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    Lenovo ThinkBook 15 review – something that provides a great value

    LaptopMedia.comReviewsLenovo ThinkBook 15 review - something that provides a great value

    From: Alex Iliev & Kroum Nikolov 23 February 2020 / 06:00 | 6

    PLEASE WHITELIST US. If it weren’t for the ads, LaptopMedia wouldn’t be running.
    Our articles are free to read but the equipment in our Labs isn’t. We want to be as objective and unbiased as possible, and you can help us keep our jobs by whitelisting our media in your adblocker.

    Let’s take another look at Lenovo’s attempt to marry their commercial brand (ThinkPad) and their consumer one (Ideapad). Basically, this is how the history of the ThinkBooks started, and today, we are going to review the Lenovo ThinkBook 15. First, we would like to note that there are two versions of the notebook – the IML and the IIL version. Apparently, the former is equipped with Intel’s 14nm Comet Lake processors and up to a Radeon 620 GPU, while the latter goes for the 10nm manufacturing process, while it includes the slightly more powerful Radeon 630 inside.

    In fact, the Radeon 620 is another reason we are excited, as this is the first time we encounter this GPU since we got the IML model. Additionally, the ThinkBook 15 comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 6 support (optionally). Now without further ado, let’s get right into this review.

    You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkbook-15/

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i5-1035G1
    • Intel UHD Graphics G1
    • 256GB SSD
    • 8GB RAM
    $758.00
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-10510U
    • Intel UHD Graphics
    • 512GB SSD
    • 8GB RAM
    $999.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-1065G7
    • Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    • 512GB SSD
    • 16GB RAM
    $999.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    #CommissionsEarned
    View more laptops...

    Contents

    1. Specs Sheet
    2. What’s in the box?
    3. Design and construction
    4. Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance
    5. Display quality
    6. PWM (Screen flickering)
    7. Buy our profiles
    8. Sound
    9. Drivers
    10. Battery
    11. CPU options
    12. GPU options
    13. Temperatures and comfort
    14. Verdict

    Specs Sheet

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15 - Specs

    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10710U 42 Intel Core i7-1065G7 69 Intel Core i7-10510U 77 Intel Core i5-1035G7 76 Intel Core i5-1035G4 87 Intel Core i5-1035G1 86 Intel Core i5-10210U 82 Intel Core i3-10110U 98 Intel Core i3-1005G1 99
    GPU
    Intel UHD Graphics G1 186 Intel UHD Graphics 216 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 133 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 147 AMD Radeon 620 165AMD Radeon 630
    Display
    15.6”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
    15.6”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), TN
    HDD/SSD
    up to 2000GB SSD + up to 1000GB HDD
    M.2 Slot
    1x 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 See photo
    RAM
    up to 40GB
    OS
    Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Home, No OS
    Battery
    45Wh, 3-cell, 45Wh, 57Wh, 57Wh, 3-cell
    Dimensions
    364 x 245 x 18.9 mm (14.33" x 9.65" x 0.74")
    Weight
    1.80 kg (4 lbs)
    Body material
    Plastic / Polycarbonate, Aluminum
    Ports and connectivity
    • 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
    • 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
    • 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-A 2.0
    • HDMI 1.4b
    • Card reader MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC
    • Ethernet LAN
    • Wi-Fi 802.11ac
    • Bluetooth 5.0
    • Audio jack combo audio / microphone jack
    Features
    • Fingerprint reader optional
    • Web camera HD
    • Backlit keyboard optional
    • Microphone
    • Speakers 2x 2W
    • Optical drive
    • Security Lock slot

    All Lenovo ThinkBook 15 configurations

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i5-1035G1
    • Intel UHD Graphics G1
    • 0256GB SSD
    • 8GB RAM
    $758.00
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-1065G7
    • Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    • 0512GB SSD
    • 16GB RAM
    $999.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-10510U
    • Intel UHD Graphics
    • 0512GB SSD
    • 8GB RAM
    $999.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-1065G7
    • Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    • 0512GB SSD
    • 16GB RAM
    $1069.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-10710U
    • Intel UHD Graphics
    • 0512GB SSD
    • 16GB RAM
    $1099.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    #CommissionsEarned
    See all Lenovo ThinkBook 15 review – something that provides a great value configurations

    What’s in the box?

