The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021) is a budget Windows ultraportable laptop. It's available with AMD Ryzen 5000 U-series CPUs, integrated graphics, up to 16GB of memory, and over 1TB of storage. You can choose between a TN or IPS display; they're both 1080p 60Hz panels with no variable refresh rate support. It has a 720p webcam, a Wi-Fi 5 wireless adapter, and a 48Wh battery. Its port selection includes two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI 1.4, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The USB-C port doesn't support video output or charging. You can see more details about the configurations in the Differences Between Variants section below.
Our Verdict
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is decent for school use. It feels well-built, it's easy to carry around thanks to its thin and light design, and its battery lasts easily through a typical school day. The display provides enough space for multitasking and gets bright enough for use in most settings; however, the touchpad is small, and the keyboard can be fatiguing over time. Its AMD Ryzen CPU and integrated graphics can handle most student workloads, but they aren't ideal for graphically intensive tasks like video editing.
- Easy to carry around.
- Battery lasts over nine hours of light productivity.
- Feels well-built.
- Decent webcam video quality for video calls.
- CPU can handle most light productivity tasks.
- CPU and Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Can't charge laptop via USB-C.
- Keyboard can cause fatigue over an extended period.
- Small touchpad makes dragging and dropping hard.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is mediocre for gaming. Its CPU and integrated GPU aren't powerful enough to handle graphically intensive games, resulting in low frame rates and stuttery motion. It also has a slow 60Hz display with no VRR support to reduce screen tearing. On the bright side, there's very little thermal throttling over time, and it doesn't get hot under load.
- Minimal performance loss over time.
- Memory and storage are user-upgradeable.
- CPU and Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- 60Hz refresh rate with slow response time and no VRR support.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is decent for media consumption. It's a thin and light device that's easy to carry around, with enough battery life to get you through a couple of movies and TV show episodes. The display gets bright enough for use in most settings; however, it looks washed out, and its low contrast makes blacks appear gray in the dark. Likewise, the speakers sound clear but don't get very loud.
- Easy to carry around.
- Battery lasts nearly eight hours of video playback.
- Display supports touch input.
- Screen looks washed out.
- Low contrast ratio makes blacks look gray in dim settings.
- Can't charge laptop via USB-C.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is okay as a workstation. Its CPU can handle light or even some moderately heavy workloads, especially the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, but it's still very limited in graphical performance because it's only available with integrated graphics. Its port selection is decent, but the HDMI port is limited to the HDMI 1.4 standard. It doesn't get hot or throttle much under load, though the fans are a bit loud.
- Minimal performance loss over time.
- Memory and storage are user-upgradeable.
- Fast storage drive.
- CPU and Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- HDMI port limited to 1.4 standard.
- Screen's narrow color gamut isn't ideal for color-critical work.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is decent for business use. It's portable due to its thin and light design, and it has good battery life, lasting over 9 hours of light productivity. The webcam captures a decent image for video calls, the touchpad tracks reasonably well, and the keyboard is spacious but slightly tiring to type on over an extended period. Its AMD Ryzen processor can handle most tasks like text formatting, spreadsheets, and presentations. If you perform heavy multitasking, you can upgrade to the Ryzen 5 5500U or the Ryzen 7 5700U for better multi-thread performance. Unfortunately, you can't charge the laptop via USB-C, and the HDMI port is limited to the HDMI 1.4 standard.
- Easy to carry around.
- Battery lasts over nine hours of light productivity.
- Feels well-built.
- Decent webcam video quality for video calls.
- CPU can handle most light productivity tasks.
- CPU and Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Can't charge laptop via USB-C.
- Keyboard can cause fatigue over an extended period.
- Small touchpad makes dragging and dropping hard.
- HDMI port limited to 1.4 standard.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 23, 2024: Added mention of the Lenovo Yoga 6 13 (2023) as a more compact alternative in the Portability section.
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated May 16, 2023: Added mention of the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) as an alternative with a better touchpad in the Touchpad section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (model 82KU00YQUS) with a 1080p touch-sensitive IPS display, an AMD Ryzen 3 5300U CPU, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 integrated graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The display, CPU, GPU, memory, storage, and color are configurable; you can see the options in the table below. There are many Lenovo IdeaPad 3 models, so to avoid confusion, our review applies only to variants with a model number starting with '82KU'.
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Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar Lenovo IdeaPad 3 laptop that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is among the best laptops in its class. It stands out for its sturdy build and good battery life. However, the keyboard can be tiring to type on for an extended period, and the touchpad is small, making it hard to use.
For other options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops under $300, the best laptops under $400, and the best laptops under $500.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021) is better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) for most uses. The Lenovo's build feels sturdier, and its battery lasts much longer. It's available with a better IPS display, as it gets brighter to combat glare, and its wider viewing angle makes it easier to share the screen with someone else. The Lenovo is an older model with AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs; however, depending on which configuration you get, it performs just as well or better than the Acer, which is only available with an Intel Core i3-N305 CPU.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15 (2021) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021) are very similar overall, as the IdeaPad 5 is essentially a higher-tier model of the same lineup. The IdeaPad 5 provides a better user experience as its keyboard feels more comfortable to type on, and its touchpad tracks better. Also, the IdeaPad 5's USB-C port supports charging and video output, whereas the IdeaPad 3's USB-C can only transfer data. The IdeaPad 5's Intel 11th Gen processors perform better than the IdeaPad 3's AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs, but they aren't as power-efficient, meaning battery life is better on the IdeaPad 3, especially for video playback.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) are both thin and light Windows laptops. The Surface Laptop 3 provides a better user experience for the most part because it has a sharper, brighter, and more color-accurate display, its keyboard feels better to type on, and its touchpad is larger and more responsive. The Surface Laptop 3 has a better webcam and microphone for video calls. However, the IdeaPad 3 has a wider port selection, longer battery life, and its AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs perform significantly better than the AMD Ryzen 3000 processors on the Surface Laptop 3.
For most uses, the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is better than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021). The Inspiron 16 has a sturdier build and a longer battery life, and it's more versatile, as its 2-in-1 form factor lets you set up the laptop in tent mode for media consumption or use it as a tablet. It has a better keyboard and touchpad and is available with newer, faster CPUs. The Inspiron 16 also has a wider port selection, and unlike the IdeaPad 3, its USB-C ports support charging and video output.
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