Editor’s note: Portions of this review were taken from our review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2.
After two years, netbook designs have evolved from a 7-inch screen to a 10-inch screen, currently the industry standard. Now, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, the third 12.1-inch netbook to hit the market, is helping to augur in the next generation of netbooks. With a list price of $499, the S12 is an attractive machine for consumers who want a highly portable netbook, but with a larger screen and keyboard. Its good ergonomics, long battery life, instant-on OS, and surprisingly loud speakers make it an Editors’ Choice pick.
Design
The S12 has similar design features common to other models in the IdeaPad line; not only does it share traits with the smaller S10-2, but its keyboard is also reminiscent of the larger IdeaPad Y450. While it has the same polarizing pattern on its lid (which is either a subliminal advertisement for Target or misplaced nostalgia for 70s-era wallpaper), we like the S12’s design a bit more than the S10-2, mainly owing to its larger size. While its edges are still beveled like the S10-2, they’re not as pronounced, making the S12 seem more like the original S10, whose boxier design we admired. Still, the chrome-wrapped edges of the Samsung NC20, and the fact that it better conceals its six-cell battery (the S12’s protrudes out the back) give the Samsung a slicker look.
With an 11.5 x 9.0 inch footprint, and tapering from 1.4 to 1.0 inch with its six-cell battery, the IdeaPad S12 is nearly the same size as the NC20 and the Acer Aspire One AO751h. Weighing in at 3.4 pounds, the S12 is the same weight as the NC20, and about half a pound heavier than most other 10-inch netbooks. The bottom line is that this system is easy to carry.
Keyboard and Touchpad
At 10.6 x 4.3 inches, the S12’s keyboard is larger than similarly-sized netbooks, including those on the Samsung NC20 (10.2 x 4.0 inches) and the Acer Aspire One AO751h (10.5 x 4.3 inches). On the S12, several of the keys—including the left and right Shift keys—were larger than those on the NC20. However, we were slightly less accurate on it than the Samsung NC20. On the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor test, we averaged 74 words per minute with a 4 percent error rate; on the NC20, we averaged 80 wpm with a 3 percent error rate. Nevertheless, the S12 is a good netbook for touch typists.
The S12’s touchpad was decently sized, measuring 2.6 x 1.5 inches. That’s a little smaller than the NC20 (2.8 x 1.7 inches), but a little larger than the Aspire One AO751h (2.5 x 1.6 inches). Unlike its two competitors, we were pleased to see that the S12 has two discrete mouse buttons, as opposed to a single bar.
Display and Audio
We generally liked the 12.1-inch display on the S12; its 1280 x 800 resolution was plenty crisp when watching videos from Hulu. However, while the S12 had better contrast, the NC20 presented more accurate colors; when watching a trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we could more easily make out details in clouds on the S12’s screen, but the NC20 better displayed the green in the rolling seas. Also, owing to the slightly glossier screen on the S12, viewing angles were a bit worse than on the NC20.
The stereo speakers on the bottom of the S12 were positively booming, and impressive for a system of this size. The funky bass line in Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” came through as clearly as the vocals when we streamed the song from Pandora. Using the equalizer in the Realtek HD Audio Manager, we were able to tweak the settings further, creating an even more enjoyable listening experience.
Quick Start Operating System
Like some later editions of the S10 and the S10-2, the S12 includes Quick Start, a Lenovo-branded version of the Splashtop instant-on operating system. The attractive Linux-based OS loads quickly, and is easy to use. However, because it is designed as a preboot-OS, you can’t install additional software or customize the embedded apps.
The Quick Start apps include a Web browser, music player, photo viewer, IM client, Skype client, and flash games portal. Each of these is useful, though not nearly as functional as Windows software. The Firefox-based Web browser, for example, supports Flash, but it cannot take add-ons or plug-ins of any kind.
Unlike some previous IdeaPads, which made you choose between Quick Start and Windows XP every time you powered up, the S12 has a dedicated QS button, located to the right of the volume controls above the keyboard. If you hit the QS button instead of the power button when the system is off, it will boot into Quick Start.
After hitting the QS button, it takes about 10 seconds to reach a splash screen where you can choose which application you wish to launch. Once you launch an app, the OS places a dock at the bottom of the screen, which you can use to launch the other apps. The Web browser took 20 seconds to load and another several seconds to connect to Wi-Fi; while it’s a little more convenient than loading Windows XP for quick Web browsing, at 30-plus seconds to get started, it’s not that much faster.
Ports and Webcam
For a netbook, the S12 has pretty much the standard array of ports. On the left side of the system are two USB ports, a Wi-Fi on/off switch, and a 4-in-1 memory card slot. On the right side is a third USB port, VGA, Ethernet, an ExpressCard/34 slot, and headphone and mic ports. We especially like having an ExpressCard slot on board for adding a mobile broadband card; although you can easily use a USB device, we favor ExpressCard modems because they protrude a bit less and are less likely to snap off.
The 1.3-megapixel webcam on the S12 delivered decent video, although colors appeared slightly more washed out than on the NC20. Still, in a Skype chat, our caller said that the visuals were more than acceptable, and that the S12’s mic picked up our voice clearly.
