Lenovo IdeaPad S12
Notebook Specifications
Notebook: Lenovo IdeaPad S12Processor: Intel Atom N270
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
Display: 12.0 inch, 16:10, 1280x800 pixels, glossy: yes
Weight: 1.6kg
Price: 400 euro
Average of 9 scores (from 13 reviews)
Reviews for the Lenovo IdeaPad S12
Source: Geek.com
Lenovo’s S12 12-inch netbook is a good system, but not a great one. It has some advantages over 10-inch products so if you are picky about your keyboard or don’t like to strain your eyes with 10-inch displays then it could be worth considering. It seems like a good netbooks for a more casual user, who isn’t particularly concerned about its ho-hum design, extended battery, or increased size. Despite what’s good about it, I’d like to see more polish from a $450 computer.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/24/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: PC Advisor
If you're looking for a netbook with decent battery life, a bigger screen, and the ability to recognise your face, then the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is a solid choice. It packs a punch in a little netbook package. With its big hard drive, better-than-average battery life, and stylish exterior, it's great for your basic netbook user on the go. It's cheaper and lasts longer than HP's Pavilion dv2 - another 12 incher. However, this S12 is a taste of things to come. If you wait a little longer, an Ion-powered model with an nVidia GPU on board will come out, selling for a little more. That's where the smart money's at.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/26/2009
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: CNet
When we first heard that Lenovo had an IdeaPad S12 netbook on the way, we were expecting the long-anticipated Nvidia Ion-packing version, including graphics power decent enough to handle high-definition video and even some demanding gaming. Unfortunately, Lenovo contacted us to say that this model won't be coming to <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. Instead, we got a configuration that includes an Intel Atom N270 processor and GMA 950 graphics -- essentially the same configuration as many current netbooks. The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 feels and looks like a laptop, but, due to its Atom N270 CPU, it performs like a netbook. Although it's comfortable to use, we can't help but wish it had a more powerful processor.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/31/2009
Rating: Total score: 68%
Source: Notebookreview.com
The IdeaPad S12 is excellence in a small form factor at a low price. The overall design is very pleasing to the eyes and it has the best netbook keyboard I have used to date. Build quality is solid and the screen is beautiful. There is little complain about on the S12 – sure, the touchpad could be a bit larger and the screen could tilt back further, but other than that, if you are in the market for a netbook with a larger screen, it is difficult to go wrong with the Lenovo IdeaPad S12.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/24/2009
Rating: display: 95% mobility: 80% workmanship: 80%
Source: PC Mag
For netbook makers, the first instinct is to vie for the lowest prices, but they are bound by what's considered the norm for netbooks—a 10-inch screen, an undersized keyboard, and minimal features. There are only a handful of netbooks that push beyond these boundaries in an effort to draw in the sophisticated netbook users—if there's such a group. The Lenovo Ideapad S12 ($500 direct) is arguably the best 12-inch netbook available, besting the Dell Inspiron Mini 12, Samsung NC20 (21GBK), and HP Pavilion dv2-1030us. With the IdeaPad S12, Lenovo produces its best 12-inch netbook yet, but there's a price premium above your average netbook.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/15/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Netbookchoice
The Lenovo Ideapad S12 is the company’s 12-inch entry into its Ideapad range of netbooks. Whilst much of the hype surrounds the ION-based S12, due later this year, the model also comes with versions powered with the Intel Atom and VIA Nano processor. Laptop Mag has the review of the Intel Atom version and overall seemed to like what they saw. Putting it head-to-head against the current 12-inch netbook, the Samsung NC20, they found that the Samsung felt a bit sturdier and had a better design.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/15/2009
Rating: mobility: 80% emissions: 80%
Source: Laptop Mag
