Lenovo IdeaPad 530S Review: Well-priced with Various Options

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: At First Glance

Over the years, Lenovo has made major headways in the tech world. This is due to its numerous lineup of excellent laptops, such as the IdeaPad series.

Hence, in 2019, as a means of expanding its IdeaPad series, Lenovo released the IdeaPad 530S. The Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is a worthy successor to the IdeaPad 520S and offers excellent performance with reasonable specs at a very good price.

Speaking of price, when this review article was published in April 2022, the laptop had a starting price of $509. Having said a few things about this Lenovo laptop, I know you are curious to know more.

Please allow me to satisfy your curiosity as you read on.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Design, Dimension, and Weight

In terms of design, the theme “solid, slim, and stunning” is what came to my mind upon seeing the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S. This is because the laptop hails a beautiful premium appearance and a solid build.

This premium appearance can be credited to the laptop’s smooth aluminum body. Moreover, the aluminum body makes the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S appear sturdy and durable.

Speaking of how sturdy this laptop is, its base and lid are held together by a tight aluminum hinge. However, due to the tightness of the hinge, you may find it difficult to open the lid with just one hand.

Nevertheless, the hinge did a great job of reducing wobbling to an absolute minimum. As a result, the lid only wobbles slightly when pushed or nudged with a significant amount of force.

In addition to its sturdy build, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is available in several colors that make it look stunning. These colors include mineral gray, copper, liquid blue, and my personal favorite, onyx black.

Therefore, with these varieties of colors, you will surely find one that best suits your personality. However, this review is based on the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S model that comes in onyx black.

Nevertheless, with either of the color options, the laptop has a subtle glossy finish that looks great and feels very smooth. However, due to this glossy finish, the lid and entire body of the laptop tends to attract fingerprint and smudges easily.

Focusing more on the laptop’s lid, you will find a “Lenovo” inscription neatly printed in the lower-left corner. This inscription blends perfectly with the surface of the lid.

Hence, from a far distance, you might not be able to easily spot the inscription. That aside, opening the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S’ lid reveals a beautiful 14-inch display that is surrounded by slim bezels.

At the top bezel, you will find a 720p (HD) camera. Performance-wise, this camera delivers decent picture quality for video conference calls and casual skyping with family and friends.

However, for taking selfies or groupies, this camera isn’t ideal as it delivers grainy and blurry images. Back to the display, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S’ 14-inch display is available with two resolution options.

These resolution options are FHD (1920 x 1080) and WQHD (2560 x 1440). With either resolution option, this laptop’s display should offer great color accuracy and picture quality.

However, with the WQHD resolution, the display’s color precision will be better and more definite. This is because the WQHD resolution has more amount of pixels than the FHD resolution.

Besides, also with the WQHD resolution, the display offers a maximum brightness of 300 nits. Meanwhile, with the FHD resolution option, the display has a maximum brightness of 250 nits.

Hence, with either resolution option, the display should be bright enough for you to comfortably use the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S outdoors. Also, with either resolution option, the laptop’s display is made with an IPS panel.

Hence, it delivers wide viewing angles. Therefore, when you view the display from extreme angles or off-center, the picture quality will remain intact without losing accuracy.

Moving on, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S comes with a standard chiclet-style keyboard. The keys on this keyboard are quite large, making them a good fit for numerous finger sizes.

Also, the keys are well-spaced, responsive, and very accurate. Thereby allowing for a comfortable typing experience with minimal errors.

At the bottom of the keyboard, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S features a wide touchpad with a smooth surface. Moreover, this touchpad has two integrated click buttons that work fine.

Besides, the touchpad is very responsive, and its smooth surface allows for seamless finger gliding and navigation.

For ports and connectivity, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S features a decent number of ports divided between its sides. Precisely, on the left side, the laptop has a power port, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a USB Type-A port.

That’s not all; you will also find a USB Type-C port and an audio combo jack on the left side of the laptop. The right side of the laptop, on the other hand, features an SD card reader and another USB Type-A port.

Having said that, let us now talk about the size and weight of the laptop. Measuring 323.4 x 226 x 16.4 mm (W x D x H) and weighing 1490 g, it is quite obvious that the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is slim and not-so-heavy.