    Inside the package, we found the laptop itself, some paper manuals and a 65W power adapter.

    Design and construction

    Upon first sight, this device looks really nice. In fact, despite it has “Think” in its name, it has a lot more in common with the Ideapad series. More precisely – it reminds us of the Ideapad S340 (15) and the S540 (15), although the latter’s base and lid are made out of aluminum, wether the ThinkBook 15 has only a metal lid. Put it on the scales, and you will see it sit somewhere around 1.80kg, while the profile is 18.9mm thick – values that are not bad for a 15-inch notebook.

    Sadly, the lid cannot be opened with a single hand. On the bright side, it is quite rigid, when it comes to resistance from twisting. Additionally, there is a hardware shutter for the camera, so that you are comfortable with your privacy at any time.

    Next up – the base. There is a fingerprint reader, that is separated from the keyboard deck. Not only that, but embedded into it, you can find the fingerprint reader. It is good to see that it is clearly distinguishable, unlike the one on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (13.5), that we pressed as if it was a Party button.

    As of the rest of the keyboard – it has good travel and clicky feedback. Another huge benefit is the size of the keycaps. Not only that, but it comes with a backlight and a NumberPad section. Probably the one and only drawback to the board is the layout of the “Up” and “Down” arrow keys.

    Below the keyboard, on its traditional location, you will see the touchpad. It is decent, but make sure you install the Serial-IO driver as soon as you install Windows on it. By the way, another weak spot (quite literally) in the design of the ThinkBook 15 is the base. It bends pretty visibly, when you press in the middle, and somewhere on the keyboard. This won’t be a problem for the future but it is certainly annoying.

    On the bottom plate, there is a reasonably big ventilation grill, as well as two speaker cut-outs. Hot air is exhausted from in between the lid and the base.

    Ports

    To say that this laptop has a decent I/O selection would be an understatement. On the left side, you will find an RJ-45 connector, followed by an HDMI connector, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) port, two USB Type-C ports – one 3.1 (Gen. 1) and one 3.1 (Gen. 2). Lastly, there is a headphone jack and a quick reset hole. On the right – there is the proprietory USB-shaped charging plug, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) port, an SD card reader and a hidden USB Type-A 2.0 slot, that might be very useful for Bluetooth peripherals.

    Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance

    This notebook’s bottom panel is held in place by 10 Phillips-head screws. After you remove them, just pry the panel with a plastic pick and you will be able to effortlessly lift it out of the body.

    Weirdly enough, there is only one, long and thin heat pipe cooling both the CPU and the GPU. This works extremely impotent, but our Temperature tests are going to provide more information.

    Memory-wise there is one RAM SODIMM slot that supports up to 16GB of DDR4 memory. Additionally, the notebook comes with either 4GB or 8GB soldered to the motherboard. As far as the storage goes, you can see the M.2 slot just beneath the SODIMM. It fits M.2 2242/2280 PCIe x2/x4 drives. On the other side of the battery, there is a 2.5″ SATA drive slot.

    There are two battery options – a 45Wh one and a 57Wh one.

    Display quality

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15 has a Full HD IPS panel with a model number BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700). Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.62 cm), and the resolution 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 comfortable. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.

    The measured maximum brightness of 289 nits in the middle of the screen and 273 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 12%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 6000K – warmer than the sRGB standard of 6500K, which is great.
    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 great – 1390:1.

    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 in HDTV and on 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 ThinkBook 15’s color gamut coverage.

    Its display covers 51% 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 ThinkBook 15 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 = 30 ms.

    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 ThinkBook 15’s display doesn’t use PWM only at maximum brightness. Additionally, the flickerings are with a very low frequency – 300 Hz, which makes the display uncomfortable and possibly harmful for your eyes. Thankfully, our Health-Guard profile fixes that.

    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.

    Conclusion

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15’s display has an IPS panel with a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, great contrast ratio, and adequate default settings. Its disadvantages include the narrow color coverage (50% of sRGB) and a flickering backlight. Thankfully, our Health-Guard profile completely eliminates the latter.

    Buy our profiles

    Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo ThinkBook 15 configurations with 15.6″ FHD IPS BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700).

    *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 - screen profile

    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.

