It seems like just yesterday that if you wanted a sub-$300 notebook, you’d have to settle for a Chromebook running Google’s simple but limited operating system. These days you can find a Windows 10 portable for the price of a microwave oven, thanks to aggressive pricing by Microsoft and PC hardware vendors. Lenovo is the latest to compete in the most aggressive price band, today unveiling its $189 Ideapad 100S, an 11.6-inch laptop that weighs just 2.2 pounds.
We had a chance to spend a few minutes with the 100S and were impressed with its lightweight and solid build quality. The 100S’s svelte black chassis is just 0.69-inches thick, which makes it thin enough to fit into a narrow bag but wide enough to accommodate a full suite of ports including two USB 2.0 connectors, an HDMI out jack and a micro SD card slot.
