Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420S review – a laptop with high claims
Today I will speak to you about a medium sized laptop made for those looking for a special portable computer with a serious design and hardware that allows good enterprise use. The device I will present is called the Lenovo E420S, part of the Thinkpad Edge series made especially for small and medium businesses.
I have written an article about the smaller brother of this device, the E220S. Now it is time to see the bigger 14 inch model which is made to offer the user the chance to use all the functions and features he could wish on his modern laptop.
Below I will tell you what to expect from this laptop, what its strong points and weak points are.
Technical specs
Let us first see the specifications of the device:
- 14 inch screen at a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and with a shiny anti-glare finish.
- Intel core i5-2410M la 2.3 GHz
- hybrid graphics: Intel HD Graphics and AMD Radeon 6630 HD with 2 GB of VRAM dedicated memory
- 4 GB of RAM DDR3-1333 MHz memory
- 320 7200 rpm HDD
- DVD-RW optical unit
- WWAN Ericsson F5521gw incorporated modem
- 2xUSB 2.0 and 1xUSB+eSata combo, HDMI, VGA, card reader, Webcam
- Wireless N, Bluetooth, Gigabit LAN
- 4 Cell Li-Ion battery
- Windows 7 Professional operating system
- Size: 349 x 236 x 23.1/31.2 mm
- Weight: 1.88 kg
It must be said that the tested model is identical with the better equipped model which is now available in stores. Along with this there is a version with limited specs and a lower price. We will also speak about the price of the device at the end of this test.
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge e420s - a laptop for pretentious people
Design
- List Price:
$799.00 - Current Price: $649.99
- [Details or Buy from Amazon]
[Amazon User Reviews]
The case of the Lenovo e420s inherits the classic style characteristic to all ThinkPad products, decorated with chromed elements from the Edge series. The whole body is covered with an opaque plastic with a rubbery texture which is pleasant at touch and resistant.
The color of the case (although it may first seem black) is a dark green, probably chosen because green suggests stability (if I remember the theory of colors well).
The design is simple and elegant, with few extra elements. Even the LED lights that show the status of your laptop have been eliminated. This may not be to the liking of some. Personally I can say that the ThinkPad Edge E420S is a laptop that suits my taste with its simple and high quality exterior and finish.
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420s - exterior is matte, greenish and nice to touch
In addition to this the skeleton of the laptop is made of metal alloys in order to ensure extra rigidity. However the lid of the screen is not as solid: the effects of pushing on the exterior of the lid can be seen on the screen (which is something you will find on most laptops).
E420s is not necessarily a portable laptop, this being a tag offered to devices that have a diagonal of 13.3 inch or smaller. However the notebook only weighs 1.88 kg, including its battery, so it is one of the lightest in its category and being able to compete without problems with smaller sized devices. Personally I like the squared formed case with its width of only 25 to 30 mm.
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420s - back and left side view
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420s - front and right side view
On the lid you will find the Lenovo and ThinkPad logos. By raising the lid you will notice the same logos on the palm rest near the fingerprint reader. The palm rest is itself made out of the same opaque plastic used for the exterior of the case. Surrounding the keyboard we can find a shiny black plastic.
You can find out more about the exterior of the device and the ports it has by watching the following clip:
Keyboard and trackpad
Personally I must recognize I was never impressed by the Lenovo keyboards or trackpad/trackpoints even though they are highly appreciated by most old users of Lenovo laptops.
Being used to the classical layout of the keyboard you will find some aspects different when first in contact with this laptop: the Fn and Ctrl keys are inversed on the left side (this can be fixed from the BIOS), and the F keys have been assigned a primary role of launching a diversity of software and functions, not that of the F1-F12 keys, which will be quite annoying for someone who uses this keys often, as I do.
Same chiclet keyboard, Lenovo style, found on the latest company models
I cannot say that the keyboard is not ergonomic and comfortable. The keys are a bit rounded in their lower part, well spaced and should please just about anyone. Personally I was disappointed by the space key which has a small delay when pressing it so the space appeared one letter to late when typing in text (I went to thes easide instead of I went to the seaside). This is certainly just a personal problem, but it is strange I have only had it with Lenovo models I have tested (this one and the E220s). This can be solved if you press the space more firmly. However I find this method of solving the problem insufficient.
Two things should be added about the keyboard. Firstly the keys are not illuminated, but if you press FN + Space you will start a small lamp placed over the screen that will light the keyboard. However I find this useless since the light of the screen will be enough in order to help you to distinguish between keys when using the laptop on an office, but when using the laptop in bed, with the screen tilted a lot, the light will become useless. A solution with keys illuminated from their interior is definitely more practical.
Along with this the keyboard is protected against liquids. This means that if you will spill something on the laptop the liquid will not harm the laptop and its keyboard. However this does not mean the keyboard will not become sticky if you spill Coke on it.
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420s - Trackpad and the red Touchpoint
We should also mention the trackpad which uses the same solution that can be found on other Lenovo laptops: a well sized touchpad with integrated buttons and a trackpoint with dedicated buttons above the trackpad. They both handle normal use good, but I am not a fan of any of them as I would prefer one classic precise touchpad with separated buttons placed below. Older users of the ThinkPad may not agree with me though.
Overall the keyboard and trackpad on the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420S are both great, but they will be best appreciated by those who are used to the particularities of the Lenovo laptops. For the rest of us the first impression will not be extraordinary and adapting will be hard.
Screen
The ThinkPad e420s offers a 14 inch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Its brightness and colors are above average and the visibility angles do not disappoint at all. Personally I would have liked a higher resolution of at least 1600 x 900 pixels at least as an extra option, but it does not exist.