    $4.96
    Buy Now Checkout Added to cart
    Design and Gaming - screen profile

    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.

    $4.97
    Buy Now Checkout Added to cart
    Health-Guard - screen profile

    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.

    $4.98
    Buy Now Checkout Added to cart
    All
    $9.99
    Buy Now Checkout Added to cart

    Sound

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15 produces a rather quiet sound with a not bad quality.

    Drivers

    All of the drivers and utilities for this notebook can be downloaded from here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkbook-series/thinkbook-15-iml/downloads/driver-list

    Battery

    Now, we conduct the battery tests with 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. This notebook is equipped with a 45Wh battery pack.

    We got 7 hours of Web browsing and 30 minutes more of video playback.

    • Web surfing
    • Video playback
    In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    423 min.
    battery
    Dell Vostro 5590
    42Wh, 3-cell
    709 min.+67.6%
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    683 min.+61.5%
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    42Wh, 3-cell
    $848.99
    464 min.+9.7%
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    41Wh, 3-cell
    375 min.-11.3%
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    42Wh, 3-cell
    333 min.-21.3%
    For every test like this, we use the same video in HD.
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    460 min.
    battery
    Dell Vostro 5590
    42Wh, 3-cell
    673 min.+46.3%
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    731 min.+58.9%
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    42Wh, 3-cell
    $848.99
    458 min.-0.4%
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    41Wh, 3-cell
    327 min.-28.9%
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    42Wh, 3-cell
    296 min.-35.7%
    We use F1 2017’s built-in benchmark on loop in order to simulate real-life gaming.
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    battery
    Dell Vostro 5590
    42Wh, 3-cell
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    42Wh, 3-cell
    $848.99
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    41Wh, 3-cell
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    42Wh, 3-cell

    CPU options

    CPU-wise, there are four options for the ThinkBook 15-IML. On the bottom portion of the table sits the Core i3-10110U (2c/4t). Then there are the 4c/8t Core i5-10210U and Core i7-10510U. Lastly, the most powerful option is the 6c/12t Core i7-10710U.

    • 3D Rendering
    • Adobe Photoshop
    Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
    Intel Core i5-10210U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    1550.00
    performance
    Intel Core i5-10210U
    Dell Vostro 5590
    1533.00
    Intel Core i5-8265U
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    1485.00-4.2%
    Intel Core i5-8265U
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    1629.00+5.1%
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    1456.00-6.1%
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    1506.00-2.8%
    Results are from the Fritz chess benchmark (the higher the score, the better)
    Intel Core i5-10210U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    0.00
    performance
    Intel Core i5-10210U
    Dell Vostro 5590
    0.00
    Intel Core i5-8265U
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    0.00
    Intel Core i5-8265U
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    0.00
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    0.00
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    0.00
    Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
    Intel Core i5-10210U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    8.90
    performance
    Intel Core i5-10210U
    Dell Vostro 5590
    8.70
    Intel Core i5-8265U
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    8.68-2.5%
    Intel Core i5-8265U
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    10.90+22.5%
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    8.09-9.1%
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    8.19-8%

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15 CPU variants

    Here you can see an approximate comparison between the CPUs that can be found in the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo ThinkBook 15 model is the best bang for your buck.

    Note: The chart shows the cheapest different CPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / CPU.

    • 3D Rendering
    • Adobe Photoshop
    Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
    Intel Core i5-1035G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    1460
    performance
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    1619+10.9%
    Intel Core i7-10510U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    1591+9%
    Intel Core i7-10710U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $1099.99+45%
    2325+59.2%
    Results are from the Fritz chess benchmark (the higher the score, the better)
    Intel Core i5-1035G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    performance
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    Intel Core i7-10510U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    Intel Core i7-10710U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $1099.99+45%
    Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
    Intel Core i5-1035G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    9.48
    performance
    Intel Core i7-1065G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    8.65-8.8%
    Intel Core i7-10510U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    8.69-8.3%
    Intel Core i7-10710U
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $1099.99+45%
    7.43-21.6%

    GPU options

    Its graphics options, however, are a little more limited. Except for the integrated UHD Graphics GPU, there is only one option – the AMD Radeon 620 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory.

