So why write a laptop review on a writing blog?

Because as writers, we are attached to our laptops. We spend so much time on it writing, researching, emailing, editing, learning, and more.

It’s essential that our laptops work fast, are light, and comfortable for our hands (so we don’t get nerve entrapment!). It’s great if it is affordable too, but we can spend some extra if it means we will be happier in the long run.

My previous laptop: MacBook Air (aff. link)

After my MacBook Air left me (but not before we had some prolific years together), I had to buy a new laptop.

I’m not an either/or person when it comes to Android vs. Apple or Windows vs. iOS.

I’ve always used an Android phone (Samsung and now Xiaomi), and my MacBook Air was an 11-inch (now discontinued), light, fast, easy to use thing of beauty that made me reconsider my stance on Apple.

I generally find Apple products pretty but too expensive and impractical. Sure, the phone cameras are amazing, but it drives me crazy how easily they crack, or how product features are removed because designers probably think we all swim in money. (When I buy an iPhone, I’ll probably also own a second Android phone just in case.)

So why switch back to Lenovo if I was so happy with my MacBook?

Partly because they discontinued my beloved 11- inch model, and whatever else they were offering was usually too expensive.

But the main reason was the long, exhausting and frustrating repair process my Mac put me through.

I didn’t want to give up my tiny and efficient working machine. But the fan gave out, the touchpad wasn’t working, the operating system went crazy… Not to mention random and frequent shutdowns.

Basically, I couldn’t do anything with it anymore.

My warranty had run out ages ago. And my neighborhood computer repair guy isn’t that experienced in fixing Apple – and Apple products tend to have different kinds of specialty parts.

So, I had to make several appointments at the Genius Bar, paid a lot of money to change the operating system and renew the fan and renew the battery…Yet the problems continued.

Moreover, the geniuses didn’t agree on what the problem was, so each time a different person diagnosed and fixed the computer.

This process took several months.

In the meantime, I started window-shopping for a new computer, and I got my old Lenovo fixed.

I don’t remember when we first bought it, but likely it goes back at least a decade.

The fixed large and heavy Lenovo was slow, but it  got the work done in the absence of another device.

I finally gave up on my Mac. It was sort of still working, but it was working at a pace that drove me crazy and shut down randomly.

Lenovo IdeaPad S540, 14 inch (my current baby)

I don’t like making big purchases online. Books and little things are fine, but I’d rather go to a computer shop in person, talk to the salespeople, physically see and try the devices before making this crucial purchase.

Lenovo IdeaPad S540 (aff. link) was the best choice when I bought it late last year.

It’s light (1.5kg), though not as light as MacBook Air.

It was cheaper than most MacBook Airs, though it was an expensive contender among other Windows-run counterparts.

It was fast, new, and had impressive features:

Taken from Google:

Processor	Up to 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Graphics	Intel® Integrated Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce® MX250
Display	Up to 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, antiglare, 300 nits, 72% NTSC optional Glass finish (glare)

 

I might have also been tempted by all the gifts that came with the promotional campaign: a Canon color printer (E414) with cartridge, a backpack suitable for carrying laptops, and a mouse. (I prefer working with one.)

And while these were gifts, the cost went up because I also bought four years of McAfee Antivirus and a lifetime subscription of Microsoft Office for one device.

Additionally, I bought extra insurance that includes user error.

All in all, I think it added up to 1,434 USD. (I used today’s conversion rate.) The computer itself was about a grand at the time.

The use was great.

But the fan had problems relatively early, I think after a few months.

The battery stopped being efficient before a year passed. Touchpad stopped working.

Early in July, it stopped working completely. I had bought the device in September 2019.

I took it to the store, and they gave me a fixed computer for free: new battery, fixed and cleaned fan, working touchpad.

It stayed at the shop (a Mediamarkt in Istanbul) took care of sending for repairs) for about a week. Remember, it’s still under warranty.

It is working perfectly again. Fingers crossed it lasts.

I do, however, use a computer more than the average person. I also use it a lot from my bed or a sofa, as opposed to on a desk – which I’m told is a bad habit.

I’m practically attached to my laptop, being a writer who doesn’t own a TV and all.

I’m not on my phone as often as I’m on the laptop, and I watch Netflix here as well.

It’s not like I can go to coffee shops comfortably and frequently at the moment.

Maybe my computer developed COVID anxiety, as well as boredom from working from the same place all the time.

Oh well.

Note that I didn’t drop it, hit it, or spill anything on it. There was no user error.

By the way, remember the old Lenovo I had repaired months ago when the Apple crashed? It is still working. Knock on wood.

*

The verdict:

So, should you buy a Lenovo? Current evidence suggests yes, but before investing in an IdeaPad, I’d wait a little longer if I were you.

Let’s see how long the repairs will be effective for.