Disclosure: I received these devices as pre-production evaluation units from Lenovo. All opinions are my own.
Configuration tested (both): AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7730U, 64GB RAM.
Lenovo's fourth generation of their ThinkPad L13 and L14 AMD series are designed to offer performance, reliability, and security in an affordable package. Let's take a deeper look at what these machines have to offer.
Configuration tested (both): AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7730U, 64GB RAM.
Lenovo's fourth generation of their ThinkPad L13 and L14 AMD series are designed to offer performance, reliability, and security in an affordable package. Let's take a deeper look at what these machines have to offer.
Packaging and Product Sustainability
A key area of focus on Lenovo’s press materials for this generation’s L series is sustainability. This focus is apparent in my first encounter with the packaging of the L13 and L14. Similar to Lenovo’s Z series, the box is made of recycled cardboard and is entirely plastic-free.
According to Lenovo, the product’s chassis is manufactured with 50% recycled aluminum, 97% Post-Consumer Content on the battery, and up to 90% Post-Consumer Content on the power adapter. What all this means is a more sustainable product and packaging story compared to the last generations’.
Design and Build
Both the L13 and L14 sport a classic matte black design familiar with traditional ThinkPads.
A key area of focus on Lenovo’s press materials for this generation’s L series is sustainability. This focus is apparent in my first encounter with the packaging of the L13 and L14. Similar to Lenovo’s Z series, the box is made of recycled cardboard and is entirely plastic-free.
According to Lenovo, the product’s chassis is manufactured with 50% recycled aluminum, 97% Post-Consumer Content on the battery, and up to 90% Post-Consumer Content on the power adapter. What all this means is a more sustainable product and packaging story compared to the last generations’.
Design and Build
Both the L13 and L14 sport a classic matte black design familiar with traditional ThinkPads.
They look nearly identical from a distance, with the same keyboard and trackpad setup and similar dimensions. The width of the two is almost the same, but the L14 is about half an inch longer than the L13. The exact dimensions for the L13 are 17.06mm x 305mm x 218mm / 0.67″ x 12″ x 8.58″ and 18.73mm x 325.4mm x 217mm x / 0.74″ x 12.81″ x 8.54″ for the L14. The L13 weighs a little under three pounds and the L14 weighs a little over. Honestly, there isn’t a significant difference between the two, so I would recommend going for the L14 if you’re yearning for more display real estate.
These are ThinkPads, so it goes without saying that the build quality is excellent. There were no shortcuts taken in the quality department to deliver their sustainability goals: the chassis is stiff, keyboard and display flex are minimal, and both machines are military-spec tested, meaning they are designed to withstand extreme heat, shocks, and a spill to the keyboard.
Ports and Specs
Where the two begin to differ more prominently is in ports and IO. The L13 has two USB-A 3.2 ports, two USB-C 3.2 G2 ports, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The L14 has all of the ports offered on the L13, but one of the USB-C ports is Thunderbolt 4.0 and has an additional full-sized Ethernet port and microSD card reader. While both models offer a Smart Card reader, the reader on the L13 is located in the front of the device whereas the L14 has the reader on the right side of the machine. Both machines also offer 4G LTE (no 5G as of yet, unfortunately) and Wi-Fi 6E support.
Ports and Specs
Where the two begin to differ more prominently is in ports and IO. The L13 has two USB-A 3.2 ports, two USB-C 3.2 G2 ports, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The L14 has all of the ports offered on the L13, but one of the USB-C ports is Thunderbolt 4.0 and has an additional full-sized Ethernet port and microSD card reader. While both models offer a Smart Card reader, the reader on the L13 is located in the front of the device whereas the L14 has the reader on the right side of the machine. Both machines also offer 4G LTE (no 5G as of yet, unfortunately) and Wi-Fi 6E support.
Security
Lenovo’s suite of ThinkPad security features is offered here on the L series as well. There’s a physical camera shutter that comes in handy for the new era of remote work and video calling. Plus, the cameras are offered in Full HD, a huge upgrade for those still on 720p webcams!
Lenovo’s suite of ThinkPad security features is offered here on the L series as well. There’s a physical camera shutter that comes in handy for the new era of remote work and video calling. Plus, the cameras are offered in Full HD, a huge upgrade for those still on 720p webcams!
There is Windows Hello support via both an IR camera and a fingerprint sensor (both of which are very quick).
For the IT pros out there considering deploying the L13/L14, there’s a bunch of enterprise-grade security features, dubbed ThinkShield, offered as a service through Lenovo Vantage Support.
Performance and Upgradability
The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U in my test units offers strong performance. In Cinebench Single-Core, both scored comparably to Intel’s 11th Generation mobile processors. In the Multi-Core test, the AMD edged out the aforementioned Intel processors at 15W and 28W.
Performance and Upgradability
The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U in my test units offers strong performance. In Cinebench Single-Core, both scored comparably to Intel’s 11th Generation mobile processors. In the Multi-Core test, the AMD edged out the aforementioned Intel processors at 15W and 28W.
The L13 offers up to 32GB of soldered-on memory whereas the L14 offers up to 64GB of removable SO-DIMM memory – an important differentiator if upgradability is important to you.
