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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15", AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (6C/12T), FHD IPS, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD $854.10 Shipped @ Lenovo Education Store

580
SCHOOLISBACK
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Base price is $746.10 for the 8GB version. If you upgrade the RAM to 16GB and add a backlit keyboard the price increases to $854.10

Processor : AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500U (6C / 12T, 2.1 / 4.0GHz, 3MB L2 / 8MB L3)
Operating System : Windows 11 Home 64
Operating System Language : Windows 11 Home 64 English
Microsoft Productivity Software : Microsoft Office Trial
Onboard Memory : 8GB Soldered DDR4-3200
Selectable Memory : 8GB SO-DIMM DDR4-3200
Total Memory : 8GB Soldered DDR4-3200 + 8GB SO-DIMM DDR4-3200
Solid State Drive : 256GB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe NVMe
Display : 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) WVA 300nits Anti-glare, 45% NTSC
Graphic Card : AMD Radeon Graphics
Camera : 720p with Privacy Shutter
Color : Arctic Grey
Keyboard : Backlit, English
Wireless : 11ac, 2x2
Surface Treatment : IMR
Palmrest : PC/ABS
Battery : Integrated 38Wh
Power Cord : 65W Round Tip Wall-mount
Language Pack : Publication - Traditional Chinese/Simplified Chinese/English
Warranty : 1 Year Depot

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closed Comments

  • Can the SSD be upgraded?

    • Yes, there are video on YouTube showing how to do it.

      • Thanks.

  • +1

    Anyone able help with edu store access?

    • +3

      Sent you a PM.

      • could you share for me as well? thanks

      • Myself as well, please. :)

      • Me 2 . My son just starting his high school so no more .edu account for him :(

        • +1

          High school students get edu emails

          • @reloxation: He will in 2 weeks time. His primary .edu account is no longer accessible :)

      • Could you share for me as well? Thanks

      • me too, please!

      • Would love .edu store access if it's still going :)

  • +3

    Battery looks very small at 38Wh.

    • Yeah.

      This is functionally a desktop with a screen.

  • They don't have the smaller screen sizes too do they?

  • +1

    Why is it always edu only. Don't they want more money????

    • +11

      People who aren't students are probably more capable of paying full price?

  • How do I get an edu account?

    • +1

      PM Doweyy for EDU store access

    • you need a edu email that is listed in eligible by lenovo.
      I used my old UTS email and works fine.

  • Can anyone speak to the build quality and screen on this? I know it's not going to be perfect at that price, but it would be nice to know if I should completely avoid it.

    • 45% NTSC means it's missing 1/3 of the colour vs. any TV, monitor or decent laptop screen. Otherwise the screen is good.

      • A lot of laptop screens are 45% NTSC at this price point. Unless you need 72% NTSC colour gamut for more colour accurate photo or video editing, the screen is fine for productivity.

        • If you need "more colour accurate photo or video editing" then you go well beyond 72% NTSC/99% sRGB, not to it.
          99% sRGB is the norm and has been for decades in TV's and monitors. It's what people are used to. When you go 37.5% of the way from that to black and white it's very noticeable when doing anything, even productivity IMO.
          For example I've never been given a work laptop with 45% NTSC, always 72%. The professional monitors then take this up to 99% NTSC.
          Maybe if it was a school kids laptop, or you were colourblind, or it was a dirt cheap chromebook etc.

          • @Viper8: We referring to a sub $860 dollar price range, current gen CPU, laptop that original question was about. 72% NTSC/99% sRGB screens are a rarity at this price point, unless it's a clearance product. Anything with higher colour gamut will never been seen in a laptop, brand new, at this price point. I'm sure the laptops you obtained from work were not sub $860 retail price.

            • -1

              @shellshocked: They are a rarity, but that doesn't change the fact that the screens look grey. At least it's IPS and 1080p.
              For home I spent just $144 more to get the same amount of RAM and a similar CPU but double the storage, double the battery, an alloy chassis and a 1600p IPS 72% NTSC screen.

  • -1

    Soldering ram and 720p webcam in 2022 kills it for me

    • +2

      only 8GB of the 16GB is soldered, so you could upgrade to a 16GB stick for a total of 24GB later if you really need it.
      also, stupid as it is.. 720p webcams are still the standard currently, and only your premium $2K+ alienwares/macbooks are going to have 1080p webcams - if anything, be thankful it comes with a privacy shutter!
      only other gripe is the slightly small 38Whr battery

    • Well it's sub $800/$900 laptop with up to 16gb of RAM. It has one SO-DIMM slot, so you could potentially upgrade it to 20 or 24gb RAM.

      Can you please provide a link to a new laptop with better specifications at this price point with a 6 core/12 thread CPU.

      1080p webcams are only supposed a requirement by MS in new generation AMD 6000 series and Intel 12th gen based laptops from this year onwards.

  • Does this have a touchscreen?

    • No

      • +1

        Can I touch your screen?

        • +1

          No

  • is this a bargain?

  • Any info on how much this weighs?

  • anyone suggest a decent SSD to upgrade to, around 1tb?

