The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 is a premium business-class Ultrabook with distinctive seems, connectivity, and portability. It’s accessible in each Intel and AMD variants—I’m reviewing an Intel mannequin—and might be had with 5G mobile connectivity if desired. Better of all, the T14s within reason priced for a ThinkPad, given Lenovo’s rolling gross sales.
Whether or not you discover ThinkPads to be acquainted or maybe overly acquainted is a matter of style, I suppose. However I’ve at all times cherished the feel and appear of those PCs, with their distinctive mixture of carbon fiber, magnesium, and aluminum as discovered within the Deep Black assessment unit. However those that desire one thing just a little completely different can at all times go for an all-aluminum Storm Gray model as an alternative.
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I’m additionally a fan of the PC’s Lenovo and ThinkPad branding, the latter showing on the surface of the show lid and on the wrist relaxation, with the previous sporting a light-up pink dot on the “i” when the PC is powered on.
Certainly, the whole lot in regards to the T14s screams “traditional ThinkPad,” together with the acquainted and lightly-clacky scalloped keyboard, the twin pointing system, the small however rock-solid steel hinges, and, sure, the inverted “Fn” (perform) and Ctrl keys that I’ll by no means perceive. There is no such thing as a mistaking a ThinkPad.
There are a number of 14-inch contact and non-touch 16:10 show selections, most of that are IPS panels and supply a WUXGA (1920 x 1200) decision. However there are two extra spectacular selections, too, a 2.2K (2240 x 1400) IPS panel with anti-glare, non-touch, and 100% sRGB protection, and a 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED panel with anti-reflection, non-touch, HDR500 capabilities, and 100% DCI-P3 protection. The assessment unit has one of many extra pedestrian shows—WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, contact, anti-glare, 45 p.c NTSC, 300 nits—but it surely’s nearly excellent for my wants (I’d go non-touch if potential).
Contained in the T14s you’ll discover a 15-watt thirteenth Gen Intel Core U sequence processor—an i7-1365U with 2 Efficiency cores and eight Environment friendly cores within the assessment unit—built-in Intel Iris X3 graphics, 16 or 32 GB of quick however soldered LPDDR5 RAM, and 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of PCIe Gen4 TCL Opal SSD storage. (The assessment unit is a 16 GB/512 GB configuration.) These are normal productivity-class components and I anticipated the T14s to ship sturdy efficiency for my regular workflows.
Connectivity seems strong, with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, and elective 4G LTE or 5G mobile connectivity, although neither seems within the assessment unit.
Growth is first rate, although the ports are closely biased to the left facet of the PC. There, you’ll discover two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 capabilities, one full-sized HDMI 2.1 video-out port, one full-sized USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and a mixture headphone/microphone port.
By comparability, the proper facet is a bit mild, with a Kensington nano safety slot, a big warmth exhaust port, one full-sized USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and, if configured, a wise card reader. All the USB ports assist always-on charging for linked units.
The facility provide is an ordinary concern Lenovo 65-watt USB-C energy adapter that Lenovo says can cost the T14s’s 57-watt-hour battery to 80 p.c in 60 minutes. (You too can allow a wise cost function for in a single day charging that may assist lengthen the battery’s life.) Battery life is “all day,” which is a few obscure a declare as one could make, so we’ll see what that appears like in real-world use.
The T14s is the complete meal deal from a safety perspective, with Home windows Hi there fingerprint and facial recognition capabilities, plus a key-based microphone mute, a handbook net cam privateness shutter, and a Lenovo WiFi Safety service you’ll be able to allow to assist defend towards suspicious Wi-Fi connections. The fingerprint reader is constructed into the spherical energy button above the proper facet of the keyboard.
The hybrid work options look strong, with a Full HD (1080p) or 5 MP/IR webcam with Lenovo View video enhancements, two user-facing microphones, and Dolby Audio and Dolby Voice capabilities.
There are two audio system on the high of the keyboard.
And right here’s one space the place Lenovo clearly will get it: The ThinkPad 14s is devoid of crapware, to not point out superfluous a number of utilities. There are solely two Lenovo utilities within the Begin menu—Vantage and View—plus three Intel utilities, Dolby Entry, Look by Mirametrix, Pre-boot Supervisor, and Realtek Audio Console. It’s price spending a while exploring the choices in Vantage, specifically.
Lastly, the ThinkPad T14s weighs simply 2.69 kilos, which is terrific for a 14-inch Ultrabook, and it begins simply above $1100 on sale. I’m wanting ahead to carrying this laptop computer, and solely this laptop computer, throughout my journey to Seattle subsequent week.
Extra quickly.
