Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 M33D3UK Review

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 M33D3UK
  • Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz)

  • Intel GMA 3150

  • 1 GB RAM Size

  • 250 GB HDD Capacity

2

Our summary of all reviews

  • Performance

    /100

    At this level, the performance is very low. This limits the user to usual activities e.g surfing the web, writing emails. Using applications like Word or Excel is possible, though at a very low speed. Gaming and other high performance tasks are impossible. People looking for a secondary laptop or using non-complex applications only will be satisfied.

    • 3DMark 06 1024 x 768

      150.5 #

    • PCMark 05

      1193 #

    • PCMark Vantage

      1332 #

    • Cinebench xCPU 64Bit

      852 #

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  • Design

    4.0/5

    The design delighted the majority of all reviewers and they predicted it to be at the taste of most users. The notebook’s appearance walks a fine line between function and form.

  • Build Quality

    4.0/5

    The build quality provides for high standards to people requiring good protection for the laptop’s inner fragile parts. People on the move will find this laptop suited to handle both everyday life circumstances (putting it in and out of your bag/carrying it around) and significant challenges(falling from the desk to the hard floor, using it in a bus travelling on a bumpy road) very well.

    • Base Unit Flex

       : 

      4.0/5

      The notebook frame can solidly serve for many years without any major problems. Cracking sounds, gaps and loose parts are almost nonexistent. The surface will resist most abuse, however it will show scratches over time.

    • Hinge Stability

       : 

      4.0/5

      The screen hinge, connecting the monitor and the laptop body, is characterized by good tightness and flexibility. The display might slightly wiggle after opening the laptop or when moving around, but it does not cause any real annoyances.

    • Display Panel

       : 

      4.0/5

      Colour distortions barely visible to the naked eye occur when pressing the back of the monitor, or when moving it back and forth. The user can expect that no gaps will exist between the different parts of the display panel.

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  • Display

    2.5/5

    Generally the reviewers evaluated this laptop to be below average. At this level, office work could be manageable. For more demanding tasks like multimedia use, high definition gaming and professional editing you will need a higher quality display. To get a more comprehensive review of this display, users should check the ratings of the different attributes of this screen.

    • Display Resolution

      1024 x 600

      This resolution is not high enough for fitting one window fully on the display. This makes multitasking and office work quite a hassle. Viewing highly detailed pictures requires a lot of zooming in order to see all the details on the picture. Low resolution picture and video editing is manageable yet quite unpleasant. This resolution is okay for online gaming, it is however an absurdity for high resolution games. Watching most movies will be accompanied by black bars at the bottom and the top of the display.

    • Color Reproduction

       : 

      1.5/5

      This level of color reproduction covers a very limited range of the color spectrum. Colors will thus look faded and washed out on all displays. It is a huge source of discomfort for tasks such as displaying pictures or watching movies.

    • Contrast

       : 

      2.5/5

      The contrast between the darkest color -black- and the brightest color -white- is below average in this computer. This results in having the darkest areas being washed out resembling a dark shade of gray, while the brightest areas appear to be of a light grayish color. Movies can be enjoyed provided that the room is completely darkened. Most office workers will find the readability to be sufficient, while some might be annoyed by the close shades of gray characterizing both the dark text and the bright background. The needs of professional designers will surely not be met with this notebook.

    • Contrast Value

      173 :1

    • Brightness

       : 

      3.0/5

      The maximum brightness of this computer is adequate for viewing the screen comfortably, even under bright ambient light. However, the users must be cautious to only push the brightness to its maximum in bright conditions, eg. outdoors. Setting the brightness to a high level will drastically decrease the battery life. In addition, using the notebook at maximum brightness in a dark room will be tiring for the eyes.

    • Average Brightness

      214 cd/m²

    • Reflections

       : 

      2.3/5

      In situations of medium indoor ambient light, the display can sufficiently fulfill its function. This laptop is thus acceptable for office work, and can serve as well as a family/home computer. Outdoor use is however not recommended, as it will be close to impossible to decipher the displayed information.

