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MagyarLenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 AMD laptop review: Long battery life plus AMD power
Besides several exciting improvements, the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 AMD also has a few advantages over the ThinkPad T14 G3. In this review, we will discuss whether they are enough to make the L14 the better choice. The L14 G3 features two RAM slots – this is a step-up from the T series, whose AMD models even only come with soldered RAM.
The L14 likewise has one crucial advantage over the Intel variant of the T14: a higher power limit of 25 watts and a better cooling solution. As a result, the L series, aimed mainly at business users and companies, could now potentially be appealing to consumers as well.
Compared to the previous-gen L14, the new device has a significantly slimmer chassis and looks more like the ThinkPad E14. Furthermore, the battery capacity has increased to 63 Wh on some models (previously 45 Wh). That said, there are changes to the choice of materials that are not necessarily optimal. We will talk more about this and the other changes later in the review. The ThinkPad L14 G3 is competing directly with laptops such as the HP ProBook 445 G8 as well as the Dell Latitude 14 5420 and Inspiron 14 5425.
Comparison with possible competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86.5 % | 10/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE R5 PRO 5675U, Vega 7 | 1.6 kg | 19.83 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 86.1 % | 08/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD R7 PRO 5850U, Vega 8 | 1.7 kg | 20.4 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 88.8 % | 09/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M | 1.4 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 86.7 % | 07/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE R5 5500U, Vega 7 | 1.6 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.6 % | 09/2022 | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE R5 5625U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 22 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.5 % | 11/2021 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 2240x1400 | |
| 85.3 % | 07/2022 | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 1.4 kg | 19.8 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.8 % | 01/2022 | Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.5 kg | 20.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.6 % | 08/2022 | Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR R5 5625U, Vega 7 | 1.6 kg | 18.37 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 |
Case: The ThinkPad L14 has a compact footprint
ThinkPads are usually black. This is the case with the previous-gen model. In contrast, the colour on the new L14 can definitely be described as grey.
Typically, the L series uses a lot of plastic in its construction. Lenovo once again didn't included a magnesium frame to reinforce the laptop, unlike on the predecessor L14 G2. Some Lenovo models come with a base made partially of carbon as well as an optional aluminium lid. Our review unit has neither of these features.
Unfortunately, the chassis can be flexed in the area around the palm rest, although this is not an issue in everyday use. Similarly, we wish the lid were a little bit stiffer. The hinges are very sturdy and prevent you from opening the laptop with one hand, but the display can fold back by 180°. The surfaces on the devices are smooth for the most part, with the lid having a slightly roughened texture. In terms of fit and finish, we didn't notice any gaps or flaws in the laptop's body.
The bezel around the display has become considerably thinner, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 81.8%. The ThinkPad L14 G3 is thus more compact than the ThinkPad E14 G3. It is also 1 cm (0.4") shorter at the sides than the ThinkPad T14, which, on the other hand, is narrower thanks to its 16:10 display.
Moreover, the new L14 is around 200 g (0.44 lb) lighter than its predecessor and weighs 1.566 kg (3.45 lb) in the review configuration, putting it on the same level as its competitors. The lightest L14 model comes in at 1.39 kg (3.06"), with the battery option accounting for part of the weight difference.
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 has a wide range of features
Nothing much has changed in terms of the port selection – which is a good thing. Besides a HDMI 2.0 output, a microSD card reader and a gigabit Ethernet port, which thankfully has been moved closer to the back, there are four USB ports on the device: 2x USB-C (max. 10 GBit/s), which both support PD 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.4, and 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1. However, you won't be getting any Thunderbolt or USB 4 support.
