With the arrival of Windows 8, the manufacturer Lenovo took the opportunity to renew its range of PC including the model output halfway between a laptop and a netbook, the Idea Pad S400. This is not exactly an Ultrabook because it does not meet the criteria required by Intel. However, it is very similar to this family of machines in terms of its technical characteristics. Moved from 499 €, it could represent an interesting offer.

We tested the Lenovo Idea Pad S400 notebook Windows 8 for configuration with an Intel Celeron B810 Sandy Bridge, 4GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD7470M graphics chip, a screen of 14 inches with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, storage space of 500 GB, wireless connectivity and many connectivity including a USB 3.0 port and an HDMI output.

Here are our impressions during a complete test of the Lenovo Idea Pad S400 Windows 8.

The handling

He does not belong to the category of Ultrabook PCs, the Idea Pad S400 looks like a lot. Indeed, externally, the Dell U444C Battery design is relatively thin and rather successful. It is 21.9 mm thick and weighing less than 1.8 kg what is reasonable. It boasts finishes. The lines are fine and well cared for. The bottom shell and the rear of the screen have a coating pleasing to the eye and touch. It is dark red. The rest is black. Too bad only the start button enjoys a backlight (dotted rather classify it) and not the keyboard but at this price, you can not have everything.

The keyboard is chic let style but "Accutype." The keys are slightly rounded in their lower part. This allows them to "catch" more easily. By cons, it is regrettable that the keys back to the line, go to the end of the line, page up and page are placed to the right of the Enter button which can sometimes cause some data entry errors. Overall, the  T749D Battery keys are large enough to make typing comfortable if we take care to hit each key from the top. 

You can also count on multimedia keys directly (without going through the touch of a button Fn) to manage the volume, disable the touchpad, manage brightness, launch Task Manager, disable the screen or cut enable wireless networks, switch to another screen or just close a window. The multitouch touchpad is quite large and can take actions necessary to control certain functions of Windows 8, the shift from one side to the center open for research, access the home menu, and Device Management parameters or applications running.

On the left edge of the computer Lenovo Idea Pad S400, there is a button that allows you to restore the system to a single pressure. We appreciate it. It is sufficiently integrated (read "down") to not press it accidentally. Always to the left, there is also an RJ45 Ethernet port, HDMI output and a USB 3.0 port to recharge a mobile terminal, for example. The front portion has some discrete diodes that allow knowing the state of the computer. Profile right Idea Pad S400, there is a memory card reader SD / MMC, two USB 2.0 ports, audio output / microphone and the power connector.

The display hinges seem solid and the test of time, a trademark of Lenovo which attaches special attention to this component. The screen measures 14 inches. It displays a definition of 1366x768 pixels which is okay but not great. It enjoys a very good homogeneity of backlight and does not suffer from leaks. The contrast and color are satisfactory although it is regrettable that the viewing angles are not larger. You have to put relatively front of the screen not to lose contrast.

Above the screen, there is a 0.3 Mp webcam. There is no optical drive so impossible to play DVDs. Back, we note that the R640C Battery can be changed very easily. By cons, for the other components, it is less obvious since we remove all the rear cover.

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