This year, both the L13 and L14 use a small-form-factor 2242-sized PCIe NVMe SSD. It’s important to note that these are different than the traditional 2280-sized SSDs found in most laptops and may be harder to upgrade down the road.
Overall, performance is fantastic in all my use cases. Granted, I don’t game on these devices, but even for heavy-duty tasks such as 3D modeling, simulations, and running virtual machines, the L13 and L14 were able to handle them without thermal throttling or noticeable performance bottlenecks. The fans do an excellent job at cooling the CPU, and while it can get loud during intensive workloads, it never gets ridiculously loud to the point of being unusable.
Display
Both displays are similar in quality: they sport a matte finish which is great at preventing glare or reflections from the sun or shiny surfaces, though the 300 nits can get a bit dim when used outside. There is a 400-nit option (non-touch) offered on the L13 with 100% sRGB, which is a great upgrade option for photo and video editors out there.
Trackpad, TrackPoint, Keyboard
They’re great! It’s a traditional experience you expect from a ThinkPad keyboard and trackpad. There’s 1.5mm of travel on the keyboard, which is plenty in my opinion, and the three-button clickpad has ample space and is responsive. It’s a tried-and-true formula that I am accustomed to as a ThinkPad user 😊
Speakers & Communication
In today's remote work environment, communication is more important than ever. The microphones are great, and the included features in Lenovo Vantage give you options to prioritize what the microphones are picking up.
I do wish the speaker quality were better on these machines. While for voice calls, the speakers are very clear, the quality of music or movies leaves a lot to be desired. Even though the speakers on the L14 are located on the speaker deck (which is nice if your laptop is ever on a soft surface such as your lap or the sofa) the bass quality is not all that great.
Battery
With an FHD display, an efficient processor, and a decent-sized battery for its size (46Wh on the L13, up to 63Wh on the L14), I found the battery to last about three-quarters of my day on 50% brightness and normal usage consisting of Microsoft Word, 10+ tabs of Chrome, and mixed web-browsing and email.
One feature I use often is Battery Threshold in Lenovo Vantage. Since I keep my laptop plugged in for an extended period of time at home, I chose to keep it charged to only 75 percent to prolong the life of the battery.
Linux Support
I tried a dual-boot of Ubuntu and had no issues. Lenovo also offers the L13 and L14 with Linux if you want that pre-installed instead of Windows 11.
Conclusions
The L series has always been a great option for those looking for a great all-rounder, and this is no different. Sure, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a Z series or X series ThinkPad, but if you’re looking for a no-frills, reasonably-priced yet powerful and durable machine that gets the job done, these machines should be on your shortlist.
This year, both the L13 and L14 use a small-form-factor 2242-sized PCIe NVMe SSD. It’s important to note that these are different than the traditional 2280-sized SSDs found in most laptops and may be harder to upgrade down the road.
Overall, performance is fantastic in all my use cases. Granted, I don’t game on these devices, but even for heavy-duty tasks such as 3D modeling, simulations, and running virtual machines, the L13 and L14 were able to handle them without thermal throttling or noticeable performance bottlenecks. The fans do an excellent job at cooling the CPU, and while it can get loud during intensive workloads, it never gets ridiculously loud to the point of being unusable.
Display
Both displays are similar in quality: they sport a matte finish which is great at preventing glare or reflections from the sun or shiny surfaces, though the 300 nits can get a bit dim when used outside. There is a 400-nit option (non-touch) offered on the L13 with 100% sRGB, which is a great upgrade option for photo and video editors out there.
Trackpad, TrackPoint, Keyboard
They’re great! It’s a traditional experience you expect from a ThinkPad keyboard and trackpad. There’s 1.5mm of travel on the keyboard, which is plenty in my opinion, and the three-button clickpad has ample space and is responsive. It’s a tried-and-true formula that I am accustomed to as a ThinkPad user 😊
Speakers & Communication
In today's remote work environment, communication is more important than ever. The microphones are great, and the included features in Lenovo Vantage give you options to prioritize what the microphones are picking up.
I do wish the speaker quality were better on these machines. While for voice calls, the speakers are very clear, the quality of music or movies leaves a lot to be desired. Even though the speakers on the L14 are located on the speaker deck (which is nice if your laptop is ever on a soft surface such as your lap or the sofa) the bass quality is not all that great.
Battery
With an FHD display, an efficient processor, and a decent-sized battery for its size (46Wh on the L13, up to 63Wh on the L14), I found the battery to last about three-quarters of my day on 50% brightness and normal usage consisting of Microsoft Word, 10+ tabs of Chrome, and mixed web-browsing and email.
One feature I use often is Battery Threshold in Lenovo Vantage. Since I keep my laptop plugged in for an extended period of time at home, I chose to keep it charged to only 75 percent to prolong the life of the battery.
Linux Support
I tried a dual-boot of Ubuntu and had no issues. Lenovo also offers the L13 and L14 with Linux if you want that pre-installed instead of Windows 11.
Conclusions
The L series has always been a great option for those looking for a great all-rounder, and this is no different. Sure, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a Z series or X series ThinkPad, but if you’re looking for a no-frills, reasonably-priced yet powerful and durable machine that gets the job done, these machines should be on your shortlist.
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