SD card reader
We tested the SD card reader on the ThinkPad L14 with our reference card, the AV PRO micro SD 128 GB V60, and found that its read and write speeds were quite average. By comparison, the card reader on the Dell Latitude 14 5420 performed much better, offering transfer rates that were two to three times higher.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 (AV PRO V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average of class Office (8 - 82.7, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD (AV Pro V60) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 (AV PRO V60) | |
| Average of class Office (25 - 90.5, n=43, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Connectivity
The replaceable Wi-Fi 6 module from AMD/Mediatek is almost completely ahead of the pack in our comparison. Based on our measurements, the transmit and receive rates have practically doubled when compared with the last-gen ThinkPad L14. In addition, none of the new L14 models are equipped with a slow Realtek chip.
Our review model is WWAN-ready (i.e. it has a free M.2 slot and an antenna cable). The Bluetooth 5.1 didn't give us any problems, contrary to the growing number of reports about ThinkPads with the latest AMD processors. NFC is available as an option.
| Networking | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AX12 |
|
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AX12 |
|
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AX12 |
|
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AX12 |
|
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AX12 |
|
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
Webcam
Security
On the ThinkPad L14 G3, Lenovo has integrated the optional fingerprint reader into the power button. The laptop is also equipped with an entire suite of security features for business users, including TPM 2.0, a SmartCard reader, a Kensington slot, an IR camera with physical shutter and Mirametrix Glance.
Accessories
Whilst the L-series lacks a docking port, it can still be connected to USB-C docks. In the box, you'll only find a 65-watt USB-C power adapter included with the laptop. And 90% of the packaging is made of materials that are recycled or sourced from sustainable forestry.
Maintenance
After removing 11 Phillips-head screws, you can remove the bottom cover using a spudger. But be careful: the plastic clips can break easily.
There are many great things about the internals in our opinion: two RAM slots, a removable Wi-Fi module, a free M.2 slot for WWAN, a cooling system that can be easily maintained, and a replaceable SSD. Unlike its predecessor, the L14 G3 uses an SSD with the shorter M.2 2242 form factor to accommodate the larger battery (also replaceable). One of the USB-A ports is on a daughterboard and can thus also be replaced if it is broken.
Warranty
Lenovo provides a 12-month warranty on the L14 G3 in both Germany and the US. Although our campus model comes with Premier Onsite Support, the default warranty only offers courier or carry-in service. You can, however, upgrade and extend the warranty by two years for around 95 Euro (US$99), and three years for around 210 Euro (US$189).
Great input devices with some quirks
Keyboard
The ThinkPad L14 has had a shorter key travel of 1.5 mm (0.06") since the very first generation. This means the E series remains the only choice if you prefer a key travel of 1.8 mm (0.07"). The six-row full-width keyboard is very comfortable, fast and quiet to type on.
Lenovo uses keyboards from different suppliers on its ThinkPads; the keyboard on our review unit is made by Sunrex and doesn't feel as crisp as the one on our ThinkPad T16 review sample. Because it lacks a magnesium frame, the keyboard exhibits noticeable flex when pushed down deliberately. When typing, you will only notice some flex on the number keys 6 to 9 and on the down arrow key. All important special function keys are dedicated.
Touchpad & TrackPoint
The touchpad is now 15% wider but shorter by the same percentage, measuring 11.5 x 5.5 cm (4.53 x 2.17"). The slightly rough Mylar surface isn't as smooth as the one on current T series models. But it still feel great to use nonetheless. The touchpad is responsive, precise and able to recognise common gestures without any delay. The integrated buttons have a low click depth but feel dull to press.
The red TrackPoint in the middle of the keyboard works as expected and lets you move the mouse cursor around the screen with speed and precision. The three TrackPoint buttons below are now completely flat. Nevertheless, they still provide a distinct and accurate click.
Optional low-power display capable of 400 nits
Our review unit comes with a matt Full HD IPS display (1,920 × 1,080) with a 16:9 aspect ratio, even though the ThinkPad L13 has already made the jump to a 16:10 display. The screen looks sharp enough at this resolution and is capable of producing a relatively saturated black thanks to its great contrast of 1,219:1 and a low black level of 0.24 nits. At 7,071K, the white point doesn't quite hit the optimal value of 6,500K.
