The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an affordable ultraportable Windows notebook. It is available with AMD Ryzen 5000 U-series CPUs, integrated graphics, up to 16 GB of RAM, and over 1 TB of storage. You can choose between a TN or IPS display; both are 1080p panels at 60 Hz and do not support variable refresh rates. It has a 720p webcam, a Wi-Fi 5 wireless adapter, and a 48Wh battery.
The port selection includes two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an HDMI 1.4 port, an SD card reader, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The USB-C port does not support video output or charging. The IdeaPad 3 15 is Abyss Blue in color with a brushed finish, which gives it a more expensive look than you would expect from plain plastic. There is a large air intake on the bottom of the notebook for the large fan and an outlet on the back edge between the lid and hinge.
For a budget notebook, it’s all pretty basic. It weighs 3.75 pounds (1.7 kg) and measures 0.78 inches (19.9 mm) at its thinnest point. That’s less than the Dell XPS 15, which uses an aluminum chassis instead of plastic. If you want to take the notebook on the go, it shouldn’t be too much of a bother in a backpack or messenger. Lenovo makes good use of the available keyboard space and adds a number pad to facilitate spreadsheets and general productivity.
We like the typing experience better than we would have thought, no doubt thanks to the large key travel and reasonable spacing. Unfortunately, there’s no backlight and the navigation inputs (PgUp, PgDn, End, Home) are bundled and accessible via the Fn key instead of having dedicated keys. In case you’re wondering what the keyboard in my photos is all about, I have the Canadian version which includes French.
If you buy outside of Canada, you should have the usual keyboard with full shift key. The 720p front camera is much better than I expected, showing a better image than even my Dell XPS 13. It’s clear, handles brightness well, and I’d like to use it for video chats. The two downward-facing speakers give off better sound than the $400 price tag would suggest. They get relatively loud without distorting, but there isn’t a lot of bass.
The Core i3-10110U processor’s performance is about where it should be compared to higher-end 10th and 11th generation chips. As long as you don’t try to do too much at once, the two cores will be able to keep up. Using the laptop for essay writing, financial spreadsheets, and video streaming shouldn’t be much of a problem. Just don’t confuse it with a notebook that can do everything at once.