Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch

Bottom line

Despite its clunky build and disappointing display, the Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch gets a few nods from reviewers -- and even an Editors' Choice pick at one. The reason? It's almost impossible to find a full-fledged laptop with all of the traditional ports and drives for $600 or less, but the Z400 Touch delivers.

Performance

Just average. Oddly, the Lenovo Z400 does way better in benchmark tests at PCMag.com than anywhere else. Although they test the same mid-level, Core i5 version, PCMag.com calls the Lenovo a "performance leader" in its class -- while other sources find it a mixed bag. Photo editing goes quickly in tests, for example, but boot-up and file transfer are sluggish. Battery life is just OK, delivering 4.5 to 5.5 hours of web surfing or movie watching in tests. Experts are disappointed: The Lenovo is so bulky, it certainly has room for a long-life battery.

Ergonomics

Bulky and heavy. Everyone agrees: The Lenovo Z400 is thick and heavy. "It felt like we were holding a free weight" at 5.2 pounds, Laptop Magazine says. "The top lid alone feels thicker than many tablets," CNET says. That bulky body does house a responsive 14-inch touch screen, all the ports you'd expect on a mainstream laptop, an SD card slot and DVD burner. Testers aren't crazy about the keyboard, finding it flexy, with an odd feel when you press the keys. The touchpad is a little small and doesn't always respond smoothly.

Design

No beauty queen -- and the screen isn't, either. The Lenovo Z400 "won't win any beauty contests," Laptop Magazine puts it bluntly. Everything is chunky plastic and fingerprint-prone. The 14-inch display is 1,366 by 768 pixels -- "the bare minimum acceptable on a computer today," Wired says. It's acceptable, but dimmer and less vivid than better budget screens, including the 17.3-inch beauty on the top-rated Dell Inspiron 17 (Est. $450 and up) . The Lenovo's is "an average laptop display for a few years ago," CNET says. "It feels a step behind." Various testers describe the speakers as "respectable" and "adequate."

Support and reliability

Dependable, but customer service is a mixed bag. Lenovo consistently makes some of the most reliable laptops, according to PCMag.com's annual reader surveys. Phone support is good, too, say Laptop Magazine staffers who go undercover with anonymous tech-support questions. However, when they ask questions via Facebook and Twitter, they don't always get prompt or correct answers.

Value

Functional, but you can do better. PCMag.com recommends the Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch as "a very good, solid laptop" at a great price. ComputerShopper.com calls it "a solid buy," and Wired agrees. "You can barely get an iPad for 600 bucks, much less a touchscreen-equipped laptop that features a legit Core i5 and a terabyte of on-board storage," Wired's Christopher Null says. "God, it's so cheap." Still, other sources recommend looking elsewhere. "You're better off waiting, or spending up for a thinner, frankly better laptop," CNET says. The cheap Lenovo laptop "is a functional but skippable product."