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MagyarLenovo IdeaPad 100-15 Notebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
Lenovo's IdeaPad 100-15IBY is a simple 15.6-inch notebook based on Intel's Bay Trail platform. Thanks to its frugal processor, the device is able to cool passively. Rivals for the IdeaPad are notebooks like the Acer Aspire ES1-512, the Acer Aspire E5-521, the HP 255, the HP 350, or the HP 355.
Case & Connectivity
The chassis of the IdeaPad is made entirely of matte black plastics. The surfaces are slightly roughened. There is no maintenance hatch and the battery is integrated. The build quality meets the expectations for this price range, which also applies to the stability. Pressure on the areas next to the keyboard or underneath the touchpad can easily dent the chassis.
Interesting: The pressure test on the left side of the keyboard resulted in a failure of the display. We have probably removed/loosened the connection between the display and the motherboard with the light pressure – this should not happen. Another push will usually reactivate the display. The display can be easily twisted and warps under pressure from the back.
The IdeaPad does not have a large number of ports and includes only the essentials. One of the two USB ports supports the USB 3.0 standard, and Lenovo still equips its devices with a Fast-Ethernet port in 2015. The operating system is Windows 8.1 (64-bit), but there is no recovery DVD in the box.
Input Devices
The IdeaPad is equipped with a non-illuminated chiclet keyboard. The flat and slightly roughened keys have a medium travel and a well-defined pressure point. There is some bouncing during typing, and the effect is more pronounced on the right side of the keyboard. You can feel that there is a hollow space in the chassis underneath the keyboard during typing. Overall, the keyboard is sufficient for private use, but prolific writers should look at another model. The touchpad with multitouch support measures around 9.3 x 5.5 cm (~3.4 x 2.2 in) and the roughened surface provides good gliding capabilities. The mouse buttons of the pad have a short travel and a clear pressure point.
Display
Lenovo uses a glossy 15.6-inch screen with a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels for the IdeaPad. The contrast (546:1) of the screen is very decent, and the luminance (221.8 cd/m²) is still reasonable for this price range.
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Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 185 cd/m²
Contrast: 546:1 (Black: 0.41 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 13.71 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 15.88 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
56.7% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
35.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
38.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
56.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
37.46% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.39
The colors are not very convincing: We can measure a DeltaE-2000 deviation of 13.7 ex-works, while the ideal value should be less than three. The display also suffers from a distinct blue cast.
The IdeaPad is equipped with a TN panel, so the viewing angles are limited – a common issue in inexpensive devices. This means that the display content is not visible from every angle. You cannot really use the notebook outdoors, because it has a glossy screen and the luminance is further reduced on battery power.
Performance
Lenovo's IdeaPad 100-15 series consists of simple office notebooks with a 15.6-inch display. The devices are suitable for the office as well as web applications. Our review unit costs around 400 Euros (~$446), but Lenovo also offers other configurations. Currently, the cheapest version is available for around 290 Euros (~$324), with a Celeron N2840 processor, however you will have to dispense with Windows.
CPU Performance
At the heart of the IdeaPad is Intel's Pentium N3540 (Bay Trail) quad-core processor. The CPU runs at a nominal clock of 2.16 GHz, which can be increased to 2.66 GHz via Turbo. This is a pretty frugal processor (TDP: 7.5 watts), which means that the CPU can be cooled passively. Despite that, we could not determine any performance drops when we performed our CPU tests. Both the single thread as well as the Multithread tests were always executed at 2.66 GHz. The behavior was similar on battery and mains power. The results show that AMD's A6-6310 APU is the direct rival for the Intel processor.
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
Every potential buyer should know that the IdeaPad does not provide a high-end performance, but it is sufficient for common tasks and we did not encounter any problems during the review period. The system runs very smoothly, and the results in the PCMarks are on par with competing systems. The Acer Aspire E5-521 with an A6-6310 APU performs better since it is equipped with a much more powerful GPU. It would be possible to increase the system performance with a solid-state disk, so the system would be much more agile and Windows starts faster. Lenovo also offers versions of the IdeaPad with SSDs; however, you have to live with a weaker processor (Celeron N2840).
