Can Lenovo ThinkBook 15 be used for professional work?

 As far as laptops are concerned, Lenovo is at the top of its game right now. It’s got the ThinkPad series, which is considered as one of the best affordable office laptops on the market. Then there’s the critically acclaimed IdeaPad series for home users, making Lenovo ThinkBook series as a sort of link between the two. The ThinkBook series is in essence blend between a laptop for use at home and a pure office laptop designed for productivity.  

Today’s review unit is the Intel Core i5-1035G1 SKU, which also has an 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD. Also, it has a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display. But can this laptop be used for professional work? Let’s find out.

Specifications

Processor	Intel Core i5-1035G1 / 1.0 GHz
Display	15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display (1920 x 1080) Resolution
RAM	8 GB
Storage	256 GB SSD
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 620
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro

Design

This ThinkBook 15 has a 15.6-inch display, so it’s not going to be the most compact machine out there. At first glance, the device looks really nice and solid. Design-wise, it’s taken a lot of inspiration from the IdeaPad series. The chassis of this ThinkBook machine is made from mostly plastic with a little bit of metal here and there. The top lid is made from aluminium. The combination of these materials have produced a relatively lightweight device that is easy to carry around.

As for the exact measurements, the ThinkBook 15 weighs around 1.8 kg and is 1.8 mm thick. This certainly not bad for a 15-inch notebook. The laptop has an overall grey colour finish, giving it a professional look. We didn’t feel any noticeable flex on the lid and the machine gave an overall aura of stability.

Many people these days are worried that they’re governments are illegally spying on them. To alleviate their worries, Lenovo has installed a physical shutter for the camera. Now people can work with ease without having to fear surveillance. The camera itself has a 720p resolution, which is great for video calls.

Display

The Lenovo ThinkBook 15, as its name suggests, has a 15-inch display that comes with a Full HD resolution and IPS screen. The bezels are very thin, giving users more screen for various tasks. We watched a couple of movies and streamed some TV-shows on Netflix and the experience was very enjoyable. We even watched some videos while the laptop was fully opened at 180 degrees. Be wary of lighting in a room as there’s going to be some glare at awkward angles. 

You can change the displays setting through the Lenovo Vantage application with options like Eye Care mode for prolonged use. We also tested a couple of video calls and found the overall quality to be more than enough for an average user.

Performance

The performance delivered by the ThinkBook 15 was more than sufficient for everyday office tasks. This is all due to the 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD. You’ll find yourself breezing through all kinds of tasks. However, the cooling system kind of hold backs the processor from delivering its top performance.

There is no dedicated graphics card on this unit so you’ll have to make do with the Intel UHD Graphics. This means you won’t be able to run AAA titles or edit videos. But it’s important to remember that this laptop wasn’t made with serious gaming or video editing in mind. It was targeted at business users from the start. You’ll need to invest more money if you want a machine for both work and play.

Battery Life

The ThinkBook 15 also recharges surprisingly quickly. Our review unit reaches 80% charge after just 45 minutes, although it takes another 45 minutes to reach 100%. Additionally, the device does not throttle its CPU when running on battery power.

The ThinkBook 15 has a 45 Wh battery like most of its competitors in this class. We tested this unit for a week and got above-average runtimes. In our Wi-Fi test, the ThinkBook 15 managed to last for 6 hours and 55 minutes on a single charge. The brightness was reduced to 150 nits during these tests.

Connectivity

Lenovo usually doesn’t hold back when it comes to connectivity. This was the case here as well as the ThinkBook 15 has a variety of ports and slots. It’s got five USB ports, of which two are Type-C ports that support DisplayPort and PowerDelivery. There’s a hidden USB 2.0 behind a flap, which will come in handy when plugging in Bluetooth USB receivers.

On the left side, you’ll find an RJ-45 Ethernet connector, 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) – a headphone jack, and a quick reset hole.

On the right side, you’ll see the proprietary USB-shaped charging plug, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) port, an SD card reader, and the hidden USB Type-A 2.0 port.

Verdict

The ThinkBook 15 is a good office laptop that can be easily used for professional work. It’s got an attractive modern design and good input peripherals. The 10th generation Core i5 processor in this unit was able to breeze through all kinds of general tasks. The plentiful 8 GB RAM and fast 256 GB SSD also kept things ticking over. In short, this is one of the best Lenovo business laptops on the market.