Conclusion
With the T440s, Lenovo has sent a clear message that this machine is about portability first, power second. Its low-voltage chipset, limited RAM expandability, and hyper-conservative thermal management (which provokes throttling under even moderate GPU load) precludes any possibility of the machine being leveraged for GPU-related work in any way. That’s not to take anything away from its speed; with high scores in PCMark 7 and subjectively snappy performance, the T440s is a winner in general usage. And the GPU-induced throttling is only a problem when GPU load is underfoot—meaning you can fully tax the ULV CPU to full Turbo Boost frequencies without any performance sacrifice. But for those hoping for a Haswell-powered refresh of the thin-and-light, full voltage, sub-four-pound powerhouses that were the T430s and the X230, the T440s’ philosophical shift surely comes as a bit of a disappointment.
While we’re exploring the negatives, the new touchpad design is also probably the worst to date on any mainline ThinkPad in recent memory. The five-button clickpad approach (each click depresses the entire pad) is tolerable at best and frustratingly obtrusive at worst. Pointer jumpiness during clicks aside, it’s also loud and a little bit exhausting to operate, and it makes using the TrackPoint a serious chore. We’re crossing our fingers for a reversal of design on the next refresh… please join us.
Those are the only big sticking points, however; nearly everywhere else, the T440s excels. The keyboard is one of the best we’ve tested, the battery life is truly phenomenal, and the build quality—while obviously not as sturdy as the older and larger ThinkPads—is still undeniably great. We’re also big fans of the screen; the touchscreen option with which our unit came configured is well-handled, with good accuracy, a comfortable surface, and a semi-matte panel finish that renders the notebook far more tolerable in brighter environments than its glossy counterparts. Overall, while we’re disappointed with a few of the design decisions regarding performance options and the irritating touchpad, we have to commend Lenovo on an excellent design elsewhere. With few exceptions, the T440s' $1,500 price tag is warranted; for an all-day business notebook with great general performance, it truly is a top contender.
More photos:
I am purely a desktop guy,
I am purely a desktop guy, but I mostly always read pc per laptop/notebook reviews. I thought the touchpad is a critical i/o part of a laptop? Assuming this is the case, I really do not know how you can give it a gold award with such a fatal flaw? Whenever I had to use laptops in the past, I used an external mouse because I could never get used to touchpads. But I am in the minority, and I would think having a horrible touchpad would be a deal breaker for most veteran laptop users.
Otherwise, very nice review. Thanks.
You cant go wrong with a
You cant go wrong with a Thinkpad. Besides the keyboard layout change I find their laptops perfect. They dont look pretty but wont break if you drop them.
Love Lenovo`s battery options
Love Lenovo`s battery options and their getting the things that matter right.
Sounds like the right company bought Moto ; )
Do a review of the OneLink
Do a review of the OneLink Dock ! Sounds amazing !
Hello Moto !
Hello Moto !
The unit you reviewed came
The unit you reviewed came with the AUO display? I heard a lot of people are having issue with LG display
can you please check and let us know ?
Look out with these models if
Look out with these models if you want to plug in an external display. I’ve got 150 of these (touchscreen model, Windows 8.1) here at work running through the pro docks, and the attached display will lose sync and blank out at random intervals. Sometimes it will come back, other times you’re forced to unplug and replug the display.
Lenovo have acknowledged that there’s an issue with the display subsystem, and are currently working with Intel on a fix.
We’ve seen the issue whether connected through DisplayPort, analog VGA, or DVI-D – and on several different makes and models of connected external display. We’ve been told that we’re not the only customer experiencing this issue either.
That said, I’ve got two HP LE2202x displays currently plugged into my own T440s, and it has been fine for the several months that I’ve been using it.
As for pointer jumpiness when clicking the trackpad, I find that it’s not too bad once the correct Synaptics software’s installed. If the software’s not installed, the trackpad’s basically unusable. Still, the pointing interface is worse than on old models like the X1 Carbon. The lack of separate buttons above the trackpad for use with the touchpoint is a real pain if you’re used to the old design.
I think they’re a good machine, and even despite the display issues would still buy them again if I had to do it over. They’re solid-feeling, have a good keyboard, the touchscreen works well, and they have good battery life.
Man..This is quite maddening.
Man..This is quite maddening. I am an IT consultant for the past 20+ years and for the past 6 have been using an older MacBook pro. Still working on it now. It is showing it’s age and honestly I am quite bored of OSX. I work with windows, OSx and Linux and have been researching notebooks for the past month or so to find one for me. Basically my plan is to install Linux as a desktop OS and virtual box Windows 8.1, etc if I need windows apps.
