Lenovo Ideapad 320-17AST-80XM00F0US

Specifications

Pricecompare

Reviews for the Lenovo Ideapad 320-17AST-80XM00F0US

60% Lenovo Ideapad 320 (17-Inch) Review and Ratings
Source: Computer Shopper Archive.org version
The big screen could use an upgrade, and we'd like the option for a solid-state boot drive, but the 17-inch version of the Ideapad 320 gains you lots of working space and good battery life for under $500.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/16/2017
Rating: Total score: 60%

Comment

Model: The Lenovo Ideapad 320-17AST-80XM00F0US is a 17.3-inch mid-range notebook. Thanks to its powerful computing power, it can easily master any task. The price range is perfect for someone who wants easy web surfing, e-mail and desktop office applications. If a big screen at lowest possible price point is what users are after, the Ideapad 320 is about as inexpensive as they come, in terms of screen-to-money ratio. The Ideapad 320’s gray exterior has a friendly, docile appearance. It is one big slab, measuring 16.5 inch (41.91 cm) wide an 11.5 inch (29.21 cm) deep. Its 0.98-inch (2.49 cm) thickness is much slimmer than 17.3-inch budget notebooks from years past. These days, it has about average thickness for a notebook with this screen size. The Ideapad 320’s construction is all plastic, but that is expected in this price range. The chassis is reasonably resistant to flexing, although the lid could use a bit more reinforcement. All of the ports on this notebook are clustered along the left edge of the chassis. Left to right, a user will find the AC power and Ethernet jacks, the HDMI video-out, a pair of Type-A USB 3.0 ports, a headphone/microphone combo jack, a Type-C USB 3.0 port, and a four-format flash-card reader.

The 17.3-inch display on the Ideapad 320 is its key selling point, mainly because it is big. This is one of the most budget-friendly big-screened notebooks on the market. But aside from the screen being big, there is not a whole lot else in its favor. The picture looks washed out if the user tilts the screen too far forward or back. In addition, the colors were under-saturated and had a somewhat cold cast. On the upside though, the maximum brightness level seemed adequate and the anti-glare surface kept the reflections to a minimum. As for hardware, it has Intel Core i3-7100U dual-core processor, a 2.4 GHz chip that is commonly found in notebooks in this price range. Besides that, 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB hard drive are also included. This hardware specification proved to be a competitive team for most types of everyday tasks. Surfing the Internet with multiple tabs open was no problem, and neither was mild photo editing. The 720p/30 fps Webcam is centered above the display in the top screen bezel. The recording quality was sharp enough, though it suffered from some grain like most of the small-sensor webcams. The Dolby-tuned audio setup in this notebook is well done. The two 1.5-watt speakers located under the front corners of the chassis had a distortion-free sound all the way up to 100 percent volume in our testing. There were audible bass and plenty of response. The volume was not very loud, but it should be enough for movie-watching in a quiet space.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

Intel HD Graphics 620: Integrated GPU (GT2) found on some Kaby-Lake CPU models (15 W ULV series).

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

i3-7100U: Kaby-Lake based SoC with two CPU cores clocked at 2.4 GHz (no Turbo Boost), HyperThreading and manufactured with an improved 14nm process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

17.30": This display size is a standard format for desktop replacements (DTR). The DTR laptops are heavier to carry, need more power, but texts are easy to read and high resolutions are no problem. DTR are mainly intended for stationary desk use, where weight and energy hunger don't matter. In return, you enjoy the advantages of high resolutions (more details, better legibility).» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

2.8 kg:

With this weight, a laptop is rather heavier than average. Devices in this range shine more with screen size and performance than with mobility.

Lenovo: Lenovo ("Le" from English legend, novo (Latin) for new) was founded in 1984 as a Chinese computer trading company. As of 2004, the company was the largest laptop manufacturer in China and, after acquiring IBM's PC division in 2005, the fourth largest in the world. In addition to desktops and notebooks, the company manufactures monitors, projectors, servers, etc, and specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, enterprise solutions and related services.

In 2016, the company ranked first in the world in computer sales. It still held it in 2023 with about 23% global market share. Important product lines are Thinkpad, Legion and Ideapad.

In 2011, it acquired a majority stake in Medion AG, a European computer hardware manufacturer. In 2014, Motorola Mobility was purchased, which gave Lenovo a boost in the smartphone market.

60%: Such a poor rating is rare. There are only a few notebooks that were rated even worse. The rating websites do not give a purchase recommendation here.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

Devices from a different Manufacturer and/or with a different CPU

Devices with the same GPU