Along with this we must also say that the screen is rather shiny. Lenovo boasts with an anti-glare layer that covers the display, but it actually does not make its presence felt at all. The screen is not as shiny as it is in the case of some Asus, Toshiba and Acer laptops we have tested, but its use outside or in strong light conditions will be unpleasant.
The glossy screen folds back completely
On the other hand we appreciated the fact that the screen can be completely tilted up to 180 degrees which means the laptop can easily be used in bed, or on the couch. The downside is the tilting system does not look extremely solid.
Hardware and performances
- List Price:
$799.00 - Current Price: $649.99
- [Details or Buy from Amazon]
[Amazon User Reviews]
The tested model was equipped with an Intel Core i5-2410M, hybrid graphics: Intel Graphic 3000 and AMD Radeon 6630 HD, 4 GB of memory and a 320 GB HDD at 7200 rpm. It is a high tech configuration for a laptop even if it is not top notch (lacking a Core i7 processor or a SSD). The hardware is more than enough for daily use.
E420S will easily run all applications and tasks starting from browsing the internet to editing video content or running software that consumes a lot of resources. In addition to this multimedia content or games will also work even if in the case of the latest games you will need to reduce the details a lot since the AMD Radeon 6630 video card is a medium card not specially made for gaming.
We ran a series of synthetic tests on this laptop and the results can be seen in the clips below. They are normal with the exceptions of the score obtained in the Cinebench 11.5 Open GL test which are a bit low (the application probably did not use the AMD chip although we asked it to).
The notebook runs on Windows 7 Professional and Lenovo offers a rapid start system which should reduce boot-up time with 20 to 30 per cent compared to other laptops. In practice I must admit I did not see any difference.
Connectivity
We cannot reproach anything to the E420S when it comes to connectivity and ports. In the first category we get Wireless N, Bluetooth, Gigabit LAN, WWAN (3G) with GPS. In the 2nd category only one thing is missing: a USB 3.0 port which I do find extremely important at the moment since more and more external hard disks and memory sticks that support this new standard have appeared and are more and more accessible.
Noise, temperatures, speakers and other details
Lately I have seen a lot of 13 inch Intel Sandy Bridge equipped laptops with hybrid graphics from AMD or Nvidia. Most of them suffered when it came to noise and all of them overheated when used at maximum capacity.
This will not happen with the Lenovo e420s. It is true that it is a bit larger (14 inch) but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it remains relatively cold at the level of the case even if in its interior temperatures are between 50 and 80 degrees at extreme use. Here on the right you also have a proof.
In addition to this there is no problem when it comes to noises. Most times the only fan present on this model will not be hearable at all. You will hear it when using the laptop at maximum capacity, but the sound will not be disturbing at all.
The speakers cannot be criticized, but we can’t boast them too much. They are at a medium level both as performance and as volume. The same can be said about the web camera placed above the screen.
The Lenovo E420S comes with a slot-in optical unit which gives it a plus when it comes to its style. The optical unit is not a Blu-ray reader as some of you may have wanted; it is only a DVD-RW.
Autonomy
Unfortunately the tested model did not come with a battery so I cannot tell you anything about the autonomy.
However with the help of the tests available on the Internet we found out you should expect a battery life of 5 hours which is not bad at all for a 14 inch laptop.
It is also worth saying that the battery is integrated in the case. Lenovo decided to do so in order to reduce the size and weight of the device. This means that you will not be able to easily change the battery and those used to taking the battery out often when using the laptop connected to an electrical outlet will not be able to do so.
Price and availability
- List Price:
$799.00 - Current Price: $649.99
- [Details or Buy from Amazon]
[Amazon User Reviews]
- List Price:
$832.25 - Current Price:
- [Details or Buy from Amazon]
[Amazon User Reviews]
Everything is great about the Lenovo e420s until we get to this chapter. Being a business oriented notebook with an impressing build, great hardware and performances, it was expected for it not to be cheap.
The version we tested can be bought at a price of 1700 dollars with Windows 7 Professional. There is a cheaper 1450 dollars version which does not have the 3G modem included.
The most basic model can be bought with 1300 dollars. It has a Core i3-2310M processor and only 2 GB of RAM memory. Because of the weaker processor which consumes less energy the autonomy of this model will be 10 to 15 per cent bigger.
The price is not as low as we would have liked
Conclusions
Overall few bad things can be said about the Lenovo e420s. It is true that it has an above average price, but this is understandable for a ThinkPad, a laptop targeted to those of us who have the biggest expectations from a laptop.
It is true that this laptop can satisfy anyone. It is solid, good looking, powerful and with good hardware. And the small details such as the keyboard or the connectivity make the difference.
What we liked
- classic elegant design
- solid build and high quality materials
- powerful hardware and good performances
- agronomical keyboard (those who are not used to the Lenovo keyboard format will have adaptation problems)
- not noisy and does not overheat
- 3G incorporated modem
- light for a 14 inch device (1.9 kg)
- good autonomy (but not tested by us)
What we did not like
- shiny screen and standard resolution
- no state LEDs
- no USB 3.0 port
- high price for our top configuration
The Lenovo E420S does not lack competitors. It is a model worth considering by those who are looking for a powerful and solid laptop for daily use that is also portable enough to easily be taken when travelling.
[source]
Ionut is Chief Editor. He has a degree in Computer Science BA and worked in IT since 2002. Ionut is now managing several tech sites, including GadgetRoad. Find me on Twitter
