Lenovo Thinkpad recommendations

[Jxrmss]

Hi,

Recently browsed some Thinkpads and it seems abit confusing with so many diff series and specs.

Was narrowing on E & T series but couldn’t tell the diff even for specs and I feel I am overspending for what I use for.

Mainly using for work (excel), some trading programs, not gaming at all.

Appreciate some guidiance and recommendations on Thinkpad or any other suitable laptops.

Thank you

 

[caterham7]

for your requirements, maybe no need thinkpad?

sub-$600 model should be good enough, 1 example below
https://store.acer.com/en-sg/aspire-lite-14-al14-31p-36zy

do also check same model on lazada and shopee, sometimes cheaper with vouchers

 

[caterham7]

another sub-$600 model
https://shopee.sg/ASUS-LAPTOP-ASUS-VIVOBOOK-GO-15-E1504FA-NJ255W-i.793918495.24618686410

 

[HWZ1973]

Now made in India right, Lenovo?

 

[Jxrmss]

multiple places but I assume China takes the major load

 

[stillgottheblues]

Hi,

Recently browsed some Thinkpads and it seems abit confusing with so many diff series and specs.

Was narrowing on E & T series but couldn’t tell the diff even for specs and I feel I am overspending for what I use for.

Mainly using for work (excel), some trading programs, not gaming at all.

Appreciate some guidiance and recommendations on Thinkpad or any other suitable laptops.

Thank you

The E-Series ThinkPads bring big performance, sleek looks, and great value for the price but E-Series ThinkPads are the bigger and heavier than other ThinkPad series.

T-Series ThinkPads are top-of-the-class for performance and design and true office workhorses. but selling at higher price point.

Can take a look at Lenovo Slim Pro or look out here

 

[stanlawj]

Hi,

Recently browsed some Thinkpads and it seems abit confusing with so many diff series and specs.

Was narrowing on E & T series but couldn’t tell the diff even for specs and I feel I am overspending for what I use for.

Mainly using for work (excel), some trading programs, not gaming at all.

Appreciate some guidiance and recommendations on Thinkpad or any other suitable laptops.

Thank you

I'm one of those who keep browsing Thinkpads until I gather the following conclusions:

• Need 4G LTE/5G WWAN?
  Thinkpad X, X1, T series. (eSIM is supposed to be supported, but I don't know how because I never owned one).
  
  
• Need a performant dGPU (Nvidia only)?
  Thinkpad P series.
  
  
• Need digital pen with pressure sensitivity?
  2-in-1 or Yoga in the name
  
  
• 5-yr durability (judged by relative cost of 5-yr warranty)
  Any Thinkpad that is not Z series or L series. But beware that if you add lots of options esp OLED screen to the higher end laptops, the 5-yr warranty costs will still blow up.
  
  
• High resolution (i.e. high PPI) screen (eg. 2880x1800) > 2560x1600
  Thinkpad X, X1, T, P series
  
  
• Soldered RAM (dual-channel)
  Thinkpad X, X1, T series
  It turns out that even soldered RAM is as slow as removable sodimms due to huge CAS numbers (lax timings). Don't get mislead by the high frequency rating of soldered RAMs.
  
  
• Numpad
  16" screen and larger.

IMO, the only reason to buy Windows laptop is to get
1. digital pen WITH pressure sensitivity AND touch screen AND high PPI screen (i.e. 2-in-1 or Yoga)
2. Nvidia dGPU (for RTX AI, Video editing, 3D modeling, gaming)
3. 4G LTE/5G WWAN

Hence, if you buy any Windows laptop without any of the features above, perhaps check if your workflow can be done on a M3 Macbook Air laptop. The responsiveness, and HDR support for Windows laptop is basically trash compared to Macbook (Pro for HDR). You can try to get better battery life with AMD CPU (or Qualcomm Snapdragon X) on Windows laptops.

Personally I own the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i for reason 1 and dual-screen. Nothing like this exists in Mac or other brands.

 

[jokerpoker81]

Hi,

Recently browsed some Thinkpads and it seems abit confusing with so many diff series and specs.

Was narrowing on E & T series but couldn’t tell the diff even for specs and I feel I am overspending for what I use for.

Mainly using for work (excel), some trading programs, not gaming at all.

Appreciate some guidiance and recommendations on Thinkpad or any other suitable laptops.

Thank you

it was the brand of choice for my former & current companies i worked in, and i will say stay away from levono! if not adapter problem...or motherboard issues and what not. i myself only look at asus or acer.

compare all laptops you want here.
https://versus.com/en/laptop

 

[stanlawj]

it was the brand of choice for my former & current companies i worked in, and i will say stay away from levono! if not adapter problem...or motherboard issues and what not. i myself only look at asus or acer.

compare all laptops you want here.
https://versus.com/en/laptop

I have not encountered any issues with brand new Thinkpad laptops. Most likely your Thinkpads were abused by ex-users.

