They are often lacking and weak when it comes to cheap laptops. You would usually get something with a weak processor and overall bad performance. And most commonly you would usually find Chromebooks or weak Celeron-powered Windows laptops that barely get any work done.
However for pretty much the same price, the Lenovo Ideapad 1i offers a much better value by including a capable Core i3 processor along with other improvements.
Space at Glance
CPU: Core i3 1225u | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 4GB | Display: 14” 1366x768 | Storage: 128GB SSD | Battery: 42Wh | OS: Windows 11
Chassis & Design
The Ideapad 1i has a very modest design. It comes with a clean-looking silver plastic body that feels quite solid. This is welcomed considering that other laptops around the same price point don’t offer as good of build quality. You would usually Chromebooks with cheap plastic construction at this price point.
There isn’t also much going on on the lid of the Ideapad 1i as it’s mostly blank and only has a small Lenovo badge on the side.
The keyboard deck flexes if you put considerable force on it but it’s overall built pretty well. There is a noticeable wobble on the hinge but nothing that can be considered a deal breaker.
The Ideapad 1i is also lightweight, coming around at 2.64lbs (1.2kg) which makes it perfect to carry around for casual use.
Ports & I/O
The Lenovo Ideapad 1i comes with decent I/O ports. It has dual USB 3.2 Type-A ports and a single USB C 3.2 port that only supports data transfer. An audio combo jack, HDMI 1.4 port, and a charging port.
This is really good considering that many laptops cheap out on I/O by including fewer and slower ports like USB 2.0.
As for the wireless comms, it has WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, so you are covered on that end.
Keyboard & Touchpad
Keyboard
Being a Lenovo laptop, one of the highlights of the Ideapad 1i is its amazing keyboard. The keys are quite spaced out for a 14-inch laptop. This helps you hit every key accurately. Also, the keys have significant travel with nice tactile feedback.
The Ideapad 1i won’t disappoint you if you want a cheap laptop for writing and working on word documents.
There is no laptop in the Ideapad 1i league that can offer such an excellent typing experience. If you prioritize an amazing typing experience over everything and you don’t want to spend much, the Ideapad 1i is what you need.
Touchpad
The touchpad is also quite spacious and roomy, with the keyboard deck having enough space for your palms.
Though the surface of the touchpad is plastic, it feels quite smooth and nice. Many manufacturers cheap out and include a clunky touchpad that feels cheap and has an awful texture.
Overall both the keyboard and touchpad on the Ideapad 1i are exceptional at this price point.
Speakers & Webcam
Speakers
The speakers are what you would expect from a laptop at this price point. They only produce clear mids however they start to distort when you turn up the volume by over 50%. But I am not really surprised here since I expected something like this from a laptop of this price.
I would suggest you use headphones or external speakers, though, I won’t really recommend consuming media on this laptop.
Webcam
You can take occasional zoom meetings on the Ideapad 1i, though you won’t look the greatest on it. The best you can get out of this 720p camera is in a well-lit room. But as soon as you try to use it in a dim room, the camera would become a grainy mess.
Display
The display is one of the weakest parts of the Lenovo Ideapad 1i. Budget laptops don’t usually have amazing displays and the Ideapad 1i is no different.
The 720p display is dim and dull. It lacks detail and vibrancy. This is due to the poor color sRGB gamut coverage of 51% and struggles to get bright, maxing out at 235 nits.
If you are trying to find a cheap laptop with a good display then you are better off buying a used flagship laptop on eBay, as it’s almost impossible to find a cheap laptop with a good display.
Performance
As we discussed earlier, laptops that are available in cheap budget laptops have weak Intel Celeron that start to lose it once you do something slightly demanding.
Luckily, the Ideapad 1i 82QC003VUS comes with something much more powerful. You wouldn’t be playing games or compiling code with the Core i3 1225u, however, you would have amazing experience multitasking and you would experience no stutters and hiccups while doing it.
In the same price segment as the Ideapad 1i 82QC003VUS, the best you can get is an Acer Aspire 5 with a last-gen Core i3 or a Chromebook with a Celeron processor.
However, I would like to mention that such performance is only possible if you upgrade its pathetic 4GB RAM. You would need to buy an additional 8GB RAM stick to make the Ideapad 1i usable.
From our experience, Windows is practically unusable with 4GB RAM. Once you install all the essential programs, you would find that RAM extremely limiting.
As for the graphics, the Intel UHD Graphics isn’t capable enough for running the newest triple-A games. But it’s capable enough that you can run esports titles at low settings and you can emulate some older PSP and PS1 games with ease.
Battery Life
The Ideapad 1i battery life is quite great. The 42Wh battery manages to last around 8 to 9 hours on casual use, and you could expect something slightly less if you do something demanding on it.
This is pretty good considering that many laptops in the budget segment provide poor battery life despite having low-powered processors. So you can comfortably work the entire day with the Ideapad 1i 82QC003VUS without worrying about having a power outlet near you.
Expandability and Upgradability
The expandability is not the most amazing here, but it’s still better than what a Chromebook at this price would offer i.e. no expandability.
Here you get a single additional RAM slot to upgrade the miserable 4GB RAM, and you get a replaceable 128GB M.2 SSD slot. So you can upgrade it if you felt like you needed more storage.
Conclusion
I am more than happy to recommend the Ideapad 1i to someone who wants a laptop that can do basic tasks like web browsing and working on word docs without breaking the bank.
It’s a solid machine with few flaws like a terrible display and insufficient RAM out of the box, but if you look at it as a complete package, the Ideapad 1i provides great value.
You might also wanna read…
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56 Review | A great budget offering
