Are you a student looking to buy an affordable laptop? In this review, we’ll cover Lenovo Ideapad N4100 and why is it worth buying?
Simply designed to make life easier, Lenovo N4100 is packed with premium features and stands the test of time. With the 14-inch screen, it is good enough for any student or anyone looking for a priceless option. We wanted to try this laptop ourselves to find out about the hype. So, we tried the laptop and found every inch of detail about it. So, our findings will help you in your decision-making.
It must be mentioned that Lenovo Ideapad comes in three Intel Celeron processors; N4000, N4100, and N5000. N4100 and N5000 use quad-core processors while N4000 has a dual-core processor. We think by giving 3 different options on their affordable laptop, Lenovo gave us different options.
Now, let’s talk about its features and specifications we got from our model to help you understand better about N4100.
Specifications of Lenovo Ideapad 330 N4100
Display: 14-inch Full HD display
Dimensions: 338.3 x 249.9 x 22.7mm (W x D x H)
Weight: 4.6 lbs.
Storage: 256 GB Solid State Drive
RAM: 4 GB
Graphics: Intel
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Processor: Intel quad-core
Features of Lenovo Ideapad 330 N4100
Up to 6-hour battery life
Strongly built
Plenty of storage
Optional DVD drive
Before we begin our detail findings of N4100, it is important to know a few things about a good laptop.
Screen Size
You need a bigger screen for checking emails and performing other everyday tasks because let`s be fair with less than 14-inch screen size, you will see fewer details. So, it is recommended to buy a laptop with at least 14″ screen.
Hard disk
Hard Disk is considered the most important part of a laptop or PC because all of your storage lies in it. It is also considered the most vulnerable part. So, you should look for a laptop with an SSD hard drive rather than a typical HDD.
The SSD doesn`t have mechanical parts and chances of disk crashing are minimum. As a conscious person, you don`t want to lose your data because of hard disk crashing.
Battery life
A strong battery life is required for everyday operations so you can do anything on the go. When buying a laptop, you should buy a laptop with a minimum of 5 hours of battery life. So, you don`t have to charge every time.
CPU and GPU
A good laptop is that which can do multitasking easily. Students or office workers need a great multi-tasking laptop so, they can open their PC apps frequently and simultaneously. And that`s when CPU and GPU plays a part.
A laptop with the quad-core can do that easily but we recommend buying a laptop with having at least a quad-core processor. This will enable a laptop to process better and give better functionality.
RAM
RAM or internal memory determines how fast the application opens. You will be needing memory of at least 4GB. Above 4GB is great but if you are looking for a budget-friendly laptop, then you can consider a laptop with 4GB RAM.
Design
The whole structure of a laptop is vital as well because a sleek and stylish laptop will make your user experience more enjoyable.
Price
This is another important factor but it also depends on the choice of a person. If you are investing heavily you can buy a high-end laptop but if you are just starting, then you can consider an inexpensive laptop.
After briefly describing key factors you should consider before buying any laptop, it is time for our detail Lenovo Ideapad N4100 review. So, let’s get started.
1. Design
Lenovo’s IdeaPad previous models were just like an ordinary laptop with thick bezels and low-resolution display. But our model had a beautiful thin bezel and a sleek figure.
The brushed metal on its surface has a metallic finish and its dark keyboard contrast nicely with its design. Some notebooks have an aluminum design which makes them not hardy but metallic construction is built for sturdiness.
When considering its WDH (width, depth, height) ratio, it measures at 0.9 by 10.2 by 14 inches. Its weight is just 4.6 pounds which makes it easy to carry anywhere.
Lenovo IdeaPad 330 isn’t a touch screen laptop but its ability to rotate 180 degrees gives it a wider angle for the display. You can easily adjust the angle of the laptop when it is on your lap, giving you a comfortable feeling.
Overall, we liked the design considering its price.
2. Display
There has been a lot of criticism about its display and we feel that it’s a bit harsh. The 14-inch full HD display is brighter and smoother for its price.
Lenovo made this laptop for a 1920 x 1080p resolution display which is why its price is a bit on the lower side when compared to its competitors.
When you first look at its display, you don’t find anything wrong with the resolution. It looks fine and when compared with other laptops having a 1920 x 1080 resolution display, it justifies its price.
Lenovo added an anti-glare coating on the screen. This eliminates reflections on the screen and gives you a great display for watching T.V shows or movies.
One thing we noted that in brighter conditions, the color on the display does look a bit dull. That’s because its RGB group covers only 66% of the color gamut.
Overall, it didn’t bother us in our day-to-day work.
3. Connectivity
Lenovo provided a variety of ports for better connectivity options. The notebook has a combination of I/O ports. It also includes a Type-C port. Type-C port is usually not available in notebooks of this price range.
It has 2 3.0 USB ports and one Type-C 3.0 port, an HDMI port an SD card slot. The SD card slot is a great storage option for media files. It also comes with the headphone jack, a port for an Ethernet cable and a DVD drive. Lenovo went old school by adding a DVD drive.
