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Two-minute assessment
The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 is so good at making an amazing first impression, you received’t seemingly discover its flaws at first. However, delve in deeper, and also you’ll discover just a few issues that miss the mark. No laptop computer is ideal, after all, however in case you’re a transportable that sits within the premium market (like most enterprise laptops), you anticipate it to be nearer to perfection than cheaper choices.
That isn’t to say that the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 doesn’t have its deserves. It feels strong like every enterprise laptop computer ought to, has a keyboard that’s divine to make use of, and comes with a vivid 1080p show. It additionally delivers an amazing efficiency and good battery life in addition to many security measures its enterprise viewers will recognize. Its greatest benefit, nonetheless, is that it gives an reasonably priced choice to all these extraordinarily costly enterprise laptops.
Nevertheless, there are additionally a number of alternatives for enchancment right here, which at its value vary must be much less no more. Is the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 value it? We’re form of torn.
Worth and availability
Spec sheet
CPU: 2.40 GHz Intel Core i5-1135G7 (4-core, 8MB cache, as much as 4.20GHz)
Graphics: Built-in Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
Display screen: 14.0″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits
Storage: 256 GB PCIe SSD
Optical drive: No
Ports: 2 x USB Kind-A; 1 x Thunderbolt 4; 1 x HDMI 1.4; 1 x RJ45; Headphone / mic combo; Kensington lock slot
Connectivity: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11AX; Bluetooth 5.2
Digicam: 720p HD
Weight: 3.51 lbs (1.59 kg)
Measurement: 0.70 x 12.75 x 8.66 inches (1.79 x 32.4 x 22.0 cm; W x D x H)
Though the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 is being marketed as “reasonably priced productiveness,” it nonetheless comes at a steep value, beginning at $1,269 (about £870, AU$1,728) for its base mannequin touting an Eleventh-gen Intel Core i3 and Intel UHD graphics with 4GB reminiscence and 1TB SSD inside. That’s a hefty value for one thing so underpowered (for a enterprise laptop computer). In the meantime, our assessment unit, which rocks an Eleventh-gen Core i5 processor, Intel Xe graphics and 16GB of reminiscence will set you again $1,659 (£989, about AU$2,259).
It’s, nonetheless, cheaper than a few of the finest enterprise laptops on the market. An HP Elite Dragonfly G2 equal, for instance, will set you again $2,900 (about £2,100, AU$3,900) whereas Lenovo’s personal ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is asking $2,849 (about £2,070, AU$3,850) for its equally specced mannequin. It’s additionally a great factor that on the time of writing, Lenovo is providing this line with deep back-to-school and July reductions.
Nonetheless, most entrepreneurs don’t require a enterprise laptop computer to see them via their each day dealings. And, they could discover a prosumer laptop computer just like the Dell XPS 2-in-1 a greater possibility, particularly when it’s just a few hundred {dollars}/kilos cheaper for comparable specs.
Design
Being a enterprise laptop computer, the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 is loaded with many business-centric options. It boasts a military-grade construct that permits it to outlive nearly every part from spills and drops to inclement climate and even zero gravity. It comes with quite a lot of safety options, together with the Trusted Platform Module (dTPM), which encrypts delicate and necessary knowledge and a Kensington Lock. For added safety, you’ll be able to improve and get yours fitted with an IR digicam for safe Home windows Hi there login and/or a fingerprint sensor. And, it has subfunctions assigned to the F9 via F11 keys to allow them to function convention name shortcuts.
True to the ThinkPad custom, its keyboard boasts that signature purple button nestled between the letters G, H and B. That is the TrackPoint, for many who haven’t used a ThinkPad keyboard earlier than, and can be utilized to seamlessly scroll via paperwork and Net pages or to enlarge some gadgets on the display screen. This characteristic has a steep studying curve, nonetheless, and takes a whole lot of persistence to get the dangle of.
Since this sits on the decrease finish of the enterprise laptop computer spectrum, there are some sacrifices made right here. The port choice is a little bit slim – there’s only a single Thunderbolt 4 and two USB Kind-A ports, for instance – and at 3.5 lbs and 17.9mm thick, it’s thicker and heavier than what we’re searching for in a laptop computer we’d must convey with us to enterprise conferences and work journeys. The trackpad can also be a little bit annoying. It isn’t as responsive correctly, and never very comfy to make use of.