    • 3DMark Fire Strike (G)
    • Unigine Heaven 3.0
    • Unigine Heaven 4.0
    • Unigine Superposition
    Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    AMD Radeon 620
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    1733.00
    performance
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Dell Vostro 5590
    1119.00-35.4%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    3967.00+128.9%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    3663.00+111.4%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    3575.00+106.3%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (2GB GDDR5)
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    2476.00+42.9%
    Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    AMD Radeon 620
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    436.00
    performance
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Dell Vostro 5590
    295.00-32.3%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    1198.00+174.8%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    1096.00+151.4%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    1075.00+146.6%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (2GB GDDR5)
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    781.00+79.1%
    Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    AMD Radeon 620
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    327.00
    performance
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Dell Vostro 5590
    226.00-30.9%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    867.00+165.1%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    778.00+137.9%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    777.00+137.6%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (2GB GDDR5)
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    542.00+65.7%
    Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    AMD Radeon 620
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    price
    251.00
    performance
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Dell Vostro 5590
    249.00-0.8%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    Lenovo IdeaPad S540 15
    512.00+104%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    ASUS VivoBook S15 S532
    $848.99
    490.00+95.2%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (25W)
    HP Pavilion 15 (15-cs3000)
    469.00+86.9%
    NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (2GB GDDR5)
    Dell Inspiron 3593
    340.00+35.5%

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15 GPU variants

    Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo ThinkBook 15 model is the best bang for your buck.

    Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.

    • 3DMark Fire Strike (G)
    • Unigine Heaven 3.0
    • Unigine Heaven 4.0
    • Unigine Superposition
    Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    Intel UHD Graphics G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    1542
    performance
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    2289+48.4%
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    1173-23.9%
    Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    Intel UHD Graphics G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    355
    performance
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    636+79.2%
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    320-9.9%
    Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    Intel UHD Graphics G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    316
    performance
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    421+33.2%
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    246-22.2%
    Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
    Intel UHD Graphics G1
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $758.00
    price
    294
    performance
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    455+54.8%
    Intel UHD Graphics
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    $999.99+32%
    256-12.9%

    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 core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.

    Intel Core i5-10210U (15W TDP) 0:02 – 0:10 sec 0:15 – 0:30 sec 10:00 – 15:00 min
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15-IML 3.08 GHz (B+93%) @ 73°C 3.00 GHz (B+88%) @ 82°C 2.55 GHz (B+59%) @ 80°C
    Lenovo ThinkPad L13 3.04 GHz (B+90%) @ 97°C 2.10 GHz (B+31%) @ 97°C 2.12 GHz (B+33%) @ 79°C
    Dell Inspiron 14 5491 2-in-1 3.45 GHz (B+116%) @ 94°C 2.33 GHz (B+46%) @ 86°C 2.00 GHz (B+25%) @ 74°C
    ASUS ZenBook Duo UX481 3.26 GHz (B+104%) @ 94°C 2.77 GHz (B+73%) @ 98°C 2.06 GHz (B+29%) @ 71°C
    Lenovo Yoga C640 (13) 2.87 GHz (B+79%) @ 73°C 2.89 GHz (B+81%) @ 85°C 2.23 GHz (B+39%) @ 87°C
    Dell Vostro 5590 3.50 GHz (B+119%) @ 94°C 2.68 GHz (B+68%) @ 97°C 2.36 GHz (B+48%) @ 79°C
    Lenovo Yoga C740 (14) 3.09 GHz (B+93%) @ 96°C 2.66 GHz (B+66%) @ 97°C 1.96 GHz (B+23%) @ 71°C

    We were wrong. The tiny heat pipe actually managed to transfer a lot of heat away from the CPU, to achieve one of the highest clock speeds on a ULV processor after 15 minutes of constant stress.

    Real-life gameplay

    AMD Radeon 620 GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15-IML 891 MHz @ 59°C 818 MHz @ 58°C

    Interestingly, in the combined load, the temperatures didn’t rise higher, as well.

    Comfort during full load

    The laptop remains fairly quiet, even under heavy load.

    Verdict

    Some time ago, we had our hand on the ThinkBook 13s. It is a cute little laptop that made us a great impression. It had both great build quality, decent display and was able to extract the maximum from its hardware. However, ThinkBook 15, is a very different piece of laptop.