The screen has a low peak brightness of 282 nits. If possible, you should go for the low-power display option, as it is much brighter at 400 nits and thus more practical for outdoor use. We didn't detect any PWM flicker. Apart from the IdeaPad 5 Pro 14 and ThinkPad T14 G3, all the other devices in the comparison have a similar level of performance.
The following display options are available (all matt):
1,366x768 (HD), 220 nits, 45% NTSC, TN
1,920×1,080 (Full HD), 250 nits, 45% NTSC, IPS
1,920×1,080 (Full HD), 300 nits, 45% NTSC, IPS, touch support
1,920×1,080 (Full HD), 400 nits, 100% sRGB, IPS, low power
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 292 cd/m²
Contrast: 1217:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.5
ΔE Greyscale 3.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
42.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
41.4% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.07
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE BOE NV140FHM-N4U, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD B140HAN04.0, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE LP140WU1-SPB2, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE NVM140FHM-N4V, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE LENOVO LEN140FHD, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 LEN140WUXGA+, IPS, 2240x1400, 14.00 | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES AUO559C, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W AUO5491 / B140HAN, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -8% | 65% | -2% | 2% | 71% | -10% | -12% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 41.4 | 37.5 -9% | 69.2 67% | 40.3 -3% | 42.2 2% | 72.2 74% | 36.9 -11% | 36 -13% |
| sRGB Coverage | 60.8 | 56.3 -7% | 97.4 60% | 59.5 -2% | 62.9 3% | 99.5 64% | 55.5 -9% | 54 -11% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 42.7 | 38.7 -9% | 71.5 67% | 41.7 -2% | 43.6 2% | 74.3 74% | 38.2 -11% | 37 -13% |
| Response Times | -135% | -103% | -106% | -83% | -211% | -153% | -145% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 25 ? | 36 ? -44% | 41.4 ? -66% | 35.2 ? -41% | 29 ? -16% | 45.2 ? -81% | 39 ? -56% | 41 ? -64% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 8 ? | 26 ? -225% | 19.2 ? -140% | 21.6 ? -170% | 20 ? -150% | 35.2 ? -340% | 28 ? -250% | 26 ? -225% |
| PWM Frequency | ||||||||
| Screen | -13% | 46% | 10% | -16% | 24% | 0% | 8% | |
| Brightness middle | 292 | 278 -5% | 451 54% | 341 17% | 306 5% | 310.6 6% | 304 4% | 290 -1% |
| Brightness | 282 | 255 -10% | 435 54% | 327 16% | 283 0% | 302 7% | 270 -4% | 282 0% |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 86 -5% | 94 3% | 90 -1% | 85 -7% | 92 1% | 83 -9% | 81 -11% |
| Black Level * | 0.24 | 0.33 -38% | 0.21 12% | 0.26 -8% | 0.38 -58% | 0.22 8% | 0.25 -4% | 0.26 -8% |
| Contrast | 1217 | 842 -31% | 2148 76% | 1312 8% | 805 -34% | 1412 16% | 1216 0% | 1115 -8% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.8 | 5.9 -2% | 2.4 59% | 5.1 12% | 6 -3% | 2.67 54% | 6.78 -17% | 4.65 20% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 18.1 | 20.2 -12% | 4.1 77% | 17.6 3% | 20.5 -13% | 4.54 75% | 17.59 3% | 7.5 59% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.5 | 4.5 -0% | 1.3 71% | 4.4 2% | 4.5 -0% | 2.33 48% | 4.69 -4% | 3.98 12% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.7 | 4.1 -11% | 3.3 11% | 2.1 43% | 5.1 -38% | 3.7 -0% | 2.43 34% | 3.22 13% |
| Gamma | 2.07 106% | 2.15 102% | 2.13 103% | 2.11 104% | 2.13 103% | 2.12 104% | 2.43 91% | 2.54 87% |
| CCT | 7071 92% | 7224 90% | 6848 95% | 6755 96% | 6264 104% | 6398 102% | 6759 96% | 6169 105% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -52% /
-29% | 3% /
29% | -33% /
-9% | -32% /
-22% | -39% /
0% | -54% /
-24% | -50% /
-18% |
* ... smaller is better
The display only covers around 61% of the sRGB colour space, which is inadequate even for more casual photo editing.
