Lenovo is a Chinese company and one of the largest manufacturers of consumer electronics, including products like personal computers (desktops and laptops), tablets, monitors, computer peripherals, and smartphones, among many others. In 2005, they acquired IBM’s personal computer division, where the ThinkPad and ThinkCentre lines of computers originated. Lenovo’s current laptop lineup is vast and includes popular brands like IdeaPad, Legion, Yoga, and ThinkBook. Lenovo’s laptops are often among the best value models you can get, whether you’re looking for a cheap Chromebook, a high-performing gaming laptop, or a premium mobile workstation.
Best Lenovo Laptops
1.LENEVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON GEN 11 ( 2023)
The best Lenovo laptop we’ve tested is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 (2023), a 14-inch ultraportable. With a mix of aluminum, magnesium, carbon fiber, and plastic, this thin and light laptop feels sturdily built. It has Lenovo’s much-beloved keyboard as well as a tactile and responsive touchpad. There’s also a Trackpoint nub—situated in the intersection between H, G, and B keys—and dedicated buttons right below the space bar, which some may find more convenient to use when typing, as you can keep your hand closer to the keyboard. You get an excellent 1080p webcam (with a privacy cover), tons of ports, and Wi-Fi 6E. Biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and a facial recognition camera.
Configuration-wise, this laptop is available with Intel 13th Gen U- or P-series CPUs. These processors can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, video playback, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can even do more intensive tasks like programming on models with the high-end Core i7-1370P. Graphically intensive workloads are a no-go, as you can only get this laptop with integrated graphics. Multiple display options are available, including a 2.8k OLED panel with full DCI P3 coverage. The storage drive is user-upgradeable, but not the RAM.
The is a good option if you need a device with a bit more processing power. You can configure it with an AMD Ryzen 5 7735HS or Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 discrete GPU. We recommend getting the Ryzen 7 7840HS, as it’s noticeably faster than the Zen 3-based 7735HS. As for the GPU, the RTX 3050 is a few years old, and the 6GB of VRAM can be limiting, but it can still handle relatively heavy workloads like video editing and 3D graphics. The downside is that you can only get up to 16GB of soldered RAM. Also, this laptop has been discontinued, so it may be hard to find.
2. Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 ( 2023)
f you prefer a cheaper, mid-range model, check out the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023), one of the best Lenovo laptops we’ve tested in 2023. This 16-inch 2-in-1 convertible is available with Intel 13th Gen U- and P-series CPUs, which are plenty fast for general productivity tasks like text processing and spreadsheets. Its 16-inch display gives you ample room for split-screen multitasking and supports pen input. Depending on the region, you can get a bundle with a stylus; otherwise, you’ll have to buy it separately. There are two display options: a FHD+ and a QHD+ panel. We recommend the latter, as it looks sharper and gets brighter to combat glare.
The battery lasts around 12 hours of light use and charges quickly over USB-C. Regarding ports, you get two USB-As, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI, and a MicroSD card reader. There’s Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, and biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and a facial recognition camera. The keyboard gets a little warm under load, but thankfully, the fans remain quiet, and thermal throttling is minimal. The webcam’s video quality is decent; the image looks reasonably detailed but has an unnatural tint, and the microphone picks up some background noise.
3. Lenevo ideaPad Slim 3i 15
The best budget Lenovo laptop we’ve tested is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023). This 15.6-inch Windows ultraportable is available with various Intel 13th Gen CPUs, from a Core i3 to i7, and up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Intel CPUs are low-power processors, so while they’re fast enough to handle light productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing, they aren’t ideal for demanding workloads like video editing. For the display, the cheaper configurations come with a low-quality TN panel—you’ll have to spend more if you want to upgrade to an IPS display.
The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is small but responsive. Ports include two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an SD card reader. The USB-C supports video output and charging but not Thunderbolt 4, which is unfortunate but expected for a budget-friendly model. It has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button for quick logins. Its biggest flaw is its short battery life of around six to seven hours of light use.
4.Lenevo ideaPad Slim 3i CHROME BOOK
ur best cheap pick is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023). This 14-inch model is a great option for younger students or anyone needing a simple device for light productivity tasks. In many ways, this model provides a better user experience than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) above. It’s more portable since it’s a smaller 14-inch device, and it has a brighter display to combat glare. Battery life is also better at around 13 hours of light use. However, the keyboard feels mushier and causes some fatigue over an extended period, and the touchpad isn’t quite as responsive.
The most notable difference is that it runs Chrome OS, which is more limited than Windows, as you can only use web-based and Android apps (and Linux apps with some tweaking). As such, it isn’t ideal if your work or school program requires specific Windows software. You can configure this laptop with an Intel N100, N200, or a Core i3-N305 CPU; we recommend the latter, as the N100 and N200 are much slower and only suitable for those with an extremely light workload. Unfortunately, there’s no fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera.