Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6" 1i Abyss Blue 2025

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1i pairs a massive 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD with a disappointing, often low-resolution display. It's a multitasking beast for the price, but the screen is a major weak point. Only buy it if you plan to use an external monitor most of the time.

The Core i5-1235U is a 10-core chip that handles everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. In our database, the CPU sits in the 37th percentile, which sounds mediocre, but for office work, streaming, and running dozens of Chrome tabs, it's more than enough. The real star is the 24GB of RAM, which lands in the 59th percentile. That's a ton of headroom for a budget machine and means you can keep a small army of apps open without the system slowing down.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are where things fall apart for anything beyond casual use. The GPU ranks in the 35th percentile, so this is not a gaming laptop. You can play older titles or very light indie games, but don't expect to run anything modern at decent settings. The 1TB SSD is a solid middle-of-the-pack performer in the 68th percentile, delivering fast boot times and quick file transfers. For a student or office machine, the performance is a mixed bag: fantastic multitasking muscle paired with a weak graphics engine.

Stacked against the competition, the IdeaPad 1i occupies a weird niche. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition will give you a vastly superior screen and build quality in a much lighter package, but you'll pay more and likely get less RAM. The ASUS Zenbook Duo is in a different league entirely with its dual-screen setup for creative pros. If you're even thinking about gaming, the HP OMEN Transcend 14 runs circles around this Lenovo with a dedicated GPU, though it costs significantly more.

For pure budget multitasking, the IdeaPad 1i's closest fight might be with a refurbished business laptop. You could snag a used ThinkPad with a better keyboard and screen for similar money, but you'd sacrifice the out-of-the-box 24GB of RAM. The MSI Prestige is another alternative that focuses on portability and a better display, but again, you'll trade away that massive memory capacity. This Lenovo is for someone who knows they need 24GB of RAM right now and is willing to compromise on nearly everything else to get it.

Pricing on this IdeaPad 1i is all over the place, with a spread of nearly $142,000 across vendors, which is clearly a data error on the high end. Realistically, you'll find it around $750 on Amazon. For that money, the 24GB of RAM and 1TB SSD are a killer combo that's hard to find elsewhere. The value proposition hinges entirely on whether you get the 1080p touchscreen or the 768p panel. If you land the FHD version, it's a solid deal for a multitasking workhorse. If you get the low-res screen, you're overpaying for memory at the expense of the one thing you interact with most.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1i is one of those laptops that looks a little confusing on paper until you dig into what it actually is. This specific configuration, often found on Amazon, packs an Intel Core i5-1235U, a generous 24GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB SSD into a 15.6-inch chassis. It's clearly aimed at students, home office workers, or anyone who needs a big screen and lots of memory for a reasonable price. But there's a catch, and it's a big one: the display. While the listing highlights a 1080p touchscreen, many units ship with a dim, low-resolution 1366x768 panel that feels like it's from a decade ago.

If you're searching for a budget-friendly laptop that can handle serious multitasking, the RAM and storage here are a standout. 24GB of memory is overkill for web browsing and Office apps, which means this thing will stay snappy for years. The 1TB SSD also gives you plenty of room for files without needing an external drive. But you have to ask yourself if that raw capability is worth the trade-off in screen quality, especially when you'll be staring at it for hours.

Build quality is about what you'd expect for the price. It's a plastic chassis that weighs 5.3 pounds, so it's not exactly an ultrabook you'll want to lug around campus all day. The port selection is solid, with USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI, and the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6 is a nice modern touch. Just be aware that the webcam is a basic 720p unit, so you won't look your best on Zoom calls.

Skip this laptop if you care about screen quality at all. The dim, low-resolution display on many units is a daily frustration for photo editing, watching movies, or even just reading text. Gamers should also look elsewhere, as the integrated graphics can't handle modern titles. If portability matters, the 5.3-pound weight makes it a poor travel companion. Instead, consider a used Dell XPS or ThinkPad with a better screen, or save up for a MacBook Air if you want a premium display and build quality.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1i is a frustrating laptop to recommend because it gets one thing so right and another so wrong. The 24GB of RAM and 1TB SSD are genuinely impressive for a budget machine and will keep it feeling fast for years of heavy browser-based work and multitasking. But the screen lottery is a dealbreaker. A 768p display in 2024 is unacceptable for anything beyond a secondary monitor, and even the 1080p option is dim and washed out.

You should buy this if you're a student or home user who primarily uses an external monitor and needs a desktop replacement on a budget. The raw specs for the price are hard to beat. But if you plan to use the built-in display daily, look elsewhere. The screen quality will wear on you, and no amount of RAM can fix a bad viewing experience.