Lenovo Ideapad 330 Review: A Decent Budget-friendly Option

The Beijing, China-based tech-giant Lenovo has upgraded its range of budget-friendly laptops. The latest addition to this range is the new Lenovo Ideapad 330 which was released last month. The new Ideapad has different models to choose from — with their price starting as low as $299.

The Ideapad 330 offers Intel Core i3, Core i5 and three Intel Celeron variants. The $299 Ideapad 330 model comes with a quad-core Intel Celeron N4100 processor. The amount of RAM and storage can be chosen while ordering it. This is our review of this particular model of Lenovo Ideapad 330.

Lenovo Ideapad 330 At A Glance

Look-wise, this affordable Lenovo laptop doesn’t have anything you won’t find in other similar laptops. What’s worth mentioning, however, is the build quality. Lenovo has paid attention to this Ideapad’s overall build quality.

The hinge feels sturdy, the keyboard is smooth to operate and the trackpad is easy to use. Those slightly rounded corners give this laptop a nice feel. Overall, this $300 Ideapad laptop doesn’t feel ‘cheap’ in terms of looks and build quality.

Coming to the tech specs, this Lenovo Ideapad 330 model features a quad-core Intel Celeron N4100 1.10 GHz processor which can go up to 2.40 GHz. The Intel processor, aimed primarily for budget-friendly laptops, does a great job at executing usual day-to-day tasks. There’s no visible lag during operations like word-processing or the usual web-browsing.

The amount of RAM can be configured while ordering. This particular model comes with either 4GB or 8GB of DDR4 RAM. 8GB of RAM should give you more power while multitasking but 4GB should work just fine during most tasks if you don’t use too many apps at once. We suggest you go for 8GB of RAM for better value for money.

The storage can also be selected during the order. You can choose from a 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB SSD for better performance. If you need more storage, you can optionally add a secondary 500GB or 1TB HDD. A 256GB SSD should be fine if you already have an external hard disk where you can offload your data. Otherwise, consider adding an HDD during your order. Just keep in mind that the more storage you add, the more price you will pay.

In terms of connectivity, Lenovo has added an Ethernet port which is nice to have for wired network connections. Lenovo has also added the 802.11ac WiFi for wireless connections. To see 802.11ac in a $300 laptop is definitely a welcoming move.

The Windows 10 Home operating system that ships with this Ideapad works as expected. The boot process finishes quickly but you might have to wait before your laptop gets completely ready for use after the boot. Having an SSD storage can improve this.

Overall, Lenovo Ideapad 330 outputs decent performance that’s commendable for a $300 budget-friendly laptop.

Lenovo Ideapad 330 Tech Specs

Lenovo Ideapad 330 Review: Summary

The Lenovo Ideapad 330 model with Intel Celeron N4100 processor is worth the price tag of $299. The processor, coupled with DDR4 RAM (4 or 8GB) outputs some really good overall performance. You have an option to choose the amount of RAM and storage which can cost you more than the base price. But having more RAM and SSD storage for some extra bucks will be worth the price.

If you are looking for a laptop for school/college use or if your primary use is word-processing or maintaining spreadsheets, web browsing, listening to music and watching movies etc, then this Ideapad is worth spending your money on. Don’t expect this laptop to be a powerhouse that’s ultra fast in every task. Just go with the fact that what you will have in hand is a laptop designed for certain class of users who don’t need too much power and who don’t wish to spend too much money on those ‘premium’ laptops.

Within days of its launch, the particular Ideapad 330 model has became the number one bestseller on Amazon. The price starts from $299 and there are four colors — black, grey, red, purple — to choose from.

Looking for something different in the same or even lower price range? Chromebooks are definitely worth considering. Have a look at the top 10 bestselling Chromebooks and see if it changes your mind.