However, when compared to some of its competitors, this laptop is slightly thicker and weighs a bit more. For example, the Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T-59HY measures 329 x 228 x 14.9 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 970 g.

In conclusion, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S features a solid aluminum build with various color options. Also, the laptop offers multiple resolution options and a good number of ports.

Putting all these into consideration, I believe the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S deserves a nine out of ten rating in this design review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Processor (CPU) Performance

The Lenovo IdeaPad 530S offers two processor options to choose from. The first option is a dual-core Intel Core i5-7200U processor with 3 MB cache memory.

In terms of speed, this CPU has a base frequency of 2.50 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.10 GHz. Meanwhile, the second processor option is a quad-core Intel Core i7-8550U with 8 MB cache memory.

This CPU has a base frequency of 1.80 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.0 GHz. Moreover, both processor options are high-end power-efficient CPUs that are capable of handling most computing tasks, including multitasking.

However, because the second CPU option has higher cache memory and maximum frequency, it should offer faster and better performance. Thankfully, this review is based on the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S with the second processor option (Intel Core i7-8550U processor).

Hence, in order to further verify the laptop’s performance with this processor, we will now be discussing its result on a Cinebench R15 test. In brief, Cinebench R15 is a benchmark test that measures a processor’s ability to handle heavy workloads while using its cores.

Therefore, the Cinebench R15 benchmark test involves two tests – the multi-core test and the single-core test. For clarity, the multi-core test evaluates the CPU’s performance when all its cores are in use.

On the other hand, the singe-core test measures the CPU’s performance when one of its cores is in use. Moreover, a high score on these Cinebench R15 tests indicates a better performance.

So, based on the test results, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S scored 518 points on the multi-core test. Meanwhile, on the single-core test, the laptop scored 161 points.

In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S has a better performance than the Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T-59HY, which also uses an Intel Core i7-8550U processor. Specifically, on the Cinebench R15 test, this Acer laptop scored 494 points on the multi-core test.

Also, the laptop scored 132 points on the single-core test.

In a nutshell, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S offers multiple power-efficient processor options that deliver excellent performance. Moreover, the laptop outperformed one of its closest competitors on a CPU benchmark test.

Thus, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S a nine out of ten in this processor review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Memory (RAM) Performance

For memory, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S features a single memory slot and a DDR4 memory type. Also, this laptop offers a standard memory of 4 GB on its single RAM slot and supports a maximum memory of 16 GB.

Hence, for you to upgrade the laptop’s memory, you have to first remove the standard 4 GB RAM on the single memory slot. After that, you can then insert a higher RAM size up to the maximum supported 16 GB RAM.

However, upgrading the laptop’s memory might not be necessary if you aren’t planning to use the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S for intensive tasks. This is because the standard 4 GB RAM should be sufficient for the laptop to carry out day-to-day computing tasks like web browsing.

As a matter of fact, with this amount of memory, the laptop should be able to decently multitask. Speaking of which, with 4 GB RAM, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S should be able to run 12 Chrome tabs simultaneously without lagging.

Moreover, switching between the Chrome tabs should be very easy for the laptop. That said, let us quickly discuss the laptop’s performance on a PCMark 10 test to further verify its memory performance.

Briefly, PCMark 10 is an app-based benchmark test that measures how well a computer’s memory can perform when handling real-world productivity tasks. Furthermore, on this test, higher is better.

So, according to the test results, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S scored 3421 points. Comparatively, the Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T-59HY performed below the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S.

Specifically, the Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T-59HY was only able to score 2619 points on the PCMark 10 test. Therefore, there is nothing stopping me from rating the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S a nine out of ten in this memory review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Storage Options and Performance

Coming down to the storage, Lenovo equipped the IdeaPad 530S with a PCle SSD (Solid State Drive). This storage drive supports a maximum storage capacity of 512 GB, which I believe should be enough for regular users.

However, for storage-hungry users, the case might be different. Thankfully, this Lenovo laptop comes with a multi-format card reader that allows for storage expansion.

That said, to determine the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S’ storage performance, we will now discuss its results on a CrystalDisk Mark 3.0 test. In brief, the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 is a benchmark test that estimates the performance of a computer’s storage drive by measuring its read and write speed.

In case you don’t know, read speed simply means the time it takes for a storage drive to open a file. Meanwhile, the time it takes the storage drive to save a file is referred to as the write speed.