Colours on the screen deviate significantly from the target values. Calibrating the display didn't really improve the situation, but it at least remove the slight cyan tint. As usual, you'll find a link to download the colour profile created by us on the right of the brightness distribution diagram.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 17 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 25 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 12 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 30 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17915 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The matt finish makes the display quite readable outdoors. However, the user would have to avoid direct sunlight because the screen only has a peak brightness of about 280 nits.
ThinkPad L14 delivers great performance but has stability issues
Our review unit comes with one 8 GB RAM module and can support up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM split across two SODIMM modules. It also features a six-core AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U Barcelo CPU, integrated Vega 7 graphics and a PCIe 4.0 SSD with 256 GB of storage.
The hardware is good enough for office and business use, but we recommend upgrading to at least 16 GB of RAM for more demanding tasks. Other AMD models of the L14 G3 have CPUs with four to eight cores, whilst the Intel variants come with everything from a Core i3-1215U to Core i7-1260P.
Test conditions
On ThinkPads, Lenovo has integrated the performance modes into Windows power options. We used the high-performance profile and disabled auto mode when carrying out all performance-related benchmarks.
In "Best Performance" and "Better Performance" modes, the AMD processor initially drew 30 watts of power and then reduced its power usage to 25 watts after 40 seconds and 25 seconds respectively. In "More Battery Efficiency" mode, power consumption gradually dropped from 21 watts to 18 watts over a few minutes.
Processor
The 25-watt power limit is reasonable for the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U. The processor is able to deliver 30 per cent more sustained performance than the Intel Alder Lake CPU in the ThinkPad T16 (limited to 20 watts).
Interestingly, the new L14 has around the same CPU performance as its predecessor with an eight-core Ryzen CPU. But our database suggests you will get an approximately 25% performance gain with eight Cezanne/Barcelo U cores at the same power limits.
Thanks to the two copper heat pipes, temperatures only reached 75°C (167°F) over a prolonged period. In contrast, the Intel variants of the L14 G3 are only fitted with one heat pipe, similar to the ThinkPad T series. All the other devices in our comparison mostly delivered similar performance thanks to their six-core AMD CPU.
On battery, there is no drop in sustained performance. The 32-second initial boost to 30 watts is simply disabled (see power usage log and screenshots).
That said, we encountered a really annoying bug: every time after waking up from sleep mode, the CPU would linger around 500 to 800 MHz. This problem could only be resolved by restarting the laptop, which then caused the power limit to get stuck at 20 watts. We didn't really understand when and why we regained access to the full 25-watt power limit.
