Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review

Posted on April 7th, 2010 by Ajay

Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – 5.5/7

The latest offering from the Lenovo stable is one well designed machine. Available in black and red, the Lenovo S10-3 features a front lid with chequered inter-crossing lines that give it a nice look. Another defining feature is how thin this netbook is and we particularly like the way the lid and base have some leeway between them. The interior is matte, with the palm rest having been given a brushed metal paintjob. All-in-all, this is quite a handsome netbook. The keyboard is very utilizable as well with island-style keys. The touchpad has integrated buttons and is multi-touch ready. Spec-wise, the S10-3 offers standard components.

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Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – Top Features

  • Great Design – There’s something about the Lenovo S10-3 that sets it a bit apart. The textured pattern on the lid gives it a carbon-coated look and the chassis looks super sleek.
  • Improved Keyboard – This is much better than the S10-2 board with well-spaced island style keys which are a pleasure to type on.
  • Really loud speakers – The speakers on this baby positively boom for a netbook.
  • Nice Bundled Softwares – There’s the Quickstart software which lets you boot into a Linux OS, Onekey software recovery and a few others which are actually functional.

Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

  • Touchpad is problematic – It’s cramped and features integrated buttons. While they save space, it’s not easy to use them as the right horizontal is a scroller and the pointer jumps all over. Also dragging and dropping is way too clunky.
  • Disappointing battery life – The 6. 5 hour battery life isn’t horrendous, but falls short of the range netbooks today generally achieve.

Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – Ratings

  1. Price and Value for money – 0.75 Star. With average specifications and battery life, this netbook falls short of being great value.
  2. Speed and Performance – 0.75 Star. Adequate performance from the S10-3, which is not a surprise.
  3. Screen – 0.75 Star. The S10-3 features a decent screen, except for the glossy aspect.
  4. Keyboard, Touchpad, Useability – 0.75 Star. While the keyboard is fantastic, the  touchpad is finicky.
  5. Portability and Battery Life – 0.75 Star. This is quite a light netbook, but below average when it comes to battery life.
  6. Looks and Design – 1.0 Star. We quite like the sleek, pseudo carbon-coat  look of the S10-3.
  7. Connectivity and Extensibility – 0.75 Star. Adequate ports and longer-than-usual WiFi reach.

This gives the Lenovo S10-3 an overall rating of 5.5 out of 7 Stars.

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Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – Our Recommendation

The Lenovo S10-3 is a netbook with many things in its favour and a few against it. The textured lid and sleek chassis make this netbook one of the better looking ones out there. The keyboard and speakers pack a punch, and the bundled software provided is useful. What the S10-3 doesn’t have going for it are its battery life and touchpad. We’d recommend using the touchpad for a while, before committing to buy this netbook. The price is also slightly on the higher side, with loads of similarly specced machines available for $50 less.

The Lenovo S10-3 is available on amazon for $349.99.

Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – What have buyers said?

Pros:

  1. “Bang for your buck. Awesome. The only thing missing was a HDMI output. Everything else is as good or better than S10 – 2. Superb Keyboard. Ok touchpad. Great sound.”
  2. “I didn’t notice any excessive heat with this model.”

Cons:

  1. “Awkward touch pad; cramped palm rest.”
  2. “Has an underwhelming feature set and average battery life.”

Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review – Technical Specifications

  • OS: Windows 7 Starter
  • CPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor
  • Display & Graphics: 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 LED display, Intel GMA 3150
  • RAM: 1GB DDR2
  • Storage: 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
  • Connectivity: Flash card reader, 802.11b/g/n, Ethernet LAN (RJ-45), VGA, 3 x USB 2.0 Ports
  • Battery: 6-cell Li-ion Battery (Life 6 hours)
  • Weight: 2.6 lbs
  • Colors: Black, Red
  • Price: $349.99

Filed under: Lenovo Netbook Review

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One Response to “Lenovo S10-3 Netbook Review”

  1. drackiem, on August 23rd, 2010 at 9:27 pm Said:

    the solution for the tochpad is divided in two, one you need to learn to use the dragging with your finger not with the button, in fact i consider it is easyer than with the buttons, since i use laptops i never use buttons and seem something not useful to me, and the other part of the solution is to put a transparent protector made to fit a cellphone screen, yes is like you being protected your cellphone screen, a plastic adhesive, that will do that the touch pad not being too sensitive and helps a lot, one to dont damage the paint of the touchpad (that looks excelent) and two to be less sensitive touch pad :D

    i have one of those, the only thing i dont love is the heating, i tried with some success to push inside the dust protector of the exhaust fan on the left, that helps a lot because the normal position of the filter dont lets out the half of the holes, and when you push it back with a clip or something small, the air can come out more free than before, and also helps to remove dust filters on the HD and memory, those are not useful because there is not passing air to the fan, if you have any other solution pleas feedback :D

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