Lenovo Ideapad Lenovo Ideapad Laptop (2024) Business Student, 14" Review

Let's be clear from the start: this Lenovo Ideapad is a budget machine. Its 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage put it in the bottom 2nd and 6th percentiles, respectively. That means it's slower and has less space than almost every other laptop we track. But, it's also incredibly light at 1.4kg, landing it in the 82nd percentile for compactness. So you're trading a lot of power for a very portable and affordable package. It runs Windows 11, which is a bit of a heavy lift for these specs, and it's clearly not built for anything demanding. Think of it as a digital notepad for basic web browsing and document editing, and not much else.

Performance is where the compromises hit hard. The Intel Celeron dual-core CPU sits in the 4th percentile. In plain English, it's one of the slowest processors you can get in a new laptop today. Basic tasks like opening a few browser tabs will feel sluggish. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are in the 42nd percentile, which sounds okay, but that's only because many ultra-budget laptops share this same weak GPU. Don't expect to play games or edit photos. The 4GB of RAM is the real bottleneck, though. With Windows 11 using a chunk of that just to run, you'll run out of memory fast, leading to constant slowdowns and swapping.

At $219, the value proposition is simple: it's cheap. You're paying for a functional Windows license and a portable chassis. The price per performance ratio is low because the performance is so low. You can't compare it to a $1000 laptop, but you should know that spending just $100-$200 more could get you a used or refurbished machine with double the RAM, a proper SSD, and a much better CPU. This is a buy-it-new-for-peace-of-mind option, not a performance bargain.

Compared to its listed 'competitors' like the MacBook Pro M4 or an MSI Vector gaming laptop, this isn't a comparison. Those are performance beasts. A real comparison is against other budget machines. The ASUS Zenbook Duo, even an older model, will have vastly better specs for a higher price. The real question is whether this beats a used business laptop from a few years ago. Often, a used ThinkPad with an 8th-gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD for around the same price will run circles around this Ideapad in every task except weight.

This laptop gets a very specific recommendation. If your absolute top priorities are a brand-new machine, the lowest possible price, and the lightest possible weight, and you only need to check email, write simple documents, and browse a few websites, this can work. For literally anyone else—students needing multiple apps, business users on video calls, or anyone who values their time—the severe limitations in RAM, storage, and CPU power make it a frustrating daily driver. The data is clear: it scores near the bottom in core performance metrics. Only buy this if your budget is locked at $219 and you refuse to buy used.