    • Viewing Angle

       : 

      2.5/5

      Looking at the screen from the side causes color distortions. Two people watching a movie have to sit close together for both of them to get a good picture. Even when you move in your chair color deviations will be noticeable. On the plus side, this display provides for some privacy in public spaces.

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  • Sound

    2.7/5

    The internal speakers of this laptop provided for a below average sound quality. Low sounds are still recognizable. Music can still listened to although the users should account for the necessity of external speakers when planning to watch a movie with a group. Musicians should not even stop to consider this laptop for their work, and gamers will be disappointed as the sound will be convincing. Even maximum volume will not make the sound experience enjoyable.

    • Maximum Volume

       : 

      3.0/5

      The peak volume of this laptop is acceptably loud. If relying only on the maximum sound output of the internal speakers of this laptop, watching movies with a group of friends should be manageable. It will be as well quite challenging to clearly distinguish sounds at peak volume if you are at the other end of the room.

    • Lows

       : 

      0.5/5

      This laptop has Zero bass. The sound has no dynamics and it will close to impossible to differentiate different sound levels. This laptop should be then ideal for users with hearing impairment, or those not needing sound to be integrated in their laptop usage.

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  • Keyboard

    3.8/5

    This keyboard will be valued by most users as convenient for frequent use. Be it for writing long emails, or surfing the net, most users will be satisfied with the comfort and the speed this keyboard provides for. If your professional life requires long typing hours, along with the highest levels of comfort, then you might want to consider a keyboard with higher rates.

    • Layout

       : 

      4.0/5

      The layout of this keyboard stands firmly within the ranges of conventionality. The positioning of the keys conforms with the standard layout, thus reducing the users adaptation time to their new keyboard.

    • Keyboard Size

       : 

      3.3/5

      Although the size of this keyboard is still decent, typos might be a bit more frequent as the keys might not be large enough, depending on the size of your hands. The palm resting area could be too small for some users, although it is generally suitable and comfortable. All in all, the keyboard is proportionate enough and should still fulfill the needs of most users, especially after some getting used to.

    • Key Responsiveness

       : 

      2.7/5

      Although some reviewers did not find this keyboard convincing when it comes to responsiveness, most users will still judge it as generally acceptable for typing. This keyboard could suffer from either too stiff or too soft individual keys, which generally causes a decrease in typing speed. Another problem that might be encountered with this keyboard is the level of feedback provided when typing. The individual keys would either take too long to jump back up or are impossible to push far down enough to get appropriate feedback. Users might find it too energy consuming or too annoying especially with long typing hours, yet this keyboard is still manageable from an overall perspective.

    • Keyboard Flex

       : 

      3.0/5

      Although the plastic below the keyboard does flex at noticeable levels, it is still not bothersome enough to interrupt your typing. it is true that your typing speed might decrease and your comfort will not be ideal, but the flex of this keyboard is still not too annoying for most users.

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  • Touchpad

    1.4/5

    This touchpad made a negative impression on most reviewers. The users will experience problems ranging from the level of feedback accuracy, the size of the trackpad, to the either too slippery or too rough surface of the touchpad. The buttons are not any better, as their level of accuracy is far from impressive. Most users should consider an external mouse, to either complement or replace this touchpad.

    • Touchpad Surface

       : 

      2.0/5

      The feeling of this touchpad will vary depending on the users and their preferences. For most reviewers, this touchpad was unsuitable for extensive use. Because of problems such as excessive roughness or a slippery surface, the users might not be satisfied quite yet with this touchpad.

    • Sensitivity

       : 

      1.0/5

      The accuracy level provided for by this touchpad is quite far from decent. You will not be able to avoid modifying your touchpad setting to obtain more precision and a quicker reaction. This might however not be enough for some users requiring higher standards of accuracy.

    • Touchpad Size

       : 

      1.5/5

      The size of this touchpad will be a source of inconvenience most times it is used. It is too small for covering an average sized displays, with one stroke. This means you will have to constantly move your finger back and forth in order to reach the other side of the screen. You might think of improving your sensitivity settings, but this will sacrifice the precision of your cursor.

