Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 Review

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 lands at the sweet spot of the business-class laptop market, offering a happy medium of power and portability. It’s thinner and lighter than the standard ThinkPad T14, but shares many of the advantages of the sleeker but more expensive ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

Design

Nothing about the ThinkPad T14s will surprise potential customers, and that’s the point. Lenovo long ago established the current ThinkPad look and feel and there’s no reason to mess with what works. It’s available in the classic ThinkPad deep black or the fairly radical—for ThinkPad—storm grey. The materials, inside and out, are premium and familiar, with a magnesium alloy chassis that’s both lightweight and has a delightfully comfortable wrist rest that’s almost soft to the touch.

That said, the wrist wrest and entire keyboard deck surround also attract a lot of skin oil smudges, as does the top of the display lid and bottom of the device, a long-time ThinkPad issue. It’s only noticeable at certain angles and in specific lighting, thankfully, and it’s not something that ever bothered me. The back cover somehow seems more affected than the wristrest.

Beyond that, you get all the standard, welcome ThinkPad accoutrements, from the wonderful full-sized keyboard with scalloped keys to the red-accented dual-pointing system and angled ThinkPad branding with the red light on the “i.” This is what a buttoned-down, business-class laptop looks and feels like.

As you would expect of a ThinkPad, the T14s passed 12 MIL-STD 810H durability and quality tests for such things as temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration, dust, and more, and it should be tough enough for any commuter, business traveler, or hybrid worker.

If I were to offer one criticism of the design, it’s that the top and bottom display bezels seem a bit tall for 2023. But there’s one positive side effect of this fact: The webcam and associated sensors don’t require the “reverse notch” found on many other Lenovo laptops: There’s plenty of room for them in the bezel. And maybe it’s worth pointing out that reducing those bezels would result in a shorter wrist rest too. I like the size as-is.

Display

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 can be configured with a choice of several 14.1-inch displays with a 16:10 aspect ratio, most of which are IPS panels that offer a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) resolution. But there are two outliers: A 2.2K (2240 x 1400) IPS panel and a 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED panel. Most are non-touch, which I prefer, including the two upgraded panels. You can outfit the ThinkPad with an optional PrivacyGuard display if security is top of mind.

The review unit shipped with a Full HD+ IPS panel with multitouch and antiglare capabilities that emits a reasonable 300 nits of brightness, and for the most part, I found it a good match for the display size and expected workloads. I’d have skipped the multitouch, and there is a panel choice that is otherwise identical.

As noted, the bezels are a bit big, but the display can at least lay flat.

Internal components

There are no surprises inside the ThinkPad T14s either: Lenovo offers four similar 13th Gen Intel Core U-series processor choices—Core i5-1335U, Core i5-1345U with vPro, Core i7-1355U, and Core i7-1365U with vPro—each of which offers 10 cores split between 2 performance cores and 8 efficient cores, and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. And each can be outfitted with up to 32 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 2 TB of PCIe SSD Gen 4 storage.

The review unit arrived with a Core i7-1365U processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage, and it never let me down as I ran my standard daily productivity apps—Brave, Microsoft Word, Notion, Visual Studio Code, Photoshop Elements, Slack, Zoom, Skype, and so on—at home, while flying to and from Mexico, and on the road.

To reduce thermals, Lenovo outfits the T14s with a familiar large vent on the right side, and a smaller underside vent for its single fan that’s best served by a hard, flat surface. I only heard the fan spin up in any way when I used it on a softer surface like a bed or couch.

(Note: Lenovo also sells AMD-based ThinkPad T14s models.)

Connectivity

As a business-class solution, Lenovo offers the full meal deal for connectivity: In addition to future-proof Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, you can optionally add either LTE 4G or 5G cellular connectivity. The review unit lacked cellular connectivity, but I never had any connection issues no matter where I was and at home, it could take full advantage of my Wi-Fi 6E mesh network.

Ports and expansion

The ThinkPad T14s all the expansion capabilities one could ask for in this form factor. I just wish there was at least one USB-C port on each side.

Here’s what you get: On the left, you will find two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, a full-sized USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and a combo headphone/microphone jack.

On the right, there’s a single USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, a Kensington nano security slot, and, if configured, a smart card reader.

If you configure your T14s with broadband cellular, you will also find a nano SIM card slot on the rear of the device.

Audio and video

Given its business-class aims, I wasn’t expecting the T14s to offer any kind of spatial audio capabilities, but I was surprised to see that it provides Dolby Audio for the built-in stereo speakers that sit atop the keyboard, and for headphones and compatible home theater equipment, soundbars, and TVs. Indeed, the OLED display panel option provides Dolby Vision HDR capabilities, too, which might make for a compelling multimedia experience.

As it is, the sound quality is mostly good, depending on the content, though lacking in depth and punch. I do like that the Dolby Access app will auto-configure the sound for the content type you’re enjoying, and you can also customize it to your needs if desired.

Hybrid work

The T14s provides everything that hybrid and remote workers need, too. There’s a Full HD (1080p) webcam with a built-in microphone. It delivers terrific video quality even in low-light conditions but unfortunately only offers a manual privacy switch.

Lenovo also provides a basic suite of video and collaboration customization capabilities in its View app, plus a Virtual Presenter function that puts you in a picture-in-picture box while giving presentations (or doing anything else, as it turns out).

The microphone supports Dolby Voice, which adds collaboration (spatial) and privacy (center/mono) modes, and background noise suppression, plus noise suppression for other call/meeting participants. Like some built-in mics, it’s adequate, but I feel like this could be improved.

