Lenovo ThinkPad T14s (AMD)
A great keyboard but rivals deliver a more rounded set of capabilities for less
When ThinkPads are mentioned, what words spring to mind? I’m willing to bet that “dependable”, “solid” and “reliable” all make an appearance. Like an old pair of jeans, you know exactly what you’re getting.
So it is with the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s. Its matte-black livery and ThinkPad logo, not to menntion those deep-travel keys, recall a time when men wore moustaches and laptops weighed as much as a breeze block.
Don’t be fooled by this laptop’s banal veneer, though. Beneath the T14s’ corporate exterior lies a machine that’s as usable, powerful and lovable as the shiniest of its rivals.
What’s more, there’s a unique appeal to the ThinkPad T14s’ no-nonsense, matte-black chassis. It might look like it’s made of plastic, but in reality it’s constructed from sturdy magnesium alloy and coated in a roughened black paint that sparkles subtly in the light.
There’s no doubt that this is a machine destined for life on an office desk rather than the sofa, however: it has a stack of physical connections that belie its 1.27kg weight and sleek 16.1mm height. A pair of USB-C ports sits on the left alongside a single USB-A port, a docking connector, a 3.5mm jack and a full-size HDMI output. The right edge holds another USB-A port, a Kensington lock slot and, in certain configurations, a smart card reader.
With an Intel AX200 wireless adapter adding Wi-Fi 6 and
Bluetooth 5 – and the option of
Cat16 4G on the Intel models for on-the-go internet access ( see “AMD or Intel?” opposite) – it has connectivity covered.
Flip open the lid and you’ll see yet more work-friendly features. There’s a fingerprint reader set into the wristrest, just to the right of the touchpad, while those familiar with ThinkPads of old will appreciate the red trackpoint in the centre of the keyboard. y
The ThinkPad T14s also has a series of call-specific shortcut keys ranged along the top of the keyboard in place of the usual media-control buttons. There’s a microphone-mute shortcut key attached to F4 and a physical privacy slider for the laptop’s 720p webcam for those times when you want to be invisible.
It’s only a shame that video quality isn’t better. For a laptop of this calibre, I was expecting crisper images than the soft, mushy results the T14s delivered. Audio quality is better, with clear speakers that don’t distort when you push them, even if there isn’t much in the way of body. The mics are sensibly positioned to each side of the webcam so there’s no danger of obscuring the microphone with your hands or clothes while you’re on a call. The keyboard is the star of the show, however. It has much more travel than most ultraportable laptops and there’s a super-plush break to each key press. Combined with a solid base, subtly convex key tops that cradle your fingertips and spacing that keeps typos to a merciful minimum, you’ll struggle to find a better laptop keyboard.
The type of display differs depend ing on the model you choose. Both available AMD Ry zen mode ls feature the “l ow-power” , non-touch disp lay, which Lenovo states has a peak brightness of 400c d/m2. If you choose the Intel version of the ThinkPad T14s, you can upgrade to a 4K disp la y rated at 500cd/m2, which is an affo rd able £140 extra – note that it’s gl ossy rather than matte.
I found that my review unit’s an ti-glare matte finish was great at keeping distracting reflec ti ons at bay, and while I initially missed having a touchscreen that soon faded. Even the low(ish) 1080p resolution isn’t too restrictive. At this screen si ze , the pixel density is 157ppi, whic h means that the pixel structure is impossible to make ou t at distances of ar ou nd 56cm or so aw ay. For most people, that’s around the normal vi ewing distance for a laptop display.
I measured a peak brightness of 371cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 1,671:1, both of whic h are impressive figures, even if the form er is lower th an Lenovo’s claims . sRGB coverage was good too, at 92.6% out of a total colour volume of 95.7%, but an average Delta E of 2. 83 means that colour accuracy isn’t this screen’s strong point. If that’s important to you, consider the M1 MacBook Pro ( see issue 316, p44) with its wider colour gamut or the more accurate Dell XPS 13 ( see issue 317, p50).
Nonetheless, for the average user, this ThinkPad’s screen is perfectly adequate. Indeed, its matte finish and anti-glare coating are probably more useful to the average user than better colour accuracy.
Speed need
A few short years ago, seeing an AMD processor in what is ostensibly a corporate laptop would have been unthinkable, but times have changed. Our review unit was supplied with the top-end AMD Ryzen Pro 4750U, a CPU that competes head to head with Intel’s mobile Core i7 vPro series of processors.
In our 4K media benchmarks, the toug hest section of which sees the laptop ca rr ying ou t image conversion, video co nversion and 4K video playback tasks simultaneously, the AMD Ryzen Pro 4750U’s eight cores and 16 threads demolished the competition ( see the performance graphs to the right).
In shorter high-intensity benchmarks, such as Geekbench 5, the difference was less pronounced, wi th the AM D CPU outperforming the Dell XPS 13’s 11th-gen Core i7-1165G7 in multitas king but falling behind it for single-thread ed tasks.
Likewise, if it ’s the odd bit of after-wo rk gaming you’re interested in, you might want to opt for a lapt op with Intel’s latest integrated graphi cs instead. Alth ough th e AMD RX Vega 7 graphics in the Ry ze n Pro 4750U are faster than the Ir is Plus graphics in the te nth-gen Core proces so rs – as seen in the Micr osoft Surface Laptop 3 ( see issue 305, p56) – they can’t keep up with the Iris Xe graphics in the 11th-gen ch ip s.
Think ThinkPad?
While battery life from the 55.6Wh battery is fine, it falls significantly short of the best. In our videorundown test, the ThinkPad T14s lasted 8hrs 20mins before needing to recharge. Again, this isn’t as good as the Dell XPS 13 and it lags significantly behind the new M1 MacBook Pro 13in.
The mediocre battery life is a black mark against a laptop that, aside from its truly excellent keyboard, fails to make an impact. This alone puts it at a significant disadvantage compared to the HP EliteBook 845 G7 ( see issue 316,
“A few short years ago, seeing an AMD CPU in a corporate laptop would have been unthinkable, but times have changed”
p50), which was also powered by the Ryzen 4750U.
Performance from this chip is phenomenal under sustained load, but in day-to-day use the target audience is unlikely to notice the difference compared to the latest Core i7-powered Dell XPS 13. And if you’re willing to switch allegiance from Windows, the M1
MacBook Pro (and even the cheaper Air) are faster still in optimised programs whilst being even sleeker. I also question this laptop’s value for money: a 256GB SSD at this price is positively stingy, and while the warranty lasts three years it’s return-to-base not on-site.
This leaves the ThinkPad T14s in the uncomfortable middle ground, unable to lift itself away from the new MacBooks and its corporate rivals.
SPECIFICATIONS
8-core 1.7GHz (4.1GHz burst) AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 4750U processor Radeon RX Vega graphics (seven cores) 8GB RAM (16GB as tested) 14in non-touch IPS display with HP Sure View, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5 2 x USB-C 3.1 2 x USB-A 3.1 HDMI SIM slot smart card reader 720p webcam 53Wh battery Windows 10 Pro 323 x 215 x 17.9mm (WDH) 1.39kg 3yr RTB warranty