Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (Intel) review – well-build comfortable business notebook

Name: Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5
Brand: Lenovo

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (Intel) review - well-build comfortable business notebook Page 10

From: Nikolay Palaozov 06 November 2023 / 13:18 | 0

10. Verdict

9. Storage performance Previous page Next page

Verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (Intel) is a solid business device. It comes with many CPU options so you can choose the right processor for your needs. In our case, the device that we have bought has a Core i7-1355U under the bonnet. The machine feels snappy for daily or office tasks as well as for video calls. The build quality is very good but the lid can’t be opened with a single hand.

The keyboard is comfortable for work while the touchpad could be improved. The backlight is optional so if you need this feature pay close attention to the specifications before buying. The 1200p 16:10 IPS display (BOE NV140WUM-N43 (LEN403D)) is good for this kind of price tag. It has wide viewing angles and a nice contrast ratio of 1300:1. The lack of PWM usage is a handy bonus, especially for a business device like this one that is meant for long hours of usage. All right, the sRGB coverage is low but that’s okay for such a machine. If you want a better panel, you can have a look at the optional 2.2K unit.

The cooling system has one fan and two heat pipes. It seems enough for taming the Raptor Lake-U chip. The CPU can maintain respectably high P and E core clocks under any kind of stress. Also, the fan is quiet when the processor isn’t working hard, and it’s not noisy during heavy loads. This leads to good comfort because in this case, the keyboard is just warm, but not super hot to the touch.

When it comes to battery life, the optional 57Wh model has enough juice for 16 hours and 40 minutes of Web browsing, or 7 hours and 9 minutes of video playback. That’s a very good result but keep in mind that if you get the base 47Wh variant or if you combine it with a P or H-series chip plus a 2.2K panel, the battery life perhaps will be shorter.

The upgrade options are good. Sure, part of the memory is soldered but there is a SODIMM for future memory expansions. The maximum possible capacity of 48GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM should be enough for most users. One of the two M.2 slots is for Gen 3 SSDs but it’s not a big deal considering the price of the laptop. You can install a Gen 4 SSD in this slot but the speeds will be limited. We are happy to see that the overall performance isn’t hindered by the DDR4 memory.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (Intel) is a well-built sturdy business device that doesn’t cost much but it can offer adequate performance, good comfort under load, a PWM-free IPS display, and a modern I/O.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkpad-e14-gen-5-intel/

Pros

Good comfort under load
1x SODIMM for dual-channel RAM + 2x M.2 slots
PWM-free display (BOE NV140WUM-N43 (LEN403D))
16:10 IPS panel with wide viewing angles and good contrast ratio (BOE NV140WUM-N43 (LEN403D))
Optional IR face recognition + Fingerprint reader
Comfortable spill-resistant keyboard
Good I/O + Thunderbolt 4
High P and E core clock under any kind of stress
Nine CPU options
Sturdy build
Long battery life
Fair price