Lenovo Ideapad S12 ION review roundup

Whilst the 12.1-inch Lenovo Ideapad S12 has been around for many months, the ION version was only recently released. Lenovo waited for the launch of Windows 7 before release, which some feel took some of the steam out of its early momentum. Especially as the S12 was the first announced ION netbook, however in the end the HP Mini 311 and Samsung’s N510 launched ahead of it (at least in Europe).

A couple of sites have reviewed the Lenovo S12 ION. Laptop Mag found the graphics performance to be good and the S12 offered a spacious keyboard, bright colourful display and loud speakers. However, it was let down by poor battery life and felt that the HP Mini 311 offered better value for money, as it is both cheaper and lasts for two hours longer. The S12 ION lasted for three hours and forty-five minutes in terms of battery.

PC Mag also reviewed the device and found that the battery lasted for four hours and six minutes in MobileMark 2007 (not the most conservative of battery benchmarks). This is over an hour lass than the original S12. They also felt that the S12 ION was priced too highly and wouldn’t recommend it if HD playback isn’t an essential requirement. They also felt the HP Mini 311 offered better bang for your buck.