By Even the most devoted port-fiends will probably be put to the test by the ThinkBook 14. A laptop costing less than $1,000 boasts Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, Ethernet, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm audio input, and a 4-in-1 SD card reader. Regretfully, its performance and battery life are likewise far worse than those of the competition.
Specifications
The Lenovo ThinkBook 14 has fairly simple specs. Despite having eight cores (four fast and four efficiency), its Intel Core i5 210H depends on reduced Intel Graphics and does not have an NPU. In addition to having a tiny 256GB solid-state drive, the model I evaluated adhered to Wi-Fi 6 rather than the more recent Wi-Fi 7 standard.
- Number of model: 21SG000FUS
- CPU: 8 cores, 12 threads, Intel Core 5 210H
- 16GB of LPDDR5x memory; Intel Graphics as the graphics processor
- NPU: Not present
- 14-inch, 1920 x 1200, 60 Hz, 300 nits display
- 256GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive for storage
- Webcam: privacy shutter, 1080p, 30 frames per second
- One Thunderbolt 4 40Gbps/USB-C with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.0, one USB-C 10Gbps, two USB-A 5Gbps, one HDMI 2.1, one 3.5mm combination audio, one gigabit Ethernet (RJ45), and one 4-in-1 SD card reader are among the connectivity options.
- Networking: Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6
- Biometrics: Reader of fingerprints
- 45 watt-hour battery capacity; dimensions: 12.34 x 8.82 in x 0.69
- 3.0 pounds in weight
- System software: Windows 11 Home; MSRP: $949.99; average retail price: $828.99 (CDW)
The basic hardware of the laptop is not reflected in Lenovo’s cost. Although it is more commonly marketed for $828.99, the configuration I tested has an MSRP of $949.99 on enterprise-focused vendor CDW. Even yet, the ThinkBook’s specs pale in comparison to those of competitors like the Dell 14 Plus and the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED.
Design and build quality
Lenovo’s entry-level business and enterprise sub-brand is called ThinkBook. It is intended to offer some of the advantages of ThinkPad notebooks at a more affordable price. While there are some ways in which the ThinkBook 14 achieves that goal, design is not one of them. The Thinkbook deserves recognition for one thing: it’s unique.
Compared to rivals like Dell’s Pro and Acer’s Travelmate lineup, the ThinkBook’s two-tone silver display lid and conspicuous branding are less muted. But when you open the laptop, you can see that it was made on a shoestring. The preferred material is plastic. Although it can feel spongy in the middle of the keyboard, the chassis largely resists flex.
In addition, it weighs only three pounds. That enhances the laptop’s sense of affordability while also being beneficial for portability. It seemed quite vacant to me, as though the majority of the inside was devoid of anything, which is not the case. For a Windows laptop under $1,000, none of this is remarkable, but consumers can do better. Laptops from Dell Plus, Lenovo IdeaPad, and Asus Zenbook typically have more aesthetically pleasing and high-end designs for the price.
Performance
With an Intel Core 5 210H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive, the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 I evaluated was a basic model. It is nearly the most basic version of the ThinkBook 14 that is currently on the market, and the only improvements it has are a fingerprint reader and a backlight on the keyboard, which naturally don’t affect performance. What is the performance of the Intel Core 5 210H? Even with Lenovo’s Live Face Filter turned off, it’s still not very good.
With a combined score of only 5,060, the ThinkBook 14 had a poor start in PCMark 10. With such a poor performance, the ThinkBook lags behind rivals such as the Acer Aspire 14 AI, Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1, and Framework Laptop 12. Since that model costs roughly $850 online, Asus’ older Zenbook 14 OLED, on the other hand, lags behind the competition, which is a major issue for any competitive laptop.
The results for the handbrakes were also disappointing. Only four of the CPU’s eight total cores are performance cores, and the ThinkBook 14 appears to struggle to maintain performance for extended periods of time. It is therefore at the back of the pack.
However, the Lenovo ThinkBook 14’s graphics performance is also not its strongest point. With only 48 execution units and a top clock speed of 1.4GHz, the Intel Core 5 210H continues to use Intel Graphics, which features older-generation execution units (EUs). In contrast, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition’s Intel Arc 140V graphics deliver 64 of Intel’s most recent EUs with a maximum clock speed of 1.95GHz.
Simply put, the ThinkBook 14’s graphics performance is lacking, lagging slightly behind the AMD Radeon 840M in the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 and the Intel UHD graphics in the Framework Laptop 12. Without notable reductions in graphical detail and resolution, even games from the PS4 and Xbox One platform generations won’t function properly.
The ThinkBook 14 is not a performer, to sum up. You may be asking what exactly is wrong with the Intel Core 210H that powers it because it is so powerful.
That’s an excellent question, and it’s important to note that other laptops with the Intel Core 210H seem to be much ahead of the ThinkBook 14. These laptops are larger and include the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus and the Asus Vivobook V16. Additionally, larger power adapters (150 and 100 watts, respectively) are included with them. This makes me believe that the ThinkBook 14’s smaller design, which is powered by a 65-watt adaptor, is a little power-starved.
Battery life and portability
Regarding battery life, the Lenovo ThinkBook 14’s specs don’t seem promising because its 45-watt-hour battery is smaller than many 13-inch and 14-inch Windows laptops, which typically have 50 to 70 watt-hour batteries. This is comparable to a MacBook Air 13. Consequently, the portability of the ThinkBook proved disappointing. Eight hours and forty-three minutes is hardly enough time for a laptop to last a complete workday.
In my opinion, the battery life test, which makes use of a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel, was even more beneficial than my experience. I frequently had less than half of a charge left after a two-hour visit to a nearby coffee shop. Note that Lenovo’s persistent Live Face Filter software was uninstalled in order to get this outcome. The ThinkBook 14’s battery lasted only six hours and twenty-eight minutes with it installed.
Regarding the portability of the ThinkBook 14, I do have one positive thing to mention. The USB-C power adaptor appeals to me. This 65-watt charger is lightweight and portable, fitting into any laptop-compatible bag. The inclusion of a small charger is welcome because other competitors in this price range still use brick-style adapters.
Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkBook 14 is an outdated notebook. Nothing about it feels contemporary, not even the display, design, battery life, or performance. Even its benefits are offset by trade-offs that don’t help it. Although it lacks the horsepower and battery life to be a fantastic travel companion, it does have the physical connectivity that a frequent flyer or prosumer might want to connect to everything they come across on the go. Its keyboard is excellent for extended typing sessions, but the screen is frequently too dark to read clearly.
But the true issue is that, aside from connectivity, its rivals outperform it in almost every parameter. That is ultimately the laptop’s downfall: if you have roughly $800 to spend, there are many better options available, ranging from Lenovo’s IdeaPad models to Asus’ Zenbook 14. Not to mention Apple’s MacBook Air 13, which is faster, lighter, and has a far longer battery life provided you’re comfortable with macOS.
