Review Lenovo IdeaPad N581 Notebook, L11L6Y01/L11M6Y01/L11N6R01 computer batteries

Product ID:1002989 Battery Type:Li-ion Property:original computer batteries Battery Voltage:11.1V Battery Capacity:5600mAh Battery Color:Black

Battery Life

LENOVO IdeaPad N581 Laptop Battery, IdeaPad N581 batteries fast shipping to UK, Europe and World.

With 6:49 hours, the IdeaPad N581-MBY4YGE lasted the longest of the three comparison devices in idle mode. HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (6:01h) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (6:12h) lag behind clearly. Idle mode is ascertained via BatteryEater's Reader's test. The screen is set to minimum brightness, the energy-savings profile is enabled and the wireless modules (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) are disabled. The IdeaPad N581 achieved a load runtime of 1:20h. Both other laptops lasted for six minutes longer. BatteryEater’s Classic test is used for the load test. For this, we set the screen to maximum brightness and enable the high-performance profile and wireless modules.

One L11L6Y01 battery charge is enough to keep the Wi-Fi test running for 4:20h. There is not much of a time difference between the N581 and the CQ58-148SG (4:18h) or Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (4:05h). Websites are automatically opened every 40 seconds in this test. The energy-savings profile is enabled and the screen's brightness is set to roughly 150 cd/m2. The IdeaPad N581 accomplished a runtime of 3:37h in the DVD test (CQ58-148SG: 3:51h, Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W: 3:11h) The DVD test is performed with disabled wireless modules. The screen is set to maximum brightness and the energy-savings or higher profile is used should the DVD not be rendered smoothly.

The battery life of all three laptops is comparable as they use batteries with similar capacities (HP: 47 Wh, Lenovo: 48 Wh, Sony: 45 Wh). If you are looking for the cheapest laptop with the longest battery runtime, you might take a look at Lenovo's G585. This laptop accomplishes a runtime of 8:40h in idle mode. The device is equipped with AMD's E2-1800 APU. However, we have to point out that the CPU part of the AMD APU is much weaker than the CPU part of Intel's Pentium B970.

Case

The IdeaPad N581 is made completely of plastic. The lid's rear is rubber-coated just like the wrist rest and keyboard bezel. Here, Lenovo makes reference to the ThinkPad series. The laptop does not feature many glossy parts due to the rubberized surfaces. The only exceptions are the screen and display bezel. The case's workmanship is acceptable, although there are a few flaws. For example, a few places with sharp edges on the base unit's sides. (LENOVO CPA-A065 adapters)

The base unit basically conveys a solid impression. It hardly yields under pressure. Merely the bezel over the optical drive can be dented more intensely. The laptop only warps marginally when we pick it up at its opposite corners. The lid also can be twisted a bit. The hinges keep the display firmly in position. The lid rocks when we let go of it. It is possible to open the laptop with one hand if you lift the lid carefully.

Connectivity

Lenovo's N581 does not bear any surprises when it comes to connectivity and presents the expected interfaces. It is great to see that Lenovo has given the laptop two USB 3.0 ports. Neither HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG nor Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W can serve with that.

Keyboard

Lenovo installs its own, well-known AccuType keyboard into the IdeaPad N581 that is also built into many other Lenovo laptops. The keys feature a clear pressure point and a sufficient drop. One feature of Lenovo’s keyboards is the rather small enter, backspace and the right shift key. They are easily missed in the beginning and thus need a certain period of familiarization. (ASUS A32-K56 batteries)

Touchpad

The laptop's touchpad features a generous size of 10.2 x 5.4 cm. It is slightly lowered in the wrist rest and rubber-coated, just like the wrist rest. The finger should not be pressed too hard on the touchpad when gliding over its surface because the rubber coat slows down the finger and makes gliding difficult. The touchpad's right edge serves as the scroll bar. However, it is cannot be seen or felt since it is not marked. The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures. Thus, functions like pinch-to-zoom are available. Both mouse keys are below the touchpad and feature a clear pressure point and short drop.

Display

Unsurprisingly Lenovo builds a 15.6 inch, glare-type screen into the IdeaPad N581. The screen features a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It is illuminated by LEDs. Other screen models are not offered. Considering it is a low-budget laptop, the screen's average brightness of 219.7 cd/m2 is quite high. It surpasses the rates of HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (186.7 cd/m2) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (199.6 cd/m2).

