Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 review

The ThinkPad E-series is one of the most popular business notebooks not only in Lenovo’s roster but in the market segment in general. There are two reasons for that. First, it is inexpensive, which makes it a perfect choice for corporations, and second – it has proven to be a really solid workhorse.

Usually, it is never a clean sweep for the ThinkPad E-series when they get in our office. Due to the cost-cutting measures, which are inevitable at this price point, the laptop always falls short in one or more categories.

One thing we know for sure is that the ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 will not disappoint with performance. It comes with the latest 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs from Intel, and you have a choice between the U-series and the P-series. Naturally, the former should offer better efficiency and less heat, while the latter can be used in more demanding scenarios.

We also have to mark that for the second year running, Lenovo has omitted the 768p TN panel from its display options. Now the only thing they have left to do is to stop supplying 1080p TN panels, and we will finally be on perfect terms.

Anyways, let’s pop the box open, and see what we got ourselves into.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkpad-e15-gen-4-intel/

Contents


Specs Sheet

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 (Intel) - Specs

  • BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE08E2)
  • Color accuracy  5.5  3.7
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 2000GB SSD
  • M.2 Slot
  • 1x 2242M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 + 1x 2242 M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4  See photo
  • RAM
  • up to 40GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, No OS
  • Battery
  • 45Wh, 3-cell, 57Wh, 45Wh
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate, Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 365 x 240 x 18.9 mm (14.37" x 9.45" x 0.74")
  • Weight
  • 1.70 kg (3.7 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 2.0
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
  • HDMI
  • 2.0
  • Card reader
  • Ethernet LAN
  • 10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.2
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • optional
  • Web camera
  • HD or FHD
  • Backlit keyboard
  • optional
  • Microphone
  • Dual Array Microphone, near-field
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos, Harman Speakers
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot
  • Kensington Lock

All Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 (Intel) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

What’s in the box?

The packaging here is pretty standard. You get nothing more than the laptop itself, some paperwork, and a 65W USB Type-C charger.


Design and construction

As we mentioned, the design hasn’t received an overhaul, compared to last year. Its lid is still made out of metal, while the base is plastic. Ultimately, we see some flex from the base, which is not ideal but is completely normal.

It has also retained the 18.9mm thickness of the profile and the weight of 1.70 kilos. This means that the ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 is among the lighter 15-inchers out there.

Frankly, the lid can’t be opened with a single hand. Also, the bottom bezel is quite thick, compared to the competition. On the bright side, the top one now houses a privacy shutter, and an optional IR face recognition scanner – a feature that makes the device look like it comes out of a comic book. In addition, you can now pick from two camera options – an HD and a Full HD one.

Next comes the base. It is home to the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader on some configurations (like ours). Respectively, the keyboard itself is one of the best units made – typically for a ThinkPad. Besides the long key travel, clicky feedback, and backlight, you get the TrackPoint, combined with three buttons placed just above the touchpad.

Speaking of which, the unit is a bit small. Its clicking mechanism isn’t the best, since it works only for half of the surface area. On the other hand, the Mylar surface provides a rather smooth gliding experience.

The bottom panel reveals the speaker cutouts as well as the ventilation grill. Naturally, the hot air is exhausted through the back.

Ports

On the left side, you get a Thunderbolt 4 connector, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, an HDMI connector, and an аudio jack. Switch sides, and you will find a Kensington lock slot, a LAN port, and a USB Type-A 2.0 port.


Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance

To get inside this device, you need to undo 8 captive Phillips-head screws. After that, simply pry the bottom panel, and take it out of your way.

Here, you see a 57Wh battery pack. It lasts for 11 hours of Web browsing, or 7 hours and 30 minutes of video playback. To take it out, you need to undo 5 Phillips-head screws. After that, unplug the connector from the motherboard.

This notebook has 8GB of DDR4 memory soldered to the motherboard. They can be expanded by up to 32GB thanks to the single SODIMM slot. Storage-wise, there are two M.2 PCIe x4 slots. The one on the right supports Gen 4 drives, while the one on the left is limited to Gen 3 SSDs.

The cooling features two heat pipes, a heat sink, and a fan. The VRMs are also being cooled, which is good.


Display quality

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 in our configuration is equipped with a Full HD IPS panel with a model number BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE08E2). Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.62 cm), and the resolution is 1920 х 1080 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 142 ppi, and a pitch of 0.18 х 0.18 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 60cm (24″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).

