Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 Evaluate: Reasonably priced, Upgradeable Enterprise Convertible

Should you learn my evaluate earlier this yr of Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 and agreed with my conclusion that it is too costly until your group is making quantity purchases, then the ThinkBook line is perhaps of curiosity. Geared towards smaller retailers and particular person consumers on the lookout for a stable and safe two-in-one laptop computer, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 provides a low-cost various to pricier ThinkPads for enterprise consumers. 

Not solely is it extra reasonably priced than a ThinkPad, however additionally it is extra upgradeable. Most fashionable laptops and two-in-ones, together with Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 and ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 in addition to its consumer-oriented Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 and Yoga 7 14 Gen 9, characteristic RAM that’s soldered to the motherboard and can’t be upgraded after buy (the case with most laptops now). The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4’s upgradeability can improve your ROI by letting you (or your IT division) add extra RAM and a second SSD as a substitute of needing to buy a brand new machine on the first indicators of it slowing down. The remainder of the package deal is pretty fundamental — from the plain general look to the dim show — however the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4’s stable construct high quality and expandability might lend it a protracted and helpful life for budget-conscious enterprise consumers.

This fourth technology of Lenovo’s ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 relies on Intel Core Extremely processors. The baseline mannequin has been persistently discounted to $939 at Lenovo and incorporates a Core Extremely 5 125U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 14-inch IPS contact show with a 1,920×1,200-pixel decision. 

Lenovo provides just a few customization choices for the CPU (to a Core Extremely 7 155H), RAM (as much as 32GB) and SSD (as much as 1TB). Our take a look at system value $1,046 and included 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD in addition to the improve from Home windows 11 Dwelling to Professional.

The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 begins at £708 within the UK and AU$1,683 in Australia. 

Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 efficiency

There are fewer variations than you would possibly assume between the Core Extremely 5 125H CPU in our take a look at system and the step-up Core Extremely 7 155H that Lenovo provides for an additional $209. The Core Extremely 7 155H runs at barely larger CPU and GPU frequencies than the Core Extremely 5 125H, however each chips characteristic a complete of 12 processing cores — two efficiency cores, eight environment friendly cores and two low-power environment friendly cores.

Given the 2 processors have the identical variety of cores and the variations in frequencies are slight, I used to be shocked to see the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 path a pair of Core Extremely 7 155H-based methods within the HP Spectre x360 14 and Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 on the Geekbench 6 single- and multi-core exams by such extensive margins. It even completed behind the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 with a previous-gen Core i7 U-series CPU and a pair of AMD Ryzen 7 8860H-based fashions within the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 7445 and Lenovo Yoga 7 14 Gen 9. 

The ThinkBook managed to high the ThinkPad X1 Yoga on PCMark 10 however trailed the opposite Intel and AMD fashions on this benchmark, which measures general software efficiency throughout combined workloads.

It additionally produced a lackluster consequence on 3DMark Time Spy. It completed forward of the previous-gen ThinkPad X1 Yoga and narrowly edged the Microsoft Floor Professional 11, however the Arm-based Floor Professional 11 had to make use of emulation to run the take a look at, which holds again efficiency. Neither of those 3DMark Time Spy victories should be celebrated.

After a sequence of disappointments in lab testing, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 flipped the script with battery testing and produced a superb runtime of roughly 13.5 hours. That is the perfect amongst this group of laptops and two-in-ones and greater than sufficient to get you thru most workdays on a single cost. 

Plain appears to be like, stable construct

The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 is designed to not flip heads however to place your head down and work. It incorporates a sturdy, all-aluminum enclosure in a boring grey coloration with a boring grey keyboard to match. The one trace of a design flourish is the 2 tones of grey on the lid, with the usual boring offset by a barely lighter however nonetheless boring grey on the underside third.

Whereas it could be missing within the appears to be like division, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 boasts a rock-solid construct high quality. This laptop computer is a workhorse that can be capable of stand as much as every day abuse. The steel chassis has little to not one of the flex felt in flimsier enclosures, and the show hinges really feel agency and preserve the show rooted in place with little to no wobble in its many modes, from laptop computer to pill with tent and presentation modes in between. The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 has handed MIL-STD 810H exams to show its capacity to resist drops, vibration, shock, mud, excessive temperatures and extra.

Unsurprisingly, the tank-like laptop computer is heavier than the common 14-inch two-in-one. It weighs 3.6 kilos, which isn’t too heavy for every day journey and the identical weight because the Lenovo Yoga 7 14 Gen 9. The two.9-pound Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9, 3.1-pound Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 and three.2-pound HP Spectre x360 14 are higher choices when you’re trying to journey lighter.

The keyboard is spill-resistant to guard the internals from espresso, Food regimen Coke or no matter beverage helps you get by means of the workday. It feels roomy, however the keys themselves lean towards mushy and lack the snap you get with a ThinkPad keyboard. I do like getting 4 almost full-size arrow keys as a substitute of the half-height buttons normally on supply.

I additionally just like the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 upgradeability. We’re in an period the place most laptops characteristic RAM that is soldered to the motherboard and never upgradeable after buy. So, it is refreshing to see a laptop computer with an precise RAM module that may be eliminated or changed. Higher but, there is a second RAM slot so that you — or the IT division managing a small fleet of ThinkBook 14 — can simply add extra reminiscence as wanted. 

There’s additionally an open M.2 slot so as to add a second SSD for storage. And getting contained in the laptop computer is straightforward so long as you have got a Torx screwdriver; 9 Torx screws maintain the underside panel in place.

Like the general design, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4’s show is unremarkable. It is a typical 1,920×1,200-pixel IPS contact panel rated for a ho-hum 300 nits of brightness. The decision suffices for the show’s dimension — textual content and pictures look sharp sufficient — however I want it was brighter. 

In testing with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter, it did not hit its meager ranking and measured a peak brightness of simply 285 nits. This can be a show wherein you will have the brightness dialed all the way in which up always. And you may want you could possibly push it larger if you find yourself sitting in a sunny room or beneath vivid synthetic lights. Coloration efficiency was higher than anticipated, although. The show coated 100% of the sRGB gamut and an honest proportion of the bigger coloration areas — 78% for AdobeRGB and 80% for P3. 

Lenovo consists of the Slim Pen 4.0, an energetic pen that may be charged by way of USB-C and connected magnetically to the laptop computer’s proper facet. Its flat form is not essentially the most ergonomic for writing, nevertheless it’s extensive sufficient that I grew snug utilizing it.

The 1080p webcam produces a fuzzy, poorly balanced picture that appears extra like the standard you’d get with an older 720p cam. It isn’t nice, nevertheless it does characteristic a bodily privateness shutter. Lenovo provides an IR cam improve, however the improve would not embrace a bump in decision. With out the webcam improve, you need to use the fingerprint reader that is built-in into the facility button on the system’s proper facet for safe biometric logins.

The exterior port choice is great with Thunderbolt 4 on board together with a pair of USB-A ports, HMDI and even a microSD card slot. With simply Wi-Fi 6 as a substitute of Wi-Fi 6E to say nothing of the present Wi-Fi 7 customary, nonetheless, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4’s wi-fi networking is behind the occasions. 

Is the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 an excellent laptop computer?

On condition that it prices a whole bunch lower than equally configured ThinkPads, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 provides good worth regardless of its shortcomings. And its worth will solely improve when you plan to make the most of its upgradeability so as to add extra RAM or a second SSD to increase its lifespan. Plus, with its rugged construct, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 ought to carry up for years and years.