Lenovo B50-30 review

£170
Price when reviewed

Whereas most sub-£200 budget laptops provide 11.6in screens, Lenovo has decided to go big with the B50-30, delivering a slightly old-school laptop with a 15.6in screen and a built-in DVD writer.

Lenovo B50-30 review

At 2.32kg, it’s substantially heavier than the other models here; while the manufacturer has done its best to slim down the laptop’s bulk, the B50-30 is still a beast to lug around.

Lenovo B50-30 review - DVD-writer

Build quality is disappointing by Lenovo’s standards. The plastics feel thin, the lid flexes alarmingly when twisted, and there’s too much give near the DVD-writer tray. The B50-30 is noisy, too, thanks to a 500GB, 5,400rpm hard disk that clatters away at the slightest provocation.

On the plus side, this means more local storage than you get from most slimline rivals. The B50-30 doesn’t do badly for connectivity, either: it has VGA and HDMI video outputs, three USB ports, including one USB 3, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port. There’s also 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4 for wireless networking. It’s a laptop that’s ready for anything.

Lenovo B50-30 review - right edge

Lenovo B50-30 review - left edge

The screen’s one advantage is its size; otherwise, it’s poor. We measured brightness and contrast levels at a lowly 209cd/m2 and 285:1 respectively, and in use the display has a dull, grainy look to it.

We don’t expect superb colour accuracy from a budget laptop, but the B50-30 covers a mere 59.7% of the sRGB gamut, and it struggles to differentiate dark colours or resolve blues with any kind of vibrancy.

Keyboards are usually a Lenovo strength, but while the B50-30’s looks the part, with large keys and a standard business layout, the typing action is strangely floppy. Typing on it feels like drumming your fingers on a wet jiffy bag. The touchpad is better – it’s large, smooth to the touch and accurate.

Lenovo B50-30 review - keyboard and touchpad

Performance isn’t bad by budget laptop standards; the B50-30 has the same Celeron N2840 as the Labs-winning HP Stream 11, and while the hard disk slows it down a little, it isn’t too far behind in our benchmarks.

Battery life is another matter, though. The Lenovo could only survive four-and-a-half hours of light use, and a little over four hours with heavy workloads. It’s a versatile machine for the money, but the B50-30 isn’t the most well-balanced laptop around.

Lenovo B50-30 specifications

ProcessorDual-core 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840
RAM4GB DDR3L
Memory slots (free)
Max memory
Size380 x 262 x 25mm
Weight2.32kg (2.7kg with charger)
Pointing deviceTouchpad
Screen size15.6in
Screen resolution1,366 x 768
TouchscreenNo
Graphics adaptorIntel HD Graphics
Graphics outputsHDMI; VGA
Total storage500GB hard disk
Optical drive typeDVD writer
USB portsUSB 3; 2 x USB 2
BluetoothBluetooth 4
NetworkingGigabit Ethernet; single-band 802.11n
Memory card readerSD card slot
Other ports3.5mm headphone jack
Operating systemWindows 8.1 with Bing 64-bit
Buying information
Parts and labour warranty1yr RTB
Price inc VAT£170
Supplierwww.ebuyer.com
Part numberMCA2WUK

Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.

Todays Highlights
How to See Google Search History
how to download photos from google photos