 

[jokerpoker81]

I have not encountered any issues with brand new Thinkpad laptops. Most likely your Thinkpads were abused by ex-users.

nope! both times it was brand new from IT dept lor. similar scenarios, both times it was barely past 2 yrs of use, but during the period, already had issues here n there..... the time when motherboard had issues, it was literally just less than a year !!! whether it is fengshui no good, or im just unlucky.....i aint gonna go near this brand if not for it being company's laptop.

there is no perfect brand / model that everyone would agree upon, but asus & acer is the choice for me....i didnt even need to think of bringing to customer svc.

 

[Firestone]

ThinkPad better overall
Just need to upgrade warranty to include accidental

L - Budget
Z - AMD
P - Performance
E - heavy
T - lighter esp the s series
X - portable
X1 - flagship

 

[nez]

I'm one of those who keep browsing Thinkpads until I gather the following conclusions:

• Need 4G LTE/5G WWAN?
  Thinkpad X, X1, T series. (eSIM is supposed to be supported, but I don't know how because I never owned one).
  
  
• Need a performant dGPU (Nvidia only)?
  Thinkpad P series.
  
  
• Need digital pen with pressure sensitivity?
  2-in-1 or Yoga in the name
  
  
• 5-yr durability (judged by relative cost of 5-yr warranty)
  Any Thinkpad that is not Z series or L series. But beware that if you add lots of options esp OLED screen to the higher end laptops, the 5-yr warranty costs will still blow up.
  
  
• High resolution (i.e. high PPI) screen (eg. 2880x1800) > 2560x1600
  Thinkpad X, X1, T, P series
  
  
• Soldered RAM (dual-channel)
  Thinkpad X, X1, T series
  It turns out that even soldered RAM is as slow as removable sodimms due to huge CAS numbers (lax timings). Don't get mislead by the high frequency rating of soldered RAMs.
  
  
• Numpad
  16" screen and larger.

IMO, the only reason to buy Windows laptop is to get
1. digital pen WITH pressure sensitivity AND touch screen AND high PPI screen (i.e. 2-in-1 or Yoga)
2. Nvidia dGPU (for RTX AI, Video editing, 3D modeling)
3. 4G LTE/5G WWAN

Hence, if you buy any Windows laptop without any of the features above, perhaps check if your workflow can be done on a M3 Macbook Air laptop. The responsiveness, and HDR support for Windows laptop is basically trash compared to Macbook (Pro for HDR). You can try to get better battery life with AMD CPU (or Qualcomm Snapdragon X) on Windows laptops.

Personally I own the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i for reason 1 and dual-screen. Nothing like this exists in Mac or other brands.

Any advise for buying laptops outside of Singapore, eg. USA?
Was considering as there are often deals.

 

[stanlawj]

Any advise for buying laptops outside of Singapore, eg. USA?
Was considering as there are often deals.

I'm sorry, I don't know about that.

 

[nez]

I'm sorry, I don't know about that.

Sure. Thanks for the breakdown on the Thinkpads nevertheless.

 

[nez]

IMO, the only reason to buy Windows laptop is to get
1. digital pen WITH pressure sensitivity AND touch screen AND high PPI screen (i.e. 2-in-1 or Yoga)
2. Nvidia dGPU (for RTX AI, Video editing, 3D modeling)
3. 4G LTE/5G WWAN

Would it be correct also to include this point?
4. Gaming

Also, any thoughts on the Yoga Pro 9i 16" 2024?

 

[stanlawj]

Would it be correct also to include this point?
4. Gaming

Also, any thoughts on the Yoga Pro 9i 16" 2024?

Yes good point. Gaming.
About Yoga Pro 9i 16” 2024:

• HDMI port is wired to the Intel GPU in Meteor Lake, hence max of whatever Intel GPU is capable (4k60). Eg. no 4k120 or VRR out of this HDMI port. From what I gather, the USB-C Thunderbolt Displayport is also wired to the Intel GPU (need to confirm this), hence same limitation as HDMI.
• Screen is still not 4k. (at 16”, I prefer 3840x2400). This is personal preference for hiDPI display to get super-sharp text since Yoga isn’t marketed as a gaming laptop.
• Power limits on the Nvidia dGPU are on the low side compared to gaming laptops.
• No digital pen with pressure sensitivity support, but you can always use any capacitive pen (with no palm rejection support or pressure sensitivity).

Plus points are: MiniLED 3k HDR glossy screen with multi-touch & 165Hz refresh is great, premium build for the price of a fully loaded Macbook Air 15. I think anyone will love the 165Hz refresh rate, because it makes everything move super-smooth (but at the cost of battery life).

So I notice this Yoga laptops is purposely differentiated from the Legion gaming laptops (i.e. nerfed), yet it doesn’t give me what I expected from a Yoga. No WWAN support too.

