There are countless notebooks from Lenovo, various categories and brands, and many more abbreviations that describe certain extras. We have made it our mission to bring light into the darkness. In this part of the large Lenovo overview, we introduce you to the two business brands “ThinkPad” and “ThinkBook”.
A short foreword
Probably everyone has already seen a model of the famous ThinkPads: These are the iconic black office notebooks with a red button on the keyboard. The very similar ThinkBooks are intended for the professional consumer. They are office devices in a stylish and slim aluminum cases.
In addition, certain abbreviations have crept in at Lenovo, each of which describes a feature or design. These are attached to the brand name. Over the years, more and more abbreviations and appendages have been collected and the meaning is not always so clear. So these acronyms are the confusing part of all Lenovo notebooks.
ThinkPads
This brand actually comes from IBM and was acquired by Lenovo in 2005. Most of you have probably already seen a thick, black ThinkPad with a red button on the keyboard. These devices have been around since 1992 and have split up a bit since then. The current T-series is the great-grandson of these famous notebooks. Let’s start with the best models and then go into the different types of games.
The X1 series is ultra-light and powerful ThinkPads at a premium price. They are the best that Lenovo currently has to offer. The abbreviations describe the special focus of a model. With “Carbon” there is a particularly light device made of carbon fiber material and a screen angle of up to 180 degrees. “Yoga” models can be used as convertibles, i.e. the display can be folded 360 degrees. “Nano” models are particularly small and compact.
“Extreme” offers top hardware and “Titanium” has a robust titanium display cover. With the “Fold,” there is even a foldable convertible notebook. My colleague Clemens recently had a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold in the test lab.
As a small type of sub-game, there is the X-row, the “1” is missing here. The business subnotebooks are small 13-inch Thinkpads. There is a “normal” and a “yoga” variant.
The T series is the classic business thinkpads and have a long tradition. They currently come as T15 and T14. The number describes the display size: 15 and 14 inches. There is also the abbreviation “g” for graphics and for Thinkpads with special displays. “p” stands for performance and particularly powerful hardware. The identifier “s” stands for slim or particularly compact devices.
The P Series are ISV-certified mobile workstations. They have particularly high computing power and CAD-certified graphics cards ( Nvidia Quadro ). The number in the name describes the screen size. The identifier “s” stands for slim/compact. “v” stands for a slightly cheaper variant.
The E and L series are entry-level Thinkspads. So they have slightly slimmed-down features compared to the T-series but are cheaper. In fact, the E and L series are often similar on the inside, only the outside is slightly different. However, the E series – formerly the Edge series – usually performs a little better thanks to slightly better cooling.
There is usually a “gene” at the end of the name since these series have existed for several generations and are constantly being revised. It’s worth taking a look at the prices of the last generation, as these are usually available for significantly less money.
ThinkBooks
ThinkBooks are a notebook family that takes many of the strengths and design elements of the ThinkPads but packs them in an elegant aluminum case. Such devices are intended for university or office work. ThinkBooks are built sturdily and offer decent performance.
As always, the number in the name reveals the display size. An “s” stands for a particularly compact device. A “p” stands for more performance and a “plus” comes with an additional external display in black/white or with e-ink technology. Here too there is a “gene” as an appendage for the generation. Most models are currently in the second generation.
Finally, I recommend beginners to the E series of ThinkPads. These offer all the advantages of the famous business notebooks – for a significantly lower price. If you really want the absolute best from Lenovo, you can let off steam in the X1 series.