Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus Review: Slim, Light and Compact

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Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: At First Glance

Lenovo is a Chinese multinational technology company that specializes in designing, manufacturing, and marketing computers. So, in 2008, in a bid to satisfy its customers’ demands, the company introduced the IdeaPad laptop series.

Ever since then, the IdeaPad series has birthed many great laptops with amazing performance. One of these laptops is the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus which was released in 2016.

This laptop comes with an eye-catching design as well as a mind-blowing performance. Impressively, despite its amazing performance and awesome specs, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus isn’t too expensive.

To be precise, you can purchase the laptop on Amazon for a starting price of $779.00 (price valid as of May 2022). However, everything about the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus isn’t all good – it features a few drawbacks.

To know these drawbacks and more about the laptop, you have to read on!

Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: Design, Display, Ports, and Connectivity

The design and build of the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus are eye-catching, stylish, and compact. To give more details, the laptop’s entire body is made of a combination of magnesium and aluminum.

In terms of color, this laptop comes in platinum-silver with a matte finish. However, there are some models of the laptop that comes in champagne-gold color.

That aside, on the top-left corner of the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus’s lid, there is a “Lenovo” logo. This logo has a silver reflective surface that shines gracefully when exposed to sunlight.

Focusing more on the lid, it is firmly attached to the rest of the laptop’s body by a strong bar hinge. This hinge is made of aluminum and is coated in platinum-silver, just like the rest of the laptop’s body, to achieve color balance.

Besides, the hinge is very sturdy and prevents the laptop’s lid from wobbling too much when nudged. Also, the hinge is flexible enough and allows the lid to be opened up to 180 degrees.

Moreover, when you open the lid, the first thing that will catch your attention is the laptop’s 13.3-inch display. Impressively, Lenovo offers two resolution options for the IdeaPad 710s Plus’ display.

These resolution options are FHD (1920 x 1080) and QHD+ (3200 x 1800). However, this review focuses on the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus with FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution.

With the FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution option, this laptop’s display should deliver colorful and sharp picture quality. However, compared with the QHD+ resolution display option, the display’s picture quality doesn’t come close.

This is because the QHD+ resolution has more number of pixel than the FHD resolution. Moreover, the more the pixels of a resolution, the sharper and better the picture quality of the display.

That said, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus’ display features an IPS panel that makes it offer wide viewing angles. Thus, when watching the display off-center, there shouldn’t be any loss in picture quality or color accuracy.

To make things more exciting, this laptop’s display offers a decent maximum brightness of 300 nits. Therefore, using the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus outdoor or in a well-lit environment shouldn’t impose any difficulty.

Notably, Lenovo offers an optional touchscreen functionality for the IdeaPad 710s Plus’ 13.3-inch display. However, the touchscreen display model of the laptop will cost more than the non-touchscreen model.

Moving on, the laptop’s display is surrounded by slim bezels. Nonetheless, the top and bottom bezels are significantly thicker than the side bezels.

The bottom bezel has a “Lenovo” logo imprinted on the left edge. Meanwhile, the top bezel features an HD webcam with an in-built microphone at the center.

In terms of performance, this webcam is very good for video conference calls. However, if used to take selfies or groupies, it produces images that are blurry and somewhat grainy.

Moving to the base, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features a black full-size keyboard. This keyboard comes with well-spaced keys that have white letterings on top.

Also, the keyboard should offer a comfortable typing experience due to its decent key travel and adequate feedback. In case you don’t know, key travel is the total distance between the resting point of a key to when it is fully pressed.

Appreciably, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus’ keyboard is backlit. Hence, typing with this laptop in dark areas shouldn’t be a problem.

Interestingly, on close inspection, you will notice that the “ctrl” and “shift” keys on this laptop’s keyboard are somewhat smaller compared to normal keyboards. Also, you will notice that the first top-right key is the power button.

Underneath the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus’ keyboard is the touchpad. This touchpad is sizable and responsive.

However, its surface is sticky, which most times hinders smooth finger-gliding. On a positive note, the touchpad supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom.

Looking to the right side of this touchpad, you will find the laptop’s fingerprint sensor. This fingerprint sensor is for security purposes and to save you the stress of inputting passwords all the time.

Specifically, the fingerprint sensor helps to log into Windows quickly via biometric verification.