If you can accept those limitations, then Yoga Pro 16" is fine. For me, I require a pen with pressure sensitivity, since this is not marketed as a gaming laptop. Without this feature, then I would prefer to a gaming laptop instead. That’s why I went with the Yoga Book 9i instead and intend to get a separate gaming laptop sometime in the future.

See this review:

 

[nez]

Yes good point. Gaming.
About Yoga Pro 9i 16” 2024:

• HDMI port is wired to the Intel GPU in Meteor Lake, hence max of whatever Intel GPU is capable (4k60). Eg. no 4k120 or VRR out of this HDMI port. From what I gather, the USB-C Thunderbolt Displayport is also wired to the Intel GPU (need to confirm this), hence same limitation as HDMI.
• Screen is still not 4k. (at 16”, I prefer 3840x2400). This is personal preference for hiDPI display to get super-sharp text since Yoga isn’t marketed as a gaming laptop.
• Power limits on the Nvidia dGPU are on the low side compared to gaming laptops.
• No digital pen with pressure sensitivity support, but you can always use any capacitive pen (with no palm rejection support or pressure sensitivity).

Plus points are: MiniLED 3k HDR glossy screen with multi-touch & 165Hz refresh is great, premium build for the price of a fully loaded Macbook Air 15. I think anyone will love the 165Hz refresh rate, because it makes everything move super-smooth (but at the cost of battery life).

So I notice this Yoga laptops is purposely differentiated from the Legion gaming laptops (i.e. nerfed), yet it doesn’t give me what I expected from a Yoga. No WWAN support too.

If you can accept those limitations, then Yoga Pro 16" is fine. For me, I require a pen with pressure sensitivity, since this is not marketed as a gaming laptop. Without this feature, then I would prefer to a gaming laptop instead. That’s why I went with the Yoga Book 9i instead and intend to get a separate gaming laptop sometime in the future.

See this review:

Thanks for the breakdown. You mention personal preference of 4K at 3840x2400 for sharp text.
Would this pro 9i at 3K be good enough for sharp text? Or I should only focus on 4K?
If 14”, what should I then consider?

Noted on the short battery life.

I was also considering the yoga 2 in 1 line but concern the Arc graphics is not sufficient for me to play AAA games, although only occasionally

Thanks.

 

[stanlawj]

Thanks for the breakdown. You mention personal preference of 4K at 3840x2400 for sharp text.
Would this pro 9i at 3K be good enough for sharp text? Or I should only focus on 4K?
If 14”, what should I then consider?

Noted on the short battery life.

I was also considering the yoga 2 in 1 line but concern the Arc graphics is not sufficient for me to play AAA games, although only occasionally

Thanks.

There are very few laptops with 16" at 3840x2400 (283ppi) that on display where you can find out. Dell Exclusive stores have their newest XPS16 with such screens on display, so you should go there and check them out.

Some of the Best Denki stores (Funan) has Yoga Pro 9i 16" 3.2K (235ppi) on display, so you can go there to try and see it yourself. The text is still sharp.

So essentially it boils down to your PPI (pixels per inch) preference at you preferred viewing distance of a 16" laptop display: 235ppi or 283 ppi? And your display scaling: 110% or 125% or 150% or 175% or 200%?

For me, it is 150% for 16" display. So 3840x2400 results in 2560x1600 scaled.
3200x2000 only results in 2133x1333 scaled, thus I see fewer chart details on screen, although the text is still sharp. I would need to drop the scaling to 125%, so 3200x2000 becomes 2560x1600 scaled, so less sharp than 150% scaling theoretically. If you're just doing office work, not really a big difference to be concern about (since this Yoga Pro 9i display is IPS, not OLED).

This actually has a much greater impact on OLED displays than IPS, because the multitouch grid or digital pen sensing grid overlaid on the display will cause moire effect with the OLED subpixel grid layout (leading to the "hazy" or "screendoor" effect). If you are buying OLED display laptop, pls check for this hazy or screendoor effect before buying.

 

[stanlawj]

Thanks for the breakdown. You mention personal preference of 4K at 3840x2400 for sharp text.
Would this pro 9i at 3K be good enough for sharp text? Or I should only focus on 4K?
If 14”, what should I then consider?

Noted on the short battery life.

I was also considering the yoga 2 in 1 line but concern the Arc graphics is not sufficient for me to play AAA games, although only occasionally

Thanks.

I rewrote my reply above extensively only just now, so do check it again it already read it.

 

[nez]

I rewrote my reply above extensively only just now, so do check it again it already read it.

Thanks for the extensive explanation. Appreciate it.


Was at bestbuy to look at them and the OLED display is sharp and crisp. The resolution and scaling I need to check further.
Hope to go down again to check it out after more understanding.