Best Lenovo Laptops

Perfect pc for the price – Cheap and great PC. Its fast, runs everything i need and the battey is good too. Show details

An excellent value-for-money deal on a great-looking Windows laptop with an OLED touch screen. It's not the latest version and is vendor-refurbished but comes with a one-year warranty and has exceeded my expectations.

Gen 6 vs Gen 11 (revised 6 July 2024 AEST) – (Please note, the model under review is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon gen-11 which has Intel's i7-1355U processor, 32 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD and a… Read more

1920×1200 non-touch screen).

Both GEN 6 and GEN 11 are beautiful all-black machines that have outstanding military-grade build-quality and are ultra-light (weighing in at 1.12 kg) and — at 14" — ultra-portable. (Please note: as at June 2024, X1 Carbon is now — and has been for a few months — gen 12).

The ports in GEN 6 and GEN 11 are similar: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 ports; an HDMI port; a headphone/microphone jack and 2 x USB type A ports for connecting to a mouse, printer or flash drive. To have six ports from an ultra-thin laptop is quite a remarkable feat.

Under the hood is Intel's i7-1355U processor. It more than does the job for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, web surfing and for many other tasks expected of an office and general-purpose machine. Compared to GEN 6's i5 processor, the i7, in terms of loading software to the screen, can be up to twice as fast. But that is to be expected considering they are five generations apart. (Speed matters and sometimes the wish is to have gone for the i7-1365U engine, which is 7-to-9 per cent faster than i7-1355U, but that's by the bye now). It's wonderful to see how almost instantly i7-1355U (with its embedded cache) opens LibreOffice Writer and Microsoft Expression Web 4. Though opening an 85-page Final Draft (screenplay) file varies between a lengthy 10 and 12 seconds, nonetheless it is better than GEN 6's i5, which varies between 12 and 18 seconds. Complex FileMaker (database) files open in about 4 seconds, while the i5 opens them in roughly 6-to-8 seconds. However, it's more in other respects that i7-1355U (with its embedded GPU) shows how considerably faster it is over GEN 6's i5 in, for example, redrawing YouTube thumbnails and in loading YouTube videos. Overall, GEN 11's i7-1355U is considerably faster than GEN 6's i5: resulting in responses to clicks being snappier.

The aspect ratio 16:9 in GEN 6 has wonderfully changed to 16:10 in GEN 11. Given both are 14" diagonally, the 16:10 makes for an overall larger screen area. Because 16:10 increases the height of the workspace by about a precious centimetre, this aspect ratio may be appreciated by writers. 16:9 YouTube videos show up nice on 16:10 with only a centimetre-wide black strip above and below the video. It's puzzling why approximately two decades ago, a sudden switch was made from the 3:2 screen aspect ratio to 16:9 for what appears to be the primary reason of accommodating internet-sourced 16:9 videos that were at the time showing the first signs of rendering reasonably well on computer screens. Welcoming are trends showing laptop manufacturers returning to 3:2 or introducing the in-between 16:10.

The reduction in bezel is aesthetically pleasing. The bottom bezel is almost 50% less than GEN 6's. The top bezel has been reduced by about 20-to-30 per cent. The side bezels are about the same as their counterparts in GEN 6.

Screen clarity and brightness in GEN 11 (400 nits) is significantly improved over GEN 6 (300 nits). The difference is truly noticeable — and appreciated.

The keyboard in GEN 11 initially caused trepidation among the X1 Carbon community fearing rumours of a reduction in key travel from 1.5 mm to 1.35 mm. (Key travel is the distance a key needs to be pressed before a character appears on the screen — the longer the travel the better). Previous ThinkPad X1 Carbon keyboards have been widely considered to be the best in the world on a 14" laptop. The good news is that though key travel has been reportedly reduced on some of the other machines in the ThinkPad range, such is not the case with the X1 Carbon gen-11, which still stands at 1.5 mm (it appears Lenovo wisely avoided off-siding afficionados). One thing for sure though, the GEN 6 keyboard feels better: the edges of its keys are more rounded and it appears perhaps that its keys have greater surface curvature (though this has not been measured). However, random un-timed testing shows that speed-typing on either generation is roughly equal.

Sound quality from GEN 11's four speakers is superior to GEN 6's two speakers.

