Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3i Review: The Best Budget Gaming Laptop?

We have seen Lenovo’s incredible gaming laptops in the Legion series with some high-end features and top-notch hardware. Ideal for carrying out CPU-intensive tasks, they were aimed at demanding users and seasoned gamers. Now, Lenovo has come up with the IdeaPad Gaming 3i series as a refreshed addition in its populous laptop lineup. Targeting customers looking for budget gaming laptops, the Red-chip firm has opted for mid-range hardware in the IdeaPad Gaming 3i. It houses the Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake i5 and i7 processors, Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU, 512GB of SSD storage and a 15.6-inch FHD panel. With this machine, Lenovo claims to deliver a superlative gaming experience to budding gamers.

I have spent a month with the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3i and here’s what I think of it.

Design: The Ideapad Gaming 3i has a plastic chassis but it doesn’t feel cheap. In fact, the PC and ABS plastic used in the device feels sturdy. Designed with ruggedness in mind, it weighs 2.2kg and measures 0.98 inches. The Onyx Black colour with a matte finish and angled corners offer it a stealthy look, something most enthusiasts would admire. However, the Chameleon Blue colour variant looks more attractive in images. There is a discreetly placed metal-plated Lenovo logo on the right side. For me, it’s a balanced design with no complaints when it comes to craftsmanship. While the clean front makes it elegant, the angled corners along with the sides leaning downwards make it flashy. When you open up the laptop, you notice the Ideapad Gaming branding stamped on the hinge which is in blue. Soon you realize that the keyboard backlight is blue as well, complementing the branding. The single wide hinge mechanism that runs along the centre offers good friction and doesn’t let the screen jiggle or wobble. I used the laptop for almost a month while working from home, and the experience was smooth. That said, the machine hits more than it misses when it comes to build quality, especially the hinge mechanism.

Display: The IdeaPad Gaming 3i has a 15.6-inch great wide-screen with FHD resolution (1920 × 1080 pixels). The IPS panel produces pleasingly crisp visuals. While playing games is immersive and visually appealing experience, editing photos and watching movies are equally impressive. You get images that are detailed with no hint of softness. The unit I am reviewing refreshes at 60Hz but you also have an option of upgrading to 120Hz. If you’re not on a tight budget, it would be better if you opt for the higher refresh rate panel to utilize some extra fps in gaming titles. The display has an anti-glare coating and its viewing angles are also good. Brightness levels, however, aren’t as strong as you’d like and it gets up to just 250 nits. You might not like using the device in a sun-filled space if the title is particularly dark. Though contrast levels are strong and colours are accurately reproduced. It supports the colour gamut of 45 per cent, at par with other laptops in this price range. The display has thin bezels on the sides but the top bezel is thicker as it houses a webcam with a privacy shutter. The TureBlock privacy shutter feature or can be closed can block your webcam when not in use.

Keyboard:  Lenovo laptops have historically had some of the best keyboards and the one on the Ideapad Gaming 3i didn’t disappoint either. The large screen of the device also benefits from the full-size keyboard layout with a number pad. The large arrow keys are positioned slightly downward so that they are easily accessible. I used it for hours of typing daily and it was easy on my fingers. The keyboard provides pleasant tactile feedback that is responsive to pressure. It’s great for typing, even for longer sessions. Gaming is also a comfortable experience thanks to the spacious area and for resting your wrists and the well-sized keys with a decent 1.5mm travel. If you do work at night, the keyboard’s distinct blue backlighting, with two levels of adjustable brightness, would make your task easier. You can also switch it off at any time to save on battery. The touchpad is responsive and has enough space for you. However, it’s placed toward the left side of the chassis and aligned with the space bar. Also, it does not have the physical left and right buttons but responds well to Windows 10 gestures like 2-finger scrolling and 3-finger tabbing. You also get the option of disabling the touchpad with Lenovo Vantage software while gaming.

Performance and Gaming: The Ideapad Gaming series has several variants, the one shared with us houses the Intel Core i5-10300H CPU clocked at 2.50Ghz from Intel’s 14nm-based Comet Lake lineup. For graphics, it has NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU with 4GB of VRAM and 8GB of RAM. To add, the Ideapad Gaming 3i also has a dual-channel memory configuration and supports up to 32GB of RAM. The machine offered a hybrid SSD+HDD combo, comprising 256GB of SSD and 1TB of hard disk space. On papers, these are decent specs for a budget laptop. You can expect a seamless everyday experience on the Ideapad Gaming 3i, no matter what task you through at it. CPU-intensive tasks like video and photo editing are handled with ease, while even some of the demanding titles run with a solid frame rate. 

Competitive games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and DOTA 2 delivered smooth performance, nailing well over 100fps at the highest settings. PUBG, at the highest settings, averaged between 60fps to 70fps. More intensive titles like Far Cry 5 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider delivered 58fps and 54fps respectively at maxed settings. I tried Grand Theft Auto V at the highest settings in full 1080p resolution at 60 fps. I also played the Marvels Avengers Beta and it stayed between 50fps to 60fps at highest settings. Lenovo Vantage software makes it easier for gamers to enhance machines performance, including monitoring CPU, RAM, GPU, storage, and activate several features to maximize the gaming experience.  

In terms of ports, you get two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. I would have liked to see an SD card slot as well. The laptop has the latest wireless standards with 802.11ax Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.

Battery: Battery life is decent, as you’d probably expect from a budget gaming laptop. A full charge won’t get you through a full day but you can get a solid five to six hours of use while working, using social media and streaming Netflix. This is with 50-60 per cent brightness and balanced battery settings. Fast charge is available, allowing the battery to charge faster than usual. 

Verdict: The ideapad Gaming 3i looks good, has a sturdy keyboard and offers reliable performance during gaming sessions. With starting price of Rs. 67,860, it sits comfortably with the Asus TUF FX705 and the Dell G3 3580 in this category and has a slight advantage over the two rival products.