As 12-inch netbooks go, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and the Samsung NC20 are fairly evenly matched in terms of ergonomics, performance, and endurance. While the NC20’s list price is $549, it can be found online for $499, the same as the S12. We slightly prefer the design of the NC20—it does a better job at concealing its battery and feels a more sturdy—but the S12 is better in other ways. The Lenovo has much better audio quality, and the fact that it comes with the Quick Start OS is a nice perk. If you’d like a little more graphics oomph and can hold out for a couple of months, it might be worth waiting for the Nvidia Ion version of the S12. But, if you just want to get online and prefer the more comfortable computing experience that comes with a 12-inch netbook, today’s IdeaPad S12 is a great choice.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/14/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Computer Shopper
This is a netbook? That could well be your first impression upon seeing the Lenovo IdeaPad S12. With its 12.1-inch screen and full-size keyboard, this is no cramped compact. Those looking for an affordable in-between model who have no desire to tap away on a Chiclet-style keyboard should take a look. But demanding users should take note: Under the hood, we found mixed performance. This unit did well on tests that emphasized rendering, but not as well with 3D-graphics-focused benchmark measures. If you're looking for a netbook that feels like a notebook, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, with its 12.1-inch screen, just might be it.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 77%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Onlinekosten.de
DE→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 09/14/2009
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 80% performance: 80% features: 80% mobility: 80% workmanship: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Source: PC Welt
DE→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 08/18/2009
Rating: Total score: 55% price: 80% performance: 89% features: 47% mobility: 52% ergonomy: 17%
Source: Cyberbloc
DE→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 08/04/2009
Rating: mobility: 80%
Source: Notebookjournal
DE→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 07/15/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 90% performance: 70% features: 30% display: 50% mobility: 30% workmanship: 50% ergonomy: 50%
Source: c't - 16/09
DE→EN, Very Long, Date: 07/01/2009
Rating: performance: 40% features: 40% display: 50% mobility: 90% ergonomy: 80% emissions: 80%
Comment
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is an integrated (onboard) graphic chip on Mobile Intel 945GM chipset. It is a faster clocked version of the GMA 900 and supports no hardware T&L (Transform & Lightning) accelleration (which is required for some games).
Only older games can be played fluently with these graphics chips (if they were not too demanding). Shared memory graphic cores in this category got the advantage of less heat production and longer battery runtimes. For office, internet, image processing, and video editing tasks these graphics chips are still useable without any restrictions.
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Atom: The Intel Atom series is a 64-Bit (not every model supports 64bit) microprocessor for cheap and small notebooks (so called netbooks), MIDs, or UMPCs. The speciality of the new architecture is the "in order" execution (instead of the usual and faster "out of order" execution). Therefore, the transistor count of the Atom series is much lower and, thus, cheaper to produce. Furthermore, the power consumption is very low. The performance per Megahertz is therfore worse than the old Pentium 3M (1,2 GHz on par with a 1.6 GHz Atom).
N270:
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
12.0":
>> To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
1.6 kg: This sub-notebook weighs less than the average of all notebooks and represents a medium class of weight among the sub-notebooks. 11 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.
Lenovo: Lenovo Group Limited is China's largest and the world's fourth largest personal computer manufacturer. Lenovo produces desktops, laptops, servers, handheld computers, imaging equipment, and mobile phone handsets. Lenovo also provides information technology integration and support services, and its QDI unit offers contract manufacturing. Its executive headquarters are located in China and USA. It is incorporated in Hong Kong. Lenovo was formed in 1984 as a spin-off of the Chinese Academy of Sciences new technology unit. The company initially began as a reseller, distributor and later CM for foreign brands, including IBM, entering the Chinese market. In 1990, Lenovo started to manufacture its own PCs and by 1997 became the market leader in China. In 2004, Lenovo bought IBM’s PC business for $1.25billion. Market share regarding sales of personal computers in 2007 (market research IDC): HP 18.9 %, Dell 16.4 %, Acer 9.9 %, Lenovo 7.5 %, Apple 5.7 %
73.33%: This rating is bad. Most notebooks are better rated. This is not a recommendation for purchase.
>> Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