The IdeaPad N581's black value of 1.37 cd/m2 is in the lower midfield. The contrast ratio of 163:1 is not much better. Thus, none of the three laptops excel in terms of black value and contrast. HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG (1.24 cd/m2; 152:1) and Sony's Vaio VPC-EH3C0E/W (1.54 cd/m2; 144:1) even supply worse rates for the most part. The screen covers neither the sRGB nor the AdobeRGB color spectrum. However, this is not a problem since these color spaces are only required in the professional picture and graphics field.

The screen's brightness allows using the laptop outdoors. However, the glare-type surface makes this difficult. Thus, you should avoid overly bright surroundings and direct sunlight.

The screen's viewing angle stability did not surprise us and corresponds to the IdeaPad N581's price range. Adapting the vertical viewing angle quickly causes the image to distort. In return, the horizontal viewing angles are more tolerant. (LENOVO L11P6R01 batteries)

Speakers

The IdeaPad N581's speakers are located above the keyboard behind a finely perforated cover. They produce a very thin sound that can be enhanced audibly by enabling the pre-installed Dolby Home Theater software. The speakers basically fulfill our expectations. We had to listen to worse speakers in the past. If you do not like the sound, you can always connect external speakers or headphones to the device.

 

Verdict

With the IdeaPad N581, Lenovo again introduces an affordable laptop that excels with its good money for value performance. The device provides enough power to satisfy the requirements of most users. However, you have to live with a contrast-poor screen like in almost every low-budget laptop. You can also opt for the IdeaPad N581-MBA4XGE, if you do not need Windows 7. The saved money could then be invested in a warranty upgrade. If you are looking for an even cheaper laptop, you should look closer at HP's Compaq Presario CQ58-148SG.

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Review Lenovo G585-M8325GE Laptop, L11S6Y01 / L11M6Y01 computer batteries

Product ID:1002989 Battery Type:Li-ion Property:original computer batteries Battery Voltage:11.1 V Battery Capacity:62 Wh \ 5600 mAh Battery Color:Black

Battery Life

In idle mode, the computer stops after 8:40 h. The Lenovo G575 has a battery life of 6:52 h. We are testing the idle mode with the Battery Eater Reader test. Here, the screen operates at minimum brightness, the energy saver profile is activated and the wireless modules (WLAN, Bluetooth) are deactivated.

Under load, the Lenovo G575 lasts for 2:19 h minutes, which is slightly better than the Lenovo G585 with a duration of 2:02 h. In the load test, the notebook completed the Battery Eater Classic test. Here, the screen is running at full brightness and the high performance profile and the wireless modules are activated.

A single battery charge held the practically relevant WLAN test running for 5:00 h. The Lenovo G575 yet squeezes another 13 minutes of running time out of a single L11S6Y01 battery charge and therefore reaches a total of 5:13 h. In this test, websites are automatically opened in 40-second intervals by a script. The energy-saver profile is activated and the display brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m2.

In the DVD test, the notebook reaches a running time of 4:01 h. That is enough to watch two long movies. In this test, the G585 again beats the G575, which offers a running time of 3:31 h. For the DVD test, the wireless modules are switched off and the screen is set to maximum brightness. The energy-saver profile or a higher profile (if the DVD does not play smoothly) is used.

For a computer in this price range, the battery life is excellent. Even many much more expensive laptops do not reach this battery life. Here, the low energy consumption of the components becomes noticeable.

Case

Lenovo puts all the technology into a black, shiny plastic casing. The notebook is predominantly designed in piano black finish. Only the lower part of the notebook is made of matt plastic. Lenovo G575 still has an entirely matt casing (only the display frame is shiny). The shiny surface appears quite valuable and spares the usual cheap charm. In an office device, however, one rather desires a matt appearance. The shiny finish is definitely an eye-catcher here. The design of the casing is simple. The surfaces are completely smooth and without decorations or the like.

The casing makes a sturdy impression, basically. Under pressure, it is bending slightly only. The area below the optical drive makes a good impression too. The casing of the G585 is stiffer than that of the G575. It can be twisted only a little bit when lifting up. This is an improvement compared to the G575. The clearances are not always completely tight. The hinges hold the screen stable in position. The lid bounces when the notebook is being shaken - for example, on the train or in the car. Altogether it can be said that the buyer does gets a satisfying casing, which is not always the case at a price of 339. (LENOVO L11P6R01 batteries)

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, Lenovo surprised with two USB 3.0 ports. Two connections of this type are currently rare in such low priced devices. The two connections are on the left-hand side. Those who want to use the device as a DVD player for the domestic flat-screen television will be delighted by the HDMI port. Besides the mentioned ports, a VGA slot and an Ethernet port are located on the left-hand site. On the right-hand side of the device is a third USB port, which only supports the USB 2.0 standard. In addition, there is a combo port for headphones and a microphone available. The memory card reader is located at the front of the notebook. This computer allows the use of SD and MMC cards.