Port-wise, this laptop is decent – it comes with a good port selection. Starting with the left side, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features a 4-in-1 card reader and a USB 2.0 port.

Meanwhile, the right side of the laptop has a USB 3.0 port, a USB Type-C port (also a display port), a power-in port, and an audio in/out port. For wireless connectivity, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features Bluetooth 4.1 and an integrated 802.11 ac Wi-Fi.

In terms of weight and dimension, this laptop weighs 1230 g and measures 309.6 x 221.9 x 14.8 mm (W x D x H). Hence, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus is lightweight and slim enough to be carried around with ease.

In comparison with the Dell XPS 13 9370, this Lenovo laptop is thicker but lighter. To be more specific, the Dell XPS 13 9370 measures and weighs 301.7 x 199.2 x 7.8 – 11.6 mm (W x D x H) and 1270 g, respectively.

After thorough consideration, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus a nine out of ten in this design review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: Processor (CPU) Performance

The Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features a very powerful 7th-generation Intel Core i7-7500U processor. This processor is a dual-core CPU, and it features a cache memory of 4 MB.

In the aspect of speed, this processor operates at a base frequency of 2.70 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.50 GHz. Performance-wise, the Intel Core i7-7500U is super fast and can handle any sort of workload you throw at it.

As a matter of fact, with this processor, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus will be able to handle heavy multitasking. Also, it should be able to effectively run resource-demanding applications like CorelDraw.

That said, to further verify this laptop’s processor performance, I shall be discussing its result on a Cinebench R15 test.

For the sake of clarity, the Cinebench R15 test is one of many benchmark tests that evaluates a computer’s processor performance by using its cores. Hence, this test involves two distinct aspects – the single-core test and the multi-core test.

While the single-core test evaluates a processor’s performance by using just one of its available cores, the multi-core test does the opposite. Specifically, the multi-core test evaluates the processor’s performance by making use of all its available cores.

One important fact about this benchmark test is that a high score means a good performance. Thus, from the test result obtained, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus recorded 110 points on the single-core test.

Meanwhile, on the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, this laptop recorded 293 points. Although these scores are good, they are not enough to surpass the scores gotten by the Dell Inspiron 17 7000 7779.

Specifically, on the Cinbench R15 test, this Dell laptop recorded 142 and 645 points on the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. By the way, the Dell Inspiron 17 7000 7779 uses the same processor as the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus.

In conclusion, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features an Intel Core i7-7500U processor that is capable of handling most computing tasks. However, on a CPU benchmark test, this laptop was outperformed by one of its closest rivals.

For these reasons, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus an eight out of ten in the processor review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: Memory (RAM) Performance

The Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features an onboard 8 GB DDR4 2133 MHz RAM. Due to the fact that this memory is onboard, you cannot remove or upgrade it.

This is because onboard memories are usually embedded into the computer’s motherboard. Sadly, unlike some laptops with onboard memory, there isn’t any other model of the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus that offers a larger RAM size.

Thus, with this Lenovo laptop, you are stuck with 8 GB RAM. Nevertheless, with this amount of memory, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus should be able to multitask decently.

Speaking of which, the laptop will be capable of running up to 12 Chrome tabs concurrently without lagging. In actual fact, switching between those Chrome tabs while other apps are running should be without delay.

Having said that, let us now consider the laptop’s result on a PCMark 8 test to further verify its RAM’s abilities. For clarity, a PCMark 8 test is a benchmark test that evaluates a computer’s memory performance by simulating office-related workloads like web browsing.

Moreover, a high score on this test implies a good memory performance. Therefore, based on the test results, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus recorded a score of 3147 points.

This test score is actually high and better than the one gotten by one of its closest competitors, the Acer Swift 7. To be more precise, the Acer Swift 7 recorded 3064 points on the PCMark 8 test.

Hence, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus an eight out of ten in this memory review section.

Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: Storage Options and Performance

In terms of storage, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus features a PCle SSD (Solid State Drive). This storage drive supports a maximum storage capacity of up to 512 GB.

Although I believe this amount of maximum storage capacity should be sufficient for most people, some people might think otherwise. Gladly, this laptop comes with a 4-in-1 card reader for storage expansion.

That said, to verify the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus’s storage performance, I will be sharing its result on a CrystalDiskMark test. In brief, the CrystalDiskMark test is a benchmark test that measures a computer’s storage drive’s read and write speed.

For clarity, read speed is the time it takes a storage drive to open a file. Whereas write speed is the time it takes the storage drive to save a file.

Moreover, a high “MB/s” value on the CrystalDiskMark test signifies a fast read and write speed. Thus, according to the benchmark test result, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus recorded a read speed of 1104 MB/s.

On the other hand, the laptop recorded a write speed of 604.7 MB/s. Comparatively, the IdeaPad 710s Plus has a faster read and write speed than Acer Swift 7, which also uses SSD.

Specifically, the Acer Swift 7 recorded a read speed of 431.2 MB/s on the CrystalDiskMark test. Also, the laptop recorded a write speed of 401 MB/s.

To wrap up this storage review section, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus a nine out of ten. This rating is mainly based on the laptop’s performance on the storage benchmark test.

Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: Graphics Card Performance

To start with, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus offers two graphics card options. These graphics cards are Intel HD Graphics 620 and NVIDIA GeForce 940MX.

While the former is an integrated GPU, the latter is a dedicated GPU. In terms of speed, the Intel HD Graphics 620 runs on a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1050 MHz.

On the other hand, the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX runs on a base frequency of 1122 MHz and a boost frequency of 1241 MHz. Performance-wise, the integrated Intel GPU option cannot handle graphics-demanding tasks or games.

This is because, as an integrated graphics card, it is embedded into the laptop’s processor and lacks a dedicated VRAM. Thus, in order for it to perform graphics-related tasks, it has to share the system memory with the processor.

However, in the case of the NVIDIA graphic card option, things are different. Basically, because the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX is a dedicated graphics card, it features a dedicated VRAM – it has a dedicated VRAM of 2 GB GDDR5.

Thus, this graphics card doesn’t have to share the system memory with the processor to perform graphics-related tasks. Due to this, with the dedicated NVIDIA GPU option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus will be able to effectively handle graphics-demanding apps.

Also, the laptop should be able to play a few high-end games. For example, the laptop will be able to deliver 70.8 fps while playing FIFA 19.

Having said all that, I will now share the laptop’s result on a 3DMark test to further verify its performance with the dedicated GPU option. However, before disclosing the laptop’s result, let me briefly explain what the test is all about.

In short, the 3DMark test is a benchmark test that measures the graphics rendering ability of a computer. Furthermore, a high score on this test means a good graphics performance.

Therefore, from the test result, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus recorded a score of 2589 points.

In comparison, this laptop was outperformed by the HP Pavilion 15t, which also uses an NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics card. To be precise, the HP Pavilion 15t recorded 2622 points on the 3DMark test.

All in all, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus an eight out of ten in this graphics card review section.

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Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus: Battery Life and Performance

The Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus comes with a 46 WHr Li-Polymer battery. This battery is integrated into the laptop; hence, you cannot easily remove or detach it.

Besides, this laptop’s battery should last up to 7 hours, as advertised by the manufacturer (Lenovo). However, we can’t just believe a claim made by a manufacturer because they are mostly inaccurate.

Therefore, in order to ascertain Lenovo’s claim, I will be discussing the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus’s battery rundown test result. This test involves continuous web surfing on the laptop via a Wi-Fi connection while the brightness is at 50%.

So, at the conclusion of the test, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus delivered a battery life of 5 hours and 38 minutes. Although this battery life is decent, it is quite short compared to the Acer Swift 7 SF713-51’s battery life.

To be more specific, the Acer Swift 7 SF713-51 delivered a battery life of 7 hours and 18 minutes on the battery rundown test.

Finally, I will rate the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus a seven out of ten in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus is really an amazing laptop with more pros than cons. This laptop offers a captivating design and quite a number of excellent specs

To mention a few, the laptop comes with a powerful 7th generation Intel Core i7 processor, a fast SSD, and an optional dedicated NVIDIA GPU. Besides, the laptop is light and compact, making it easy to carry around.

Moreover, the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus offers an optional touchscreen display and multiple resolution options. However, the memory of this laptop isn’t upgradable due to the fact that it is onboard.

Nevertheless, due to its mobility and versatility, I highly recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s Plus.

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