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Lenovo sells lots of laptops in its IdeaPad, ThinkBook, and Legion lines, but the company’s many sub-series of ThinkPad business machines are its bread, butter, and jam, all in one. Among the many series of ThinkPads—from the ThinkPad E to the ThinkPad Z—the ThinkPad T series is the most vital of them all. These models sell in droves as fleet machines to medium and large businesses everywhere.Because of the T-series models’ ubiquity, any upgrade or repair innovation that comes to them is a big deal. And so, we were excited to hear that Lenovo has partnered with iFixit, the independent watchdog (and inveterate seller of PC toolkits) that deconstructs and rates popular consumer- and business-technology products on their repairability. Lenovo’s aim? To gin up its sustainability game with the latest revision of the T series.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
We enjoyed an early look at the new ThinkPad T14 and T16 models, which Lenovo debuted at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. On the outside, these are typical ThinkPad business laptops, with a few welcome usability tweaks, if no great shakes. Lenovo has made finer adjustments that should hold lots of appeal for IT departments and fleet buyers that handle hundreds or thousands of these machines a year and are loyal to the T.Meet the New ThinkPad T-Series: The ConfigurationsFirst off, a bit about the component loadouts. Lenovo will sell ThinkPad T14, T14s, and T16 models at the 14- and 16-inch screen sizes. The most obvious visual change is a new bump, which the company dubs the “Communications Bar,” along the top of the screen. This strip is now home to a buffed-up 5-megapixel camera, as well as noise-canceling mics. A side benefit of this camera bump is that the protruding part makes it easy to open the laptop one-handed. According to Lenovo, it also enabled the laptop designers to slim down the rest of the screen’s top bezel, with the remainder no longer needing to be thick enough to house the camera and microphone components.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Most of the 2024 ThinkPad T14 and T16 configurations will employ Intel’s new Core Ultra (aka “Meteor Lake”) processors, with their onboard AI-accelerating silicon, dubbed by the chip maker a neural processing unit (NPU). A subset of these Intel-based T-series models will support Intel’s vPro technology. These Windows 11 machines will also include Microsoft’s new Copilot key for easy access to the operating system’s built-in AI functionality. A different subset of ThinkPad T14 models, coming later, will use AMD processors and start at a lower entry price.Other tweaks to the basic T-series design include tactile markings on a few keys on the keyboard, meant to help visually impaired users locate keys and orient their fingers by feel. These little nubs first appeared in the Gen 12 version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon that rolled out late last year alongside the first Core Ultra chips. In the same vein, Lenovo has added a raised-nub power LED along one edge that signals, by feel, which of the USB-C ports are the ones to use for plugging in a charger.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The new ThinkPad T-series models will be available in April with the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 starting at $1,199, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 starting at $1,399, and the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 starting at $1,219. In May, Lenovo will also offer its AMD version of the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, using Intel rival AMD’s Ryzen 8040 AI-enabled chips, starting at $949.It’s What’s Inside That Counts: Under the Hood With the 2024 ThinkPad T14 The updates inside are where the real meat of this generation lies. According to Lenovo, its collaboration with iFixit extended to cooperation on reparability and usability manuals that will be available online to IT personnel and end users, accompanied by videos illustrating the nuts and bolts of fixes and upgrades. That, paired with a host of internal changes to the laptops, has led, according to Lenovo, for iFixit to provisionally rate the new T series at a 9.3 out of 10 in a Reparability Assessment it performed in advance of the products’ release. These assessments are technical reports evaluating the assembly and industrial design. Before that point, Lenovo did a series of “design for repair” workshops with iFixit that helped both its engineering personnel and its sustainability team to weigh design choices against longevity and reparability. The first fruits of that collaboration are showing up in the T14, T14s, and T16.So, what kind of changes should you expect when the next T-series laptops come through the IT department’s doors? Lenovo reps gave us a tour inside the guts of a 2024 T14, which you’ll see detailed in the images below. For starters, it’s possible to swap out a broken keyboard by removing (and later refastening) just two screws on the laptop’s underside panel. Lenovo has added helpful keyboard icons next to the relevant screws, as you can see here…
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The company is also adding clearer iconography on the machine’s bottom panel to indicate where the “hard reset” pinhole is located…
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
According to Lenovo reps we spoke with, the existence and location of this pinhole were not well known, and many users or IT personnel might be hesitant to poke a pointy object into an unmarked pinhole, which might be a microphone pickup or other item unsafe to be prodded.You’ll note in the images of the underside that the screws used on the lower shell of the laptop are now all simple Phillips-head screws—no specialty screwdrivers, star heads, or hex bits needed. Removing the lower shell is easy; here, you can see the T14 opened up, with its lower lid off and positioned to the left…
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Lenovo was quick to point out that it has reinforced, for durability and ease of engagement, the clips that lock the edge of the chassis and the lower panel together…
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Now, as for under the lid. Lenovo was also keen to point out that it has changed the color of the battery’s housing from black to gray. This cosmetic change was done primarily to create contrast (for easy visibility during repairs) between the battery proper, and the screws and chassis that hold it in place.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
