Lenovo ThinkPad Edge S430 Pro Reviews

Whoever is on the lookout for an affordable office or multimedia notebook for under 800 Euro (~$988), should shortlist the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge S430. Especially desk user are going to be happy with the matte and above all high resolution display, even though in direct sunlight loses the battle with the sun. The colour space is typically very limited for a matte display in this price range. In terms of office use the ThinkPad Edge S430 comes with some, but not all, ThinkPad features. These include among others the good workmanship, which in view of some E400 series models is considerably improved. In contrast to more expensive models the somewhat modern, yet still understated design, convinces us. A docking station is not available for the Edge S430. While the chiclet keyboard satisfied us, we observed a consistent throttling of the GPU frequency. This most noticeably impact the results from our benchmarks, but remains negligible in practice, unless games or on the top of the list for the user. In addition to the compact 14-inch form factor, the weight speaks for itself: 1.85 kg are in this class quite unusual. This is mainly because of the relatively smaller battery, which is noticeable even in daily use - the notebook lasts less compared to the rivals (P643, 8473TG, T420) and must be plugged in the AC earlier than most. Those who wish to replace the battery or any other components should have a look at this: The maintenance capabilities are very limited and require an almost complete disassembly of the notebook. Overall Lenovo offers a good deal for the price. Very few notebooks manage to stay under the 800 Euro mark, given such a workmanship and components. The interested in the notebook must put up with the somewhat smaller battery and throttled graphics card.