    • Buttons

       : 

      1.5/5

      The buttons of this touchpad seem to be burdened by some problems. At this level you should expect some problems such as the buttons failing to provide for accurate feedback making unclear when and where the button has been pushed. On the other hand, the buttons are too stiff making the general usage quite tiresome. As for the clicking sound of the button, it will take quite some time for most users to adapt their auditory sensitivities to finally be immune against this much annoying sound.

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  • Webcam Quality

    2.0/5

    The picture can be a little bit noisy when the light conditions are not good but for video chatting it will be okay.

  • Battery Surfing

    7:18 h

    The battery life is outstanding. You will be able to use your laptop for the better part of a whole work day. This of course requires you to turn down the brightness of your screen, as the display uses a lot of energy. You should also only plan to do office work and light browsing. If you are going to play games, stream videos, or surf websites with a lot of flash advertisement, the expected battery life will be considerably shorter. The energy saving mode should be enabled at all times, if not this will of course cause the battery life to drop even shorter.

    • Battery DVD/Video

      5:21 h

      The battery is among the best available. You can carry out energy demanding applications such as streaming online videos, preparing for long presentations, or even watching several movies in a row comfortably for extended hours (5 hours and more). Playing games requires much more energy and thus the battery will last for a shorter period of time.

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  • Weight

    1.18 kg

    This laptop ranks amongst the lightest in the market. This weight makes the computer ideal for travelling or to use while commuting. Carrying this laptop feels just like carrying a bottle of water while hiking. It is easy to pack with your books when heading to the library, or to put back in your handbag after checking your morning emails at your favourite cafe. You might even forget you are carrying this laptop, even with the extra weight of the charger.

  • Noise

    5.0/5

    The laptop is almost completely silent under all circumstances. There is almost no noise emitted from the fan, the hard drive, CD drive, or any other parts. Even a noise sensitive person will find this laptop at the utmost of discretion, fitting the quietest environments.

    • Noise Idle

       : 

      5.0/5

      You will not notice any noise when the laptop is idle.

    • Noise Normal Use

       : 

      5.0/5

      This laptop is silent while doing low performance tasks such as surfing the web, or editing a text. Even in a very quiet environment like a library, any noise from your laptop is unnoticeable, perfect for helping you focus on the task at hand.

    • Noise Full Load

       : 

      5.0/5

      The laptop remains almost silent, even when using this laptop at full load when watching movies, gaming, or editing videos. Working in quiet environments will be no problem, also this makes this computer ideal for watching a horror movie, as the computer noise will by no means be obstructive to the scary movie sounds.

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  • Temperature

    3.7/5

    The laptop may occasionally get too warm. Most reviewers found, at normal room temperature, you can comfortably use the laptop without burning your fingers or legs. The notebook may only become too warm when you stress it, watching a movie or alike.

    • Heat Top: Full Use

       : 

      5.0/5

      The laptop keeps quite cool at normal use. That’s very convenient.

    • Heat Top: Normal Use

       : 

      5.0/5

      The temperature on top of the notebook is excellent. It never gets too warm.

    • Heat Bottom: Normal Use

       : 

      3.7/5

      The bottom of the notebook warms up a little but is not getting too hot to place it on your lap.

    • Heat Bottom: Full Load

       : 

      3.0/5

      There can be some spot where the laptop gets warm.

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A

All external reviews  Lenovo  IdeaPad S10-3 M33D3UK

Language Source URL Review Date Author

English

computershopper.com 7/19/10 Catharine Smith

English

www.pcauthority.com.au 5/7/10 Zara Baxter

English

tech2.in.com 4/27/10 Siddharth Bhatia

English

www.laptopmag.com 2/19/10 Michael A. Prospero

Deutsch

www.notebookcheck.com 3/26/10 Sebastian Jentsch
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Total number of reviews: 5