Case
The case of the IdeaPad 720s is made from aluminum and magnesium, which gives it a very sturdy appearance. Our test unit cannot be bent even with the use of significant force. Lenovo uses the same material for the back of the display, and only the display bezel is made of plastic. All the workmanship appears very high quality. While the hinges succeed in keeping the display in its adjusted position, a slight wobbling is still unavoidable during jerky movements. In terms of colors, the buyers of the IdeaPad 720s can choose among "Platinum silver," "Champagne gold," and "Iron gray," with the last being the color of our test unit.
At only 1.1 kg (~2.4 lb), the IdeaPad 720s is the lightest device in our comparison. In terms of the size, only Dell's XPS 13 9370 is smaller. The ultra-mobile concept is definitely working. For buyers who are looking a notebook that needs to be carried around a lot, our test unit is very well suited.
Size Comparison
Features
Communication
The IdeaPad 720s only offers a mediocre WLAN connectivity to the users. Even though the built-in Intel Wireless AC-3165 WLAN adapter supports the fast ac standard in the 5-GHz band, we only achieve transfer rates of 350 MBit/s with the 1x1 Mimo antenna in our measurements. While this is of course still fast, the competitors can clearly surpass our test unit in this regard.
In addition, Bluetooth 4.1 is available for communication with other devices.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10 | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Schenker Slim 14 L17 | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10 | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| Schenker Slim 14 L17 | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
The security options of the IdeaPad 720s are straightforward. A fingerprint reader and a TPM-2.0 module are supposed to provide sufficient security for the device. You can easily set up a fingerprint via Windows 10. During the log in, the scanner recognizes the fingerprint after about a second and then logs in the user automatically. Even though the process ran smoothly, the scanner still gave us a sluggish impression.
Accessories
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Maintenance
Warranty
Lenovo offers a 2-year warranty with carry-in service to the buyers of the IdeaPad 720s, which means that the device has to be sent to the manufacturer and will be repaired there. Upon request, Lenovo can also expand the warranty by various service levels. You can for example order a pick-up-and-deliver service or an on-site service, or get an international manufacturer's warranty. You can also extend the warranty in this way.
Input Devices
Display
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Distribution of brightness
X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 335 cd/m² Average: 302.6 cd/m² Minimum: 4.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 290 cd/m²
Contrast: 728:1 (Black: 0.46 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.09 | 0.8-29.43 Ø6.3
ΔE Greyscale 3.23 | 0.64-98 Ø6.6
82% sRGB (Argyll 3D) 54% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.18
* ... smaller is better
In order to implement the ultra-mobile concept, the IdeaPad 720s also has to be usable outdoors. The offered brightness is indeed sufficient to work in shaded areas. However, in direct sunlight it can quickly become difficult to read the screen contents. At least, the matte display ensures that viewing it is not made even harder by additional reflections.
Display Response Times
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Performance
Our test unit is equipped with Intel's Core i5-8250U and its integrated UHD Graphics 620 graphics solution. With 8 GB of working memory and a 256 GB SSD, it is particularly suited for office work and can also take on slightly more demanding tasks. We would draw the limits at more demanding 3D applications, while it should still be possible to display older games smoothly.
The alternative models of the IdeaPad 720s also cannot offer more than the built-in 8 GB of RAM. Instead, there are various CPU and SSD configurations, and the storage can be preconfigured up to 1 TB. The available processors are the Intel Core i5-7200U, Intel Core i7-7500U, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, Intel Core i5-8250U, and Intel Core i7-8550U.
This listing sequence also reflects their average performance. While the i5-7200U and i7-7500U processors each have two cores and are able to work on four threads simultaneously, the Ryzen 5-2500U, i5-8250U, and i7-8550U CPUs are quad-core processors, which can each operate on eight threads simultaneously. With all the processors, the typical power consumption is specified at 15 watts (nominally with the Ryzen 5-2500U).
If we look at the pure computing power, AMD's Ryzen 5 2500U can leave Intel's i5-8250U behind and score evenly with Intel's i7-8550U. The two older Core i5-7200U and Core i7-7500U remain far behind, while their performance is still more than sufficient for an office device, and simpler 3D applications are also possible.
However, for everyday life with a notebook, not only the computing power, but also the system performance plays a role. Even though we only have a few Ryzen 5-2500U results, the offered performance did not correspond to our expectations. If in doubt, we would prefer the i5-8250U or the i7-8550U.
Processor
Intel's Core i5-8250U is a quad-core processor that can operate on eight threads simultaneously thanks to Hyperthreading. As the direct successor of Intel's Core i5-7200U, it offers significantly higher clock speeds at similar energy efficiency. How long it can maintain the maximum clock speed of 3.5 GHz in Turbo mode, depends decisively on the cooling of the notebook.
You can compare the performance of Intel's Core i5-8250U with that of other processors in our CPU benchmark page.
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
The cooling system of the IdeaPad 720s appears to do a good job. The processor was able to maintain its performance during the whole period of our Cinebench-R15 benchmark loop. Even though most of the competitors started off with higher results, they quickly dropped to similar or lower values than our test unit in the constant performance test. An exception was the Dell XPS 13 9370, whose points also initially dropped quickly, but then leveled out at a significantly higher value.
The performance could also be maintained during battery operation.
