.
It is also worth mentioning the typing experience on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3. The keyboard is full-sized and does not have a numeric keypad, but is otherwise very good. The keys feel soft but firm to press, the keys are well spaced, and the top function keys offer the usual shortcuts (volume, brightness, etc.). The keyboard is not backlit, but this is tolerable. The trackpad is on the small side, but feels substantial and responsive.