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Battery Life
LENOVO Thinkpad Edge E330 Laptop Battery, Thinkpad Edge E330 batteries fast shipping to AU, Europe and World.
The manufacturer of the subnotebook promises a battery life of up to eight hours with the 45N1057 63Wh battery. We even measured 9 hours and 48 minutes in our unrealistic test (minimal brightness, wireless modules off, Battery Eater Reader's Test), and therefore an hour more than with the ThinkPad Edge E320. When it comes to a more realistic scenario, such as with the brightness set to 150 cd/m² while loading different websites, then the device manages to last for 5 hours and 45 minutes. Not a bad value; even though its predecessor - with similarly potent components - lasted for more than an hour longer. While utilized with the Battery Eater Classic Test we measured a runtime of 1 hour and 53 minutes, also less than with the ThinkPad Edge E320 (2 hours and 17 minutes).
Compared to its peers the ThinkPad Edge E330 ranks among the upper mid-range. Subnotebooks with better battery runtimes usually only have a processor with a TDP not exceeding 25 watts, and also generally have less processing power.
Case
With just about 1.8 kg the Thinkpad Edge E330 may not belong among the lightweights in the 13-inch segment, but in this case the battery accounts for 18% of the total weight. The display lid surface is covered with a black soft-touch material which is supposed to protect it from getting scratched. For those that find the midnight black to be a bit too much on the conservative side, there are also the colors red (heatwave red) or blue (Arctic blue) available to choose from. Regardless of the color of the display lid, the remainder of the notebook is made of a black plastic material. The surfaces are primarily kept matte, with the only exception being the keyboard, which is glossy - as with the predecessor.
While the slightly changed design still allows for divided feelings, the manufacturing quality should nevertheless be good enough to convince all the critics. With pressure applied to various areas we weren't able to induce any considerable indentations, and the rigidity of the case also doesn't allow any cause for criticism. Opening the display is only possible with two hands due to the stiff hinges. The silver hinges make a metallic impression, but closer inspection reveals that they are in fact composed of a plastic material. Nevertheless, they hold the display firmly in place and only allow it to teeter to a limited extent. One negative aspect is the battery, which is not sufficiently well fastened by the battery latch, and therefore wobbles back and forth in its slot a little bit. On top of this the display lid doesn't fit flush with the case everywhere. This was probably not planned this way by Lenovo, since the shape has been adopted from the clamshell design used by the more expensive ThinkPad series which is supposed to prevent the entry of dust and other dirt. Altogether the 13-inch notebook still leaves a very positive and well balanced impression. (45N1056 batteries)
Connectivity
As with the predecessor model, most of the interfaces have been distributed along the sides, so that the front only houses the speaker mesh, and the back is only occupied by the battery and the hinges. The selection of interfaces has also been modernized and changed. Lenovo has now forgone the eSATA port, and has instead included two equally fast USB 3.0 ports which now leads to a total of three USB ports overall. A further change has been made to the VGA port, which is now located between the HDMI port and the power input. This allows for a tidy desktop with a multi-monitor configuration, although putting this on the left side of the device would have been more comfortable for right handed users using a separate mouse. Interfaces at the back of the device would have represented the ideal scenario.
Keyboard
When it comes to the keyboard, Lenovo has opted for the tried and tested AccuType keyboard with a key size of 16 x 16 mm. The arrow keys have also grown and provide more comfort as a result. In addition to this, the keys provide a crisp pressure point with a well defined key travel, while also having a pleasant end stop sound. The upper row of keys is occupied by the special functions as standard. The F keys on the other hand are available in combination with the Fn key. Pressing the Fn key several times in a row elicits a popup message, which allows the behavior to be reversed. The only negative aspect of the keyboard is the swapped locations for the Fn and Ctrl keys, which makes copy paste operations a bit confusing in the beginning.
Touchpad
With the current ThinkPad models it is entirely up to users how they want to move the mouse cursor across the display, whereby a choice has to be struck between the TrackPoint integrated into the keyboard or the Synaptics ClickPad.
The ClickPad has dimensions of 92 x 42 mm, and has a slightly structured surface to improve its gliding properties. The buttons for the ClickPad are integrated into the touch surface and require more pressure than the conventional mouse buttons in notebooks. On top of this, the height to width ratio of the touchpad could also require a bit of getting used to.
The TrackPoint on the other hand leaves a fabulous impression. The three accompanying buttons beneath the space bar are quiet and have a pleasant pressure point. In this case: once you get used to the red knob you are likely to quickly learn to appreciate it and probably refrain from using the ClickPad.
Display
The non-reflective Samsung panel (type LTN133AT20) provides a WXGA (1366x768 pixels) resolution over the 13.3-inch display with an aspect ratio 16:9. The panel is based on the TN technology and uses white LEDs for its backlight.
The illumination of the display of 95% proves itself to be very good, and doesn't allow for a brightness variation to be visible between different areas of the screen, even with uni-colored display content. The black level is a bit of a disappointment though at 1.79 cd/m², which leads to the meager contrast ratio of 127:1. The predecessor was able to present a marginally better contrast ratio with 189:1. Meanwhile, the average picture brightness reaches a maximum of up to 222 cd/m², which amounts to an improvement of 28%, and thus ranks it among the mid-range. In addition, the display content is now also not dimmed during battery powered use, which allows for the full display brightness to be available without the power cable attached.
The sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces are not covered as usual for this price segment. The notebook is clearly not suited for professional image editing, due to the low contrast and small display size.
Indoors and in the shade the available display brightness allows for unfettered working. Working under direct sunlight will likely lead to the conclusion that the brightness is not sufficient though. (DELL 2NJNF batteries)
With the constricting viewing angles another characteristic feature of the TN technology becomes apparent. When moving horizontally by 45 degrees the colors may become slightly discolored, but the content still remains clearly visible. Changing the vantage point vertically leads to a noticeable change of the colors. Since a 13.3-inch notebook is nonetheless conceived for a single person, looking at the display from anywhere else than the center will probably be an unlikely scenario.
Speakers
The two speakers at the front of the notebook are able to score thanks to a high maximum volume. In addition to this, the audio doesn't distort when the volume is set to its limit. On the other hand, the bass is almost entirely neglected, and also the high frequencies are not particularly distinctive. In this case, the equalizer settings in the Dolby Advanced Audio v2 software can't make a meaningful improvement either.
For a better audio experience there is always the possibility of using external speakers though, which can be connected to the 3.5 mm mini-jack socket, or the digital HDMI port. (LENOVO 0A36290 batteries)
Verdict
Third time lucky really does seem to be the case and Lenovo has managed to create a solid package this time around. The manufacturer seems to have listened to its customers and has ironed out the shortcomings from previous models. Among these is the case stability, which is now once again up to the expected ThinkPad standard. Furthermore the display no longer dims when battery powered and also has a higher maximum brightness. In the case of the system noise Lenovo has also introduced some improvements, and the cooling fan now generates a maximum of 36 dB(A) (stress test). The only point of criticism compared to its predecessor is the shorter battery life when utilized. Compared to the competitor models Dell Vostro 3360 and the HP ProBook 6465b, it is nevertheless still able to impress, although these have an advantage when it comes to the manufacturing quality.
Those that spend a great deal of time writing on a notebook should consider the ThinkPad due to its good keyboard. The E330 also has the advantage of being well suited for daily transportation with its compact dimensions, low weight and solid case. It could be ideally suited to students and others who require more processing power than that provided by a netbook.
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