Thankfully, the iconic red nib near the middle of the keyboard is still with us. Though it doesn't have the immediate dynamism that the trackpad has, it still does what needs doing (some afficionados actually switch-off the trackpad as sometimes it is accidentally touched, causing the cursor to be misplaced). But more importantly the trackpoint (ie, the red nib) has enormous symbolism and historical value dating back when IBM owned the ThinkPad product line. Without the trackpoint, a ThinkPad is just another laptop and Lenovo risks dissipating the affection afficionados have for their all-black machine with the little red nib at its heart. By the bye, the trackpoint has become a metaphor for quality. (One of the little miracles is how the red nib never gets in the way of typing — on a minor scale, that in itself is an engineering marvel). Perhaps Lenovo may consider changing the nib colour as a marker for each new generation of its X1 Carbon series: for example, next year's gen-13 may have a yellow nib and the 2026 gen-14 may have a blue nib and so on. That way, each generation is easily identified.

Generally speaking, Lenovo has to be careful making changes to its premium business and general-purpose machine. Specifically, and at the symbolic level, it would be disastrous should Lenovo ever consider ridding the iconic trackpoint. The uproar from afficionados would be deafening.

The camera still has a physical (and necessary) privacy shutter (which by the bye was first introduced in GEN 6).

IN CONCLUSION. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon gen-11 is a beautiful all-black machine. Though the GEN 6 works fine to this day (5 July 2024), very few who have bought and used GEN 11 would ever want to go back to GEN 6's 16:9 screen aspect ratio for writing tasks, productivity work or creating apps (with, eg, FileMaker). Nor would one necessarily go back to GEN 6 for viewing YouTube videos as they're just fine on 16:10. GEN 11's screen is brighter, sound quality is clearer and all six ports are still there, plus the iconic red trackpoint. Key travel thankfully remains at a comfortable 1.5 mm. The i7 processor in GEN 11 makes everything snappier than GEN 6's i5. If you're still with GEN 6 — and can afford to — the feeling is that you won't regret going to GEN 11, though admittedly GEN 6 is still a remarkable laptop, which is a credit to the build-quality of the X1 Carbon line of products.

POSTSCRIPT. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon for a few months now (up to and as at July 2024) is in its 12th generation. This latest version shows some notable improvements. However, the trackpad has been made considerably larger and some of the ports have been reallocated. It bears repeating: careful consideration needs to be given before making changes to the X1 Carbon. Changing 16:9 to 16:10 (in gen-11) — wonderful and much needed. Enlarging the trackpad (in gen-12) — questionable.

WISHLIST FOR GEN 13. One, to increase the screen diagonal from 14" to 14.5" (perhaps even to 15"). The 16:10 aspect ratio makes the increase possible while still maintaining closeness to the compactness and portability of the 14"). Two, reduce the size of the trackpad back to that of GEN 11's, thus reducing accidental palm-contact with the trackpad when typing or when using the trackpoint. And three, just for fun and also as a generational marker, change the colour of the trackpoint from red to, say, yellow.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet: Affordable and Versatile! – This is my second Chromebook and the Lenovo Duet is a great little device as it’s versatile and affordable. As a Chromebook, it runs on Chrome OS,… Read more

making it a good choice for me who likes the Google ecosystem.

For the price it includes a detachable keyboard and kickstand making it both a tablet and a mini laptop. The keyboard is on the small side but it’s decent for typing and adds the 2 in 1 functionality. I did get excited when I unboxed it as it had a box inside for a stylist/pen but it wasn’t included with the model I bought.

The display appears to be bright enough but I haven’t used it outside in bright light yet. You can’t do too many things or have too many apps open at the same time on this device as it struggle a bit when I did but it's good for basic tasks like emails and using the internet but that said comes with Gemini which is Google's new AI tool which I’m starting to get use it more and more.

I ask Gemini to give me a sentence about how good it is and here is what it said about itself: I strive to be a helpful and informative AI, capable of generating human-like text, translating languages, writing different kinds of creative content, and answering your questions in an informative way.

This is a good device which I’m thinking about taking on a holiday I'm going on soon for it’s 2 in 1 functionality. I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest opinion.

**No images because the Lenovo site shows the product exactly as it is. There is absolutely no difference to what you get.** 32GB, 1TB, Touch Screen… Read more

version

The short version: Check out the kebopard and see if some of the key arramgements will annoy you. Super fast and handles massive amounts in working memory eg (huge Chrome usage plus even bigger video editing with graphic design concurrently without starting to lag. Solid build and light. Top quality screen. Battery may be a little short for many people, it is the compromise for high performance. Speakers poor volume and poor quality of sound. Gen X if you grew up as computers grew up and stayed in touch with troubleshooting above just using apps, look at detail below, for all others I recommend the computer.

