The first 15-inch laptop in Lenovo's 700 series is equipped with cutting-edge hardware, including an i7-7700HQ with a TDP of 35 watts and a 1050 Ti Max-Q. The competitor has a lot to offer, including a fantastic display and a long battery life, but the proverbial fly in the ointment may put some people off.

The brand-new Lenovo Ideapad 720S-15 IKB is a slim, light multimedia laptop in the perennially well-liked 15.6-inch size for this price range. This is the first 15-inch test device in Lenovo's line, leaving the 720S without a direct predecessor, despite the fact that we have entertained several "guests" from the 700 series here at Notebookcheck.

In and of itself, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti in a multimedia laptop is nothing spectacular, but Lenovo chose the energy-efficient Max-Q model in this case. The advantages and disadvantages of Max-Q graphics cards were discussed in a special piece last year.

We looked through our list of the greatest multimedia laptops and chose those with a comparable display size and price to compare with the Lenovo gadget. Ladies and gentlemen, the contestants are:

HP Spectre x360 15t-bl101 (i7-8550U, MX150, Convertible), Dell XPS 15 2018 (i5-8300H, GTX 1050), and Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VE (i7-7700HQ, GTX 1050 Ti)

 

 

Processor

Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake

Graphics adapter

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1291 MHz, Memory: 7000 MHz, GDDR5, ForceWare 385.54, Nvidia Optimus

Memory

16 GB  

, DDR4, 2400 MHz, dual-channel, both banks occupied

Display

15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Chi Mei CMN15E8 / N156HCE-EN1 CMN, IPS, glossy: no

Mainboard

Intel HM175 (Skylake PCH-H)

Storage

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, 512 GB

Weight

1.9 kg ( = 67.02 oz / 4.19 pounds), Power Supply: 337 g ( = 11.89 oz / 0.74 pounds)

Price

Rs. 122500

 

The Lenovo 720S's case: Understated, functional, solid

From the very first glance, the slim case, which is tapered toward the front, exudes a high-caliber and stunning appearance. The casing is constructed of aluminium, claims Lenovo. Fingerprints are mostly hidden by the glossy, matte-gray, easy-to-grip surface. The only thing that is black is the small display frame. The goal of the design was "understated": There aren't many design details left, like the characteristic Lenovo hinges, the silver Lenovo logo on the rear, or the slick decorative frame that runs the length of the base.

The foundation just minimally twists even when considerable pressure is applied, and the Lenovo device makes no complaints other than a little crackling sound. The lid may be turned more readily, as is only reasonable, but the metal back provides a respectable amount of stiffness and as much pressure resistance as one could fairly expect. It is simple to open the laptop with one hand. The laptop's ergonomics and manufacturing quality are mostly faultless, with the exception of the slightly sharp edges that run the length of the base. Although some gaps are not completely level and a few edges protrude slightly, overall our test gadget feels sturdy and well-kept.

Connectivity: Limited ports; need adapters

The lack of connections and ports is one of the Lenovo laptop's apparent flaws, further increasing reliance on Wi-Fi. The absence of an external display port in particular disgusts us. Only a USB Type-C DisplayPort adapter (DisplayPort 1.2)—which must be purchased separately to boot—can be used to connect an external display. You will need to use a different (bought) adaptor if you require multiple USB Type-A ports at once. A card reader is there, although it only supports microSD cards. Additionally, Thunderbolt and USB Type-C are interchangeable.

All of this is a little disappointing because rivals that are similarly slim and light—like the ones on our comparison list—have considerably more port options. For a product in this price range, a separate DisplayPort or HDMI output is a bare minimum requirement. Nevertheless, all the connections, with the exception of the audio connector, are ergonomically positioned at the very back, allowing the perfect area for an external mouse, which is thankfully free of sticks and cables.

Power jack, battery life indicator, USB 3.1 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.2 and Thunderbolt, Novo key, and audio in/out are all on the left side.

MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC slots, USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C, and a USB 3.0 Type-A SD Card Reader are all on the right side.

We always use a Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II reference memory card for our memory card data transfer tests. Only the HP and Dell laptops have a lightning-fast PCI Express connection among our comparative devices. Lenovo and Asus remained loyal to USB 3.0. The copying speed on our Lenovo laptop is still fast enough to transfer plenty of photos without wearing out the user's patience.

Communication

Lenovo chose the tried-and-true Intel Wireless AC 8265 module, which isn't very new but has been around for a while and integrates Bluetooth 4.2 and has a theoretical maximum gross data transfer rate of 867 Mb/s (thanks to MIMO 2x2 antenna technology). The Ideapad 720 S falls well short of our expectations when we factor in the typical overhead of roughly 200 Mb/s, especially when we emphasise the crucial receive rate. The Asus ZenBook Pro is the gold standard for receiving, but when it comes to transmitting, the Asus comes in last. The actual receiving data throughput for the HP Spectre X360 is 623 Mb/s, not the reported 62.3 Mb/s. We always use our Linksys EA8500 reference router in conjunction with our WLAN tests.

 

Security

The Lenovo 720s- 15 has a fingerprint scanner underneath the Enter key on the right side and a current Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. The reader is simple to set up and quickly and reliably unlocks the laptop with the aid of Windows Hello. Buyers will have to do without BitLocker drive encryption in the absence of Windows 10 Pro. A Kensington lock slot was also omitted by the maker.

Accessories

The only other items in the 720 S's packaging, except the laptop and required power supply, are the standard quick-start manual and warranty paperwork. There aren't any accessories available from Lenovo right now that are specifically made for our test device.

Maintenance

Despite the lack of any sort of maintenance hatch and the inability to remove the battery from the outside, 10 Torx screws provide access to the laptop's internal components. The base plate needs to be taken off. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that fiddling there can very possibly void the guarantee. We didn't access the base plate because our test gadget was loaned to us by an internet retailer. A hefty 8 GB stick occupies each of the two RAM banks, making it ineffective to swap them out.

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Warranty

A two-year "depot" customer carry-in warranty is included in the purchase price in the EU. Additionally, Lenovo charges extra for extended warranties. We were unable to identify precisely which warranty options are available for this device since we were unable to locate the serial number. The standard manufacturer's warranty may typically be increased to three years for 34.51 euros, or about $40, or changed to a two- or three-year on-site guarantee for 35.70 euros, or about $41 to $69, respectively. For information particular to your country, please visit our Guarantees, Return policies, and Warranties FAQ.