Lenovo 310: At First Glance
With the intention of providing comfort and excellence for all-around productivity tasks, Lenovo released the Lenovo 310. The Lenovo 310 is a remarkable laptop that comes ready to deliver excellent performance for almost every computing operation.
This can be credited to the laptop’s multiple configuration options. However, like every other laptop out there, the Lenovo 310 has a mixture of great and not-so-great features.
Now the question is, do its not-so-great features outweigh its great features, or is it the other way around? An answer to that question and more are what are waiting for you in other sections of this review article.
Hence, kindly read on!
Lenovo 310: Design, Dimension, and Weight
In terms of design and looks, the Lenovo 310 offers a sleek and gorgeous first impression. However, the feel and build of the laptop say otherwise – the laptop is quite fragile.
This might be a result of its build quality. To be more specific, the entire body of the Lenovo 310 is made out of low-quality plastic material.
Due to this, the laptop does not feel sturdy or rigid. As a matter of fact, the Lenovo 310 is so fragile that you will often notice flexes and creaking sounds around its body.
Nevertheless, the Lenovo 310 has a good number of design aesthetics. Starting with the color options this laptop offers quite a number of color options.
These color options include ebony black (smooth), ebony black (textured), flamenco red, indigo purple, chalk white, and platinum silver. Therefore, out of these varieties of colors, you should definitely find one that you fancy or love.
However, for the purpose of this review, our focus is the Lenovo 310, which comes in a platinum silver color. The platinum-silver color on this laptop’s body and lid makes it look a bit more sophisticated despite its plastic build.
Besides, you will see a “Lenovo” inscription neatly printed at the upper left corner of the lid. Moreover, the lid and base of the laptop are connected by a plastic bar hinge that is extremely tight.
Due to the extreme tightness of this hinge, when the lid is nudged, it will hardly wobble. However, it will be very difficult for users to open this lid with just one hand because of how tight the hinge is.
Nevertheless, when you finally open the lid, you will be greeted by a 15.6-inch display with an optional touchscreen feature. Specifically, there is another model of the Lenovo 310 that features a 15.6-inch touchscreen display.
Besides, Lenovo offers two resolution options for either the touchscreen display model or the non-touchscreen display model. These resolution options are HD (1366 x 768) and FHD (1920 x 1080).
With either resolution option, this laptop’s display – either touchscreen or non-touchscreen – should offer adequate picture quality for casual video streaming or web browsing. However, with the FHD resolution option, the display’s picture quality will be sharper and more colorful.
This is because FHD resolution offers roughly two times the total number of pixels that an HD resolution has. Hence, if you are particular about color clarity and sharpness or are a graphics designer, I suggest you buy the Lenovo 310 with the FHD resolution option.
Sadly, the Lenovo 310’s display has bad viewing angles. Thus, when watching the display from the sides or off-center, the picture quality will lose accuracy, and colors will look washed out.
Therefore, for an ideal viewing experience, I recommend you watch the display directly from the center. On a positive note, this laptop’s display features a glossy surface that makes colors appear sharper, brighter, and clearer.
However, this glossy surface tends to cause reflections and screen glares when you use the laptop in bright areas. Also, it causes eye strain when you stare at the display for a long period of time.
To make things even worse, the Lenovo 310’s display is surrounded by thick bezels that often cause distractions. However, the top bezel houses a 720p (HD) webcam that delivers great picture quality for selfies and groupies.
Also, the webcam is very ideal for video calls and casual skyping.
Having said all that, let us proceed to talk about the base of this laptop. To start with, the base of the Lenovo 310 features a chiclet-style keyboard.
The keys of this keyboard are flat, spacious, accurate, and offer a good amount of key travel. Due to these, the keyboard should offer a comfortable typing experience.
By the way, key travel is the total distance between a key’s resting point to full depression. However, while typing on the Lenovo 310’s keyboard, you will notice a bit of flex due to the fragile plastic build of the base.
Nevertheless, it is not too obvious to cause any major distraction or annoying sounds.
That said, below the keyboard, the Lenovo 310 offers a wide touchpad that features a set of dedicated click buttons. Performance-wise, this touchpad has a smooth plastic surface that is very responsive and sensitive.
Also, the touchpad supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. That’s not all; the touchpad’s dedicated click buttons are also responsive and have a good amount of key travel.
For ports, the Lenovo 310 offers a good number of ports on both sides. Precisely, on the left side, the laptop features a power outlet, a VGA port, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI port.
Not just that, you will also find a USB 3.0 port, an audio combo jack, and a memory card reader on the left side of this laptop. The right side of the laptop, on the other hand, offers just two USB 2.0 ports and an optical hard drive.
Meanwhile, for wireless connectivity, the Lenovo 310 offers a built-in WIFI 802.11 ac (1 x 1) and Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1.
Coming down to the size and weight, the Lenovo 310 measures 379 x 260 x 22.9 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 2200 g. Although a bit heavy, this laptop is smaller and lighter than most of its rivals.
For example, the Acer Aspire E5-552G measures 382 x 256 x 25 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 2400 g.
In conclusion, the Lenovo 310 offers an adequate design with various color options. Also, the laptop has an optional touchscreen display feature and multiple resolution options.
However, this laptop is quite fragile due to its poor plastic build. Hence, the Lenovo 310 deserves a rating of eight out of ten in this design review section.
Lenovo 310: Processor (CPU) Performance
For the processor, the Lenovo 310 employs a dual-core Intel Core i7-6560U processor with 4 MB cache memory. This processor offers a base frequency of 2.20 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz.
Furthermore, the CPU is based on the Skylake architecture, which was launched in 2015. Skylake architecture is the improved and worthy successor to the Haswell and Broadwell architectures.
As a result, the Intel Core i7-6560U processor should be better and faster than similar processors based on the Haswell and Broadwell architecture. Moreover, with this CPU, the Lenovo 310 should be able to handle most computing tasks.
Also, the laptop will be able to effectively run intensive applications like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw. To back up these claims, I will now proceed to discuss the laptop’s performance on a Cinebench R15 test.
In brief, the Cinebench R15 is a benchmark test that measures the processor performance of a computer by evaluating its cores. Therefore, this benchmark test consists of two tests which are the single-core test and the multi-core test.
For clarity, the single-core test evaluates the processor’s ability to handle tasks using just one of its cores. Meanwhile, the multi-core test evaluates the processor’s performance when all its cores (two in this case) are put to use.
Moreover, high scores on these tests imply good processor performance. So, according to the test result, the Lenovo 310 scored 131 points on the single-core test and 312 points on the multi-core test.
Comparatively, this Lenovo laptop exceeded all the laptops in its category.
For instance, the Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T, which uses an Intel Core i5-6200U processor, scored 117 points on the single-core test. Also, this laptop scored 293 points on the multi-core test.
In summary, the Lenovo 310 features a powerful processor based on the Skylake architecture that delivers adequate performance. Furthermore, the laptop surpassed all its competitors on a CPU benchmark test.
Thus, I will rate the Lenovo 310 a nine out of ten in this processor review section.
Lenovo 310: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Lenovo 310 offers a standard onboard 4 GB DDR4 2133 MHz memory and a single SODIMM slot. Although this standard memory isn’t removable, you can upgrade the laptop to the maximum memory capacity of 12 GB.
To achieve this, you just have to add an 8 GB RAM stick on the single SODIMM slot. However, that might not be necessary if you aren’t planning to use the Lenovo 310 for intensive workloads.
Specifically, with the standard 4 GB RAM, this Lenovo laptop should be able to smoothly handle basic computing tasks like word processing. Also, the laptop will be able to handle light multitasking.
Speaking of multitasking, the Lenovo 310 with the standard 4 GB RAM should be able to run 10 Chrome tabs simultaneously without lagging. Besides, juggling between the Chrome tabs shouldn’t be an issue for the laptop, either.
With that being said, let us now discuss the laptop’s result on a PCMark 8 test to further verify its performance with 4 GB RAM. In brief, the PCMark 8 is a benchmark test that measures how well the memory of a computer can perform by simulating everyday computing tasks and workloads.
Moreover, similar to the Cinebench R15 test in the CPU section, a high score on this test means better memory performance. Thus, based on the PCMark 8 test results, the Lenovo 310 scored 3497 points.
In comparison, this Lenovo laptop performed better than the Toshiba Satellite C55-C-1NE. Precisely, on the PCMark 8 test, the Toshiba Satellite C55-C-1NE scored 2752 points.
Hence, I believe the Lenovo 310 deserves a nine out of ten rating in this memory review section.
Lenovo 310: Storage Options and Performance
For storage, the Lenovo 310 features a 2.5″ SATA HDD (Hard Disk Drive). This SATA HDD offers a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB.
Most people should agree with me when I say 1 TB of storage space should be enough for users to store files and applications. However, if you ever need extra storage space, the Lenovo 310 features a 4-in-1 card reader for storage expansion.
That said, let us proceed to discuss the laptop’s storage performance on the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test. Briefly, the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 is an app-based benchmark test that evaluates the speed and performance of a computer’s storage drive.
It does this by measuring the read and write speeds of a computer’s storage drive. In case you are wondering, the read speed simply means how fast it takes the storage drive to open a file.
On the other hand, the write speed means how fast it takes the storage drive to save a file. Besides, a high “MBps” value on the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test means faster read and write speed.
Thus, based on the test results, the Lenovo 310 delivered a read speed of 115.9 MBps and a write speed of 113.3 MBps. Compared with some of its closest competitors, this laptop delivered a better performance.
For instance, the Acer Aspire E5-552G, which also features an HDD, recorded a read speed of 110.7 MBps. Also, the laptop recorded a write speed of 108.9 MBps.
In summary, the Lenovo 310 offers sufficient HDD storage and a 4-in-1 card reader for storage expansion. Furthermore, this laptop tops the charts when placed side by side with most of its competitors on a storage benchmark test.
Therefore, the Lenovo 310 deserves nothing short of a nine out of ten rating in this storage review section.
Lenovo 310: Graphics Card Performance
The Lenovo 310 comes with an integrated Intel Iris Graphics 540 GPU. In terms of speed, this GPU offers a base frequency of 300 MHz and a maximum frequency of 1050 MHz.
Moreover, as an integrated GPU, the Intel Iris Graphics 540 is the default graphics card that this laptop offers. To be more specific, it is embedded into the processor of the laptop.
Thus, it lacks a dedicated VRAM and has to share the system memory with the CPU to perform graphics-related tasks. For this reason, the Lenovo 310 might not be able to effectively handle graphics-intensive tasks like video editing.
Also, the laptop won’t be able to play title AAA games or high-end games. Thankfully, there is another model of the Lenovo 310 that offers a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 920MX GPU for those who intend to engage in graphics-demanding tasks.
Hence, if you are a graphics designer, I suggest you go for that particular laptop model. Gladly, this review is based on the Lenovo 310 model that comes with the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 920MX GPU.
This dedicated GPU offers a base frequency of 965 MHz and a maximum frequency of 993 MHz. Also, the NVIDIA GeForce 920MX graphics card features a 2 GB dedicated VRAM.
Hence, with this dedicated graphics card, the Lenovo 310 should be able to handle most graphics-intensive applications and some high-end games. Speaking of games, the laptop should deliver an impressive frame rate of 60 fps while playing Metal Gear Solid V.
For more insights into the laptop’s graphics performance, let us consider its 3DMark 11 test results. 3DMark 11 is a benchmark test that analyses the graphics rendering and gaming abilities of a computer’s GPU.
Furthermore, a high score on this test signifies good graphics performance. So, based on the 3DMark 11 test results, the Lenovo 310 scored 1835 points.
In comparison, this Lenovo laptop surpassed most of its closest competitors, such as the ASUS X302UV-FN016T. To be more specific, the ASUS X302UV-FN016T, which also uses an NVIDIA GeForce 920MX GPU, scored 1747 points on the 3DMark 11 test.
Therefore, I will rate the Lenovo 310 an eight out of ten in this graphics review section.
Lenovo 310: Battery Life and Performance
For battery, the Lenovo 310 features two options to choose from. These options are a 2-cell 30 WHr Li-Polymer battery and a 2-cell 39 WHr Li-Polymer battery.
Performance-wise, both battery has the ability to deliver a decent battery life. However, considering the difference in “Watt Hour (WHr)”, the 2-cell 39 WHr has the tendency to last longer than the 2-cell 30 WHr battery.
Thankfully, this review is based on the Lenovo 310 with the 2-cell 39 WHr Li-polymer battery. According to Lenovo, with this battery, this laptop should deliver a battery life of 6 hours.
Could this claim be true? Well, to verify, let us consider the laptop’s result on a battery rundown test.
Briefly, this battery rundown test involves continuously surfing the internet using a WIFI connection until the laptop’s battery dies. Thus, at the end of the test, the Lenovo 310 delivered a battery life of 5 hours and 32 minutes.
Although not exactly as Lenovo claimed, this laptop’s battery life is quite decent. In fact, the Lenovo 310 has a longer battery life compared to most of its competitors.
For example, on the same battery rundown test, the Acer Aspire E5-552G delivered a battery life of 2 hours and 48 minutes. Therefore, I will rate the Lenovo 310 an eight out of ten in this battery review section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, although optional, there is another model of the Lenovo 310 that offers a 15.6-inch touchscreen display.
No, the Lenovo 310 does not feature an SSD. Instead, the laptop comes with a 2.5″ SATA HDD that offers a maximum storage space of 1 TB.
Yes, the Lenovo 310 comes with Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1.
No, the Lenovo 310 does not have a fingerprint reader.
The Lenovo 310 weighs 2200 g.
Conclusion
The Lenovo 310 is an adequate laptop that offers a good range of hardware specs. Specifically, this laptop features a powerful Intel Core i7 processor and sufficient HDD storage.
That’s not all; this laptop also offers an optional touchscreen display with multiple resolution options. Also, the Lenovo 310 is quite sleek, offering various color options to choose from.
However, due to the poor plastic material used to make the laptop, it isn’t sturdy enough and is quite fragile. However, apart from that, this laptop is almost flawless.
Thus, if you need a laptop with multiple configurations and excellent performance, I recommend you purchase the Lenovo 310.
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