Keyboard

The Lenovo G585 has a chic let-style keyboard (called AccuType keyboard by Lenovo) including a numeric keypad. Like the keyboard of the Lenovo G575, the G585 keyboard makes typing really pleasant. The keys have sufficient key stroke. The enter, backspace and the right shift key are smaller than usual. These keys can easily be missed but you get used to it after a while. People writing a lot get a good keyboard in an affordable notebook here.

Touchpad

The touchpad has a size of 9.7 cm x 4.7 cm and is part of the palm rest. Touchpad and palm rest overlap without edges. The touchpad's surface is slightly dimpled. The fingers can easily slide over the surface. The two mouse buttons sit beneath the touchpad. Both have a clear pressure point. The touchpad is from Synaptics and is multi-touch capable. Functions such as zooming-in with two-fingers gestures are therefore available.

Display

Lenovo launches the computer on the market with a 15.6-inch display, common and expected for this price range, which has a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. The screen surface shines. LEDs illuminate the display. Lenovo does not offer other displays. For such a low-priced notebook, the Lenovo model has an unusually bright display (average 236 cd/m2). Even much more expensive computers will not reach this in most of the cases. The screen illumination is fine, too.

The situation is different for contrast and black level. Here you will notice again that the display is in a very low-cost notebook. The black level is relatively high with 1.61 cd/m. Black areas are shown in shades of gray. Also, the contrast ratio of 145:1 is not worth mentioning. It's not fun to watch movies on the screen. Dark colors blur into a gray mass. It works better with animated films, which offer many intense and bright colors. It is better to watch movies on this display in a darkened room.(LENOVO L1036F01 Battery)

Basically, the screen brightness is sufficient for outdoor use. Direct sunlight, however, should be avoided. Otherwise, the reflective surface would make using the computer difficult. The low contrast of the display makes is necessary to avoid direct sunlight as well. The Lenovo G585 feels rather comfortable in shadows. We should not forget about the shiny casing of the notebook. In direct sunlight, reflections of the casing may distract you. 

Changing the vertical viewing angle quickly makes the image collapse. The situation is different with the horizontal viewing angle. In this case, the image remains stable on a larger angle. All in all, this result is not surprising.

Speakers

The stereo speakers of the Lenovo G585 are - in contrast to the LENOVO G575 - at the bottom of the notebook. The speakers produce a perfectly acceptable sound. Language is easy to understand. We have tested many notebooks with way worse speakers so far. For an office device, the speakers are more than adequate.

Verdict

The question from the introduction can be easily answered at this point: with the LENOVO G585, Lenovo offers a persisting office notebook. The term netbook in XL hits the bull’s eye. The buyer gets a cheap notebook, which has a long battery life, is quiet and cool, and also consumes very little energy. For such features, one usually has to spend way more money. The good keyboard should be highlighted once more as well, something that should not betaken for granted in such a cheap Notebook.

The LENOVO G585 easily masters daily computing tasks like word processing, reading/ writing e-mails, chatting, skyping or watching DVDs and YouTube videos. But nothing more. The performance of the netbook APU is limited. Even the slowest Intel Celeron processor provides more computing power than the CPU part of AMD Vision E2-1800. Those, who want to play demanding computer games or do intensive photo editing or video editing, should not even think about buying the G585.

If someone is looking for a cheap typewriter, which handles all types of inter-communication and can play videos of all kinds in addition, he is making a good choice with the LENOVO G585. Users of conventional netbooks should take a look at the Lenovo G585 too. If you are tired of staring at a small netbook screen, you might do better with the G585. For a price of 339 euros, the buyer gets a sound offer.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E530 Notebook Review , ASM 45N1048 / FRU 45N1049 computer batteries

Product ID:1002989 Battery Type:Li-ion Property: original computer batteries Battery Voltage:11.1V Battery Capacity:62Wh \ 5600mAh Battery Color:Black

LENOVO ThinkPad Edge E530 Series Battery Life

On the whole, the consumer ThinkPad has the potential for supplying feasible battery life. The power consumption is even lower on the L11L6Y01 battery and allows a runtime of 401 minutes (6 hours 41 minutes) in BatteryEater Reader's test (maximum runtime with all wifi modules off, minimum brightness). That is about 7.1W rather than the measured 9.3W.

4 hours off the mains was possible in the practical wifi surf test (brightness ca. 150 cd/m2, energy savings mode). DVDs can run for a good 3 hours when using the energy saving mode, disabled wifi module and full brightness. The test device lasts 1 hour in the BatteryEater Classic test (minimum runtime, all modules on, maximum brightness). However, this fairly good result is also due to the GPU's throttling. In numbers, only 44W was consumed, rather than the maximum 63.1W that we measured when the laptop was plugged in. This is usually intentional because when the battery is discharged too quickly, cell degradation can accelerate, damaging the battery and sometimes, you can have issues with overheating.

Case

In contrast to classic ThinkPads, the business gray case is pepped up a bit by small highlights. A narrow aluminum strip running around the screen, the display lid's darker color (also available in red or blue) and the Edge series' glowing red i-dot in the ThinkPad logo break the monotonous looks generally associated with the Thinkpads. We cannot comprehend the reason why Lenovo went with a glossy finish for the area surrounding the keys breaking. This measure is not really a beauty upgrade. It is going to be a nightmare to keep this area free from fingerprint smudges and dust for even a short period of time.

The overall case quality can definitely compare to superior business notebooks and does feature good stiffness. The surface can only be deformed in the critical areas, such as the display lid and over the optical drive and battery compartment. The materials' quality does not quite reach the level of more expensive business lines like the Latitude, Elitebook or ThinkPad T, X or W series. The wrist rest is firm, the display lid is rigid and the display hinges have a secure grip. We did not determine teetering here. (ASUS A42-U31 batteries) 

The bottom has two covers that allow access to all important components quickly and easily. The notebook stays in place even without the battery thanks to the rubberized feet. The workmanship is good; we did not notice any protruding ridges, irregular transitions or sharp edges. The weight of roughly 2.5kg is quite normal for this form factor and it doesn’t even pretend to be an ultrabook.

Speakers are located on the front of the laptop and they are merely of passable quality. Don't expect a full range of frequencies out of them, especially on the low end. Furthermore, if you use the notebook on your lap while listening to music through them, they will be muffled. Plug in some headphones or speakers for serious listening and just use the built-ins for YouTube.

Connectivity

The LENOVO ThinkPad Edge E530 features solid connectivity options that should cover most use-cases. Unlike the Edge E520, it does not feature an eSATA port or an ExpressCard slot. Moreover, quite a few modifications have been made to the interface positioning. As usual, VGA and HDMI connect to external analog and digital monitors and TVs respectively. The three USB 3.0 ports are new and now provide fast data transfer to external storage peripherals such as hard disks (129 MB/s sequential read). A powered USB 2.0 port which enables charging of external devices even when the notebook is off, is also onboard again. The E530's combined audio jack significantly restricts the choice of headsets with separate jacks and prevents the further use of existing peripherals that have two separate inputs.

The interfaces are easy to reach due to the positioning towards the front, but consequently have the disadvantage of partly obstructing the work area when devices are connected. Compared with the E520, Lenovo has changed the positioning a bit, but we do not see this as an improvement. The ports on the left are still too close to each other, getting blocked especially when wider USB extensions are used alongside other devices. You will end up with fewer usable ports that will leave you annoyed.

Keyboard

If there's one thing that Lenovo does consistently well, it's comfortable notebook keyboards. We love the keyboard on the ThinkPad Edge, which has full-sized keys that feel soft and responsive. It's a keyboard that's very comfortable to use for long typing sessions. A full-sized number pad makes it easy to crunch lots of numbers and there are shortcut buttons that allow you to quickly bring up the Calculator application, the My Computer folder, the Windows search box and the Windows lock/log-in screen. (LENOVO FRU 45N1049 batteries) 

The main functions of the F-keys are to change brightness and act as media controls, but these can be swapped around in the BIOS so that if you're used to hitting F5 to refresh a Web page, you won't all of a sudden bring up the webcam application. Likewise, the position of the Fn and left Control keys can be swapped around so that the Ctrl key is the one right on the corner. There is a dedicated Print Screen key, which we like, and clearly marked Home, End, Page Up and Page Down keys. The arrow keys are a little cramped, but that's a minor quibble.

The chicklet keyboard with standard sized keys features a separate number pad and virtually fills the entire case width. The keys have a medium key-drop, a stiff stroke and an audible clicking noise. As usual, the larger keys such as space and return generate some clatter. The keyboard plate fits very tightly and does not yield under force. However, the plate loses a bit of its rigidness toward the right and can be depressed over the optical drive. Whether this is considered unfavorable depends on personal typing and stroke habits in daily use. Prolific typists will be unhappy with the key design anyway and will sooner reach for a model featuring the older, well-established ThinkPad keyboard.