More detail for every one: Overall I like this computer. It runs video editing software with graphic design and a high memory load of Google Chrome simultaneously, sometimes with another high memory use app as well with no hint of lag. It does prioritise performance over battery which I prefer but you can alter the settings to lengthen battery life. It handles huge spreadsheets with ease; Microsoft Office (I run the life time purchase desktop version) doesn't use up much battery for ordinary work. The screen is sensational for anyone doing photo editing; it's crisp, bright and true to colour. The touch screen is good but not the best I have seen. The pen is handy. The keyboard is comfortable but the touchpad is probably little too large. There is no sound quality or sufficient volume in the speakers so assume you will need external speakers/earphones. It is super light but a solid build compared with most laptops which is also a priority for me. And when it folds back it is completely back on itself. It has more ports than most computers - I still find it isn't enough and use additional hubs. The SDXC card slot is useful. The Tidal Green colour is a bit different but nice and I don't think I will get tired of it. Co Pilot is useful but running specific parameters into it is worthwhile to prevent AI drift. It is far better than other AI but you can reach it's limitations fairly quickly. The function keys work differently in different apps - a minor annoyance, but the page up, page down, home and end keys needing the function key is seriously annoying. You can can fix it somewhat with Microsoft PowerToys and reassiging keys but I usually just use an external keyboard instead which has the advantage of also having a numpad. I highly recommend buying from a retailer rather than online from Lenovo, it will be easier if there are warrantly issues apparently the online direct store is very difficult. Harvey Norman price-matched a Lenovo-direct deal for me. They also loaded the Norton systems on and turned off the auto renewal.

For Gen X, If you're a Gen X-er who knows about computers the way that only Gen X-ers do, the upside is this one is powerful and feels like you're riding a bike downhill. However, Lenovo build these to be resilient against everyone after Gen X who know what an app is but have no idea how to work through the system behind the apps to get the most out of a computer. So a lot of the things we are used to having access to, like full control over drivers, no longer exists; you're mostly reliant on the Lenovo system checking that you have the latest driver. There are known issues (I know after having encountered them and then finding out they are 'known') with WiFi. It will keep dropping out until you run some scripts in command prompt and other minor changes like basic driver uninstalls. I also found a Wifi 6 Dongle to be an improvement (approx $30 from Amazon for a good one). I've now probably lost everyone born less than 45 years ago. Would I have still bought it if I knew what I know now? I don't know because on every spec that is essential for me it beat other computers but I don't know what the locked system is like on other brands. I LOVE Dynabook (my last computer), formerly Toshiba, but they have completely changed the range and no longer sell the touch screen 32 GB 1TB Portege in Australia. If you can get your hands on one of those, go with it. Still a bit of lock out on the back end but not as bad as Lenovo.

Very happy – We replaced a very old computer, the Lenovo was very easy to set up as it talked you through the whole process. Very happy with the speed, picture quality etc perfect for our needs and takes up a lot less space

Lenovo ANZ Premier Support – ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 4 | 9 months old, under warranty, 2–4 hours battery, zero resolution - PLAIN LIES FROM LENOVO … Read more

Purchased a ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 4 (June 2025) (Premier Support tier, still under warranty). After just 43 charge cycles — less than 9 months of use — the battery only delivers 2–4 hours of runtime on balanced power mode doing basic browsing. The Spec sheet says 10.8 hours.. PLAIN LIES

I raised a warranty claim with Lenovo ANZ Premier Support. Here's what happened: They got my own battery specs wrong. Their Level 2 team assessed the design capacity as 48.84 Wh. The actual original capacity is 55 Wh — verifiable in the device's own battery report. They based their entire dismissal on incorrect data.

They refused warranty action. After escalating to Level 2 engineering, I was told replacing the battery "will result in the same outcome" and that 2–4 hours of battery life is "normal and in line with expectations." Their own diagnostic logs confirmed 2h59m runtime — and they defended it.

For comparison: I also own a 2022 X13 Gen 2. After 4 years and 259 charge cycles of near-daily use, it still delivers significantly longer battery life. The Gen 4 — barely used — is dramatically worse.

The support process was exhausting. Multiple rounds of generic advice (dim your screen, use balanced mode — already doing both). I submitted diagnostic data, screenshots, Plogger log files, and comparison data from my older device. After I sent the logs on March 13, I heard nothing. I had to follow up on March 16 just to get a reply. Response only came today — and only to tell me 3 hours of battery is acceptable.

I filed an ACCC complaint and told them. At that point, they escalated to management. Still waiting for resolution

If you're considering a ThinkPad for productivity and expect 8+ hours of battery life as marketed — be warned. Lenovo's own support team will tell you under 3 hours is within spec. I have the emails to prove it. See my attached correspondence.

Currently pursuing this through the ACCC.