Besides, similar to other benchmark tests in this article, a higher “MBps” value on the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test is better. Thus, based on the test result, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S has a read speed of 1360 MBps and a write speed of 733.3 MBps

Compared with most of its rivals that also use SSD, this Lenovo laptop has a faster read and write speed. For instance, the ASUS ZenBook UX3430UN has a read and write speed of 480.3 MBps and 263.9 MBps, respectively.

In summary, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S features a fast SSD as well as a multi-media card reader for storage expansion. Also, the laptop surpassed most of its rivals on a storage benchmark test.

For these reasons, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S deserves nothing short of an eight out of ten rating in this storage review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Graphics Card Performance

In terms of graphics, Lenovo was kind enough to offer the IdeaPad 530S with four GPU options. These GPU options are Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel UHD Graphics 620, NVIDIA GeForce MX130, and NVIDIA GeForce MX150.

The Intel HD Graphics 620 has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1000 MHz. Similarly, the Intel UHD Graphics 620 has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1150 MHz.

Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 has a base frequency of 1109 MHz and a boost frequency of 1189 MHz. Also, the NVIDIA GeForce MX150 has a base frequency of 1469 MHz and a boost frequency of 1532 MHz.

Sadly, the two Intel GPU options are integrated graphics cards, meaning they are embedded into the laptop’s processor options. Hence, they lack dedicated VRAM and depend on the laptop’s memory to perform graphics-related tasks.

Thus, with either of these integrated graphics card options, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S might not be able to handle graphics-demanding tasks, apps, and games smoothly. Thankfully, the two NVIDIA GPU options are dedicated graphics cards that have a dedicated VRAM of 2 GB GDDR5 each.

Therefore, with either of these dedicated GPU options, this Lenovo laptop should be able to smoothly run graphics-demanding apps and some high-end games. However, for the purpose of this review, we will be focusing on the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S with the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card.

With this GPU, this Lenovo laptop will be able to run FIFA 21 at a smooth frame rate of 56.1 fps (frame per second). In order to further prove this laptop’s performance with this dedicated GPU, I will now highlight its 3DMark 11 test result.

Briefly, 3DMark 11 is a benchmark test that evaluates the 3D graphics rendering abilities of a computer. Furthermore, on this test, a higher score means better performance.

So, based on the test results, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S scored 3833 points.
In comparison, this laptop performed better than the Huawei Matebook X Pro 2019, which uses an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU.

Specifically, the Huawei Matebook X Pro 2019 scored 3483 points on the 3DMark 11 test.

Therefore, to wrap up this GPU review section, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S a nine out of ten.

Lenovo IdeaPad 530S: Battery Life and Performance

Similar to the processor, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S offers two battery options. Therefore, you can purchase the laptop with either a 34 Wh or 45 Wh Li-Ion battery.

However, for this review, we will be focusing on the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S with a 45 Wh Li-Ion battery. With this battery, Lenovo claimed a runtime of 8 hours.

How true could this claim be? Well, to find out, we will now discuss the laptop’s result on a battery rundown test.

Meanwhile, this battery rundown test involves browsing the internet continuously via a WIFI connection until the laptop dies. So, at the end of the test, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S delivered a battery life of 8 hours and 40 minutes.

Obviously, this battery life exceeded Lenovo’s initial 8 hours claim. As a matter of fact, compared to one of its closest rivals (ASUS ZenBook UX3430UN), the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S has longer battery life.

Specifically, on the same battery rundown test, the ASUS ZenBook UX3430UN delivered a battery life of 8 hours and 5 minutes.

In summary, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S offers two battery options. Also, one of the battery options delivered a runtime that could last almost an entire day.

Moreover, the laptop delivered a longer battery life when compared to one of its closest rivals. Hence, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S a nine out of ten in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

“Absolutely stunning and perfect” is the term best suited to describe the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S. This is because the laptop features a solid aluminum build with incredible specifications that deliver maximum performance.

Also, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is available in various configurations. Specifically, this laptop has multiple CPU, GPU, resolution, and battery options.

To crown it all, the laptop has a very reasonable price tag. Therefore, If you need a well-priced laptop with a stunning design and multiple configurations, the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is the one for you.

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