The wireless connectivity options are also available with 802 11AC Wi-Fi and 4.1 Bluetooth.
With multiple connectivity options, we were satisfied with the model.
Also Read: Acer SB220Q Review
4. Keyboard and Touchpad
Lenovo’s keypad and touchpad are some of the best in the business and Lenovo 330 N4100 didn’t disappoint us as well.
First of all, we liked the black display of the keys. It goes very well with the metallic design. Next, we enjoyed typing on it. The smooth and subtle chiclet keys are easy to press. The keys are nicely spaced and you get a good grip when using them. The numeric keys are also a great addition.
The touchpad is positioned on the center-left and has the same color as the notebook. The touchpad has a smooth feeling to it and is suitable for all types of users.
It also comes with gestures that can be configured through its setup menu. It responds quickly to windows gestures and lack problems executing them.
We would have liked backlighting on the keyboard but again these features are hard to find on a budget notebook.
5. Overall Performance
The Ideapad 330 N4100 used (Intel Celeron with Intel UHD graphics) is suitable for daily tasks like browsing the internet and watching media.
What we observed is that loading website can take time (nearly a minute), but once it finishes loading, you can scroll different pages and go other tabs immediately. If you have fast internet, playing online videos won’t be a problem. We watched a 1080p movie file on it and luckily it didn’t baffle us.
Its Intel Celeron processor has a quad-core chip. Generally, this core isn’t meant for heavier workloads. But it is suitable for office work and low multi-tasking.
It comes with a 2.2 GHz processor which can boost up to 3.4 GHz, shows speedy performance than its competitors.
We think that performance could have been better with this model. According to user reviews, the Lenovo’s N5000 model shows better performance than its predecessor.
6. Graphics
If you are looking to play high-end games, we are afraid you have to choose another laptop.
It has an integrated 620 UHD graphic card. We checked its graphics card performance by playing several games. Although, we were limited by the system, still, we manage to play a few games on low settings. Some high -end games played at 14 frames per second and low-end games played at 30 frames per second.
Although the graphics are a bit low, we found that the system is fully customizable. This means by installing a good graphic card, you can get a better performance from it.
7. Storage
Our model had 256 GB SSD storage which is decent considering the price. You can store a fair amount of data on 256 GB SSD. Plus, if you need higher storage, you can change its SSD. Besides this, there is a card slot for storage purposes.
We think Lenovo’s addition of 256 GB in this model is quite handy and there is always an option for changing its storage.
8. Battery life
Every laptop needs to have good battery life. This model can last for 5 hours on a 100% charge. We found that a 5-hour battery life is achieved only when you are not working heavily on it.
We tested its battery for multimedia playing and found that it can last for 3 and a half hours. This battery life on multimedia is less compared with similar models.
Not only this model but all other Ideapad 330 models have lower battery life than their competitors.
Again if you are using it for your normal routine work, its battery life is satisfactory.
9. Heat
One of the major concerns of any user is the laptop’s heat. Because excessive heat can slow down the periodicity of any laptop and is prone to internal damage.
One of the positive aspects of Lenovo Ideapad 330 it stays relatively cool. According to Lenovo’s website, it’s keyboard and touchpad warms only to 81 and 83 degrees. The Lenovo CPU fans allow it to release heat, causing less noise than most of the budget-friendly laptops.
We ran it for 2 straight hours on multimedia file and it didn’t heat.
So, the heat won’t be a problem for you.
10. Webcam
The integrated webcam on Lenovo Ideapad 330 didn’t convince us. The 640×480 lens can be blurry sometimes causing problems for the person you are chatting with.
We noticed that its camera doesn’t work properly in low light or dim settings. It washes out everything in the picture making colors dull and fuzzy.
So, you’ll need a dedicated webcam id you have a plan for video chat.
11. Sound
The predecessor of this model (N4000) didn’t have a great sound. There wasn’t any consistency in the sound. But the model we used has dedicated Dolby sound technology. It’s sound levels are consistent and fluent. You can hear any music with excellent sound.
Now that we have covered our findings, it is time to summarize our Lenovo Ideapad N4100 review by mentioning its merits and demerits.
Pros
Pros
It has a beautiful metallic design.
The keyboard and touchpad are smooth to use.
It is an affordable model.
It has many connectivity options.
It doesn’t get heated quickly.
It produces great sound.
It has a decent storage.
Cons
Cons
Its battery life should be a bit longer.
The web cam is fuzzy.
A dedicated graphics card is not powerful enough.
The display produces fewer colors on the screen.
Conclusion
Concluding our review, we think that this Lenovo Ideapad 330 N4100 model justifies its price. Yes, the battery should have been longer, and yes dedicated graphic card needs improvement but overall we think this is a great model. For daily tasks in the office or at home. Plus, its 180-degree angle is very easy to use in every setting.
We give this model 4 out of 5 stars.
is a dynamic writer, known for reviewing the products and services throughly and honestly. The writer serves various online communities with his sheer tech knowledge.