Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15 (15IRH10) review

Full review

The IdeaPad Slim 3 15 is our pick for most people with a €500 budget because it gets the fundamentals right. Lenovo uses Intel's 13th-generation H-series chips here, the Core i5-13420H or Core i7-13620H, which are the kind of processors normally found in more expensive machines. In plain terms, opening lots of browser tabs, editing documents or running Teams calls should not slow it down.

It is also unusually easy to keep going for years. Lenovo's own spec sheet lists two M.2 SSD slots with only one filled, so you can add a second drive later, and a SODIMM memory slot so you can add RAM.

Most versions at this price come with the 15.3-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS screen. It is a 300-nit, 60Hz panel with modest colours: fine indoors, less impressive by a sunny window. If you find the 15.1-inch OLED model within budget, it is a big upgrade, with a 165Hz refresh rate, 500 nits and rich colours, and it is lighter too.

Check the exact model before buying. Budget configurations can drop the keyboard backlight and use a 720p webcam, and memory varies from 8GB to 24GB. Aim for 16GB.