Lenovo L340

            The Lenovo IdeaPad L340 has been such a highly requested gaming laptop on the channel that I bought one just to review for you all, so let’s get into the details and find out if it lives up to the hype in this review. Starting with the specs, mine has the Intel i5-9300H CPU, Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics, and 8gb of memory in single channel as the L340 only has one memory slot. For storage I’ve got a 256gb M.2 NVMe SSD, and a 15.6” 1080p 60Hz screen. For network connectivity it’s got gigabit ethernet, 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.
           There are a few different configurations available though, you can find examples and updated prices linked in the description. The plastic lid has a brushed silver finish with a subtle blue Lenovo logo towards the side, while the interior has the same material and smooth texture. There were no sharp corners or edges anywhere, and considering the plastic build it didn’t come off as cheap feeling. The starting weight of the L340 is listed at 2.2kg, and mine was around 100g less without a 2.5 inch drive installed. With the 135 watt power brick and cables for charging this rises to just over 2.6kg. The dimensions of the laptop are 36.3cm in width, 25.4cm in depth, and around 2.4cm thick.

Lenovo L340

            There are smaller laptops, though it’s not too chunky looking, and I measured the screen bezels at around 1cm on the sides. The 15.6” 1080p 60Hz IPS screen has a matte finish, good viewing angles, and no G-Sync. I’ve measured the colour gamut using the Spyder 5 Pro, and my results returned 64% of sRGB, 46% of NTSC and 49% of AdobeRGB. At 100% brightness in the center I measured 274 nits with a 940:1 contrast ratio, so lower brightness and colour gamut compared to most machines I’ve tested, which is to be expected in a gaming laptop at this price point. It looked alright to me, a little dim, but otherwise ok for gaming. Backlight bleed seemed alright in my unit, but this will vary between laptops and panels. There was more screen flex than expected considering how thick it is, and that the hinge runs along most of the width of the body.
             I could almost open it up with one finger, and it did feel a little back heavy, but no problems using it on my lap. The top above the screen is still fairly thick, so plenty of room for the 720p camera. The camera and microphone look and sound about average, though it looks a little dark, but you can change the brightness settings through the Lenovo Vantage software. The keyboard in my unit only has blue backlighting, and it lights up everything including secondary key functions. The brightness can be controlled in two different levels or turned off completely by pressing the function and space bar. I wasn’t a fan of the smaller arrow keys, however I did like typing on the keyboard. The key presses weren’t mushy, here’s how it sounds to give you an idea of what to expect. There wasn’t as much keyboard flex as I was expecting considering the plastic build, it seemed pretty sturdy all things considered. The touchpad uses ELAN drivers, was smooth and worked well enough. It clicks down anywhere with left and right clicks down the bottom, though the usual two finger click anywhere for right click works too. The touchpad felt a little loose, that’s the best.
              I can describe it, if you tap it it sort of moves a little and makes this noise which isn’t the actual click. Fingerprints showed up fairly easily on the plastic interior, though as a smooth surface I found it easy to clean. On the left from the back there’s the power input, gigabit ethernet, HDMI 2.0 output, two USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports, 3.5mm audio combo jack, and USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C port, no Thunderbolt 3 here. On the right there’s no I/O at all, so no possibility of cables getting in the way of your mouse hand if you’re right handed, just the Kensington lock at the back. On the back there’s nothing at all, just smooth plastic, and it’s a similar deal on the front as well. Underneath is pretty clean looking, with just some blue air intake vents towards the back above the fans. The bottom panel can be easily removed by unscrewing 11 Phillips head screws. Once inside from left to right, there’s the 2.5 inch drive bay, the single M.2 slot for storage, WiFi card just below it, battery below that, and single memory slot towards the right. While my 256gb M.2 drive is short, you can install a regular sized one instead, just removing the mounting bracket. While there does appear to be a space for a 2.5 inch drive, my L340 didn’t actually come with the cable necessary to connect a drive to the motherboard, and there’s nothing to properly mount it provided either. You need to first remove the M.2 drive, under this is the spot to connect the cable to attach a 2.5 inch drive. My Y540 did come with such a cable, so I tried using that one instead, but I wasn’t able to get it to work so not sure if there is a difference between the cables.
              I contacted Lenovo support asking how to get this, they said they’d send me a quote. 10 days later I got a quote for $200 AUD before tax, so about $135 USD, however I’m not sure how this would vary by region. Just to get the cable, bracket and screws they want me to spend 20% of the total