Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review (AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U, Radeon 780M)

Lenovo is a prominent name in the laptop and PC markets, offering diverse lineups from gaming to business notebooks. Today, we’ll review the latest addition to the business segment – the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4. The ThinkPad series is renowned for its robust build, exceptional keyboards, and reliable performance. The T14 Gen 4, part of this series, features the latest AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 series CPUs. Our review focuses on the AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U model, with an alternative AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7540U option available at a lower cost.

Enhancing performance, the Gen 4 boasts faster LPDDR5X RAM and a PCIe 4.0 SSD. Despite maintaining a 52WHr and 39WHr battery capacity, it aligns well with the 14-inch IPS LCD display. Notable upgrades include USB 4.0 connectivity in the ports. Physically, the T14 Gen4 resembles its predecessor, with the 14-inch IPS LCD display delivering a crisp viewing experience.

This latest ThinkPad series addition, the T14 Gen 4, reflects Lenovo’s commitment to providing cutting-edge technology in a reliable and professional package. It’s an excellent choice for business professionals seeking both performance and durability. The entire notebook, including other essential aspects, is further detailed below.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4: Specifications

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: Body Design and Appearance

At first glance, you might mistake the new ThinkPad model for its predecessor, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 3, as there’s hardly any noticeable difference in appearance. The matte body design of the display shell remains the same, adorned with the iconic ThinkPad logo in the upper left corner and the silver Lenovo nameplate in its familiar lower right spot.

Even when it comes to technical specifications, the new ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 shares dimensions identical to its predecessor – measuring 317.7 x 226.9 x 17.9mm. The weight sees a minor reduction of just 0.01kg, with the T14 Gen 4 weighing in at 1.35kg compared to the previous model’s 1.36kg. Despite these similarities, the notebook’s slim profile and lightweight design contribute to its enhanced portability.

When it comes to durability, the notebook has successfully obtained MIL-STD 810H certification, passing a rigorous test encompassing 12 elements such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and vibration. This certification ensures the notebook’s ability to operate reliably in diverse and challenging environments, ranging from Arctic ice sheets to desert dust storms.

Our review unit comes in Thunder Black, featuring a plastic body made from recycled content. There’s also an alternative Storm Grey color option, boasting an aluminum top cover with 50% recycled content. Notably, the notebook still supports a 180-degree opening, providing users with flexibility in various usage scenarios.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: Display

When considering the purchase of the all-new ThinkPad T14 Gen 4, you’ll encounter a range of display options catering to diverse preferences. From a high-resolution 2.8K OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate to a full-HD IPS display, this notebook offers versatility. The model under review is equipped with a 14-inch 2.2K (2240×1400) resolution Anti-Glare IPS LCD Display, boasting a 16:10 aspect ratio and supporting a 60Hz refresh rate. With a brightness of 300 nits, this display is certified by TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe, ensuring minimal blue light emission.

At the top bezel, the screen houses a Full-HD (1080p) resolution IR webcam alongside an infrared face recognition module, enabling quick Windows sign-in upon unfolding the notebook. Additionally, a privacy shutter above the webcam allows you to block the camera’s view when needed.

To assess the display’s capabilities, we used the Spyder X. The results revealed impressive metrics, with the display covering 100% sRGB, 77% Adobe RGB, and 78% DCI-P3 color gamut. Achieving a maximum brightness of 320 nits and a contrast ratio of 1640:1, the display proved its prowess. In the color accuracy test, the average Delta E value was 0.77 (with a maximum of 3.6 and a minimum of 0.08), indicating excellent display quality suitable for office usage.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: Keyboard, TouchPad and Ports

In this section, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 undergoes no significant changes. It features a spill-resistant backlit keyboard, although it is not supported (backlit) in specific variants. The layout remains consistent with other ThinkPad series notebooks, retaining the distinctive arrangement of the Fn key and Control key.

Beneath the keyboard, there’s a plastic surface encompassing a full-area pressure-sensitive touchpad, measuring 115mm wide. This touchpad design promotes efficient navigation, allowing users to achieve more with less effort. Examining other elements on the keyboard’s surface, the ThinkPad logo is positioned at the lower-right corner, accompanied by the signature little red dot. Double-click on this red dot brings up quick settings, facilitating adjustments to screen brightness, contrast, microphone settings, mute, and other functional features. Positioned at the top of the keyboard is the power button, cleverly integrated with a fingerprint sensor for secure and convenient authentication.

In contrast to the trend where manufacturers often sacrifice port variety for slim designs in business segment notebooks, Lenovo maintains its commitment to providing a comprehensive selection of ports with the ThinkPad T14 Gen4. This notebook boasts a total of eight ports, ensuring versatility for various connectivity needs.

Starting from the left side, we find an RJ45 LAN port, 1x USB 4 Type-C port (with Power Display support), 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, an HDMI 2.1 port (capable of supporting 4K@60Hz), 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port (always on), and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Moving to the right side, there’s a smart card reader and an additional USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port. It’s worth noting that the smart card reader and SIM card slot are optional, and the model under review doesn’t include a SIM card slot.

With this generous array of ports, users won’t find the need for additional USB extenders, as Lenovo has thoughtfully included all the significant ports that an average office user might require in their daily work routine. This commitment to practicality enhances the overall user experience and convenience.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: Battery and Charging

In the battery section, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 offers users a choice between two battery capacities: 52.5WHr and 39.3WHr. Both options appear well-suited for the 14-inch IPS LCD Display, but the model under review features the larger 52.5WHr battery.

