A bit business, a bit casual. Lenovo ThinkBook 13s laptop review

ThinkPad is synonymous with a business laptop. Ready for anything, elegant, but also usually ... terribly expensive equipment designed for working people. ThinkBook 13s is much more affordable to ThinkPads - at what cost?

ThinkBook 13s lies in a very strange place in the Lenovo portfolio. On the one hand, it is much cheaper and much worse equipped than the top ThinkPads T or X series, but it costs a little more and is better equipped than comparable models of the budget L series and sometimes even E.

It is also somewhere in the middle of the consumer product line - much higher than the inexpensive IdeaPads, but well below the top Yoga series.

One foot stands in the business world, the other in the world of ordinary users. Can such a compromise succeed? Let's look at where Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is more business and where rather casual .

On the quality side of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is more casual than business .

ThinkPads are famous for not only that they are made of extremely durable materials, but also have spill-resistant keyboards, and in the event of a fault they can be easily disassembled and the components replaced with new ones.

ThinkBook 13s quality workmanship, however, closer to the most expensive IdeaPads. Instead of a plastic mix that would be resistant to falls, we have a classic aluminum housing with a plastic frame around the screen.

However, we can still easily get to the components hidden under the bottom flap of the laptop. We will replace the RAM, SSD drive and Wi-Fi card ourselves. Nothing is also flooded with epoxy resin, so if necessary, service technicians will not have to throw the entire motherboard in the trash to replace e.g. a faulty key (I'm looking at you, Apple!).

The only design element that is closer to the world of business than consumer electronics is the ThinkShutter zip front camera. You can cover the camera with a plastic plug in one move, instead of e.g. covering it with tape. A very useful solution if we value privacy.

The ThinkBook 13s is also somewhere in the middle on the mobility scale. At 1.33 kg, it's not the lightest construction on the market, but it's not the heaviest either. The whole gives a very solid impression, nothing creaks, does not creak, feel that we are buying a product of really good quality, but generally speaking closer to consumer laptops than business ThinkPads.

The specification is very casual .

The variant of ThinkBook 13s I tested is the basic version, with an Intel Core i5-8265U processor, 8 GB of RAM and SSD with a capacity of 256 GB. This option costs PLN 3699. By paying PLN 250, we can buy a version with 16 GB of RAM. A variant with an Intel Core i7 processor is also available, costing from 4199 PLN (8GB RAM) to 4449 PLN (16 GB RAM).

We can also replace the mentioned operating memory ourselves, there is only one catch - it is a single bone, and RAM works in single channel mode, which has a big impact on computer performance in complex calculations, and even in a web browser.

The specification of the basic version is of course sufficient for the vast majority of basic tasks, but there is no question of heavier loading of the machine. However, you need to praise the ThinkBook 13s for its excellent work culture. Two fans have been used here, which not only keep the cabinet temperatures at all times, but also do not make excessive noise, even under load. When you do not overload the computer, you just can't hear the fans.

From the business side of the specification, we basically have two things: TPM encryption and a fingerprint reader integrated with Windows Hello. The fingerprint reader is obviously not a novelty in the laptop world, although I have to praise Lenovo because the module used in the ThinkBook works great. A nod to business users is also undoubtedly a set of connectors - there are two USB A ports, one USB-C, a headphone jack and a full-size HDMI connector.

Being at the specification I will mention the battery immediately. The 2964 mAh capacity does not look impressive, but it is enough for 8-9 hours of operation; it's a great result.

The standby time is unfortunately much less great. Maybe it is a matter of a specific copy, but if I forgot to connect my laptop for the night, after a few hours in sleep mode it was at least 20-30 percent less. energy. Once during the tests, I put it down for two days without connecting to a charger, the laptop completely discharged, although it remained in sleep mode all the time.

In the set we have a partial remedy for this ailment - a fast charger with 65W power. It is a pity that Lenovo still insists on its proprietary connector instead of switching to USB-C and a more compact, one-piece charger.

The keyboard and trackpad are pure business.

Ok, the keyboard is not as good as in ThinkPads and it lacks a red "bell" in the middle, which will certainly miss fans of Lenovo business laptops. But it's much better than in the best IdeaPad or Yoga. It is illuminated (it's a shame that only two stages), extremely comfortable and basically for itself it is worth buying a ThinkBook 13s - if someone needs a laptop that is strictly a portable typewriter, in the range of 3 to 5 thousand. gold only Matebook 13 from Huawei has a better keyboard and trackpad.

Speaking of trackpad, the one in the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is quite fine - it is pleasant to use, Windows Precision gestures work flawlessly, and against the background of the said Matebook 13, it basically lacks only a bit larger size.

Screen is also a business, but it's hard to call it an advantage.

The ThinkBook 13s display is definitely its weakest element; you can see that Lenovo came from a similar assumption as in cheaper ThinkPads - Mrs. Kasia from the accounting department does not need a screen that faithfully covers the color spaces, HDRs and other murmur-goodies. The only plus of the screen used in the Lenovo laptop is the hinge, alive removed from ThinkPads, which allows you to unfold the laptop at an angle of 180 degrees. Besides, simply put, it's not good.

We have a 13.3-inch, matte IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution and classic 16: 9 aspect ratio. It is surrounded by a thick frame, at the bottom there is an even thicker chin, and the panel itself looks very, very average. Viewing angles are not the best, the colors are a bit washed, blacks closer to gray, and the brightness is insufficient to even think about using the ThinkBook 13s in full sun.

I would be willing to forgive him, especially since for business applications you really do not need anything more, but it is difficult to do it, since the MateBook 13 costing the same has a beautiful display with a resolution of 2160 x 1440 px, surrounded by thin frames and in more suitable for work 3: 2 aspect ratio.

And unfortunately, Matebook 13 also beats ThinkBook 13s on its head when it comes to speakers that, together with the screen, provide the laptop with a multimedia layer. Harman tuned speakers ... are. And that is all you can say about them. They play on average, overdrive at higher volume levels and simply do not wash with the Huawei laptop.

Business or casual ? Who is Lenovo ThinkBook 13s for?

Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is a laptop for work, I have no doubt about it. It will not appeal to entertainment lovers, it will not meet the expectations of creative professionals.

However, it will be great as a laptop in a small business, where the quality of the display or speakers are secondary, and more important is the quality of the keyboard, time away from the outlet and peace of mind flowing from the purchase of a reputable brand equipment.

ThinkBook 13s is also a great option for pupils and students - long working hours, a matte screen and an excellent keyboard make it an ideal companion for doing homework or taking notes from lectures. In the context of the latter (or e.g. business meetings with presentations), an HDMI connector will also be useful, which allows you to connect your laptop to the projector without any additional adapters.

Maybe at first glance there is little ThinkPad DNA in the ThinkBook, but when it comes to where the new Lenovo laptop will perform better, it is certainly more business than casual .

A bit business, a bit casual. Lenovo ThinkBook 13s laptop review