Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (15, Gen 8) review – decent unpretentious budget daily driver
Verdict
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (15″, Gen 8) is a good laptop for daily tasks or normal office usage if you pick a device with the optional IPS display (LEN156FHD (LEN9052)). It has wide viewing angles and a good contrast ratio of 1410:1. The panel is also PWM-free which is great. The sRGB coverage is low but that’s okay given the end price of the notebook.
The build quality isn’t that good. Both lid and base can be flexed badly and you can spot a lot of bends even while typing. However, the notebook is thin and light for a 15-incher. It has a profile of 17.9 mm and the starting weight is 1.62 kg. The I/O is fine for such a device – three USB’s and an SD card reader. Sadly, all ports are rated at 5 Gbps.
The memory is soldered and the maximum possible amount of 16GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM should be enough for most users, at least for now. Keep in mind that the RAM of the 8GB iterations works in single-channel mode. Unfortunately, there is just one M.2 slot that is compatible with the shorter 2242 SSDs. The slot is downgraded to Gen 3 speeds but you can install a Gen 4 NVMe. Of course, its snappiness will be limited to the values of the older standard.
The overall performance of the machine is good. The optional Ryzen 7 7730U can always boost higher than its official base clock no matter the entry-level cooling solution. The single fan isn’t noisy and the keyboard doesn’t feel scorching hot even when the CPU is under heavy stress. The battery life is long considering the modest capacity of just 47Wh – 11 hours and 7 minutes of Web browsing, or 8 hours and 20 minutes of video playback. This makes the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (15″, Gen 8) a good choice for people who need a snappy notebook with a long autonomous life away from the charger. Just don’t forget to opt for the IPS display.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-slim-3-15-gen-8/
Pros
- Good overall performance
- Thin and light chassis
- No PWM (LEN156FHD (LEN9052))
- Good viewing angles and contrast ratio (LEN156FHD (LEN9052))
- SD card slot and decent port selection
- Optional backlit keyboard + privacy shutter
- Long battery life
- The touchpad is surprisingly smooth
- The Web camera has a privacy shutter
- Good CPU clocks and power limits during any kind of load
- Pleasant price
Cons
- Plastic build that isn’t solid
- Soldered memory and just one M.2 slot that is downgraded to Gen 3 speeds
- 55% sRGB coverage (LEN156FHD (LEN9052))
- Our laptop has an NVMe with QLC memory
- High CPU temperatures under long heavy loads
- All ports are rated at 5 Gbps
Author: Nikolay Palaozov
Author: eng. Kroum NikolovHead of Engineering at LaptopMedia.com, inventor and innovator with 40+ years of experience in electronics and high technology.
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tiene luz el teclado??
Comprato da due mesi Lenovo ideapad slim 3
ho avuto da sempre un problema con identificazione con impronta digitale, Lenovo non ha risolto e nemmeno microsoft, tante volte il pc si avvia senza chiedere identificazione, direi molto grave, mi trovo pentito di averlo comprato.