Lenovo IdeaPad 520S
A versatile all-rounder with a premium design, but not leader of the pack
SCORE★★★☆☆ PRICE £499 (£599 inc VAT) from lenovo.com/gb
The thin-and-light design, plus clever use of aluminium where you’re most likely to see it – on the lid and keyboard surround – help the IdeaPad 520S do an excellent impersonation of a high-end laptop. It’s well-built, too, with a strong hinge and little give anywhere in the chassis.
What’s more, this is a very usable machine. The keyboard has a classic, spacious Lenovo layout with the feel to match, with a crisp action that helps you hit excellent typing speeds. The huge trackpad has a smooth surface and accurate tracking, responding well to taps, multitouch gestures and clicks of the integral buttons. At 1.7kg, it’s comfortable on the lap and easy on the shoulder, dishing out neither excessive heat nor noise. Lenovo even crams in a fingerprint reader, which proved easy to set up and flawless in use.
The screen is an improvement on the HD resolution display on the IdeaPad 320S, simply because it has a Full HD resolution, higher brightness levels and richer, more vibrant colours. All the same, it’s not the best on offer. Maximum brightness is still relatively limited at 252cd/m2, colour accuracy is mediocre and you only have 60.6% of the sRGB colour gamut covered. Subjectively, it’s fine for watching video, browsing the web or office work, and the sound from the Harman Kardon speakers is richer and more detailed than you might expect, but if you want a display with real punch, choose the Asus.
The IdeaPad 520S comes in configurations ranging from a Core i3-7100U with built-in Intel HD graphics to a high-end version with an eighth-generation Core i7 and discrete Nvidia graphics chips. £599 will only stretch to the base model, but it’s still speedy enough for anything bar video editing and new 3D games, with 8GB of RAM and a (slightly stingy) 128GB SSD. You also get 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a USB-C port, along with one USB 2 and one Type-A USB 3.
This is an effective laptop with good performance, reasonable battery life and a decent screen. Its only issue is that some competitors offer just that bit more for the same money.