The Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 is an ideal choice for people who want smooth performance for multi-media content at an affordable price. This 14” multimedia notebook is designed to deliver good performance and to create a perfect balance between heavy performance for office tasks and gaming at the same time. This combination of a multimedia and game power pack is available for $899. Check out the below review to evaluate its price:
Key points:
- Exceptional multimedia and gaming performance
- Remarkable audio quality from JBL speakers
- Elegant & powerful design
Major drawbacks
- Below par display quality (no 1080p)
- Fragile keyboard border
- Battery life not up to the mark
Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 Design & Build quality
The design of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 is pretty decent & elegant. It has long-lasting brushed aluminum lid with gunmetal black finish. The carcass is made up of thick, lusterless black plastic. The Y480 measures 1.3” at its thickest point and weighs nearly around 5 pounds.
The build quality of Y480 is excellent but not up to the mark of Lenovo’s ThinkPad business notebooks. The display can have distortions if pressed hard. The palmrest is made up of metal and the lower half is made up of plastic which has nice build quality.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 display
The 14” HD Glare display comes with LED backlighting having a resolution of 1366 x 768 @720p and the image quality is not up to the mark in terms of contrast, color, brightness and viewing angles. In overall calculations the display is good but not really up to the standards. It also has glossy surface due to which you will have to make compromise with the reflections and look fiercely on the screen when using this notebook in outdoors or indoors having bright environment. Besides it has a TN panel in place of an IPS display because of which the screen colors gets washed out easily or will display you upturned colors if you tilt its screen a little forward/back.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 Keyboard and Touchpad
It has a full-sized elegant keyboard with LED backlighting that will assist you in typing under dark surroundings and conditions. But different to what other companies offer in a Chiclet-style keyboards, the keys of Y480 aren’t entirely flat but have a somewhat curved surface that makes your typing experience pleasurable and comfortable. Also the LED backlighting slightly leaks around the around the keys.
The surrounding of the keyboard is made up of plastic and that gives it a clunky feel when pressed. The keys also bounce back when pressed with a bit of heavy pressure. However the keyboard has good typing and gives a comfortable feel.
The Synaptics based touchpad is quite excellent. Actually it is also a clickpad having two keys at the bottom of the surface means that you can drag and click at the same time. You can click anywhere on the surface to perform a left click. But performing a right click becomes quite difficult however you can adjust the setting present in Synaptics software
Conclusion
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 is recommended for students who need good performance and value for money. However, students who treat their belongings badly should not consider buying this laptop due to its average build quality.
