Today, we’ll be reviewing the Lenovo IdeaPad s145. It has an affordable price tag and performs well when it comes to multitasking, word processing, web browsing, and everyday tasks. This Lenovo IdeaPad s145 review will tell you what the laptop has to offer and whether or not it’s worth buying.
Table of Contents
Specifications
| Lenovo Ideapad S145 | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Pentium Gold 5405U |
| Graphics Card | Intel HD Graphics 610 |
| RAM | 4GB DDR4 |
| Hard Drive | 128GB SSD |
| Screen | 14-inch HD (1366×768) |
| Weight | 3.5 pounds |
Design
The Lenovo Ideapad S145 features a plastic chassis with a matte finish. The laptop is also quite thin, measuring 0.78 inches thick. It’s not the lightest laptop on the market, but it’s still portable enough to take with you on the go.
The laptop’s lid features the Lenovo logo in the upper left corner, with a grey finish. You can’t open the lid with one hand, but it’s not very difficult to open with a slight push.
It has decent enough build quality for a laptop in this price range. However, be aware that Lenovo laptops usually only last just around 3-4 years. There’s some flex if you try to twist the chassis, but overall it feels solid.
Display
The laptop features a 14-inch display with an HD resolution. The screen is surrounded by thick bezels, making the laptop feel somewhat dated compared to newer models with thinner borders around their screens. While the Lenovo IdeaPad S145’s screen offers decent color and viewing angles, it’s not as good as what you would find on more expensive laptops.
The HD screen is not a touchscreen, but that is, in our opinion, not a significant con since most users won’t be relying on touch gestures to navigate Windows.
It has a 9ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate. This means you won’t see any tearing or stuttering when watching videos or gaming. The colors are reasonably accurate, though not as vivid as what you’ll find on more premium options. It has a 410:1 contrast ratio and covers 51% of the sRBG color gamut. With a brightness of 220 nits, it’s not the brightest display, and colors start to fade when you look at it from an angle.
The reason the screen looks worse from an angle is that it’s not an IPS panel. IPS panels have much better viewing angles and color accuracy when compared to TN displays, but they are more expensive and usually not found on budget laptops.
Overall, the screen is suitable for basic tasks such as web browsing, document editing, and watching videos. However, if you need a laptop for more intensive tasks like photo or video editing, I recommend choosing a laptop with a more vivid IPS panel.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Let’s start by saying that the Lenovo Ideapad s145’s keyboard is not bad, but it could be better.
It has decent travel and tactile feedback, and the keys are large enough for comfortable typing. The up and down arrow keys are a bit cramped, but that’s not a big deal unless you’re a gamer. The new model does not have a numeric keypad or dedicated media playback keys.
There is no backlight, which can be a problem if you use your laptop in dark environments or work at night.
The touchpad is also decent. It’s not the largest I’ve ever seen, but it’s big enough to do its job. The surface is smooth and responsive, and the two-finger scrolling works well.
One thing I don’t like about the touchpad is that it has no physical button. This means that if your finger accidentally grazes the touchpad, you might accidentally do something. It’s not a huge deal, but it can be annoying if this happens to you on accident, as it has to me.
Ports
The computer has only the necessary ports and connections:
– Three USB Ports, HDMI Port, Headphone Jack, and an SD card reader.
Some people might miss the lack of an ethernet port or Thunderbolt connection, but I think that most people will be fine with the laptop’s connectivity.
Audio and Speakers
The Lenovo IdeaPad S145 speakers and audio capabilities are acceptable for the price but nothing more. The volume is loud and clear, without any distortion. However, the sound quality could be better. The bass is weak, and there is a lack of high-end frequencies.
Performance
The Lenovo IdeaPad S145 is powered by an Intel Pentium Gold 5405U processor. This gives the laptop a good level of performance for day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, document editing, and light photo editing.
When you compare it against the Intel Celeron N4000, another common processor found in budget laptops, the Pentium Gold is around 80% faster. This makes it a good option for people who want a little more performance than what the Celeron can offer.
If you plan to use the Ideapad S145 for intensive gaming, you better think twice. Even though it does have an integrated GPU, the Intel UHD Graphics 610 doesn’t handle games that well. It can run older or less demanding games at low to medium settings, but anything more than that, and you’re going to be disappointed. There are simply better budget gaming options available than this laptop.
For storage, Lenovo has included a very decent amount of 128 GB. A 128GB SSD is a great deal in a gaming laptop under $400. The SSD will help the laptop boot up and launch programs faster. It’s snappy and will handle everyday tasks with ease.
One thing to be aware of is that this budget model has only 4GB of RAM. Don’t expect to have too many programs open at once without some slowdown, as the memory will quickly get taken up. In fact, there is a good chance that you won’t even be able to run games with this amount of RAM – it really cuts down on what you can do with your laptop.
The low RAM might be a deal-breaker for many, but there is a solution. You can easily upgrade the Lenovo Ideapad s145 RAM. Just remove four screws on the bottom of the laptop, and you have access to both of the memory slots. An additional stick of Ram won’t cost much either, so it’s definitely worth considering if you are interested in this laptop.
Battery Life and Cooling
The Lenovo IdeaPad S145 battery life is not very impressive, lasting for around five hours during casual use. The battery is a 30Wh lithium-ion battery, and I would have liked to see a larger battery. It’s considerably smaller than the similarly-priced HP Chromebook X360 14b’s 47Whr battery.
Unless you play CPU-intensive games or push this budget machine to its limits, it will not overheat. It does get slightly warm, but it is nothing to be worried about.
Who Is the Lenovo Ideapad S145 NOT For?
The Lenovo IdeaPad S145 is not for people looking to do intensive graphics work or video editing. The integrated graphics card will struggle with anything more than low-end gaming or light editing.
It’s also not the best option for people who need a ton of storage, as it only comes with a 128GB SSD. If you’re someone who needs to store a lot of files locally, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.
If you need an accurate screen, you’re also out of luck, as the Lenovo IdeaPad S145 only comes with an inaccurate TN panel. This means that it’s not great for color-critical work or watching movies in a dark room.
Who Is the Lenovo Ideapad S145 Best Suited For?
This Lenovo Ideapad S145 review has shown that it’s best suited for college students or people who are looking to do some casual gaming on the side. It has an acceptable keyboard and trackpad, although I would have liked it if Lenovo had put a backlit keyboard in this laptop as well.
It’s also a good option for people who travel a lot and need something cheap but reliable.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable price | The base has some flex |
| It stays cool and runs quietly | The touchpad has no physical buttons |
| Thin and light | Not suitable for gaming or anything demanding |
Buy the Lenovo Ideapad S145
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Conclusion
The Lenovo IdeaPad s145 is a good laptop for students or casual home users looking to do some office work on the computer. It starts at a low price point and performs decently well when it comes to multitasking, word processing applications like Microsoft Word, web browsing, and other everyday tasks. It also stays cool and runs quietly, making it a good option for people looking for a laptop that doesn’t produce a lot of noise.