Keyboard, touchpad, and ThinkPoint

Like all ThinkPads, the T14s includes the revered and now-classic backlit, full-sized ThinkPad keyboard with scalloped keys, and short, punchy key throws. I love this keyboard, though more than one person noted how loud it was while I pounded away at it away from home.

My standard quibbles remain, sadly: Lenovo continues to invert the Fn (function) and Ctrl keys in the lower right of the keyboard, and the small inverted-T arrow key area is filled out with half-height PgUp and PgDn keys that I found far too easy to hit inadvertently, sending whatever document I was working in at the time off in one direction or the other. This is at least partially on me: I’m a messy typist.

But don’t let my minor issues detract from the excellence of this keyboard. You can of course swap the Fn and Ctrl keys virtually in software, the keyboard is otherwise terrific, and I wish other PC makers would put the PrtScn (print screen) key in the same location at the bottom right: I take a lot of screenshots, and this is much easier to use.

And like most ThinkPads, the T14s also includes a dual-pointing system with the vaunted TrackPoint nubbin between the G, H, and B keys and a medium-sized glass touchpad with hardware buttons in the wrist rest. I find myself sticking to the touchpad these days, which is quite accurate and didn’t trigger much in the way of errant gestures. (Which I can tell because I never disable three- and four-finger gestures as I usually must.)

Thanks to the keyboard and touchpad, working on this laptop was effortless and enjoyable.

Security

The ThinkPad T14s can be configured with Windows Hello facial and fingerprint recognition capabilities, though only the latter is available with the review unit. The fingerprint reader is built into the power button, so it will usually pass through your fingerprint when you power on the PC, signing you into Windows seamlessly. I found it to be quick and accurate either way. Lenovo also provides an optional WiFi Security feature in Vantage that uses a cloud service to protect you from potentially malicious Wi-Fi networks.

Unique hardware and software features

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s doesn’t include proximity sensors, so you can’t benefit from Windows 11’s Presence Sensing capabilities, but Lenovo does offer a webcam-based Privacy Alert feature that alerts you when another person walks up behind you while you’re using the PC, plus a related Privacy Guard feature that can be enabled and blur the screen in those instances. You can also enable Posture Warning and Eye Wellness features.

Sustainability

The T14s may not look much different from other ThinkPads, but something wonderful has happened from a sustainability perspective in recent years. The T14s Gen 4 features recycled materials throughout, with 90 percent recycled magnesium in the keyboard frame and 22 percent carbon fiber on the top cover (the Storm Grey models feature 50 percent recycled aluminum in both the top cover and keyboard frame), 55 percent recycled aluminum on the bottom cover, recycled plastic speaker, battery, and AC adapter enclosures, and plastic-free packaging with 90 percent recycled and/or sustainable materials. Repairability is good, with a pop-off bottom cover and replaceable battery, storage, and other components. But the RAM is soldered on.

Portability

The ThinkPad T14s is thin and light for a 14-inch laptop, with a 2.69-pound curb weight that is noticeably lighter than the 3-pound standard, and dimensions of just 0.66 x 12.5 x 8.93 inches. This is an able companion on road trips, and one that I never had issues carrying around.

Helping matters, the battery life is surprisingly good given the thinness and 57-watt-hour battery: I averaged 6 hours and 45 minutes of life in real-world usage that included both plane and car travel. The laptop comes with a standard 65-watt Lenovo USB-C power supply that can fast-charge it to 80 percent in 60 minutes.

Software

The T14s can be configured with Windows 11 Home or Pro at buy time, and it comes with absolutely no crapware beyond the sponsored app shortcuts that Microsoft burdens us all with. Dolby Access, Glance by Mirametrix, Lenovo Vantage, Lenovo View, Pre-Boot Manager, Realtek Audio Console, and three Intel utilities are the only additions.

Pricing and configurations

Lenovo’s pricing is fluid—its PCs seem to always be on sale—and the ThinkPad T14s can be configured in a wide variety of ways, so the price range here is broad. A base T14s starts at about $2319 according to the list price sheet, but as I write this, you can get in for as little as $1100. Configured like the review unit, with a Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, the Full HD+ IPS display with multitouch, and a fingerprint reader, you’re looking at about $1630 right now ($2960 list).

Recommendations and conclusions

I can only praise the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s: This is a near-perfect business-class laptop and a great example of why I recommend this type of PC to individuals as well. It’s handsome, fast, efficient, and durable, and its classic black ThinkPad design telegraphs a sense of purpose that I admire and align with. It can be configured to meet any productivity needs, and those who enjoy PC-based entertainment can add Dolby Vision HDR capabilities to the standard Dolby Atmos and Dolby Voice features. Its connectivity and expansion capabilities are both modern and complete, and the terrific ThinkPad keyboard and pointing system close the deal. This is about as good as this type of laptop can be.  The ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 is highly recommended.

At-a-glance

Pros

• Classic ThinkPad look and feel in a thin and light form factor
• Modern, powerful, and efficient internal components deliver terrific performance
• Excellent battery life
• Modern connectivity, ample expansion capabilities
• Dolby Atmos and Dolby Voice are standard
• Excellent webcam
• Incredible keyboard, accurate touchpad, TrackPoint nubbin
• No crapware
• Sustainable design

Cons

• Exterior surfaces pick up skin oils pretty easily
• No 4K display panel option, big bezels
• Microphone quality is just adequate
• Soldered RAM