The good: Inexpensive; strong productivity and multitasking performance; great battery life; comfortable keyboard; robust system management and help utility.

The bad: Somewhat thick; small touchpad; lousy speakers; few dedicated multimedia controls; poor gaming performance.

The bottom line: The business-friendly Lenovo 3000 N200 offers strong performance, great battery life and, best of all, a competitive price.

Read full review of the Lenovo 3000 N200 »

By Michelle Thatcher
Aug 14, 2007

With a starting price of under S$2,000 (US$1,420.86), the small business-focused Lenovo 3000 N200 line is one of the best deals going if you want to buy a laptop built on Intel's latest processors and the new Centrino Duo platform. Even our N200 review unit, which included a number of upgrades, costs less than a similarly configured HP Pavilion dv6500 and Toshiba Tecra A9. Figuring there had to be a catch, we expected the lower-priced Lenovo 3000 N200 to drag behind those more expensive systems on our performance benchmarks--but it largely held its own against the competition, with the exception of our 3D gaming benchmark, and it posted a lengthy battery life. Lest home users be enticed by the N200's performance, we should point out that it lacks the full speakers, media controls, and other consumer-friendly features found on the HP, offering instead a fingerprint reader and a suite of support utilities designed to help business users maintain their systems. But for small businesses that need a well-stocked yet low-priced portable, the Lenovo 3000 N200 will fit the bill.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design
The Lenovo 3000 N200 doesn't feel quite as tank-like as its ThinkPad cousins, but its case (silver on the outside, dark gray on the inside) features sturdy metal hinges and an overall solid construction. As a category, midsize laptops are generally a bit bulky, and the N200's 1.5-inch thickness is chunky even for a midsize laptop. Otherwise, its size is similar to that of the Toshiba Tecra A8.

	It may not the prettiest or slimmest notebook around, but the N200 goes for value instead. (Click for larger image)

As with all Lenovo laptops, the 3000 N200 features a roomy, comfortable keyboard reminiscent of the board found on higher-end ThinkPads. Its touchpad is passable, though there were times when we wished it was a bit bigger. Three volume controls above the keyboard constitute the extent of the N200's media controls, not surprising given that Lenovo targets small business with the N200 and the rest of the Lenovo 3000 line (the company's ThinkPad brand is marketed to larger enterprises by including features such as shock-mounted hard drives and high-level data security, among others). Next to the volume control is a button to summon the useful Lenovo Care system management and help utility (more on that below). A fingerprint reader below the keyboard frees you from typing in passwords. We like that the N200 includes handy port labels along both sides of the keyboard deck to help you immediately find where to plug in peripherals.

Features
The Lenovo 3000 N200 can be configured with either a 14.1-inch or 15.4-inch wide-aspect display. Our test unit featured the 15.4-inch widescreen with a sharp 1,680 x 1,050 (WSXGA) native resolution. We couldn't get over how expansive the screen seemed, providing adequate room for working in spreadsheets and word processor documents as well as a beautiful canvas for movies. While buyers can opt for an antiglare finish on the 14.1-inch version of the N200, all 15.4-inch models include a glossy, video-friendly finish; fortunately, we had no trouble with annoying reflections in our typical office environment. Though the N200's lovely display had us itching to watch movies during work breaks, we found ourselves reaching for headphones to do so--the laptops' weak stereo speakers deliver tinny, soft sound. Regular Web conferencers will delight in the optional Webcam built into the N200's display bezel.

Because the Lenovo 3000 line is aimed at small-business users who aren't likely to have an IT department or loaner systems at their disposal, the company preloads the N200 with a helpful suite of utilities called Lenovo Care. Based on the company's robust ThinkVantage suite for ThinkPads, Lenovo Care helps users quickly access support information, set up network access, schedule backups and system maintenance, and configure data security.

As indicated in the chart above, the Lenovo 3000 N200 includes a fairly average selection of ports and connections. Worth noting: Three of the four USB ports are lined up in a row on the laptop's right side, which can get pretty crowded if you use a lot of USB peripherals. Also, the N200's wireless card supports the 802.11n standard, though, of course, you'll need a Draft-N router to take advantage of this feature.

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