Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6" 1i Cloud Grey 2023

The IdeaPad 1i is a solid budget laptop with a surprising 16GB of RAM and a capable Core i5. The screen is dim and the 256GB SSD is tight, but at the low end of its price range it's a great value for students. Buy it for schoolwork and everyday tasks, not for gaming or photo editing.

The Core i5-1335U is a solid mid-pack performer in our database, and with 16GB of DDR4 it handles a dozen browser tabs, Office apps, and video calls without breaking a sweat. The Iris Xe integrated graphics are fine for streaming and very light gaming, but this is not a gaming laptop, our gaming score of 13.5 out of 100 makes that clear. Storage is the real bottleneck. 256GB fills up fast, and it lands in the bottom fifth of laptops we track. The RAM is also a bit underwhelming for the class, but 16GB is still plenty for the target user.

Against the Apple MacBook Pro Core i7, the IdeaPad 1i gets destroyed on screen quality, build, and performance, but it costs a fraction of the price. The HP OmniBook X Flip and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge are both more premium convertibles with better displays and faster storage, but again, you pay for it. The ASUS Vivobook TP3407SA and Microsoft Surface Laptop 165H are closer in spirit, but both tend to run pricier for similar specs. The IdeaPad 1i wins on raw affordability and RAM-per-dollar, and loses on screen and storage.

Value is where this thing shines. US listings range from USD 296 to USD 549, and at the low end that's a lot of laptop for the money. The best deal in our data comes from Best Buy, so start there if you're in the US. European buyers see a wider spread from EUR 716 to EUR 946, which makes the value story a bit murkier. At the top of that range, you're flirting with better-built alternatives. At the bottom, it's a steal for students.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1i is a budget laptop that punches above its weight in a few key areas. You get a 10-core Core i5-1335U, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD in a 1.61kg chassis that won't wreck your back on the walk to class. For everyday schoolwork, browsing, and light multitasking, it's a genuinely pleasant machine.

But the corners are cut exactly where you'd expect at this price. The 15.6-inch TN panel is dim at 250 nits and sits near the bottom of our screen rankings. The 256GB SSD is also tight. If you can live with those trade-offs, there's real value here.

Skip this if you care about screen quality at all. The TN panel is one of the weakest we've seen, and if you're editing photos, watching movies in a bright room, or doing any color-sensitive work, you'll hate it. Also skip it if you need serious local storage, 256GB is a joke for anyone with a large media library or a Steam backlog.

This is a student laptop first and a general-use machine second. If you need something for essays, research, Zoom calls, and the occasional Minecraft session, the IdeaPad 1i is a dependable, affordable pick. The 16GB of RAM is the standout spec here, and it keeps the machine feeling snappy long after cheaper 8GB laptops start to choke. Just budget for cloud storage or an external drive.