For charging the laptop, Lenovo has provided a USB Type-C adapter, delivering a 65W charge (20V/3.25A) and supporting Rapid Charge technology. According to official claims, this feature allows for an 80% battery charge in just 60 minutes. It’s worth noting that in certain regions, Lenovo ships this laptop model with either a 45W or a 135W charger.

For battery testing, we used the PCMark 10 Modern Office software. The test began with the display brightness set at 50% and the power mode configured for optimal performance. Under these conditions, the testing initiated at 95% battery and concluded at 5%. The result was an impressive battery backup of 10 and a half hours, translating to a theoretical total battery life of over 11 hours at full power. This robust battery performance ensures that the ThinkPad T14 Gen4 can effortlessly handle a full day of regular office tasks.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: RAM and SSD

The new ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 introduces the cutting-edge LPDDR5x-6400MHz RAM, an upgrade from LPDDR5 featured in the ThinkPad T14 Gen 3. Available in various RAM configurations, the model under review boasts 16GB of Dual Channel LPDDR5x RAM, soldered onto the motherboard. Since the memory is not user-upgradable, it’s crucial to select the desired RAM capacity at the time of purchase. The highest RAM capacity offered in this model is 32GB.

Benchmarking the RAM with AIDA64 Cache and Memory Benchmark yielded impressive results: 50,240 MB/s Read Speed, 91,577 MB/s Write Speed, 67,098 MB/s Copy Speed, and a latency rate of 129.8ns. In comparison to a previously reviewed laptop (HP Pavilion Plus 16 with LPDDR5x-5200MHz RAM), the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 exhibits similar read and copy speeds while excelling in write speed.

Moving on to storage, the reviewed model features a 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. During disassembly, we discovered an additional M.2 (2242-length) slot for potential storage expansion. It’s noteworthy that the notebook is available with storage options of up to 2TB.

The SSD underwent testing using the CrystalDiskMark application, producing commendable results: 5,123 MB/s Sequential Read Speed, 4,015 MB/s Sequential Write Speed, 65.69 MB/s 4K Random Read Speed, and 142.77 MB/s 4K Random Write Speed. These scores align well with the standards expected for business segment notebooks, showcasing the ThinkPad T14 Gen4’s robust performance in terms of both RAM and storage capabilities.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: CPU and its Benchmark

Let’s delve into the CPU of the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 and conduct a benchmark to assess its performance. The model under review is equipped with the Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U CPU, part of the same family as the consumer-grade Ryzen 7040HS/U series. The primary distinction lies in the inclusion of AMD PRO technology in Ryzen PRO processors, offering enhanced security, manageability, and reliability features.

The AMD PRO technology provides multi-layer security, integrating security chips and real-time memory encryption to safeguard device data. It facilitates remote deployment and management for IT operations, along with extensive device firmware support and enterprise-level quality assurance, ensuring long-term reliability.

In terms of specifications, the CPU operates on the TSMC 4nm FinFET process, emphasizing low power consumption and high energy efficiency while utilizing the Zen4 CPU architecture. The chipset comprises eight cores, featuring a base frequency of 3.3GHz and a peak frequency of 5.1GHz, along with 16 threads, 24MB of cache memory (8MB L2 and 16MB L3), and a configurable TDP of 15-30W.

The integrated GPU is the Radeon 780M GPU, based on the RDNA 3 architecture, delivering performance that can outpace entry-level external GPUs. To gauge the performance levels of both the CPU and GPU, we conducted benchmark testing, providing insights into their capabilities.’

Cinebench R15: 259cb on Single-Core and 1,964cb on Multi-Core

Cinebench R20: 653pts on Single-Core and 4,916pts on Multi-Core

Cinebench R23: 1,652pts on Single-Core and 12,492pts on Multi-Core

Following is the benchmark of GPU:

3DMark Time Spy: 2,885 Total Score (including 2,576 GPU Score)

If compared with entry-level GPUs like GTX 1050Ti or with integrated GPUs like Radeon 680M, the integrated Radeon 780M GPU has better benchmark scores.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Review: Heat Dissipation and Stress Testing

Finally, let’s explore the heat dissipation system of the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4. The cooling mechanism remains consistent with the previous generation, featuring ventilation ports strategically placed on various sides of the body to facilitate efficient heat dissipation. Upon disassembling the notebook, it becomes evident that the entire cooling system relies on a single cooling fan and dual heat pipes.

Also Read: ASUS TUF Gaming F16 FX607 Review

To evaluate how effectively the notebook manages heat, we conducted stress testing on the CPU using AIDA64 FPU. After a 10-minute stress test, the power consumption stabilized at 28W, the core frequency reached 2.9GHz, and the CPU’s temperature settled at 72°C. These results indicate excellent heat management, with no observable heating issues. An average office user can confidently perform daily tasks on this notebook without concerns about overheating, ensuring a smooth and reliable computing experience.

Summary

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is like your trusty sidekick for work, packing in the powerful Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U CPU and Radeon 780M GPU to make your daily tasks a breeze. It’s the latest gem in the beloved ThinkPad series, well-known for its toughness, fantastic keyboards, and reliable performance. What’s remarkable is the snazzy upgrades, like faster LPDDR5X RAM and a zippy PCIe 4.0 SSD, giving you that extra boost in efficiency. The 14-inch display keeps things looking sharp, and there are options to suit every visual taste. And let’s not forget the impressive array of ports, the rugged MIL-STD 810H certification, and a battery that can keep up with your hustle. Priced at $1000, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is not just a laptop; it’s your tech-savvy companion, making work feel less like a chore and more like a smooth ride through your to-do list.