Cinebench R15 Multi Sustained Load
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU | v3.3 Classroom CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
V-Ray 5 Benchmark: CPU
V-Ray Benchmark Next 4.10: CPU
| Performance Rating | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE -1! | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 -5! | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD -2! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE -1! | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average of class Office | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES -1! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE -2! | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W -1! | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Average of class Office (529 - 1995, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (1382 - 1393, n=2) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Average of class Office (356 - 5904, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (2901 - 3082, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Average of class Office (181.3 - 764, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (534 - 540, n=2) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average of class Office (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (209 - 222, n=2) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Blender / v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
| Average of class Office (343 - 3786, n=109, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (702 - 730, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Average of class Office (1018 - 11980, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (4513 - 5941, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Average of class Office (510 - 1974, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (1300 - 1427, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (8.8 - 10.1, n=2) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Average of class Office (1.55 - 17.4, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Average of class Office (31.3 - 117.5, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (53.4 - 56.7, n=2) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average of class Office (0.4244 - 1.397, n=119, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (0.553 - 0.591, n=2) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| V-Ray 5 Benchmark / CPU | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (5346 - 5467, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Average of class Office (544 - 9909, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| V-Ray Benchmark Next 4.10 / CPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (8218 - 8293, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Average of class Office (1178 - 15018, n=93, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average of class Office | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (9144 - 9192, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Average of class Office (763 - 24250, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (8259 - 8482, n=2) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Average of class Office (404 - 14288, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (4768 - 4797, n=2) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Average of class Office (432 - 12755, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Average of class Office (4814 - 48177, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U (7035 - 14092, n=2) | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
System performance
Based on our experience, the system performance is very fast. Apps and websites load without any delay, even when a 4K video is playing in the background. Despite the single-channel RAM, the synthetic benchmark results are on approximately the same level as those of the competitors and slightly better than the ThinkPad T16 with an Intel Alder Lake CPU. However, the Alder Lake processor had a considerable lead in web browsing benchmarks owing to its higher shot-term turbo boost.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
Sunspider: 1.0 Total Score
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
Speedometer 2.0: Result
Octane V2: Total Score
Jetstream 2: Total Score
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
| Sunspider / 1.0 Total Score | |
| Average of class Office (64.5 - 327, n=11, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Speedometer 2.0 / Result | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| Average of class Office (26.1 - 350, n=48, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 5198 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES | |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
Our review unit comes installed with a Kioxia/Toshiba BG5 PCIe 4.0 SSD. Due to space constraints, a drive with the shorter M.2 2242 form factor had to be used. As a result, the ThinkPad L14 G3's storage is even slower than the PCIe 3.0 SSD on the predecessor. Nevertheless, you'll only notice this in day-to-day use when copying large amounts of data.
