An economy model you needn’t apologize for
You won’t find the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i on the computer maker’s website. The budget laptop, not to be confused with the IdeaPad Gaming Gaming 3, is a consumer model sold at retail—Amazon lists it for $649.99 marked down to $529.99 at this writing, and we’ve seen prices ranging from $480 to $620—with a 15.6-inch, full HD screen and an Intel Core i5 processor. Like other economy models, it’s not especially powerful or exciting, but the IdeaPad 3i provides decent performance and features (such as a 512GB instead of a skimpy 256GB solid-state drive) as an online- or homework-ready desktop alternative. It doesn’t give us the thrill or that extra pinch of value that earns an Editors’ Choice award, but this affordable laptop deserves a very respectable rating.The Design: Mostly Generic Gray
Don’t look for a sleek aluminum or magnesium chassis here: The IdeaPad 3i is a slab of Arctic Gray ABS plastic measuring 0.78 by 14.1 by 9.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 3.6 pounds. That makes it a tad trimmer than the comparably priced Acer Aspire 5 we recently reviewed (0.71 by 14.3 by 9.9 inches, 3.88 pounds), though no 15.6-inch laptop qualifies as an easy-to-carry ultraportable. Build quality is fair, though you’ll feel considerable flex if you grasp the screen corners or mash the keyboard.
Officially listed as model 15IAU7 and product number 82RK0017US, our test unit combines a 12th Generation Core i5-1235U processor (two Performance cores, eight Efficient cores, 12 threads) with 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB PCIe SSD. Interestingly, it comes with Windows 11 Pro instead of most consumer machines’ Win 11 Home. Wi-Fi 6 (not Wi-Fi 6E) and Bluetooth handle wireless connections.
Bordered by thick(ish) bezels is a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel, non-touch screen. The webcam lacks face recognition, but the power button doubles as a fingerprint reader, so you can skip typing passwords with Windows Hello. Preinstalled Lenovo Vantage software includes system checkups and updates, a choice of power or cooling modes (we used “extreme performance” mode for benchmarking), Wi-Fi security, blue light reduction, and $29.99 annual system optimization and $49.99 annual security subscriptions. A McAfee LiveSafe trial is the only bloatware.
The laptop’s left side holds two USB 3.2 ports (one Type-A and one Type-C), an HDMI monitor port, an audio jack, and the power plug. An SD card slot and a USB 2.0 port are on the right. A sliding shutter prevents webcam spying. Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t
Like some costlier notebooks, the IdeaPad 3i turns on when you open its lid rather than waiting for you to press the power button. The webcam has predictably soft-focus 720p resolution, but it captures relatively well-lit and colorful images without too much static.
Sound from the bottom-mounted speakers is muted and hollow even at top volume, as if someone threw a blanket over the computer. You can make out overlapping tracks, but you will hear no bass to speak of. Dolby Audio software features music, movie, game, voice presets, and an equalizer—none of which makes much difference.