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1462 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 1299 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 1442 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
Inside the IdeaPad is a 2.5-inch hard drive from Seagate that works with 5400 revolutions per minute and offers a total capacity of 500 GB. The drive works inconspicuously and the transfer rates are normal for a 5400 drive.
GPU Performance
The HD Graphics GPU of the IdeaPad is based on the Bay Trail generation. It supports DirectX 11 and runs at up to 896 MHz. The graphics chip is one of the weakest models that are currently available, and it cannot keep up with the low-cost competition from AMD. This is only the case for the Braswell successors that are currently available. The 3DMark results of the IdeaPad are on par with similarly equipped systems.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 238 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 17547 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 1417 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The hardware equipment of the IdeaPad is primarily suitable for simple casual games that can be found in the Windows Store. Complex 3D games on the other hand, are not possible. There are only a handful of games in our database that reach smooth frame rates with low settings.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 14 | 7.1 | 4.8 | |
| Battlefield Hardline (2015) | 7.3 | 5.1 | ||
| Dirt Rally (2015) | 24.2 | 12.5 |
Emissions & Energy
System Noise
The IdeaPad is cooled passively, so you can only hear the murmur of the hard drive. It is possible to get a silent device when you replace the HDD with a solid-state disk.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 32 / 32 / 32 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 32 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 32 / 32 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least one hour) is executed similarly on mains as well as battery power. The processor is throttled to 1.25 GHz and the GPU runs at 660 up to 720 MHz. The IdeaPad does not have a fan to dissipate the heat, so it gets pretty warm. We were able to measure temperatures of above 50 °C (~122 °F) at two spots during the stress test, but these values are not reached in practice. The stress test represents an extreme scenario and not a realistic usage.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.3 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 52.6 °C / 127 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(-) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 43.3 °C / 109.9 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-15.5 °C / -27.9 F).
Speakers
The speaker (yes, just one) is above the keyboard behind a perforated cover. It produces a thin sound that lacks bass. Voices are easy to understand, but we recommend the use of headphones or external speakers for a better sound experience.
Power Consumption
We can measure a power consumption of up to 9.4 watts while idling. The value is a bit too high for a notebook in this performance class. The consumption was increased to 15.4 watts during the stress test, which confirms the throttling of the CPU and GPU due to the passive cooling solution. There is still a lot of headroom because the power adaptor is rated at 45 watts.
| Off / Standby | 0 / 0 Watt |
| Idle | 6.1 / 8.2 / 9.4 Watt |
| Load |
14.5 / 15.4 Watt |
   
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Battery Runtime
We simulate web browsing with our realistic WiFi test. The power profile "Balanced" is active and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 cd/m². The IdeaPad manages just 3:19 hours – a lousy result. The direct competitor Acer Aspire ES1-512 (5:49 h) has much more stamina. This is a result of the small battery capacity (24 Wh) inside the IdeaPad.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Lenovo charges around 400 Euros (~$446) for the IdeaPad 100-15IBY – a steep price for a simple office notebook. The positive aspects are the processor, which is powerful enough for office and web applications, and thanks to the passive cooling solution, the system is very quiet. The display of the IdeaPad manages decent measurement results, but Lenovo uses a panel with a glossy surface.
The battery runtimes are deplorable. Many much more powerful multimedia notebooks can easily surpass a runtime of just 3:19 hours in our Wi-Fi test.
We do not like the limited one-year warranty, either. Why does Lenovo only offer one year when many rivals are covered for twice that time? We should also mention that the display fails when you apply pressure on the chassis left next to the keyboard. This is hopefully just an isolated issue with our review unit and not a weakness of the whole series.
A better alternative to the IdeaPad is Acer's direct rival: The Aspire ES1-512-P1SM. The device uses the same processor, but manages much longer battery runtimes and a two-year warranty. Finally, it is 100 Euros (~$112) cheaper than the IdeaPad, which is achieved by using the Bing version of Windows 8.1 (64-bit).
Lenovo IdeaPad 100-15IBY
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09/25/2015 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck
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