Fortunately, its show and keyboard offset a few of these downsides. That 1080p IPS show is vivid at 300 nits (although decrease fashions are solely 250 nits), vibrant sufficient because of its 100% sRGB shade gamut, and lots sharp. Utilizing this display screen for leisure is simply as gratifying as utilizing it for work.
Much more pleasurable to make use of is its keyboard, which by the best way is spill-resistant. It seems like a mash-up of a chiclet keyboard and a butterfly one. Or, at the least, it has a extra satisfying bounce and tactile suggestions than most chiclet keyboards we’ve used.
Efficiency
Benchmarks
3DMark: Night time Raid: 11,213; Time Spy: 1,081; Fireplace Strike: 2,528
CineBenchR23: 2,228 pts
GeekBench 5: 1,376 (single-core); 4 ,440 (multi-core)
PCMark10 (Residence Take a look at): 4,733
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 10 hours and 6 minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar film take a look at): 8 hours and 9 minutes
Our take a look at unit of the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 doesn’t have the facial recognition login, however fortunately, it comes with a fingerprint sensor that we’re capable of take a look at. It’s a pleasant add-on that we’re positive a whole lot of enterprise customers will recognize because it merely hastens the login course of, to not point out provides one other degree of safety. Sadly, it isn’t as dependable as, say, the one on our 2019 MacBook Professional 13-inch – it often takes a few tries earlier than it’s capable of learn our fingerprint properly sufficient to log us in.
Should you don’t care a lot in regards to the frills and the design points, nonetheless, and solely care in regards to the efficiency, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s considered one of this laptop computer’s biggest strengths. Regardless of our unit solely having the mid-range i5 chip, it hasn’t proven any indicators of huge slowdowns throughout demanding duties like having 25 totally different browser tabs – three of that are enjoying movies from three totally different streaming platforms, Microsoft Outlook, and two phrase processing apps working on the identical time.
Its efficiency stays snappy all through, and whereas we’d undoubtedly not be utilizing this to edit 5-minute 4K movies because it solely has built-in graphics inside, it undoubtedly exceeds expectations when doing what it’s been designed to do.
The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 can also be one cool child. That’s, it stays largely cool underneath stress. Lenovo hasn’t actually talked about what kind of cooling system it’s utilizing, however no matter it’s, it’s darn efficient while you’re juggling productiveness duties and leisure on the identical time.
Digicam
A 720p HD webcam on a laptop computer is rarely going to ship as crisp and as detailed of a picture as a devoted 1080p or 4K one, and that was one thing we anticipated from the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2’s personal HD webcam.
Nonetheless, there are just a few different misses right here, particularly when evaluating it to that of our personal 2020 MacBook Professional 13-inch, which has the identical decision webcam. The digicam on the ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 not solely loses much more particulars but in addition loses out on the dynamic vary, capturing darker pictures than that of the MacBook’s when each are utilized in the identical lighting situation.
Darkish shadows are in abundance, which actually doesn’t make for a flattering image while you’re video conferencing with colleagues. So, it may be smart to additionally put money into a correct ring gentle. However, that’s not all: the image can also be being overprocessed in order that each nonetheless pictures and movies have a really obvious smoothing impact. If that’s the form of modifying you’re into today, you then would possibly recognize it.
If, alternatively, you may have extra sense than that and need extra natural-looking pictures, you must maybe put money into a devoted webcam with a better decision.
At the least there’s a privateness shutter if you end up a bit digicam shy or simply not camera-ready but, and there’s a piece video convention it’s essential to attend.
Battery life
Then again, the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2’s battery life is first rate, however nothing to put in writing residence about. Throughout our testing, it solely lasts a complete of 8 hours and 9 minutes when working TechRadar‘s video playback take a look at and a little bit over 10 hours with the PCMark 10 Battery Life take a look at.
To be honest, that isn’t too removed from Lenovo’s score of as much as 11.9 hours. Nevertheless, we’d have favored to see one thing close to that mark throughout our testing. In spite of everything, two hours in the true world makes an enormous distinction, particularly while you’ve bought a laptop computer that’s on the thick and heavy aspect and would love the choice to go away the charger at residence.
Fortunately, that charger is gentle sufficient and juices up that laptop computer quick, because of its Fast Cost functionality.
Purchase it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
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