Viewing angles are excellent. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

The measured maximum brightness of 342 nits in the middle of the screen and 329 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 12%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 7130K – colder than the sRGB standard of 6500K.

In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source.

Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work. The contrast ratio is good – 1090:1.

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 52% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).

The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.

The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 17 ms.

After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.


PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4’s display doesn’t use PWM to adjust its brightness levels at any point. This makes it comfortable for use during long work periods, without harming your eyes in this aspect.

Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Gloss level measurement

Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 48.9 GU, which is not too glossy).


Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 configurations with 15.6″ FHD IPS BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE08E2).

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-edge-laptops/thinkpad-e15-gen-4-type-21e6-21e7/downloads/driver-list

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. Our configuration comes with a 57Wh battery pack, which lasts for 11 hours and 15 minutes of Web browsing, or 7 hours and 25 minutes of video playback.


CPU options

Lenovo offers this device with the Core i3-1215U, Core i5-1235U, Core i7-1255U, Core i5-1240P, or Core i7-1260P.


GPU options

In addition to the integrated graphics, you can pick the GeForce MX550 with 2GB of GDDR6 VRAM.


Gaming tests

cs-go-benchmarks

CS:GOHD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS119 fps96 fps48 fps

DOTA 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
Average FPS117 fps77 fps44 fps

Temperatures and comfort

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power

Intel Core i7-1255U (15W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 43.44 GHz @ 2.63 GHz @ 78°C @ 43W2.98 GHz @ 2.24 GHz @ 75°C @ 36W2.15 GHz @ 1.57 GHz @ 70°C @ 23W
MSI Modern 15 (B12M)3.63 GHz @ 2.68 GHz @ 78°C @ 44W3.63 GHz @ 2.65 GHz @ 86°C @ 44W3.26 GHz @ 2.40 GHz @ 85°C @ 35W

In this test, the ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 proved to be inconsistent. Although it works above the 15W TDP limit of the processor, we experienced a fluctuation in the frequencies. As soon as the average core temperature reached 88°C, the clocks dropped and only returned to their normal values after the CPU has cooled down to about 63°C.

Comfort during full load

On the other hand, the fan was running almost at the same level throughout the entire test. Plus, it wasn’t too loud. And what makes the situation better, is that the hotspot of the keyboard never passed the 40-degree mark.


Verdict

You know, Intel is becoming something of a redemption for manufacturers in 2022. There are a lot of laptops that haven’t been changed a bit, but only because they feature an Alder Lake CPU of any sort, they can be considered a big win. This is exactly the case with the ThinkPad E15 Gen 4. Quite frankly, it is nothing special. On the other hand, its job is to be ordinary – provide everything one would need to execute its business needs, but do it securely.

As such, the device is not bad at all. However, we were baffled by the use of the USB Type-A 2.0 port. Not only that but there are only two USB Type-A ports in total. This makes the E15 Gen 4 easy prey for the ProBook 450 G9, and the Latitude 15 3530 (when both of them finally hit the shelves).

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4’s IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, good contrast ratio, and a non-flickering backlight. This makes it safe for long periods of use, without suffering the negative effects of PWM. On the other hand, it covers only half of the colors found on the Web.

In addition to that, you will get good-enough battery life. And if Web-based apps are your thing, 11 hours of Web browsing on a single charge means that you should be able to get through an entire workday without the need to grab a charger. However, you have to keep in mind, that our configuration came equipped with a 57Wh battery, whereas the 45Wh unit should drain much quicker.

So, according to the stress test we did on this machine, you can be confident in its performance, but only for quick tasks. However, as soon as you put more strain on the cooling solution, it will crumble. With that said, photo editing shouldn’t be an issue, and if you work with large documents, you will be happy to know that you can expand the 8GB soldered memory with 32GB more via the SODIMM slot on the inside.

Furthermore, there are two M.2 PCIe x4 slots for storage expansion. One of them even supports Gen 4 drives. So, if you are happy with what we just told you, then the ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 will be a sufficient notebook for your needs. However, our advice is to wait for more 12th Gen business notebooks to hit the market – the ProBook 450 G9 looks particularly intriguing.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkpad-e15-gen-4-intel/

Pros

  • Great spill-resistant keyboard
  • Good performance
  • No PWM (BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE08E2))
  • 1x SODIMM slot + 2x M.2 PCIe x4 (one supports Gen 4 drives)
  • Optional IR face recognition and fingerprint reader


Cons

  • Covers only 52% of sRGB (BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE08E2))
  • Only two USB Type-A ports, one of which runs at 2.0 speeds
  • No SD card reader

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