If you’re on the lookout for a no-nonsense laptop for getting stuff done without any frills, the go-to answer is a Lenovo ThinkPad because of its functional design packed with the power to be productive.
And now, alongside the refresh of its T-Series, X-Series and P-Series workstations, Lenovo is updating its entry-level L14 and L14 with new CPUs, improved security and connectivity, enhanced efficiency features, and Thunderbolt 4.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14
Lenovo’s L series is well known for packing plenty of power into a budget-friendly model, and the L14 is no different. It starts with a 14-inch FHD display, with options varying all the way up to a low-power IPS panel with 400 nits of brightness.
Available in AMD or Intel flavours, you will find either an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 VPro or Ryzen 5000 CPU under the hood for peak productivity performance. The integrated UHD or Radeon graphics should be more than enough for most, but if you have more of a creative pro workload, there is an Nvidia MX450 GPU available for your configuration.
For multitasking, you can get up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and those with intense storage needs can breathe a sigh of relief with up to a 2TB SSD. Beyond the aforementioned inclusion of Thunderbolt 4, you have all the I/O you need for working on-the-go like WiFi 6 and LTE, alongside an HDMI 2.0 port for plugging into your home working setup (especially important, given the times we live in).
Add in business security features like the fingerprint reader, a dPTM 2.0 chip, and an updated suite of Lenovo’s ThinkShield security features, and you’ve got a decent package.
Lenovo ThinkPad L15
Looking at the spec sheets between the L14 and L15, you’d be hard-pressed to find any differences. They have the same CPU options, maximum RAM and storage capacity configurations, I/O ports, and enterprise security implementations.
The main difference here is up top with that 15-inch display — the L15 gives you extra room to make those side-by-side windows more legible when multitasking, which can be configured all the way up to an FHD IPS On-Cell Touch display with 300 nits of brightness.
Both models come with that same rigid, restrained design you expect from a ThinkPad. It may not be a looker, but it is MIL-STD-810H tested to withstand 26 procedures. For those who read that and said “what is that,” basically, it has passed industry-leading standards and military-grade tests for durability and reliability.
Outlook
It’s great to see Lenovo beefing up its entry-level business laptops, especially at a time when businesses are noticing how much they’re saving by getting their team to work from home rather than an office.
The AMD-armed Lenovo L14 and L15, and the Intel-equipped L14i and L15i, are set to launch in May 2021 with prices starting from $689. With that release window, we are expecting to get our hands on a review unit soon, so stay tuned for our opinion on the machines.