    First, it feels a lot different, when held. Not only because it is bigger, but perhaps because it has a lesser build quality than its smaller brother. Another key area, where the 15-inch device is being beaten from the ThinkBook 13s is battery life. We got around 7 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours and a half of video playback. Ultimately, this is not a bad result, but it is also not that amusing either.

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15’s display has an IPS panel (BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700)) with a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, great contrast ratio, and adequate default settings. Its disadvantages include the narrow color coverage (50% of sRGB) and a flickering backlight. Thankfully, our Health-Guard profile completely eliminates the latter.

    In terms of upgradability, the M.2 PCIe x4 slot and the 2.5″ SATA drive slot work great in conjunction with the single RAM SODIMM slot. Keep in mind that the model has either 4GB or 8GB already soldered to the motherboard, so you can max the device out with a total of 24GB of DDR4 memory. Let’s also not forget the decency of the I/O that includes two USB Type-C ports and a total of three USB Type-A ones, one of which is hidden. Also, there is an SD card reader, which is great for photographers and content creators.

    Sadly, the cooling of this device seems a little underwhelming – Lenovo uses a single, thin, and long heat pipe to cool off both their CPU and GPU – not the greatest strategy known to mankind. However, if you are a typer, you will love the keyboard, as it has good travel clicky feedback and huge keycaps. Also, let’s not forget the backlight, the NumberPad section, and the fingerprint reader, which is embedded into the Power On/Off button.

    Despite some minor setbacks, the ThinkBook 15 is a very solid laptop, especially given the modest price tag it carries.

    Pros

    • Adequate price tag
    • Supports PCIe x4 drives
    • Has a total of 5 USB ports and an SD card reader
    • The power button is equipped with an optional fingerprint reader
    • Decent keyboard
    • It has comfortable viewing angles and good contrast ratio (BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700))

    Cons

    • Build quality is not the best
    • Lacks Thunderbolt connection
    • Uses aggressive PWM for birghtness adjustment (BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700)) (our Health-Guard profile deals with that)
    • Covers only 50% of sRGB (BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700))

    You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkbook-15/

    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i5-1035G1
    • Intel UHD Graphics G1
    • 256GB SSD
    • 8GB RAM
    $758.00
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-10510U
    • Intel UHD Graphics
    • 512GB SSD
    • 8GB RAM
    $999.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
    Lenovo ThinkBook 15
    • Intel Core i7-1065G7
    • Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7
    • 512GB SSD
    • 16GB RAM
    $999.99
    More Info Buy from Amazon
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    6 Comments
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    Celso
    Celso
    1 year ago

    Is there any advantage on the Radeon 620 graphics card over the Intel Plus Graphics G7? On the Chinese market they are offering i5-1035G7 processor with Radeon 620 or Radeon 630. As per your testing Intel Plus Graphics has a better position on ranking as Radeon 620 or Radeon 630.

    11
    Reply
    Brad Carpenter
    Brad Carpenter
    11 months ago

    The notebookcheck review for this model says it does NOT use PWM dimming. Yet your review says it does. Which is it? Or are you just trying to sell your snake oil Health Guard?

    7
    Reply
    Alex Iliev
    Author
    Alex Iliev
    11 months ago
    Reply to  Brad Carpenter

    As manufacturers use different panels for different regions, it is very possible for another person to receive the laptop with a nonflickering backlight. It is best to check with the retailer before buying. As you can see we have given you the exact model number of the panel (BOE NV156FHM-N48 (BOE0700)), our unit uses, and we can assure you, it utilizes PWM 🙂

    2
    Reply
    R. van Wijk
    R. van Wijk
    11 months ago
    Reply to  Alex Iliev

    Which utility/app can I use to find out the model-number of the display?

    8
    Reply
    John
    John
    11 months ago

    About the RAM, the specs says up to 40GB, that means the 8GB on board plus a stick of 32GB, but in the review it mentions that the slot supports up to 16GB, so a maximum of 24GB – which is correct? For business use, I don’t see a demand for more than 16GB, that’s what I’m getting.

    0
    Reply
    Nicholas
    Nicholas
    10 months ago
    Reply to  John

    Per Lenovo’s spec sheet on PSREF these units max out at 16GBs of RAM.

    0
    Reply

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