I got this Thinkpad T14 Gen4 AMD a couple weeks ago and so far it's been smooth sailing. I opted for the 7840U CPU with 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. This laptop is primarily used for light CAD work in Autodesk software, but also handles office work and most of my web browsing when I'm not at home. For any serious work I'm remoting into either my personal desktop or my work machine. I got the 4G module for this laptop as I've always kinda wanted a laptop with that functionality and it works pretty well. The reception isn't as good as on my phone, Galaxy S23+, but still very usable.

So far it's been smooth sailing. It does everything I expect a laptop to do without a fuss. It doesn't pretend to do anything else either, which is great. It's a laptop that does laptop things really well. Startup is quick, windows facial login works even with my quite thick glasses on, and the battery might as well last forever.

Performance:

It's a 7840U, so it's not going to be setting any performance records, but for a portable machine it's a good balance of performance and low-power. The integrated graphics are probably the most notable in terms of performance. There's enough there to enjoy a quick round of Rocket League or Minecraft over lunch. The fact that it's almost always completely silent is perfect for me. The fan doesn't even really bother spinning up unless I hit the "render" button in Inventor or run the auto-router in Fusion. 8 CPU cores is still lots for something like this, but I'm glad they're all here when I actually need them. If you don't care for the integrated graphics performance, I'd get the Ryzen 5 model and save a few bucks there. The CPU there is still plenty quick.

Display:

I opted for the brighter 1920x1200 display over the OLED model for the increased battery life. While this panel is not the best I've ever seen on a laptop, I also have no complaints as far as brightness, colors, or contrast goes. The resolution is fine at this screen size. My only gripe is the 60hz refresh rate. I'd have like to see a 90hz option for some extra smoothness, but for most folks this display is perfectly adequate.

Battery life:

I limit my devices to 85% charge to prolong the battery lifespan, and even with that this laptop is on hour 7 of today with 20% left in the tank as I write this review. I got the larger battery and don't tend to run it with the backlight on or the screen brightness cranked, but I'm not babying the battery either. This thing has done some real work today and it's still trucking on the train home. I recon somebody could wring 12 hours out of this thing if they really went for it. I do notice slightly worse battery life when web browsing over LTE vs Wifi, but I'd expect that given how hungry some of those transceivers can be. Still easily 6 hours of browsing from the full 85% if I used it exclusively like that all the time.

Keyboard:

I'd best describe the feel of this keyboard as "soft and smooth." There isn't much of a tactile bump to it, but it's still very nice to use. The travel and weight of the keys feels good and typing on this thing is quick enough for me. The bottom out has a bit of squish but not in a way that feels bad. It's like it's slightly padded underneath if that makes sense. The keycaps will take on a bit of a shine from finger oils over time, but that's to be expected for this material. They are also easy to remove and clean should the need arise, and just snap back on. The backlight is plenty bright even on the lower setting and mostly even. I did notice that my right alt key is ever so slightly brighter than the neighboring keys, but that's fine. I'd rather have a bright key than a dim one.

Trackpad:

It's a plastic trackpad with the classic 3 buttons. No real complaints from me. I would have prefered glass and slightly larger area, but there's nothing wrong with this either. The plastic feels plenty rigid and smooth. It's taken on the same shine as some of the keycaps, but that's to be expected with plastics like this. The nub is there as well and I do actually use it for stuff. It's mainly used as my scroll wheel with the middle mouse button. It wouldn't be a thinkpad without this thing. Please never remove them.

I/O and ports:

Full-size USB on both sides is nice to see on a 14" laptop, as is Ethernet. The USB4 port is also great for docking at home when I just want to quickly do something on a bigger screen. I would've liked to have a micro-SD card slot as well if possible, but it's not a deal breaker feature for me. Wifi and bluetooth work well and have pretty respectable range.

Overall:

I highly reccomend the T14 Gen4 AMD if you can get it at the sale price I did. For the regular price I think you could find some better value options with either a glass-topped trackpad or other creature comforts, but at the last sale price of just over $900 this is hard to beat. I think I could sum this up as a great laptop for somebody who just want it to do laptop things really well. It's not going to replace your desktop or your phone (even with the LTE module), but it sure is a solid machine.

9/10 laptop for me. Only minor gripes that ultimately don't matter for how useful the machine is.

Hello guys any insights? Since I am planning to purchase a 2nd hand Lenovo Thinkpad T14 Gen4. I am going to use it for online business, VA work and some online gaming. Thank you for your help

Hello there,

TL;DR: Can't choose between T14 Gen4 with AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel i7 13th?

I have a very old Asus K53S with i7-2630QM which I purchased in 2011. It had an unexpected life span, of course I updated it several times (SSD, 16GB RAM, various reformat and clean Windows install, new battery packs) but now time to purchase a new laptop has come.

I use the laptop for the following tasks:

• Coding (Python, Arduino)

• KiCAD (Electronic CAD + Circuit simulation)

• Fusion360 / FreeCAD

• Basic office stuff

The thing I suffer the most with my actual laptop is that is big and heavy, which make it not portable at all, moreover it has become way too slow for the heavy tasks such as 3D modelling.

My choice is the ThinkPad T14 Gen4 which comes in two version, the AMD and Intel.

So I googled around and, as far as I understood (correct me if I'm wrong), the AMD Ryzen 7 should be better for battery duration and graphic stuff. However I'm a bit confused because someone states that this was true if compared to an "old" Intel i7 11th/12th but now the i7 13th filled the gap between Ryzen 7.

Other aspect to take into account is that with the Ryzen version, the RAM only comes soldered, which scares me a bit because it'll be impossible to upgrade/replace.

Last but not least, the price difference (400€) is quite a lot, resulting in 1300€ for the AMD version vs 1700€ for the Intel version.

What do you guys will do in my situation? Does the price difference justify the advantages of the Intel version? Am I missing any other considerations?

Price is in CAD. I have recently been searching for a Thinkpad and i have never had one. Will be using it for school and i want to start programming. I need a laptop for september and was wondering if i should wait for back to school sales or easter sales or if this is a good deal. Also, is the Ryzen 7 Pro overkill for what i want to do? The screen is IPS and non-touch

Hi,

I am confuse about T14 gen 4 AMD weight. In the datasheet (https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/ThinkPad/ThinkPad_T14_Gen_4_AMD/ThinkPad_T14_Gen_4_AMD_Spec.pdf) it says:

"Models with thunder black cover and 52.5Wh battery Starting at 1.39 kg (3.05 lbs) . "

but in this review at notebookcheck (https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T14-G4-AMD-Laptop-Review-Ryzen-power-in-the-compact-ThinkPad.786912.0.html) it says:

"Weight 1.463 kg ( = 51.61 oz / 3.23 pounds), Power Supply: 353 g ( = 12.45 oz / 0.78 pounds)"

could you pls tell me which one is true (in real life).

Thank you!