Laptops Review

ThinkPads are known for their legendary design and excellent workmanship. The E14 G5 also scored highly in our test as an exciting everyday device that still impresses despite its older hardware. One advantage is its attractive price.

The ThinkPad E14 G5 is available in our shop with and without Windows 11. The price difference is €140*. We also recommend that all teachers, pupils, and students take a look at our Campus Program . Some newer generations of the E-series, such as the ThinkPad with the E14 G7, are available at a fair price.

Familiar ThinkPad design and clean workmanship

The classic ThinkPad design is also used in the E14 G5, and we really like it. The lid is made of aluminum and the base is made of plastic. The ThinkPad is finished in black. Its dimensions (31.3 x 21.9 x 1.8 cm) and weight of 1.43 kg make it a relatively compact device. However, the surface is prone to fingerprints.

Nevertheless, with its 14-inch size and 16:10 aspect ratio, it remains pleasantly compact and lightweight. Furthermore, the notebook meets the MIL-STD-810H standard and appears sturdy. It should be able to withstand a few "accidents," but we don't recommend deliberately testing it. The display can be folded up to 180°.

14″ display in 16:10 format with compromises in color representation

The display is a 14" IPS panel with WUXGA resolution (1,920 x 1,200 pixels), 300 nits, 60 Hz, and 45% NTSC coverage. The display performs well in everyday use and is perfectly adequate for its size and intended purpose.

To ensure that this doesn't just leave an impression, we measured it with our Spyder measuring device: The sRGB color space is covered by 67 percent, the Adobe RGB color space, which is important for image editing, by 49 percent, and DCI-P3 by 49 percent. The maximum brightness is 339 nits, and the contrast is 1630:1 at 100% brightness. Color fidelity (average Delta E 0.95) is decent, but the display has a noticeable blue tint out of the box.

Overall, the display is suitable for everyday office use and, given its limited color space, is more suited to hobby photo and video editing. The brightness is fine for indoor use, but not suitable for outdoor use.

Important: The device is also available with an optional 2.2K display (2,240 x 1,400 pixels), which is said to fully cover the sRGB color space. If you primarily plan to edit images or videos, we recommend this model.

With key illumination, but without Windows

Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G5 can't be opened with one hand, which is a shame. On the inside, you'll find a touchpad—sufficient for the size of the notebook—with the familiar three mouse buttons above it. The keyboard doesn't have a numeric keypad, but it is backlit.

Of course, there's also the famous red TrackPoint in the middle. On the right side, there's a fingerprint scanner, which always worked reliably in our tests.

The keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience with 1.5mm of travel and a tactile keystroke. Long texts are no problem, but the previous model offered a slightly better typing experience thanks to its 1.8mm travel. The touchpad responds precisely, and gestures work easily.

Good connection variety

The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G5 offers a decent selection of ports: On the left side, there are two USB-C ports (10 GB/s and 5 GB/s), one HDMI 1.4b port, one USB-A port (USB 3.2 Gen 1, Always On), and a 3.5 mm combo jack.

Acceptable performance for office and media consumption

This model is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7430U (Zen 3, 7 nm, 15-watt TDP). It can clock up to 4.3 GHz and has a total of 6 cores and 12 threads. A Radeon RX Vega 7 with 7 CUs serves as the iGPU. The system is rounded out by 24 GB of DDR4 RAM (3,200 MHz, partially replaceable) and a 1 TB SSD (PCIe 4.0 x4, M.2 2280). Although it's only connected via PCIe 3.0, that's not a big deal for everyday use.

The ThinkPad is intended as a work device, and in everyday use, for browsing and working, the somewhat older Ryzen 5 7430U zips through all applications and tasks. There's nothing to complain about here.

Gaming is also possible, albeit with limitations: The Witcher 3 runs at 64 fps at full resolution and low details, and GTA V even runs at 79 fps at medium details. Older or esports games are therefore manageable. However, with newer or demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Call of Duty, the iGPU is clearly overwhelmed.

1080p webcam and good speakers

A small cutout in the center of the display frame houses a 1080p webcam with a slider to cover the camera lens. The image quality is sufficient for video calls and occasional streaming. In low light, the webcam exhibits significant noise. Bright backgrounds such as windows, however, can lead to overexposure. An infrared sensor for facial recognition via Windows Hello is included.

The case houses two speakers with Dolby Atmos support (great for movie fans). The sound is clear and can reach a decent volume of up to 80 dB. However, for better sound and more customization options, you should definitely use the Dolby app. The built-in microphones do a great job for phone calls or recordings.

RAM partially soldered, SSD, battery and WiFi module replaceable

You can access the internal components by removing seven Philips screws. Caution: The screws are attached to the base plate, so they can't be removed. Furthermore, the plate is attached to the case with tight hooks, so a little sensitivity and the right tools are required.

Inside, there's a free slot for an additional SSD (M.2 2242, PCIe 3.0 x4), and the RAM is partially soldered. The pre-installed SSD (M.2 2280, PCIe 3.0 x4), 1x RAM, the WLAN module (RealTek RZ616), and the battery are replaceable.

The 57Wh Li-polymer battery isn't particularly large, but its 9 hours of battery life in our everyday scenario are sufficient for a good workday. Your personal battery life naturally depends on many factors (brightness, GPU, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) as well as the usage. Charging is done via one of the USB-C ports on the left side. The power adapter delivers 65 watts, and the port supports PD 3.0. Charging is quick, and the battery is charged to 100% in around 70 minutes.

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G5: Classic ThinkPad for everyday use

With the ThinkPad E14 G5, you get a solid workstation that can support you in many situations. The design is iconic, the build quality is good, and the performance is perfectly adequate for all kinds of tasks. Even light gaming is possible. The display is ideal for office work, but for image editing, you should opt for the model with the better 2.2K display.

It remains a pity that, despite the improvements of the new generation, the very good ThinkPad keyboard of the predecessor with 1.8mm travel has been omitted.

For more details please visit https://www.lenovo.com/pk/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e14-gen-5-14-inch-amd/len101t0068?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F&srsltid=AfmBOor8-NTHyqrKipatjqto5huQcWti81a_PTRwGI-WtkVD9cCpH0pw

You can find used laptop prices in Pakistan also.