Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Review: A Great Budget Laptop

Lenovo is an established name in the world of computers. Since its founding in 1984, the Chinese hardware manufacturer has released quality products into the marketplace, with the Yoga 720 laptop and ThinkPad X1 tablet being two recent success stories. Moreover, another one of their products, the Lenovo ThinkPad 13, was also released recently, but how does it fair in comparison to other laptops?

LENOVO THINKPAD 13 REVIEW

While you can spend a hefty amount of money on a computer to ensure it’s a high performing device, a more modest budget doesn’t necessitate buying a poorly made machine. And the ThinkPad 13 is just that, a well-made machine that will serviceably fulfill your day-to-day activities (so long as they’re not extraneously demanding).

Lenovo built their latest ThinkPad “to pass 12 Military Specification tests for durability,” so its endurance was deemed a top priority. The ThinkPad 13 passed “more than 200 quality checks,” meaning this device can endure whatever physical hardships may come its way.

Per PC Magazine’s experience, the keyboard Lenovo designed for this ThinkPad iteration is one of the best in this price range. The ThinkPad 13’s keyboard is satisfying to use, it’s responsive when in use and it comes augmented with two scrolling options: the red TrackPoint nub centered within it and a touchpad underneath it. They, as with the keys, work well.

The battery life is guaranteed to last for 11 hours, and the laptop’s 13.3-inch screen offers a 1080p display. Futhermore, the ThinkPad 13 can connect to a wide array of devices thanks to its USB 3.0, USB Type-C and HDMI inputs, as well as its headset jack and SD card ports. Most of these adorn the right side of the machine.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad 13 is a reliable companion that will adequately help you with your tasks at work or school. The laptop comes in black or silver, though the two are otherwise identical. Either model can cost $494.10. At their basic configurations, they provide Windows 10 Home as their operating system and come with a 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM.