Lenovo Ideapad S10 Tablet Review

Lenovo’s S10 is a netbook based convertible tablet PC. It’s a close competitor to the previously reviewed Eee PC T91.

Design

The S10 tablet is an attractive machine, featuring a black shell and white keyboard. It features a widescreen 10.1″ screen, and rounded corners which offer a softer look.

Both 4 and 8 cell batteries are available for the S10. Choosing the 4 cell will lead to a svelte computer, .8″ thick and weighing less than three pounds. The 8 cell will provide substantially longer life, but at the cost of looking a bit chunkier and increasing the weight.

Lenovo, which also produces the Thinkpad line for business, generally builds good quality laptop computers. This Ideapad feels like no exception, providing a solid feel, even when twisting the screen from laptop to tablet mode.

Usage

Using the S10 Tablet was largely a mixed bag. The computer is relatively snappy for a netbook, as it features one of Intel’s faster Atom processors. This, however, is only a mild recommendation, as even the fastest Atoms are much slower than most new CPU’s.

Generally the upside of Atom is spectacular battery life. This, however, did not hold as true with the Ideapad S10, because the 4 cell battery provides only a minimal amount of power. The computer struggled to run for 3 hours with the 4 cell, which is frustrating with a computer designed for portability. If you are comfortable with the added bulk, the 8 cell would largely rectify this situation.

Despite the downsides, Lenovo’s convertible netbook benefits from light weight, combined with a good-size screen. The Ideapad’s mulit-touch screen is 10.1″, which is noticeably larger than the 8.9″ screen on Asus’ similar-sized T91. This makes it easier to work on the computer, while the chassis is still small and light enough to be easy to carry around.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an inexpensive convertible tablet, the S10, at less than $500, is a reasonable choice. It combines a compact size and light weight with a fair-sized screen to make for a convenient travel companion. The caveat is relatively weak battery life, unless you give up some of the portability for a larger battery. As always with Atom-powered netbooks, you must also be aware of the computer’s performance limitations, as the processor is optimized for low-power consumption, rather than maximum speed.

If you’re interested in learning more about the S10, and checking out it’s current pricing, have a look at its page on Amazon.