Lenovo S405 14.0-Inch Laptop Review

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List Price: $549.99
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There is very little information about the Lenovo S405 ultrabook on the Internet. If I had found a review, or even consistent information re: the components, I probably wouldn't have purchased this machine even though it's quite nice in some respects. I'm returning this device to Amazon, but perhaps someone else will learn from my trial-and-error.

Appearance: The S405 is a gorgeous looking machine. The exterior is a metallic gray that looks like it could be made of aluminum, but is probably plastic. The interior is a striking jet black. There is nothing glossy or plastic-y about the chassis. It looks and feels expensive, but durable as well. At 3.9 lbs it's heavier than most ultrabooks, but still lighter than most laptops. Its thickest point is 0.8". I would have no qualms about traveling with this slim and sleek machine. A shame the S405's performance doesn't match its aesthetics.

Performance: The PDF spec sheet on Amazon lists the graphics as the Radeon 7600M. In fact, it's an integrated 7600G. According to Notebookcheck, the M has a core speed of 450MHz and the G is 320MHz. That's not a huge difference, especially since both are integrated into the CPU, but it's not nothing either. Notebookcheck also says the A8-4555M processor is not a "true quad core" and they place it between the Intel Pentium and i3 chips. The clock speed is 1600GHz, although theoretically AMD turbo boosts it up to 2400. (I don't know when that's supposed to happen.) I went into the power settings and changed it from Balanced to Best Performance, demanding top CPU speed. This improved performance, but not drastically. I had hoped this ultrabook would run Guild Wars 2 on low-medium settings at a playable framerate. After reducing the resolution to 1280x768 and adjusting all the graphics settings to Low the FPS averaged 26. And this was with very little happening on screen. If I had been in a heavily populated area of the gameworld, I predict the FPS would plummet to the teens or single digits. I'm sure the S405's fake quad core processor and integrated low end graphics are fine for web browsing, word processing and video playback, but for its price I hoped this ultrabook could handle a relatively undemanding recent game, especially when its settings were at bare minimum. It can't, which is too bad. Most ultrabooks are far from gaming rigs, but some have the processors to get by with adjusted expectations. The S405 does not.

Keyboard: Lenovo bought IBM back in 2005 and their acquisition of the gold standard Thinkpad brand really shows in this terrific keyboard. Responsive keys that don't feel like hard plastic tiles beneath my fingers. I don't really know how to describe this keyboard except to say it's satisfying to use, although some of the keys (Backspace, right Shift, Enter) are undersized. That didn't bother me too much, nor did the lack of backlight. I appreciated how the keyboard didn't flex into the chassis when I typed in the center, like some laptop keyboards have been known to do. The track pad is generous and functions as well or better than most track pads. (I always use a mouse.)

Display: 14" and a resolution of 1366x768, which is typical for ultrabooks. I wish manufacturers would make (at least) 1440x900 the new standard. My archaic Dell Inspiron had a 1680x1050 display, and that was seven years ago. I don't think anyone will be terribly impressed by the S405's display, nor terribly disappointed by it. One caveat: even at its brightest setting, it still seems a tad too dim. But unless you go comparing it side-by-side with other ultrabooks, I doubt the display is going to influence you in any way. It's decidedly average.

Additional Information: All the ports are located on the sides of the machine. 2.0 USB x2, 3.0 USB x1, micro SD, headphones, HDMI out, ethernet. There's a 0.3mp/720p webcam. One way the S405 reduces its weight is by omitting an optical drive. The removable battery theoretically lasts five hours, but who can say for certain. Memory is only 4GB and hard drive is 500gb 5400rpm. A lot of ultrabooks are packing solid state drives in addition to regular drives, but the S405 lacks this.

I really really wanted to like the S405. It looks so cool with its solid black interior, and svelte build. But the processor and integrated graphics don't meet my needs. If I can't play Guild Wars 2 on it, what would I be using this machine for? Internet and word processing. I may as well get a cheaper ultrabook, or even a chromebook. The S405 doesn't merit its $540 price tag, so back to Amazon it goes.

