Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13
Notebook Specifications
Notebook: Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 (ThinkPad Edge 13 Series)Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300
Graphics Adapter: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD
Display: 13.3 inch, 16:10, 1440x900 pixels, glossy: yes
Weight: 1.8kg
Price: 700 euro
Average of 13 scores (from 16 reviews)
Reviews for the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13
Source: Hardware Zone
The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 does what it's supposed to do, a refreshing look and low cost approach to Lenovo's traditional ThinkPad line that should appeal more to the SMB folks than the bigger corporate enterprises. Sure it's not a souped up workhorse machine like some of the ThinkPad products, but it does offer enough performance for simple productivity usage. It's the first ThinkPad using AMD technology, and quite frankly, it worked well enough that we have no complains. While Intel still has the better platform for ultraportables, AMD has made a decent effort in catching up while still offering a much lower price point.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/14/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Hot Hardware
We personally love the mix of seriousness and fine design, and we definitely love the $549 starting price. Our $899 test machine felt like a great value, and while the ultraportable market is undoubtedly crowded, we can say that the 13" Edge is worth a look if you're in the market for a machine in this size class. For those who spend more time on the go than at home, the three way wireless communication radio is a real boon.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 02/10/2010
Rating: price: 90% performance: 40% display: 50% mobility: 90% emissions: 90%
Source: Good Gear Guide
Lenovo's ThinkPad Edge 13" is a great little laptop for anyone who wants good performance and battery life in a mobile form factor but doesn't want to spend over $1000. There aren't really many things to dislike about this model, and there are plenty of things to love, such as the excellent input devices and the ability to charge your USB devices even when the notebook is powered off and unplugged.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/04/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Geek.com
Just as the Edge series opens up questions about its ThinkPad-liness, we also have to wonder who this computer is aimed at. Big businesses and demanding consumers will stick with their T and X series system and small businesses have the SL line. What does something between the small business and consumer space deliver that isn’t already available? There are cheaper CULV systems on the market and more capable 13-inch small business machines.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/02/2010
Rating: price: 50%
Source: PC Advisor
In general, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge is a very successful updating of a staid notebook line that has been in desperate need of it for years. We found a few minor complaints (not enough status lights, for hard-drive access and Wi-Fi, for example), but the Edge still hits all the important notes - everything you love about ThinkPads is here, including a great keyboard (despite the switch to chicklet-style keys). With a few minor tweaks, we'd love to see this new design proliferate through the rest of the ThinkPad line.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/25/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Reseller News
The ThinkPad Edge is everything you like about ThinkPads in a more attractive package.
In general, the ThinkPad Edge is a very successful updating of a staid notebook line that has been in desperate need of it for years. We found a few minor complaints (not enough status lights, for hard-drive access and Wi-Fi, for example), but the Edge still hits all the important notes--everything you love about ThinkPads is here, including a great keyboard (despite the switch to chicklet-style keys). With a few minor tweaks, we'd love to see this new design proliferate through the rest of the ThinkPad line.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/25/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC World
If you're a fan of Lenovo's ThinkPad line, you're used to a boring industrial design that looks like it's stuck in 2002, but are willing to put up with it because ThinkPads are so rugged and just plain usable. The new ThinkPad Edge marks the first really significant change to the look and feel of the line in years, but thankfully, it retains almost everything you love about ThinkPads. The ThinkPad Edge is a welcome refresh of Lenovo's workhorse line that improves look and feel without sacrificing the features that make ThinkPads so well-loved.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/22/2010
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: CNet
The uptight ThinkPad image has been taken in a relatively bold new direction with the Edge line. The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge is a budget business laptop for those who want a machine that can do double duty as a personal gadget. Using AMD or Intel ultra-low-voltage processors, the laptops in the Edge line have added gloss and silver touches, and skip the optical drive -- a risky move for a 13.3-inch laptop. They even come in red versions. With a relatively affordable starting price and a new design, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge loosens up the ThinkPad look. But the missing optical drive means it falls short of being a top-choice compact business laptop.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/21/2010
Rating: Total score: 74%
Source: CNet
Do looks matter in a budget business notebook? Budget laptops are necessary for the self-employed and those without lots of money to burn, but those same users might also be entrepreneurs who prefer affordable, nicely designed machines that do double-duty as personal laptops rather than boxy generic systems. With a relatively affordable starting price and a new design, the ThinkPad Edge loosens up the ThinkPad look--but losing an optical drive keeps it a yard short of being a top-choice compact business laptop.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/13/2010
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: PC Mag
The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 lives up to its namesake, but there are better looking SMB laptops out there, with longer battery life. Lenovo's ThinkPad series has clung to the same corporate look longer than any other in the business, but it could only go so long before customers get the impression that they're buying the same thing over and over again. So how do you redesign something that's considered blasphemy to redesign?
