Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 4 Specifications
Drive Capacity (based on testing): 512 GB
Drive Type: SSD
Dimensions (length × width × height): 0.78 × 14.2 × 9.3 inches
Graphics Processor: Intel UHD Graphics
Laptop Category: Business
Native Screen Resolution: 1920 × 1080 pixels
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro
Screen Technology: IPS
Processor: Intel Core i7-1365U
RAM (based on testing): 16 GB
Screen Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes): 13:45
Touchscreen: Yes
Variable Refresh Rate Support: No
Weight: 3.91 lbs
Wireless Networking: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6E
Introduction
Lenovo sells many laptops from the ThinkPad series. Some designations – like ThinkPad X1 for ultra-light devices, ThinkPad T for flagship corporate models, and ThinkPad P for mobile workstations – are clear enough. But other designations like the ThinkPad L series are less so – Lenovo calls them “value-oriented devices with rich productivity features.” This places the ThinkPad L15 Gen 4 somewhere between entry-level and large corporations. It’s a capable workhorse, but it has a somewhat outdated design for a price that isn’t low when tested. We suggest looking at competitors, including the budget-friendly ThinkPad E series and the ThinkBook series for small offices, instead.
Configurations and Design
The ThinkPad L15 is a general-purpose 15.6-inch laptop available in both Intel and AMD variants, with the latter starting at $822.90 with a Ryzen 3 Pro processor, while the cheapest Intel configuration costs $633.30 with a Core i3 processor. Both feature Windows 11 Home and a non-touch Full HD display (1920 × 1080 pixels) rated at 250 nits of brightness.
Performance and Design
With a thunder-black plastic casing, the ThinkPad L15 Gen 4 measures 0.78 × 14.2 × 9.3 inches and weighs 3.91 lbs. The HP EliteBook 865 G9, measuring 16 inches, has dimensions of 0.76 × 14.1 × 9.9 inches and weighs the same. While the Dell Inspiron 15 is slightly thicker and a quarter-pound lighter than the Lenovo. Although you might notice some flex if you lift the corners of the screen or press on the keyboard, the L15 and other ThinkPads have passed MIL-STD 810H durability tests for travel hazards such as shock, vibration, and thermal changes, so there’s no fear of the laptop breaking easily. The camera has a privacy shutter; the infrared face recognition technology and the fingerprint reader built into the power button offer you two ways to bypass typing in passwords using Windows Hello.
Using the Lenovo ThinkPad L15
The 1080p webcam operates well for video recording with the Windows Camera app that supports recent enhancements such as the available auto-framing and background blur features, along with Lenovo View software that enhances video quality for ambient lighting and AC or battery usage. It captures bright, colorful images (though slightly blurry) with almost no noise or distortion.
In addition to MIL-STD 810H testing, ThinkPads are known for their keyboards. Like other laptops in the same family, the backlit keyboard on the L15 is smooth and very comfortable as a laptop input, featuring an excellent layout with real Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys; shortcuts in the top row, including keys to make and end Microsoft Teams calls; and a full-size numeric keypad on the right. If you’re unable to adjust to the Fn key position on the left of the Ctrl key in the lower-left corner, you can swap them using the provided Lenovo Vantage software.
The feel
the following tests the results of the Lenovo ThinkPad L15, allowing us to see where it stands among its competitors in terms of performance.
Overall, the performance is quite satisfying for office tasks and general productivity. The multitasking capabilities make it easy to switch between applications without significant lag. The CPU performance is particularly noteworthy, handling demanding tasks with relative ease.
For creative work, however, it may show limitations, especially in graphics-intensive applications, given its setup. While casual use of design programs is feasible, hardcore designers or video editors may seek a more powerful machine.
The display quality, while decent for productivity tasks, does not suffice for serious graphic work. Color accuracy and brightness levels may hinder work requiring precision in color grading or detailed image editing.
In conclusion, the Lenovo ThinkPad L15 is an excellent choice for business users seeking reliability and efficiency in productivity tasks. However, content creators may need to look elsewhere for a machine that aligns better with their performance needs.
ThinkPad L15 easily scored 4000 points in the PCMark 10 test, indicating effective productivity for routine tasks like Word and Excel, but it did not impress elsewhere – finishing last in processor tests despite having a Core i7 compared to the Core i5 in the E16 model. It is a good partner for daily work, but don’t expect exceptional performance in content creation or multimedia editing.
We test Windows PC graphics using two game simulations that use DirectX 12 from UL’s 3DMark, Night Raid (more modest and suitable for laptops with integrated graphics) and Time Spy (more demanding and suitable for gaming laptops with discrete graphics cards).
For further graphics testing, we also run two tests from the GFXBench 5 cross-platform benchmark that affect low-level routines like tessellation and high-level rendering in an image reminiscent of a game. The tests use Aztec Ruins at 1440p and Car Chase at 1080p, and they are presented off-screen to accommodate various display refresh rates, utilizing graphics and compute appearances using the OpenGL API and ray tracing respectively. The higher the frames per second (fps), the better.
Intel’s specifications sheet states that the Core i7-1365U is equipped with “Intel Iris Xe Graphics,” but our tests and the Windows device manager reported that the ThinkPad L15 had even older and slower integrated graphics. This was evident as the L15 joined Lenovo with a Core i5 at the tail of the pack while Dell, the only competitor with a discrete graphics card, cruised to victory. The ThinkPad is suitable for video streaming but not for serious design, rendering, or gaming.
Battery and Display Testing
We test the laptop’s battery life by running a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender film Tears of Steel) with the screen brightness set to 50% and volume at 100%. We ensure that the battery is fully charged before testing, with Wi-Fi and keyboard lighting turned off.
To measure display performance more accurately, we use the Datacolor SpyderX Elite colorimeter and its Windows software to measure the color saturation of the laptop screen – specifically, the percentage of sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 colors the display can show – at 50% brightness and maximum brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).
The L15 delivered respectable battery life, but its budget category display was outperformed by OLED screens in the Envy and XPS 15. You will find life in IPS technology even – the HP EliteBook showed color coverage and brightness close to OLED models – but not much in the basic displays of the ThinkPad devices.
Conclusion
You won’t find many Lenovo laptops that aren’t worth recommending, and there are almost no ThinkPads that can’t be recommended. The L15 Gen 4 has the brand’s signature build quality and excellent keyboard, but it does not perform excellently, and its display is disappointing considering the increase in price between the base model and our review unit. Corporate buyers may be satisfied, but small offices and sole proprietors can do better, even without moving to the world-class Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
Source: https://me.pcmag.com/en/laptops/20821/lenovo-thinkpad-l15-gen-4
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