Lenovo IdeaPad S10e in Laptops

Battery life, however, is disastrously poor. The tiny 2,800mAh battery helps maintain the S10e's clean, unfussy lines but it does very little for the IdeaPad's stamina; we struggled to get it to last a mere 2hrs 21mins with minimal use. Turn on the wireless networking and start using the IdeaPad in anger and you'll soon find battery life dipping below the two hour mark.

Deceptive appearances

The final thorn in the Lenovo's side truly should have been its crowning glory - its display. Where other netbooks follow the formula with unerring rigidity, Lenovo's IdeaPad dares to be different. Not only does its 10in display boast an LED backlight, but it's also the first true 16:9 display we've seen on a netbook. Upon first glance, it's a stunner. Images spring from the screen with outstanding vivacity, and it's blessed with truly eye-popping levels of brightness.

It's not all good news however, because while other netbooks boast a cramped resolution of 1,024 x 600, the IdeaPad is even more vertically challenged with its native resolution of 1,024 x 576 pixels. The difference may be just 24 pixels, but it's enough to make the S10e's screen feel noticeably smaller. And, to add insult to injury, the panel's viewing angles are impossibly narrow. Get the screen and your head aligned just so and it looks pretty good, great even but move even slightly off axis and noticeable colour shifts and uneven brightness spoil the show.

We had high hopes for Lenovo's IdeaPad S10e. Just imagine: ThinkPad build quality, ThinkPad ergonomics, ThinkPad attention to fine detail and all for just a bit more than £250 exc VAT. On paper it sounds like a beauty, but the reality is far more beastly. Despite its workmanlike allure, the Lenovo finds itself trampled by the opposition.

Author: Sasha Muller