Lenovo IdeaPad S540 13-inch: AMD Ryzen ensures a very good rating despite cut corners
We have taken a look at the 13.3-inch subnotebook Lenovo IdeaPad S540. We were once again surprised by the currently outstanding performance of the Ryzen processors. Thanks to this, the laptop received a very good rating despite the manufacturer having cut a few cut corners.
The Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is a very performative office laptop with all-round potential and a price tag of 750 Euro (~$900) despite the manufacturer cutting one or two corners along the way.
We were somewhat annoyed by the display: While it certainly isn't bad, it can't keep up with the results of last year's panel. Contrast and the black value, for example, have become less good and even the brightness distribution isn't what it was. Presumably, Lenovo wanted to save a little money with the new panel.
Another thing Lenovo was a little stingy about is the SSD: Although again this isn't a bad model, the Western Digital SSD can't quite keep up with the Samsung PM981 SSD in the device's predecessor.
Both these changes do not make the new S540 a bad laptop and the alternative hardware still is fine. Plus, the new IdeaPad 540 now features a new AMD Ryzen processor that is really impressive. TheRyzen 5 4600U in this device is almost twice as fast as theRyzen 5 3550H in the predecessor. TheIntel Core i5-1035G7 cannot even pretend to keep up with AMD's CPU.
Find out whether the current 13.3-inch subnotebook powerhouse can iron out a large weakness the predecessor had and whether it is worth the money in our detailed review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S540-13ARE.
A C64 marked my entry into the world of PCs. I spent my student internship in the repair department of a computer shop and at the end of the day I was allowed to assemble my own 486 PC from “workshop remnants”. As a result of this, I later studied computer science at the Humboldt University in Berlin, with psychology also being added to my studies. After my first job as a research assistant at the university, I went to London for a year and worked for Sega in computer game translation quality assurance. This included working on games such as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Company of Heroes. I have been writing for Notebookcheck since 2017.
Translator:Katherine Bodner - Translator - 305 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017
I completed my master's degree in translation at the University of Vienna a few years ago and have been working as a translator for English, German and French ever since. I first started translating for Notebookcheck in 2017 and have learned more about computers than I ever imagined, and I have even become the person my family turns to for advice when it comes to consumer electronics. Other than that I also focus on everything connected to sustainability and renewable energy.