  • How tough are IdeaPads?
    I've got my child a ThinkPad E485 for which I've replaced a broken screen and put Araldite on a broken case. Now the USB-C (charging) socket has bent pins.
    Anyone recommend a repair shop that will fix that? Otherwise I'll be giving it a go myself.

    Probably should get one of these - but if they're not as tough as a ThinkPad then it wouldn't have a chance.

    BTW Does the Cashrewards definitely stack with this?
    Probably not:
    "Purchases made through Lenovo's student store, staff discounts, corporate deals, and negotiated offers (phone/email/chat) are ineligible for cashback."

    • There are different versions of the IdeaPad. This entry level version made of plastic. Whilst the IdeaPad Pro are made from Aluminium.

      The Thinkpad E485 you have is entry level for its class. There are much higher quality Thinkpads made from more durable Aluminium or Carbon Fibre weave.

  • -2

    Levono laptops are substandard, service/warranty service is shocking and they will do anything to break the warranty. Lots of other brands that are better.

    If you do get a Lenovo make sure you get accidental cover because if it missing a button or scratched/dented, they void your warranty.

    • +1

      Please provide a valid reason to backup what you have stated. Considering that Lenovo has the largest share of the laptop market, followed by HP, Dell and Apple.

      Just look up Gartner Research for market share data. If there was a significant, consistent issue, Lenovo wouldn't be dominant.

      You also have 7+ ODMs, which include Quanta, Compal Wistron, Foxconn etc.. These ODMs make laptops for all of the above mentioned computer companies and more. Therefore the components for your laptop, including Apple, could come from any one of these companies.

      • They have the largest share based on the fact that they have an extremely good sales force and they have captured a big market share in the education market.

        There are plenty of complaints all over the internet about Lenovo, just look at Trustpilot over 88% of people say Lenovo is bad so there is really no need to backup my statement. If anything, if I had read these reviews beforehand I would have not bought a Lenovo at all.

        I am basing it on my experience and a few parents that I know who have has shocking issues with customer service and issues.
        When we got the laptop, within two weeks it was faulty, the battery died after 2.5 hours from a full charge, where it was supposed to 6-8 hours. We called and they did the remote test. The customer service went to blame it back on my child's usage that it could have had lots of different programs open hence the quick use of the battery. This I reputed as all the usage was based on school, my child doesn't play games.

        After complaining to a number of people, even to the manager, they agreed it need to go in for a service. As the school had started, getting the laptop in for the service would have taken at least 8 days. As it was my child's first year in high school and my child needed the laptop, we held off until the school holidays. By then my child had made a slight crack to the shell and when we sent it to them, they said it was not under warranty as it was cracked. It would cost us over $600 to get it fixed. We said we didn't need to have the shell replaced, we just wanted them to fix the battery issue. They would not move unless the shell was replaced, despite the issue of the battery being diagnosed 6 weeks prior with report logs, etc. Unfortunately, we didn't buy accidental insurance in time so we were not covered.

        They refused to fix it and sent it back as is. Hence unless you have accidental insurance and are able to stand your ground in dealing with numerous phone calls repeating to call centers that cannot speak English well and have serious attitudes, buy a Lenovo or avoid it at all cost.

        • +1

          Anyone can look up issues for any laptop manufacturer, via a simple Google search, and find faults if you are looking for it. I did this for HP, Dell and Apple as an example

          HP laptop recall due to faulty batteries:

          https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/13/18263978/hp-laptop-batter…

          Dell false advertising of Alienware laptop features lawsuit:

          https://www.pcgamer.com/au/class-action-lawsuit-filed-agains…

          Apple M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air screens cracking during normal usage:

          https://9to5mac.com/2021/07/30/m1-macbook-screen-cracks/

          https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2021/09/09/apple-mac…

          You just can't isolate it to one manufacturer. I have owned laptops from every major manufacturer over the last three decades and there has been plenty of good ones and a few misses from all of them.

          • -3

            @shellshocked: These are individual reports, nice try. Any person that does their research knows that these individual reviews are bias and there is a chance of clickbait. Try looking at Trustpilot which is a collective of people's reviews.

            I am not here to agree or disagree as it seems you are biased toward Lenovo. You ask for me to back it up and I did, not that I needed to.
            .
            I am stating my experience that I had had a lot of issues, made lots of calls repeating myself to rude people and the customer service is shocking! The outcome was they just sent it back and said they were not going to fix it. Consumer protection is also aware of this and Lenovo is getting away with it as there is a loophole in the system.

            As this is targeted for schools and kids. I am stating the facts that if you are buying this for your child, do not get this unless you get appropriate insurance or go through the school program as you are pretty much screwed if you don't.

            • +3

              @twinkle:

              Trustpilot Scores

              • Lenovo: 1.3,
              • Dell: 1.3,
              • HP: 1.3,
              • Apple: 1.6,
              • Microsoft: 1.2.
  • This seems like a great deal, but correct me if I am wrong, but the USB C port doesn't support display Alt mode. So can't be used to connect a dock for external monitor etc ?

    Whereas an E14 Gen 3 has a USB C does support display etc

  • Does anyone know how much this weighs?

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