System Performance
In daily operation, the performance of the IdeaPad 720s is impressive. Subjectively, the small and slim device runs very smoothly and offers astonishing performance. The benchmark results confirm this impression, and of the 13-inch comparison devices, only the Dell Inspiron 13 7370 is able to achieve better results.
| PCMark 8 | |
| Work Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Schenker Slim 14 L17 | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3544 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4777 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Solution
The IdeaPad 720s also owes its good impression in the system performance to its good Samsung SSD. In the comparison, it is only surpassed by the 960Pro of the Schenker Slim 14, which is also manufactured by Samsung. The remaining competitors are left far behind by the storage solution of our test unit.
You can see in our HDD/SSD benchmark page how the built-in storage compares to other SSDs.
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Sequential Read: 1674 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1191 MB/s
512K Read: 658.2 MB/s
512K Write: 852.3 MB/s
4K Read: 51.78 MB/s
4K Write: 114.9 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 349.2 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 332.2 MB/s
Graphics Card
In the IdeaPad 720s, Intel's UHD Graphics 620 integrated into the processor is responsible for displaying the screen contents. The graphics card has a clock speed of up to 1150 MHz. System RAM is shared with the UHD Graphics 620 and so the integrated GPU benefits from fast dual-channel bandwidth.
In the 3DMark benchmarks, our test unit only achieves last place among the competitors. While all the other notebooks profit from their dual-channel RAM, the IdeaPad 720s only has single-channel RAM. However, the results are still decent and almost reach the values of the Acer Spin 5 with dual-channel RAM.
You can see in our GPU benchmark page what graphics performance Intel's UHD Graphics 620 can achieve in other systems.
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Schenker Slim 14 L17 | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| 3DMark | |
| 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-54SF | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1683 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 7319 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 893 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
As expected, the IdeaPad 720s is not a gaming notebook. However, the integrated graphics card by Intel still offers sufficient performance for casual and older games. For example, you can play the five-year-old "BioShock Infinite" smoothly in medium settings.
The difference between devices with dual-channel RAM and single-channel RAM also shows in the results of the gaming benchmarks. Even though both of the notebook variants are not designed for gaming applications, you can still get quite a few more FPS from dual-channel RAM.
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | |
| 1366x768 Medium Preset AF:2x | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| 1024x768 Lowest Preset | |
| Dell XPS 13 9370 i5 UHD | |
| Dell Inspiron 13 7370 | |
| Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB | |
| low | med. | high | ultra | ||
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 49.6 | 27.6 | 22.6 | 7.6 | fps |
| Thief (2014) | 16.3 | 11.3 | fps | ||
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 19.5 | 11.1 | fps |
Emissions
Noise Emissions
During normal load, you rarely hear the fans of the IdeaPad 720s. During idle operation, our measuring devices were only able to detect the surrounding noises. While our test unit is also quiet under load, you can then hear the fan noise. However, the fan runs evenly and only turns off if a stable lower temperature of the processor has been reached.
Noise Level
| Idle | 30.13 / 30.13 / 30.9 dB(A) | |
| Load | 34.7 / 33.3 dB(A) | |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud | ||
min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 30.13 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
The maximum temp on the upper side is 43.6 °C, compared to the average of 35.9 °C ranging from 21.1 °C to 71 °C for class Office.
Speakers
Lenovo labels the IdeaPad 720s with the stamp of the US speaker manufacturer JBL. However, this does not ensure a great sound at all. Our measurements show a strong emphasis of the mid-range with the high notes flat and the bass notes dropping steeply. Subjectively, we perceive the sound as strongly reverberating, which could be the result of the simulated Dolby-Surround sound. Instead of bringing across a spacious sound, it sounds like it is coming out of a metal box. While the speakers might be sufficient for short audio listening, we recommend using external speakers or headphones(-) | not very loud speakers (66.02 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz(±) | reduced bass - on average 6.2% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(±) | higher mids - on average 8.6% higher than median(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.6% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(+) | balanced highs - only 2.2% away from median(+) | highs are linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.6% difference to median)Compared to same class» 22% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 71% worse» The best had a delta of 8%, average was 20%, worst was 51%Compared to all devices tested» 23% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 71% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(+) | overall sound is linear (9.3% difference to median)Compared to same class» 1% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 98% worse» The best had a delta of 9%, average was 19%, worst was 47%Compared to all devices tested» 2% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 98% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Power Management
Power Consumption
Lenovo is using a USB 3.0 Type-C connection for the power connection of the IdeaPad 720s. The power consumption is in the upper middle of the field of the competitors. At 3.9 watts during idle and 34 watts under load, the notebook is very efficient. However, some of the competing devices use even less power. The included power supply offers a maximum of 45 watts and therefore should be sized sufficiently for any situation.
Power Consumption
| Off / Standby | 0.3 / 0.47 Watt |
| Idle | 3.9 / 7.7 / 10.4 Watt |
| Load | 33.3 / 34 Watt |
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| Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy | |
* ... smaller is better
The battery life of the IdeaPad 720s is without peer. At more than 10 hours in our WLAN test, the device outlasts the competitors by almost two hours. However, the battery discharges significantly faster under load. The screen turns dark after an hour and a half. While Lenovo does not envision replacing the battery, you can reach it below the bottom of the case of the IdeaPad 720s.
Lenovo Ideapad 720S-13IKB - 02/06/2018 v6
Mike Wobker
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