If you are on the market for a new Lenovo laptop, there’s a good chance that you have come across to Lenovo lineups, the ThinkPad, and the IdeaPad.
If you’re wondering which laptop to get, you’re in the right place. Join us in this discussion of ThinkPad vs IdeaPad, where we discuss the best features and the main differentiators of both these successful Lenovo laptop series.
While one may think of what could be the difference between these two laptop lineups, they are designed with different users and different budgets in mind. I use the profile that is best suited for a ThinkPad is not going to be 100% happy with an IdeaPad.
Content Overview
ThinkPad Features
When it comes to features, the ThinkPad lineup from Lenovo gets much more attention. You can consider the ThinkPads as the flagships from Lenovo. When it comes to handling high-end needs, we always turn our heads to the ThinkPad lineup as they are much more suited for that mission.
When it comes to being a professional, you need a laptop that can run several applications at the same time, behave as a true communication device handling video conference calls, and so on, and should be able to consume your graphics requirements as well. All these go in hand when you are dealing with a ThinkPad laptop.
The ThinkPad laptops also come with a very durable design. Their build is mainly composed of materials like titanium, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or magnesium which are all fantastic when it comes to durability.
If you have butter hands and have dropped your laptop once and twice in the past, you can be a bit relieved with the ThinkPad series as they can handle some physical damage without any issues.
The ThinkPad laptops also come with a beautiful selection of internal hardware. These internal hardware complements the durable design in the most perfect way and gives the user unified computing experience. The ThinkPad laptop is even approved to be used at the international space station which talks about how professional you can be with this laptop lineup.
Let’s talk about the TrackPoint. The TrackPoint is that innovative feature that you find only on ThinkPad laptops. This is found only in the ThinkPad models and they are mainly useful in giving you an extra hand when it comes to handling the cars are on the screen. This feature was done so that you don’t have to take your hand off the keyboard when working.
The input devices you have on ThinkPad models are also a notch above. The keyboards are fantastic and working on them is always a pleasure. If you are a writer or a blogger who wants to have a serious typing laptop, then this keyboard is one of the best once you will get on a laptop. They also come with backlighting which is handy when things get dark.
The ThinkPad series also comes with workstation graphics cards that are very important when it comes to handling some heavy industry-specific applications. This is the only series from Lenovo that deals with this type of graphics card so if you are interested in becoming an expert in your industry, then this lineup might be the right choice for you.
IdeaPad Features
The IdeaPad lineup is for a completely different breed of users when compared to those of the ThinkPad lineup.
If you are a student or someone who does not want to deal with a clunky laptop, then the IdeaPad series might be the answer for you. The IdeaPads are also the only choice you have if you are on the market for a Lenovo convertible laptop.
The IdeaPad laptops also come with an excellent design. They may not be as durable and may not have the industrial construction you find ThinkPad models, but you will get laptops that will stand the test of time and will be worth every penny you pay.
If you are on a budget, the ThinkPad lineup might not be the best choice for you. The IdeaPad laptops are made with the idea to help people who don’t have a lot of money to spend on a laptop. But the budget alone is not the only reason to go for an IdeaPad. These laptops are ultra-portable and also come in some amazing designs.
We mentioned already if you are looking for a convertible laptop, and IdeaPad is the way to go. You can easily shift from one mode to another without any hiccups. This convertible laptop lineup is very handy for students as it allows them to take notes during lectures. It is also super helpful for artists and other people with creative mind space as you get a lot more flexibility.
When it comes to graphics performance, you will get laptops in this lineup that have high-end consumer-grade graphics cards. These laptops are excellent for playing games and you can get some serious work done as well. you will not find models with workstation graphics cards as they are restricted to the ThinkPad lineup.
Best ThinkPad Models
Here are some impressive ThinkPad laptops that might interest you.
Lenovo ThinkPad P53
The Lenovo ThinkPad P 53 is a high-end model that is aimed at heavy users who want the best business laptop set up there is. The laptop comes with a rigid construction that guarantees durability and can handle physical hardships without any issues.
The first thing that steals the show here is the 15.6-inch 4K display. This is a high-resolution display that comes with an excellent pixel density giving you beautiful image quality. If you are going to work on images and other color-sensitive work, then this display will give you all the clarity and color accuracy you need.
