Buying a new laptop

I know Ten Forums is for software & hardware help, but I am hoping I can get some advice on buying a new laptop.

Which would be the better buy between the Lenovo IdeaPad S340 & the Lenovo IdeaPad 3? I've read about both & each have their own pros & cons, but a lot of the public reviews mention software or hardware problems on both that are bad enough the laptops had to be sent in for repairs; only to be returned in scratched, dented or even broken condition.

Of course I want to avoid this, so is the Lenovo brand not as good as they look on paper?
Should I look at another brand? I'd like to stay w/in the $400.00 range, 8 GB RAM & 256+ Hard Drive/Solid State Drive.

I have a 4 year old Lenovo 700-151SK, 3 months after I received it the HDMI had no output, sent it in for repair, after about 4 weeks I got it back and it work for an hour, sent it back for repair, after another 4 weeks I got it back and the HDMI has functioned correctly ever since. It still has a few problems that I just decided to live with, personally I wouldn't buy another one.

Greetings,

I used Apple exclusively for 29 years before I switched to PCs. When you hear someone say "I bought a Mac" it usually indicates the same type of a computer. Same spec and quality level. When someone says "I got a Dell" that's completely meaningless. It's like saying "I got a GM car!" Really? A Chevy? A Buick? A Caddy? It means nothing.

So there's no such thing as a 'Lenovo'. That company has so many variant laptops you could lose your mind. I own one and my model has been absolutely fine. So I can only speak of that model and my luck with it, even though Amazon reviews make it a recommend.

So my advice is --

1. Find the exact unit on Amazon, see how many stars, and make sure there are hundreds of ratings and not twelve. If it is encouraging --

2. -- make sure it offers FREE RETURNS. That is EVERYTHING.

3. I respect budget buyers but I'd advise anyone to make sure it has a 'pleasant' screen instead of a cheapo 'blue-ish' screen. I agree with your 8GBs of RAM and at least 128 SSD... but a 1080p IPS screen with 'nice' color is part of the package for me.

I'm going to investigate your suggestions and then come back and offer feedback. And perhaps alternatives.

So standby.

QUESTIONS

1. Does webcam quality matter to you? If you intend to ZOOM this will matter.
2. Does battery life matter? (One shortcoming of my Lenovo is if I were out and about a lot I'd prefer a better laptop. Since it's typically plugged in an roams briefly throughout the house it doesn't matter to me.)
3. I presume you don't care if it's a gaming machine or video editing situation.
4. You've offered a 14 inch and a 15 inch. Do you have a preference?

By the by -- either your price range is a tad low OR Xmas prices are rising. I was able to find this though --

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPa...ustomerReviews

This AMD processor will toast that i3 option you have above.

Consider computers on sale at Costco with the free concierge support and 2 year warranty.

These are Current sale items 11/23 - 12/24: Microsoft Surface and Lenovo.

Lenovo Ideapad 3 15.6 Touch Laptop i5, 12GB RAM, 1TB HDD

$400 for a laptop? The brand doesn't matter. $400 buys a junk laptop no matter what brand.

If you can't spend $1000 then don't buy a laptop. You'd be buying junk. Really. Just don't.

Steve C said:

(snip)

I did a survey last years and decided to buy a HP ProBook which proved most cost effective, This is from HP's professional range (another example is the Dell Latitude). Such laptops tend to be made to a higher standard, have better warranty support and are generally supplied with Windows 10 Pro.

At a price, I assume.

My late mother used to say, "You get what you pay for." I usually muttered, "If you're lucky."

I have an inexpensive Lenovo laptop. I swapped its HDD for an SSD. It wasn't overly difficult, although I miss the days when I didn't have to pop the whole back off the laptop to access the RAM or the drives. (I imagine some of them are still more readily upgradeable.)