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MagyarLenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE Subnotebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
We used to call them Netbooks, but now they have returned to being subnotebooks: the smallest, yet cheapest, 11.6-inch Windows computers cost around 200 to 300 Euros (~$221 to $331). Lenovo gives customers a special deal on the S21e-20: full Windows 10 running on a Pentium N3540 and limited flash storage for 190 Euros (~$210).
The predecessor, Lenovo S20-30 of 2014, is no longer available, but there is still plenty of competition in this section. We are currently testing the Medion Akoya S2218 with an Intel Atom Z3735F (but 64 GB flash storage). The 11.6-inch model sports an FHD IPS panel (1,920x1,080 pixels) and is available for 230 Euros (~$254) - an impressive combination.
A Cloudbook, which uses a weaker processor and offers smaller storage, is another alternative. The Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM is a candidate that fits this description and is priced at 240 Euros (~$265). The 14-inch model has a processor similar to that of the Lenovo S21e-20.
Display
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 196 cd/m²
Contrast: 393:1 (Black: 0.61 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 11.23 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 12.33 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
61% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.99% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.64% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.5
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Medion Akoya S2218 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735F, 64 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Aspire ES1-331-C5KL HD Graphics (Braswell), N3150, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | HP Stream 13-c102ng HD Graphics (Braswell), N3050, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM HD Graphics (Braswell), N3050, 32 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 47% | 6% | 8% | 10% | |
| Brightness middle | 240 | 417 74% | 289 20% | 190 -21% | 231 -4% |
| Brightness | 225 | 394 75% | 266 18% | 179 -20% | 213 -5% |
| Brightness Distribution | 90 | 88 -2% | 87 -3% | 85 -6% | 87 -3% |
| Black Level * | 0.61 | 0.43 30% | 0.68 -11% | 0.33 46% | 0.47 23% |
| Contrast | 393 | 970 147% | 425 8% | 576 47% | 491 25% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 11.23 | 6.7 40% | 10.9 3% | 9.84 12% | 9.1 19% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 19.44 | 15.07 22% | 14.88 23% | ||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 12.33 | 6.25 49% | 12.65 -3% | 10.32 16% | 9.55 23% |
| Gamma | 2.5 88% | 2.48 89% | 2.11 104% | 2.48 89% | 2.47 89% |
| CCT | 14130 46% | 5954 109% | 14520 45% | 11884 55% | 11384 57% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 39 | 46 18% | 42 8% | 38 -3% | 38.84 0% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 61 | 69 13% | 67.9 11% | 60 -2% | 60.59 -1% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 25 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 7 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 18 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 51 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.1 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 20 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 20 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 53 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.9 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 198 Hz | ≤ 90 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 198 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 198 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18951 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
| Cinebench R15 | |
| CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM | |
| HP Stream 13-c102ng | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-331-C5KL | |
| Lenovo G70-35 80Q5000BGE | |
| CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-331-C5KL | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM | |
| HP Stream 13-c102ng | |
| Lenovo G70-35 80Q5000BGE | |
System Performance
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Lenovo G70-35 80Q5000BGE | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-331-C5KL | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM | |
| HP Stream 13-c102ng | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| Medion Akoya S2218 | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1468 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Device
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3540, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Medion Akoya S2218 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735F, 64 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM HD Graphics (Braswell), N3050, 32 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -19% | -10% | |
| Read Seq | 175.5 | 140.2 -20% | 173.5 -1% |
| Write Seq | 69.1 | 52.7 -24% | 77.9 13% |
| Read 512 | 166.6 | 98.4 -41% | 154.8 -7% |
| Write 512 | 50.1 | 58.7 17% | 64.1 28% |
| Read 4k | 19.35 | 15.25 -21% | 15.88 -18% |
| Write 4k | 11.12 | 9.817 -12% | 8.583 -23% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 52 | 37.24 -28% | 25.73 -51% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 10.96 | 8.734 -20% | 8.656 -21% |
Graphics Card
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-331-C5KL | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C6QM | |
| Lenovo G70-35 80Q5000BGE | |
| HP Stream 13-c102ng | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 269 points | |
Help | ||
Emissions & Energy
System Noise
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 33.5 / 33.5 / 33.5 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 33 / 33.5 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 31.2 dB(A) | ||
Temperatures
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.1 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.8 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 39.5 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.1 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.9 °C / 87.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-2.6 °C / -4.7 F).
Speakers
Frequency diagram in comparison (Checkboxes above can be selected!)
Value 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Value 2: Audio off
Power Consumption
| Off / Standby | 0.25 / 0.31 Watt |
| Idle | 4.4 / 6.2 / 7.1 Watt |
| Load |
14 / 17.3 Watt |
   
| |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Higher-priced convertibles are very much in demand, but there are still customers wanting a simple and cheap Windows subnotebook in a clamshell format. The Lenovo S21e-20 is available at a low price, but it is not the best choice in all categories.
The screen has a strong blue tinge and although it is not very bright, it is matte. Medion offers a better solution in their Akoya S2218 model. The panel is almost twice as bright as our test model. It also offers high contrast and Full HD resolution. The 40 Euros (~$44) higher price tag may be worth the investment, as it includes the 64 GB flash storage.
The Akoya S2218 is only equipped with an Intel Atom Z, which, despite its four cores, is quite slow in processing tasks. The system performance of that model is about 30% lower than our test model (PCMark 8 Home). However, when in doubt, we recommend the weaker processor with greater flash storage space. The 9 GBs available on our test model are very limited. On the other hand, the eMMC storage is up to 10 - 20% faster than similar storage devices.
The Lenovo S21e-20 is very quiet, but there is an audible fan in the case. We were really disappointed by the weak keyboard, which deformed easily. The base unit was also quite flexible, but one could come to terms with it. The typing feedback is very short and the impact is spongy.
The run time of 4:22 hours is well behind our expectations. However, for the price and the 22 Wh battery, it seems like an acceptable figure. We can recommend this model to anyone who is not an intensive typist, yet requires a small and cheap Windows subnotebook. If you want to have a decent display for a little more money, consider the Akoya S2218 , which offers a glossy IPS panel.
Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE
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07/05/2016 v5.1(old)
Sebastian Jentsch
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