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/05/2010
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Engadget
As far as we're concerned there's no reason to preserve tradition for the sake of it -- especially when you can save some cash by tweaking the formula. Sure, the ThinkPad Edge 13 may not carry some of the premium features of the X301 or other higher-end ThinkPads, but for a budget ultraportable we've got very little to complain about. Of course, there are other options on the market, like the $799 ASUS UL30A with slightly longer battery life and the $825 ASUS UL80Vt with discrete graphics, but this ThinkPad has the edge with a superb feeling keyboard, better build quality and comparable CULV performance.
User Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/03/2010
Rating: performance: 80% workmanship: 80%
Source: Computer Shopper
The ThinkPad Edge 13, Lenovo's new entry in the thin-and-light CULV laptop category, is sure to turn heads—not because of its looks, which don't stray far from the standard ThinkPad business garb, but from its comfortable design, very good battery life, and feature-packed configuration. The ThinkPad Edge 13's superb keyboard, excellent battery life, and light weight make it a very appealing choice for use on the road.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/01/2010
Rating: Total score: 85%
Source: Laptop Mag
With its modern design, the $899 Edge 13 is no ordinary ThinkPad, but it offers the same kind of first-rate keyboard, pointing stick, touchpad, and screen we’ve come to expect from its siblings. At this price, the HP ProBook 5310m, which offers a faster CPU, larger hard drive, and an anodized aluminum and magnesium rubberized chassis, represents a slightly better value. However, if you want small business system with stylish looks, solid performance, long battery life, and an incredible keyboard, the Edge 13 is a compelling choice.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/21/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Digital Trends
DE→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 02/02/2010
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: ZDNet
DE→ENonline available, Long, Date: 01/20/2010
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 80% features: 70% mobility: 80% ergonomy: 90%
Source: Jambitz
ES→ENonline available, Medium, Date: 01/07/2010
Rating: Total score: 70%
Comment
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD: Onboard (shared Memory) GPU built in the GM45, GE45 and GS45 chipset (Montevina). Because of two more shaders and a higher core clock, much faster than the old GMA X3100. Still not advisable for gamers (DirectX 10 games not playable or only with very low settings). The integrated video processor is able to help decode HD videos (AVC/VC-2/MPEG2) , e.g., for a fluent Blu-Ray playback with slow CPUs.
Lower end of Graphics Cards for users who want to play games. New games should run on these cards, but only with decreased details and mediocre resolution.
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).
The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.
SU7300:
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
13.3": This is a common display format for subnotebooks. Netbooks, UMPC and some subnotebooks have tinier displays. Nevertheless, the majority of standard laptops has a higher format. The advantage of a small display is, that the subnotebook can be small dimensioned and can be carried easily. Further the small display needs few energy, which improves the battery runtime and in consequence the mobility. The disadvantage is that the reading of texts is a bit exhausting for the eyes, especially with high resolutions.
>> To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
1.8 kg: These sub-notebooks weight less than the average of all notebooks, but represent a heavier class of weight among the sub-notebooks. 12 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.
Lenovo: Lenovo Group Limited is China's largest and the world's fourth largest personal computer manufacturer. Lenovo produces desktops, laptops, servers, handheld computers, imaging equipment, and mobile phone handsets. Lenovo also provides information technology integration and support services, and its QDI unit offers contract manufacturing. Its executive headquarters are located in China and USA. It is incorporated in Hong Kong. Lenovo was formed in 1984 as a spin-off of the Chinese Academy of Sciences new technology unit. The company initially began as a reseller, distributor and later CM for foreign brands, including IBM, entering the Chinese market. In 1990, Lenovo started to manufacture its own PCs and by 1997 became the market leader in China. In 2004, Lenovo bought IBM’s PC business for $1.25billion. Market share regarding sales of personal computers in 2007 (market research IDC): HP 18.9 %, Dell 16.4 %, Acer 9.9 %, Lenovo 7.5 %, Apple 5.7 %
76.08%: This rating is not convincing. It must be considered, that there exist hardly any laptops, which receive a rating below 60%. This notebook is evaluated below average, this is not really a recommendation for purchase.
>> Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