Basically, it was a toss up with the dell xps 13 and this T440s and the XPS 13 has some sort of high pitched whine issue so that pushed me closer to getting the T440s. The trackpad on the T440s really does not bother me since I have been using the trackpad on the macbook all this time and am used to the full pad. I have never used the trackpoint. So this system really seemed to be the one.
However, what are the lead times on these? Lenovo has a sale going on now and it looks like 3-4 week leads. I am really hard on computers and this one really seemed to fit the bill.
ALSO, is anyone else running Linux on these boxes? I have been reading issues with Wifi and touchpad.
Thanks
Dave
Hi Dave,
I am also coming
Hi Dave,
I am also coming from a 5 years of MAC Pro and through reviews I found the T440s the most suitable successor. However before to buy it I stil l want to see clear this trackpad point. I used with the MAC Pro trackpad which let me forgot the mouse. Do you think the T440s has a comparable trackpad?
@pdjblum:
Yes, the touchpad
@pdjblum:
Yes, the touchpad is definitely really important. In fact, it's one of the primary reasons this machine did not receive an Editor's Choice, which–given a better touchpad and improved GPU performance–it otherwise certainly would have. It is an excellent PC, but with just a couple of notable drawbacks. My next review, the ThinkPad X240, will be going live soon as well. The conclusions there are slightly different… it's a delicate game. 🙂
All in all what I want to communicate here is that this is a top-tier model, but that a few missteps hold it back from what I would consider to be the pinnacle of excellence that many of its predecessors were. Gold seems appropriate to me under the circumstances!
@Anonymous:
Yep, this one is an AUO display. No quality issues that I can detect.
@Daniel:
Thanks for the feedback/warnings on this. I didn't notice any problems with display output, but then again I didn't operate with either a dock or an external monitor for any lengthy period of time.
@Anonymous2:
No idea on lead times or Linux compatibility… all I know is mine worked great with Windows and it arrived without my even asking! ;-D
Thanks for the feedback everyone, glad you enjoyed the review. Stay tuned for my X240 review soon!
-Steve
Hello. Thanks for the great
Hello. Thanks for the great review. The X240 has the same touchpad. But I have to say that I come from a mac. The touchpad for the last several years has been the large glass one where the button pushes down. To me coming from a mac the touchpad appears like it will be awesome. The 2 physical buttons (to me) appear to be old school. I know on my mac when I figured out all of the gestures and scrolling, etc I found the experience on any other touchpad painful. So I guess it is where you come from and how you are used to using the notebook. I think if people give it time they will come to the conclusion that it is far better…IMHO.
Plus, no offense but I could never imagine ever using the trackpoint. Again from my perspective I think…”Hello…This is the 1980’s and we want your trackpoint back”. But again it depends on how you interface with the notebook. Trackpoint for some and touchpad for others. It seems like the new touchpoint is being crucified by a lot of purists. I think they need to give it time.
One thing that does bother me too is that the CPU is dual core and not quad core. And the HD4400 is not wonderful. A Macbook Pro 13 has a dual core and an HD5200 (iris) graphics and the price is about the same. A midrange macbook pro 13 is $1499.00
So fun.
Thanks
Dave
Again, thanks for the awesome review. Love it.
Waiting to see some reviews
Waiting to see some reviews of the actual workhorse laptop in the T-series, the T440p.
the T440P is not worth
the T440P is not worth it
with the max configuration it comes to $2000+
What are idle CPU temps like?
What are idle CPU temps like? When you actually use the machine, does it ever feel slow? (ex. open 10 pages in new tabs at once)
Nice writing, really enjoyed
Nice writing, really enjoyed the review!
Having used it, the touchpad
Having used it, the touchpad and fake “buttons” are indeed horrible, give terrible control, and the entire trackpad apparatus rattles and moves around with use.
T440s the best The Ultimate
T440s the best The Ultimate Business Ultraportable laptop with 14″ display.The best foto of laptop on entire web.You have stile.
Radomir SERBIA
What the blazes are these
What the blazes are these modes for battery life??
Reading the review with no links or explanation as to what the Classic or Reading “MODE” actual is, makes all the graphs and details about the battery null and void
At least put a link to where you explain your testing methodology, and yes I can imagine what a reading test is, but that’s not numbers…
Clicking the huge Touchpad as
Clicking the huge Touchpad as right/left click buttons for the TrackPoint reminds me of a BlackBerry Storm. (That’s not a compliment)
hi..
how to enable mouse pad
hi..
how to enable mouse pad for lenovo t440s