You’ll notice in this image a couple of small arrows along the top edge of the gray battery cell. They are on either side of a new connector that joins the battery to the system mainboard. Previously, this connection was a more delicate cable. Here, it has been replaced by a physical direct connector bracketed by a pair of screws. Battery replacements tend to be a common service item for laptops that are kept in service for years; under a lot of charge/recharge cycles (a typical pattern in business use) the battery falters over time in its ability to hold a charge, or it may even begin to swell at the end of its life. The new physical connector is more rugged, allowing for surer battery swaps. (We’d say more frequent swaps, too, but in their service lives, we’d gamble that few machines will be subject to more than one.)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Above the battery, you’ll notice the pair of full-fledged, user-accessible SO-DIMM slots for the main system RAM. Lenovo is reverting to a twin open-DIMM design, which allows for fully upgradable system memory after purchase. Many modern laptops, in the interest of slimness, have opted for fully soldered-down memory designs, or a combination of soldered-down and a single SO-DIMM slot. This full-access design, more common in larger machines like gaming laptops, allows for maximum flexibility and future-proofing in a machine this size.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Note that the SO-DIMM slots are covered by a metal shield that’s easy to pop on and off, as demonstrated here, once you’ve removed the lower chassis cover…
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Look at the next item, and you might say that Lenovo is stealing a play out of the book used by modular-laptop innovator Framework and its family of upgradable laptops. (Look at our recent review of the Framework Laptop 16.) We can’t say we blame Lenovo: Clearly labeling internal components to help inexperienced upgraders figure out what’s what at a glance is a smart idea long past due. See, for example here, this pointer to the card slot that can be used for dropping in a mobile-broadband-connectivity module…
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
As you can see, the SO-DIMM slots and the battery itself are, similarly, clearly labeled. So is the SSD.Speaking of which: Like the memory, the ThinkPad T series includes repairable and upgradable solid-state storage. Under the copper-colored shield you see here is the boot drive, an M.2 drive module, which you can change out for a higher-capacity model. Again, many modern thin laptops opt for soldered-down storage, which can’t be changed out post-purchase or replaced in the event of a drive failure.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
You’ll also notice in the above image, to the right of the M.2 slot, the internal brackets for the various ports that run down this edge of the machine. The top one has Philips screws mounting the port module in place. This implementation allows for the repair (via module replacement) of a broken port without swapping out the entire motherboard. As you can see, not all the ports in the T14 support this kind of swapping. But Lenovo has implemented it on some of the high-traffic ports, evident in the image above, and in the one below, which shows the inside of the laptop’s opposite edge…
Recommended by Our Editors
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
We wouldn’t go so far as to call the design of the new T-series fully modular, but Lenovo has gone a long way toward enabling repairs or upgrades in the field for many of the common trouble points that may emerge over a laptop’s life. Indeed, we can see a day years down the road, when these 2024 models are starting to be phased out by a company that bought lots of them, that IT personnel could scavenge parts from decommissioned units to keep a subset of them going—say, when a USB port breaks, a keyboard goes haywire, or a user wants a memory upgrade. Also at MWC: New Think 2-in-1s and AccessoriesBeyond the ThinkPad T-series makeover (and the tease of a future-looking transparent-screened prototype laptop that Lenovo is dubbing “Project Crystal,” Lenovo is unveiling at MWC updates to two machines in its line, adding vPro on certain configurations and a Microsoft Copilot key.Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2The X12 hasn’t seen an update in years. (Three, to be exact; see our review of the previous-generation model.) This rough analog to the Microsoft Surface Pro is a 2-in-1 detachable with a business and vertical-markets bent. Lenovo posits that the X12 is designed for specific markets that require image and handwriting/signature capture or electronic form-filling, such as insurance, law enforcement, and medical, in which taking photos, gathering evidence, or grabbing a signature at the moment is what is needed. To that same end, the X12 will serve up an option for 4G WWAN mobile connectivity.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
With the 2024 revamp, the X12 gets a 3:2-aspect-ratio panel, coated with Corning Gorilla Glass (in keeping with the active/hand-around usage style for tablets like this). The core-component loadout is based around U-series Intel Core Ultra Meteor Lake processors, and you can configure models with up to 32GB of main system memory.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
On the capture front, you’ll have the option for a magnetic pen, and the unit comes standard with 5MP and 8MP cameras. The detachable lower half comprises the company’s backlit folio-style keyboard, which is equipped with a three-button touchpad. Expect to see X12 models on the market in April, starting at $1,399.Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4The latest ThinkBook 14 convertible is more of a design play. This model’s bezels have been trimmed down to enable a 90% screen-to-body ratio. It’s just 16.9mm thick, but it’s not a true lightweight for its screen size, weighing 3.61 pounds.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Much of the feature focus is enhancements to video-calling features and input. In keeping with the company’s emphasis on a quality typing experience, the keyboard has a deeper (now 1.5mm) travel distance. Also, it’s not in the box, but Lenovo will sell a slim magnetic pen accessory, and you get a fingerprint reader and the option for an IR camera. The device leverages the Core Ultra’s built-in AI acceleration via Smart Meeting, which enhances the audio and video for conference calls. Expect to see ThinkBook 14 models starting at $1,169 in March…..and a Revised Accessory: Lenovo’s ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 Mobile MonitorLenovo’s been through a few generations of its ThinkVision portable monitor, and it’s one of the better screens on the market. Indeed, the last-gen Lenovo ThinkVision M14d was an Editors’ Choice winner. The new model, the M14t Gen 2 Mobile Monitor, is pictured here alongside a new USB dock the company is debuting at MWC. The M14t, expected in July at $399, is a premium 14-inch portable display with 10-point touch support and, as before, twin USB-C interfaces. The panel is 16:10 and rated for 300 nits of peak brightness and a native resolution of 2,240 by 1,400 pixels.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The new model employs an L-bend dongle for better cable routing between the laptop and panel, and the second USB-C port can be used to enable USB-C pass-through charging. You can tilt the monitor via the stiff, single-piece hinge, and an underside foot lets you tip up the panel, as well. The new dock pictured, meanwhile, is the $89.99 USB-C Slim Travel Dock. Coming in March, it is capable of 65W charging and driving a 4K display at up to 60Hz.
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