The display is also an antiglare display which means you won’t have to face those annoying reflections on the screen. It also comes with a maximum brightness of 500 nits which is more than enough to work out in direct sunlight.
The keyboard on this laptop is one of its best features. We have a neat layout and keys that have excellent travel. The typing experience on this keyboard is very good and you can expect the same performance from the trackpad as well.
The laptop gets a hexa core processor from the 9th generation of Intel chips. This Intel Core i7 processor comes with a smart cache memory of 12 MB and can clock up to a maximum of 4.5GHz which is a lot of power. It gets beautifully complemented by the 16GB of RAM in the memory department.
The processor and the memory or a very cheerful power that gives the user a beautiful user experience. You will be able to run some heavy applications without any hiccups which are not possible in entry-level and mid-range laptops.
The laptop also comes with an Nvidia Quadro T2000 graphics card. This is a workstation graphics card and it comes with a dedicated video memory of 4 GB which is more than enough for most heavy users.
You may have to spend a pretty penny to get your hands on this laptop, but we have to say that this laptop is worth the price. It gives you a beautiful device that can handle all your needs. You are a heavy user who is looking to invest in a Lenovo laptop, this one is a very good choice.
Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1
- Outstanding Battery Life: Rated Up to 19.5 hours (MM14) and Up to 13.5 hours (MM18) by MobileMark 2014, an industry standard PC performance benchmark. Actual results will vary depending on your...
- With WiFi 6 AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2) Wireless, you get fast and reliable connections, even on networks with lots of devices attached. Rapid Charge boosts battery life up to 80% in just an hour. Weighs...
- HD 720p webcam with ThinkShutter privacy cover, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Spill resistant US English Keyboard, Bluetooth 5.0, Dolby Atmos Speaker System, 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
The Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 is another ThinkPad model you should be interested in if you’re looking for a reliable laptop.
This laptop also comes with beautiful construction. When compared to the P53 model, you can see that this model comes with a bit more finesse to it. This laptop is a very good fit for those who need a bit of power but doesn’t want the most flashy laptop out there.
This laptop comes with a 14-inch display that has full HD resolution. Even though we have only full HD resolution, the fact that we are dealing with a smaller display increases the pixel density and the overall quality of the image. The text quality is also pretty sharp making this a fantastic display or reading content on the web.
The laptop comes with a 10th generation Intel core I five processor. This is a low voltage processor from Intel but it does a very good job when it comes to handling your everyday needs. This is a quad-core processor and there is no lack of processing power so you can freely use this laptop for pretty much anything you want.
The memory department on this laptop comes with 16 GB of RAM that is of DDR4 type. This is a lot of RAM for the average user and in most cases, you will not use them fully at a given time. This laptop is a fantastic one for multitasking as you can run several applications simultaneously without facing any lag issues.
The storage on this laptop is a 512 GB solid-state drive. The selection of the solid-state drive makes a huge impact on the everyday performance of this laptop. This SSD is very quick when it comes to launching applications and even booting up the operating system. If you’re coming from a mechanical hard drive, you will find this solid-state drive amazing.
You do not get a dedicated graphics card on this laptop but the integrated graphics card is quite good. The Intel UHD graphics has improved a lot over the years and you will be able to run some light and mid-range games freely without any issues.
The battery life of this laptop is also pretty good. With light use, you will be able to get around 7 to 8 hours of battery life which is not that bad. Have seen laptops that offer a much better battery life in this price range, but considering the entire package, we can let it pass.
Best IdeaPad Models
Here are some IdeaPad models that might be useful to you.
Lenovo IdeaPad L340
- A new dimension of gaming performance awaits - with 9th-generation Intel Core i5 processors, the IdeaPad L340 gaming has the power you need to outshoot, outrun, and outsmart anyone. Includes 8GB DDR4...
- Take it to the next level - With the latest NVIDIA GeForce Graphics behind you, you can tame the hottest titles with faster, smoother, and more power-efficient gameplay. Plus, the 15.6-Inch screen...
- A portal to a new sound dimension - hardwired into every Idea Pad L340 gaming is advanced Dopoundsy audio technology. Take your mobile gaming experience to another dimension and have a real blast...
