(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
With memory costs up, budget laptops are in: Lenovo just announced the IdeaPad Vibe, an entry-level laptop starting at $699.99, at the IFA 2026 show in Berlin, Germany. Color is the big draw here.
At that price, this lively-looking PC is immediately fighting for ground with Apple’s MacBook Neo and Dell’s XPS 13, both of which also start at $699. The Vibe comes in 14- and 15-inch screen sizes, with low-power Qualcomm and AMD processor options, and in five different colors.
Lenovo also announced a handful of desktops, new ThinkBook notebooks, an Nvidia RTX Spark-based Yoga laptop, and a pair of nifty laptop concepts. I spent some time with the IdeaPad Vibe before its announcement and found it an attractive, portable budget machine that feels pleasant for the price. Check out more details, photos, and my deeper impressions here before the AMD version launches in October, with Qualcomm models to follow in November. I also saw the new Lenovo ThinkBook and RTX Spark laptops...more about those below.
Catch a Vibe: Lighthearted, Lightweight Design
The laptop’s name does a lot of the lifting here in getting the idea across: This is a fun-looking laptop for younger users seeking an affordable option. Generally, this laptop is an ideal fit for students, older kids receiving their first laptop, and low-demand everyday users.
First, the most obvious thing about the design: multiple colors! Lenovo was especially creative with the names here; the Vibe comes in Dreamy Violet, Spicy Gold, Zen Green, Chill Blue, Moody Blue, Radiant Coral, and Lowkey Grey. They’re all vibrant hues, but tending toward muted rather than super-saturated. Depending on the lighting, some of them (particularly Chill Blue) can look a bit more neutral, but you'll find an option for everyone.
The 14-inch model is particularly portable, while shoppers seeking more screen real estate can choose the 15-inch one. Either Vibe version is just 0.59 inch thick, with the 14-inch model weighing 2.87 pounds and the 15-inch model weighing 3.31 pounds. Like the MacBook Neo and the Dell XPS 13, the laptop comes with a metal chassis, which helps it feel higher-quality than the price might suggest. I think the build comes off a little less premium to the touch than those two systems, but it’s a sight better than your run-of-the-mill cheap plastic laptop.
The screens have differences beyond just their sizes. The 14-inch model runs up to an OLED panel with a 1,920 by 1,200 resolution, while the 15-inch provides up to a 2.1K OLED panel with optional touch capability. OLED will presumably be absent from the base model, but it’s always a welcome option. (Lenovo hasn't shared configuration details or prices for upgraded Vibe models yet.)
I should also note that not all screen options will be available in every color. OLED configurations are available only in Lowkey Grey and Moody Blue, for example. Some colors are locked to certain specs, and will vary by region, too.
The Vibe's various inputs didn’t stand out to me during my time with the system, though, on a budget machine, that can be a good thing (that is, that they are serviceable without standing out). Having a noticeably poor keyboard and/or touchpad is a common pitfall of cheap laptops, and the Vibe avoids that. The keys feel comfortable enough, though I didn’t use them for prolonged work in the preview time I had, and the touchpad is responsive. You'll appreciate the option for key backlighting for the keyboard, which seems to imply it will not be included on the base model. (The MacBook Neo lacks keyboard backlighting, but the XPS 13 has light-up keys even in its $699 starter model.)
The ports are identical among models with different processors and screen sizes. The left side is home to an HDMI 1.4 port, two USB Type-C connections (supporting DisplayPort 1.2 and power delivery), an audio jack, and a microSD card slot. In contrast, the XPS 13 lacks a headphone jack, and neither it nor the MacBook Neo includes microSD support.
Components: AMD Ryzen AI 400 or Qualcomm Snapdragon X?
An appealing build is certainly half the battle with a budget system, but it is made or broken by its components. The processor choices are split between AMD’s Ryzen AI 400 chips, launching first, or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X “Purwa” processors. (I was told Intel options are likely to come down the line, and I assume it would be the "Wildcat Lake" platform, but we have no confirmation of that.)
These are both relatively modest processor platforms, intended for lower-demand and relatively simple computing tasks. Regardless of which processor you choose, the base model will include 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. This little memory might be enough to give you pause, but it’s becoming a trend in the laptop market in response to rising memory costs. The MacBook Neo (which benefits from the more efficient macOS) and the XPS 13 both start with 8GB of memory, too.
I conducted a deep dive into the performance of the 8GB Dell XPS 13 versus the 16GB model in Windows 11; check out that article to learn about the differences. In short, if your computing power needs are modest, 8GB can suffice for web browsing and light office tasks, which is the intended use case for laptops like this.
If you’re concerned about 8GB, you can upgrade to higher capacities. The Snapdragon version of the Vibe supports up to 24GB, and the AMD model up to 32GB. In either case, you’ll move further away from that sweet starting price if you go beyond 8GB, but it may be worth it depending on your needs. (Again, without exact upgrade-model pricing, I don’t know how much doubling up on RAM will cost you.) The storage also runs up to 1TB, and unlike the memory, it’s upgradable after purchase.
All told, the Vibe looks the part of an affordable general-use laptop for low-demand use. As with the competing models I mentioned, if you just want to get online, watch YouTube, answer emails, and take notes, this is a well-made laptop for the purpose.
At IFA, New ThinkBooks and Yogas, Too
As mentioned earlier, Lenovo also showed off ThinkBook and Yoga laptops. The standouts for me were the ThinkBook 14x Gen 2 and the Yoga 9n 2-in-1.
The ThinkBook 14x Gen 2 is an update to Lenovo's popular entry-level work laptop, prioritizing mobility and a stylish design. It’s one of the thinnest and lightest ThinkBook laptops, measuring 0.61 inch thick and weighing just 2.18 pounds. Internally, it runs on Intel Core Series 3 “Wildcat Lake” Core 7 processors, with up to 32GB of memory and 2TB of SSD storage.
Models will come with one of two 14-inch displays: a 1200p panel (with a touch option) or a 2.8K (2,800-by-1,800-pixel) OLED screen. The metal build and sleek style stand out for the price: It launches in Q1 2027, starting at $999.99.
As for the Yoga 9n 2-in-1, the main attraction of this system is its Arm-based Nvidia RTX Spark chip. This silicon was the big news out of this year’s Computex conference in Taipei, and we've seen plenty of other RTX Spark-based laptops that will be coming later this year.
The draw here is the convertible design, where most others are prioritizing traditional clamshell and workstation-adjacent ones for power users. The Yoga 9n is a convertible for added versatility, as well as a stylus to support creative workflows. Lenovo has not announced a price or launch date for this machine yet.
These two highlights were joined by their counterparts, the ThinkBook 14 Gen 9 and the Yoga Pro 9n (a 15-inch non-convertible also powered by RTX Spark). The ThinkBook will launch in October, starting at $1,299, with no date or price yet for the Yoga Pro 9n. Check back for more coverage of all of these products once they become available.
About Our Expert
I’ve been a consumer PC expert at PCMag for 10 years, and I love PC gaming. I've played games on my computer for as long as I can remember, which eventually (as it does for many) led me to build and upgrade my own desktops to this day. Through my years at PCMag, I've tested and reviewed many, many dozens of laptops and desktops, and I am always happy to recommend a PC for your needs and budget.
