Lenovo IdeaPad S540 Review, Compact, affordable, productive, stylish LaptopÂ
Nowadays, when a lot of people work remotely due to quarantine measures, a work laptop for everyday tasks is very relevant, especially for low-cost models. One of the best solutions at the moment are home laptops on AMD Ryzen mobile processors. We received a review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S540 laptop, which is a bright representative of this class.
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 FeaturesÂ
- Modification: 81NH004XRA
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3500U
- Video card: AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
- Display: IPS 14 inches Full HD
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4-2400 MHz
- Internal memory: 512 GB
- Battery: 50 W / h
- Weight: 1.63 kg
- Connectors: HDMI, USB-C 3.1, 2X USB-A 3.0, 3.5 mm minijack, card reader
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 Laptop Review
The model is equipped with an IPS display with a diagonal of 14 inches and Full HD resolution, and this is the optimal figure for a modern low-cost laptop. If 15.6 inches is sometimes too much due to the size of the laptop, and 13.3 is too small, then a 14-inch laptop will be the perfect solution.
The display has a glossy coating that provides better color reproduction, but it should be understood that it is comfortable to work in direct sunlight will not work. I liked the brightness, saturation, and viewing angles. From the chips, you should also pay attention to the ability to open the laptop 180 degrees, and the colors at this turn remain almost the same as at less extreme angles.
You should also pay attention to the really thin frames on the sides and top of the display, and although the bottom frame is quite large, you do not pay much attention to it. On the top frame, there is a webcam with a resolution of 720 x 1280, which can be closed with a curtain if necessary, which will be a nice bonus for users who value privacy.
Hardware component
The model is powered by a mid-range AMD Ryzen 3500U processor, which is used in many laptops in this price segment and, despite the release of the Ryzen 4500U, still remains a good solution. The processor has four physical cores and eight virtual streams and runs at a clock speed from 2.1 GHz to 3.7 GHz. It is enough for everyone for all everyday tasks , and if desired, you can try to make a simple project in professional software.
The graphics component is the responsibility of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 video card, which is well known to everyone who has come across AMD mobile processors in recent years. This is certainly not an analog of a discrete graphics card, but as a video card integrated into a mobile processor, the Vega 8 shows itself really well. You can try to play in the projects of recent years with average graphics parameters and not the maximum resolution and get a good result. Also, Vega 8 is suitable for easy installation and other not very resource-intensive tasks.
Paired with the processor is 8 GB of RAM DDR-2400 MHz, the maximum amount of memory is 12 GB (it should be understood that the slot under the RAM bar is only one, so if necessary, you should immediately buy the bar of the corresponding maximum size). Here you need to understand whether this amount of memory is enough for your typical tasks, as well as keep in mind that the video memory for Radeon Vega 8 is allocated from RAM. Of course, such a volume cannot be called uncompromising.
But the internal memory in our configuration is quite enough – there is an SSD with a capacity of 512 GB, and it’s really nice because even in budget laptops you can find not a slow hard drive, and a high-speed SSD. You should also pay attention to the free M.2 slot for installing an additional SSD and the possibility of replacing the Wi-Fi adapter with a more advanced solution.
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard and touchpad can be called one of the main parameters of modern laptops. Here Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is really good – it is equipped with a classic Lenovo keyboard, which has a great keystroke, backlight, but there is one nuance that is important for some, and for some, it does not cause problems – the lack of a digital unit.
Separately, I would like to highlight the touchpad with support for multitouch, which is very comfortable and, importantly, large, which is not very common in budget laptops. On the sides of the keyboard, there are two beautifully styled speakers with support for Dolby Audio with a capacity of 2W, which show themselves well. There is also a fingerprint scanner under the keyboard.
Connection standards
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is equipped with an HDMI connector for connecting an external monitor, a 3.5 mm minijack, a card reader, one high-speed USB-C 3.1 connector and two USB-A 3.0, and this is a really decent set of connectors for a laptop. Unfortunately, there is no Ethernet connector, but Wi-Fi 802.11ac is supported.
Design and dimensions
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is made of aluminum, which is rare in models of this price segment. The laptop feels more expensive than it really is, and we really liked its design. All the elements are in place, there is nothing superfluous.
The model weighs 1.63 kilograms and is 15.9 millimeters thick, which is the average for such laptops. This is enough for the laptop to be called compact and light, and given that its width is 22.7 centimeters and length – 32.3 centimeters, it will easily fit in an average backpack.
Autonomy
The autonomy of the laptop is responsible for the battery capacity of 50 W / h, which can not be called the best figure, and therefore the autonomy is about 5-6 hours in a mixed scenario. This is an average of such solutions, it can not be called good or bad, but if you need a laptop with an emphasis on autonomy, you should pay attention to other solutions.
You should pay attention to the complete 65W charging with support for the express charging function, which allows you to charge the laptop from zero to forty percent in 20 minutes. In normal mode, a full charge from zero to one hundred percent takes about 2 hours.
Conclusions
Here ends the complete Lenovo IdeaPad S540 Lenovo review. Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is a good laptop for everyday tasks with a stylish design, display, a good processor, a good set of connectors (with some nuances), as well as the ability to update some components. In general, the laptop can be called a very good solution, although not without disadvantages.
The disadvantages of the model include not the best autonomy, and the amount of RAM, which may not suit everyone. Fortunately, the last setting can be changed by replacing the corresponding components of the laptop. And in general, it is a great laptop for home and office: compact, stylish, productive.
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