Lenovo IdeaPad 15IAN8 2024, Intel N100, 4GB, 128GB SSD, Arctic Gray

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15IAN8 is a budget 15.6-inch Windows laptop with an Intel N100, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. It's fine for basic web browsing and document work, but the weak CPU, limited RAM, and poor TN display make it a tough sell even at $300. Buy it only if you need Windows on a very tight budget and can live with serious compromises.

The Intel N100 is a 4-core, 4-thread processor with a base clock of 0.8GHz and a turbo up to 3.4GHz. In our database, this CPU ranks in the 5th percentile for laptops, which is about as close to the bottom as you can get without being a Chromebook from 2019. In practice, that means web browsing is fine, but don't expect to edit photos, run virtual machines, or keep 20 tabs open without some stuttering.

The 4GB of LPDDR5 RAM is the other big constraint. It ranks in the 4th percentile, and Windows 11 really wants 8GB minimum to breathe. The UFS 3.1 storage is faster than an old spinning hard drive, but 128GB fills up fast after Windows and a few apps. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are fine for video playback and basic 2D work, but gaming is a non-starter. Our gaming score for this machine is 9.6 out of 100, which is one of the worst we've seen. This is not a gaming laptop, not even for Minecraft at anything above low settings.

Compared to the Apple MacBook Pro MWP72LL/A, the IdeaPad Slim 3 is in a completely different universe. The MacBook Pro costs several times more and offers a vastly better display, processor, and build quality. But that's not a fair fight. The more relevant comparison is against budget Windows laptops and Chromebooks. The HP OmniBook X Flip and ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA are both far more capable machines, but they also cost two to three times as much. If you're cross-shopping those, you're not really in the market for an IdeaPad.

The Samsung Galaxy Book5 and MSI Prestige 16 Evo are similarly out of reach price-wise. The real question is whether this IdeaPad beats a $300 Chromebook. And the answer is complicated. Chromebooks at this price often have better displays and longer battery life, but they can't run full Windows apps. The IdeaPad's 47Wh battery and 1.55kg weight make it portable enough, but the TN screen is a genuine weak spot. If you need Windows specifically and have a hard $350 cap, this is one of the few new options. If you're flexible on OS, a Chromebook might serve you better.

At $300 to $339 in the US, the IdeaPad Slim 3 is cheap, but you're getting exactly what you pay for. The price varies by about $39 across vendors, and Staples tends to have the best deal with free next-day delivery on orders over $35. For the money, you get a full Windows 11 laptop with a 15.6-inch screen, which is more than a Chromebook offers in some ways. But a refurbished ThinkPad or a slightly older used laptop with 8GB of RAM and a better display would be a smarter buy for most people. If you can stretch to $400, you'll find machines with double the RAM and an IPS panel that make this IdeaPad look like a false economy.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15IAN8 is a budget 15.6-inch laptop that sits firmly in the "cheap and cheerful" category. With an Intel N100 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB UFS SSD, it's aimed at students and anyone who needs a basic Windows 11 machine for web browsing, email, and document work. The price hovers around $300 to $339 in the US, which tells you exactly what kind of laptop this is before you even open the box.

Is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 good for everyday use? For light tasks, yes. The N100 is a quad-core chip that handles a few browser tabs and Office apps without falling over, but the 4GB of RAM is the real bottleneck. Windows 11 in S Mode helps keep things snappy by restricting you to Microsoft Store apps, but that's also a limitation some buyers won't love. The 15.6-inch 1080p display gives you decent screen real estate, though the TN panel is a throwback to a decade ago.

We've seen a lot of budget laptops come through our database, and this one lands in a weird spot. It's not the worst thing we've tested, but the specs are aggressively entry-level. If you're shopping for a laptop under $350, you're probably comparing this against Chromebooks and refurbished machines. The IdeaPad holds its own on build quality and port selection, but the internals are where corners got cut.

Skip this laptop if you plan to do any photo or video editing, run demanding software, or keep more than a handful of browser tabs open. The 4GB of RAM and N100 processor will choke on anything beyond basic productivity. Gamers should absolutely look elsewhere, and anyone who cares about screen quality will hate the TN panel's washed-out colors and narrow viewing angles. If you can spend $400 or more, you'll get a much better experience with a refurbished business laptop or a budget machine with 8GB of RAM and an IPS display.

Should you buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15IAN8? Only if you need a new Windows laptop for very light work and your budget is absolutely capped around $330. The 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage are going to frustrate you within a year, and the TN display is a constant reminder that you bought the cheapest option. Windows 11 in S Mode helps performance but locks you into the Microsoft Store unless you switch out of it, which then makes the limited RAM even more painful.

For students who just need something to write papers and check email, it's passable. For anyone else, we'd recommend saving up another $50 to $100 or looking at refurbished options. This laptop is not a good long-term investment, but it's not a scam either. It's a budget machine that does budget things, slowly.