This Lenovo IdeaPad model is a very good gaming laptop that allows you to game on a budget price. With under a price of $1000, this is one of the best gaming laptops you can get.
Having a good display is very important for gaming. The display we have here is a full HD display and a 15.6” screen is white enough to give you an immersive gaming experience. The display is not very fancy and it doesn’t come with an extraordinary refresh rate, but it manages to give you beautiful colors that are quite important when it comes to having a visual gaming experience.
The graphics card on this IdeaPad model is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. This is an upper mid-range graphics card from the house of Nvidia and it comes with a dedicated graphics RAM of 6 GB. This should be more than enough for most people out there. You will be able to play mid-range games and even some heavy games without meddling with the settings. If you want to play the latest and the greatest, then you may have to bog down the settings of it.
The laptop comes with an Intel Core i5 processor. This is a quad-core processor from the ninth generation of Intel processors and it does a pretty good job when it comes to providing processing power. With this high-end CPU, you will be able to run pretty much any application you want on this laptop. The processor is well complemented by the 8 GB of RAM in the memory department.
This memory might not seem like a lot. But for most gamers, this memory is more than sufficient and will help them do great things. You can certainly multitask with this memory in hand and can take your productivity to the next level.
The storage we have on this laptop is a 512GB SSD. This is fast storage that has excellent reading and writing speeds. It loads the operating system as fast as possible and it also launches your everyday applications swiftly without making you wait for more than a few seconds. When compared to a mechanical hard drive, this SSD is a huge improvement.
Being a gaming laptop, it is slightly unfair to expect a good battery life from this laptop. Even then, with light use, this laptop can last for about 6 to 8 hours which is certainly not bad for an affordable gaming laptop.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
- Powerhouse performance from AMD Ryzen 5 5500U mobile processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD storage, and AMD Radeon 7 Graphics
- The IdeaPad 3 14-inch laptop has 4-side narrow bezels that let you see more of the FHD (1920 x 1080) screen for wider viewing angles and less clutter
- Quieter and cooler with intelligent thermals, plus you can calibrate performance with Q-control, with 3 modes to match your performance needs
If you’re looking for a budget IdeaPad model, then the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an excellent choice.
The laptop we have here comes at a price just over $500 and it does a pretty good job when it comes to handling your everyday computing needs. This laptop is a great fit for students and home users who won’t be needing a lot of power.
The display we have here is a 15.6-inch one that comes with an HD display. This display is not that great but it gives you a pretty good image when it comes to browsing the web and consuming media.
The processor we have on this laptop is a 10th generation Intel Core i3 processor. This processor comes with a maximum clock speed of 3.4 GHz which is enough power for both students and other light users. The processor also has a smart cache memory of 4 MB which will come in handy when dealing with simple and everyday applications.
The memory department on this IdeaPad three model comes with 8 GB of RAM that has a clock speed of 2666 MHz. 4 GB of RAM is found onboard while another 4 GB of RAM is found in a DIMM slot. This memory is sufficient for most users that are the primary target for this laptop.
The laptop also comes with decent storage in the form of a 256 GB solid-state drive. There is also a 32 GB USB flash drive which gives you a performance boost. The solid-state drive does a very good job when it comes to handling the laptop’s performance on a daily basis. if this is your first SSD laptop, then you can never go back to a mechanical hard drive and that’s a fact.
The laptop does not come with a dedicated graphics card as it is more of a budget offering. But the integrated graphics card is decent and it allows you to play most light and mid-range games without any issues. If you are into eSports, this laptop can handle a decent amount of gaming but nothing too competitive.
The battery life of this laptop is pretty decent. With simple use, you should be able to get around 6 to 8 hours of battery life which is quite good. When doing something heavy this number will go down but that is to be expected.
ThinkPad Vs IdeaPad: Wrap Up
At this point, you would have understood that the ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops are completely different breeds. The ThinkPad laptop series is far more premium users who are willing to spend money to take care of professional needs. These laptops are much better when it comes to performance as well as durability.
On the other hand, the IdeaPad models are made with more budget-friendly users in mind. While these are pretty good in terms of performance, they do not match up with that of the ThinkPad models. But it is the IdeaPad lineup that gives you the most portable and even most convertible laptops. IdeaPad models are also great for people who are looking for media consumption devices.