UPDATE Nov/30/2012: I want to update this review with additional information re: this Lenovo model, but until then here is another correction to the PDF file on Amazon's page: This S405 ultrabook does not support Bluetooth.

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Trying to negate some of the information from other reviews (here and other sites; I bought from a competitor).

If you are the average user (productivity apps, internet, watching Youtube/Netflix videos, social tools), this machine in its base configuration should provide you more than enough room and performance.

In addition, it is built really well and looks great. I have seen some reviewers complain about the lid seeming flimsy. I don't think this is true. Given how ultra-book-like the machine is, you can't obviously have an inch-thick Thinkpad lid on it. It is the right size and seems solid enough to me. Not a concern, but an advantage just don't throw the machine around (this goes for any other machine as well with the size and weight advantage of this one).

Battery life under average use has been 3-3:30 hours. Could it have been better? Yes, but it would have cost more probably. Similarly, it could have had other things like bluetooth, gigabit ethernet, two RAM slots etc. again, at a higher price point.

Bottom line in my opinion: If you go in knowing what you want to use this machine for and are not looking for high-power needs such as gaming or video editing, this should be a 5-star laptop.

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I bought this laptop for $400 I think some special pricing on Amazon. And for that price tag it is a superb buy. The laptop is very thin, lightweight, and has good specs. I use my laptop for using Word/Excel, watching movies (output to HDTV via HDMI), listening to music etc. No gaming as such

For all of these tasks its a superb laptop. No glitches outputting video to HDMi, speakers are average and if you crank up the volume, they really produce bad sound. But as I use headphones or output to a TV/Speaker System, it doesn't matter for me.

Keyboard is great light keys and you don't need to press too hard, and are very responsive. The track pad leaves a bit to be desired not as responsive as I would have liked but its not as if it frustrates you. I'm comparing it to my previous Sony Vaio and that trackpad of the latter was much better.

Battery life is good, screen is also good enough and very bright. The top marks goto the light weight and sleek build of this laptop everyone who saw it said wow!

All in all, a very very good buy for $400. I agree that anything beyond $425 may feel too much for this laptop.

Honest reviews on Lenovo S405 14.0-Inch Laptop

The computer seemed to work ok, it was only $435.00 so the expectations weren't huge. I use it for work, I wanted a lower end unit for basic work, email, spreadsheets, etc. After a flight the screen went crazy, it started rolling in a very tight band in the middle, you could make out what was there but had a heck of a time clicking it. I looked it over and there were no cracks in the screen. I had been on a bumpy flight the day before but it wasn't that bad and the computer itself was never dropped; for all the turbulence it sat on my lap. I powered it down at the end of the flight and then the next day at work it developed the issue with the screen as soon as I started it. No cracks and as it is under warranty I called Lenovo and sent it back. They got it and called me to tell me it was $300.00 to fix it, the led was cracked and that wasn't covered under warranty. I told them nothing was cracked when I sent it to them however they insisted, $300.00 or they wouldn't fix it. I told them to ship it back as is, I wasn't paying them $300.00 to fix it. Then two weeks later I got another call, they wanted $300.00 to fix it. I told them don't fix it, send it back. Another week goes by, same call to tell me they wanted $300.00 to fix it, I tell them the same thing, send it back as is. It's been another two weeks and still no computer so I called them. After getting the run around (they couldn't find it, sent me to numerous different departments) they hung up on me. I am sitting here is shock at 1) how poorly the unit was built, 2) that they had the audacity to try and get me to pay them another $300.00 for a computer that I only paid $435.00 in the first place, and 3) what horrible customer service they have. DO NOT BUY LENOVO, junk that isn't supported and the worst customer service in the business! I am letting everyone I know what I have been through, I don't recommend anyone doing business with them, it has been just amazing how little they care about my business, and if they don't care about mine why would they care about yours?

Update: 8/28/2013. I got the laptop back from them after numerous calls and complaints. The screen is now cracked, it was not cracked when we shipped it back to them. It is scuffed and banged up like it fell from a work bench. Totally disgusted with Lenovo, if I could give negative stars to the company for customer support I would.

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Will never order a Windows 8 product again either.

Was not compatible with our network.

Not at all impressed

:(

boo