Touchpad

Unlike other ThinkPad models, the ThinkPad Edge E530 doesn't have a screen-mounted light that can shine down on the keyboard, nor does it have a backlight for its keyboard. However, it still retains Lenovo's dual-pointing devices, using Synaptics-based drivers for its TrackPoint and TouchPad. Whichever device you use is entirely up to you and we had almost no problems using either of them. The touchpad is 93x67mm and has buttons that are located under the pad itself. Unfortunately, right-click-and-drag operations failed every time and this is something we have experienced with other touchpads that have a similar design, such as the one on the Toshiba Satellite U840 Ultrabook. Apart from that, the touchpad, which also has little bumps on it that sometimes tickle, wasn't a problem for us; it reacted accurately to three-finger flicks and two-finger scrolling gestures.

The touchpad is big, accepts inputs very well and has good gliding qualities. Standard multi-touch gestures are supported and owing to the big surface, can be implemented easily. Unlike the ThinkPad Edge E520 (ASUS A32-K55 batteries), the touchpad no longer has distinct mouse buttons. It works quite well although it needs a bit of familiarization, especially when frequently switching between track-point and pad as an input device. Normal typing caused some clattering noise in our model. Apparently there was a bit of room between the pad surface and the base. This can get annoying in the long run. As always, the track-point worked flawlessly and it was no different from the other models in the ThinkPad line.

Display

The notebook's hinges are strong and they hold a 15.6in screen that's good for use in rooms with lots of lights. Its matte finish isn't prone to reflecting room lights and glare is minimal. As is the case with most notebook screens on the market though, its vertical viewing angles are shallow and contrast is lost when viewing it from too high or too low. We found its colour reproduction to be adequate for viewing photos and presentations, although we would have liked a little more saturation.

Lenovo basically offers the Edge E530 with three different screens, two HD screens with 1366 x 768 pixels (one is glossy and the other matte) and an HD+ screen with 1600 x 900 pixels (matte). The standard matte 15.6 screen was available on our test model. We have not found configurations with the glossy screen yet. The 15 screen's fairly low resolution enlarges the icons and a grid like appearance on the screen makes using the display a trial.

We measured the screen's maximum brightness in nine zones. It ranged from a minimum of 197 cd/m2 in the upper-right corner to 245 cd/m2 in the center. The illumination is about 80% and the average brightness is about 224 cd/m2. Those are good values and allow use both indoors and out. Due to the matte surface and the consequent lack of reflections, ergonomic brightness rates of around 150 cd/m2 can be set indoors. The brightness can be adjusted in 15 levels with level 10 roughly measuring 150 cd/m2.

Full brightness is available on battery. Displayed contents are sufficiently legible outdoors and allow for relatively long working sessions when the seating position is chosen well. You should avoid direct sunlight because the backlight brightness cannot overcome this.

Like most notebook screens, the display in our test model has a very low contrast ratio of 122:1. Colors look pallid, black looks grayish and consequently, a lot of the detail is lost in pictures and movies. The color spectrum reaches approximately 78% of the sRGB color gamut and surpasses other standard screens by about 20-30 percentage points. Nevertheless, this result only satisfies standard requirements since the sRGB color spectrum should at least be nearly covered for image editing or graphic based tasks.

Typical for TN screens, the viewing angles stability is quite good horizontally, but extremely weak vertically. The contents fade or invert very quickly when the screen is tilted too far in either direction. The perfect viewing experience is found at very limited angles and consequently only allows minor seating position changes while working.

Verdict

Lenovo fuses both worlds well and delivers a solid notebook. The configuration is decent and hardly leaves anything to be desired (though we would welcome Ivy Bridge parts). The performance is basically good and the battery runtime of around 4 hours, owing to Optimus technology, is satisfactory. Furthermore, there are a few possibilities to increase the system's performance without much effort.

Most pure-bred Office notebooks usually cannot serve up sufficient gaming capabilities. The test device featuring Nvidia's GeForce GT 630M delivers smooth gameplay. This added value is marred by the GPU's throttling on battery and Nvidia's graphics' drop in performance during full load conditions.

Unfortunately, cutbacks have once again been made in the screen and Lenovo has not looked into the erratic nature of the fan. However, the past shows that the manufacturer responds quite fast with BIOS updates, which should at least resolve the fan issue.

The material and workmanship quality is higher than in most entry-level laptops, but does not quite reach that of “genuine” business notebooks. The input devices should also satisfy many users, but they have to make a few minor compromises. The noisy touchpad without distinct mouse buttons and the slight flex of the keyboard need a bit of getting used to.

In summary, the Edge E530 is a good all-rounder with minor drawbacks. It will feel especially comfortable in home office settings, ready for some gaming and might just become the family computer.

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