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE Vega 7, R5 PRO 5675U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT256G | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD Vega 8, R7 PRO 5850U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE Radeon 680M, R7 PRO 6850U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNV512G | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE Vega 7, R5 5500U, SK Hynix BC711 HFM512GD3HX015N | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE Vega 7, R5 5625U, Samsung PM991a MZALQ512HBLU | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 Vega 7, R5 5600U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES Vega 7, R5 5600U, SSSTC CL1-8D512-HP | Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, WDC PC SN530 SDBPTPZ-256G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DiskSpd | 35% | 31% | 91% | 53% | 45% | -4% | -1% | |
| seq read | 1820 | 2185 20% | 2449 35% | 1687 -7% | 1989 9% | 2330 28% | 1868 3% | 1646 -10% |
| seq write | 1541 | 2080 35% | 2052 33% | 2188 42% | 1597 4% | 2438 58% | 1124 -27% | 968 -37% |
| seq q8 t1 read | 2237 | 3437 54% | 2836 27% | 3346 50% | 2618 17% | 3437 54% | 2035 -9% | 2479 11% |
| seq q8 t1 write | 1855 | 2715 46% | 2752 48% | 2387 29% | 1591 -14% | 2711 46% | 1131 -39% | 970 -48% |
| 4k q32 t16 read | 699 | 1024 46% | 839 20% | 1733 148% | 1056 51% | 1197 71% | 368 -47% | 674 -4% |
| 4k q32 t16 write | 275 | 488 77% | 377 37% | 1471 435% | 1168 325% | 503 83% | 839 205% | 425 55% |
| 4k q1 t1 read | 44.8 | 41.9 -6% | 54.1 21% | 53.2 19% | 47.3 6% | 45.2 1% | 17.7 -60% | 38.7 -14% |
| 4k q1 t1 write | 109.4 | 117 7% | 134.4 23% | 126 15% | 135.2 24% | 127 16% | 49.8 -54% | 151 38% |
| AS SSD | 75% | 9% | 78% | 22% | 25% | -31% | -18% | |
| Seq Read | 1796 | 2693 50% | 2117 18% | 2596 45% | 2682.84 49% | 2874 60% | 1511.18 -16% | 1934 8% |
| Seq Write | 1073 | 1456 36% | 1059 -1% | 1460 36% | 1691.36 58% | 1491 39% | 1037.75 -3% | 646 -40% |
| 4K Read | 41 | 41.67 2% | 51.29 25% | 48.62 19% | 44.29 8% | 39.28 -4% | 19.05 -54% | 44.07 7% |
| 4K Write | 96 | 138.4 44% | 110.24 15% | 113.4 18% | 129.18 35% | 122.2 27% | 53.34 -44% | 138.9 45% |
| 4K-64 Read | 620 | 940 52% | 668.7 8% | 1419 129% | 994.27 60% | 1022 65% | 657.15 6% | 447 -28% |
| 4K-64 Write | 550 | 1933 251% | 332.54 -40% | 1840 235% | 945.62 72% | 677 23% | 467.25 -15% | 216 -61% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.133 | 0.114 14% | 0.067 50% | 0.049 63% | 0.183 -38% | 0.079 41% | 0.101 24% | 0.138 -4% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.037 | 0.027 27% | 0.035 5% | 0.032 14% | 0.089 -141% | 0.091 -146% | 0.128 -246% | 0.049 -32% |
| Score Read | 840 | 1251 49% | 932 11% | 1727 106% | 1307 56% | 1349 61% | 827 -2% | 685 -18% |
| Score Write | 753 | 2217 194% | 549 -27% | 2099 179% | 1244 65% | 948 26% | 624 -17% | 420 -44% |
| Score Total | 1997 | 4052 103% | 1919 -4% | 4658 133% | 3177 59% | 2922 46% | 1851 -7% | 1406 -30% |
| Copy ISO MB/s | 1377 | 1682.54 22% | 1168 -15% | 1762.9 28% | 1325 -4% | 1100.51 -20% | ||
| Copy Program MB/s | 321.7 | 402.12 25% | 590 83% | 310.03 -4% | 579 80% | 365.45 14% | ||
| Copy Game MB/s | 814.5 | 967.5 19% | 1148 41% | 856.99 5% | 1158 42% | 330.02 -59% | ||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 55% /
58% | 20% /
17% | 85% /
83% | 38% /
33% | 35% /
32% | -18% /
-21% | -10% /
-11% |
* ... smaller is better
* ... smaller is better
Sustained Load Read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
Graphics processing is handled by the Radeon RX Vega 7. Graphics performance isn't great because the GPU is bound by the single-channel RAM.
Even older games have to be played at low settings. But this is fine for the ThinkPad L14 considering that the device was not designed for gaming and that you can improve performance by adding a second RAM module.
That is, if weren't for the following issues: Far Cry 5 refused to launch even after several attempts and reboots, and the L14 restarted every time we tried to run GRID Legends. More about this in the "Stress test" section.
Running the laptop on battery doesn't affect graphics performance.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 3369 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 12924 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1715 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 682 points | |
Help | ||
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1280x720 Lowest Preset | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 | |
| Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (20 - 55, n=9) | |
| Average of class Office (20 - 77, n=8, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE | |
Witcher 3 FPS graph
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| GTA V (2015) | 43.1 | 38.2 | 11.3 | |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 29.2 | 19.1 | 9.63 | 6.6 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 80.5 | 52.2 | 25.9 | 24.2 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 17.6 | 8.9 | 6 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 31.2 | 24.1 | 21.7 | |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 35.3 | 13.5 | 11.7 | 10.3 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 20 | 9 |
Emissions: Lenovo office notebook runs quiet and quite cool
Noise emissions
You'll seldom hear any fan noise coming from the L14. The laptop really has to be running demanding software for you to notice the fan. When browsing the Internet, you can open as many tabs as you like at the same time but will rarely hear anything from the fan. Even at max load, the fan noise never exceeded 31.7 dB(A). Most of the devices in the comparison group run louder, particularly at max load.
However, when the laptop is under sustained load or running games, the fan revs up and down frequently and produces a loud, slightly annoying high-pitched noise each time it does that. We didn't detect any coil whine on our review unit.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 24.2 / 24.2 / 28.6 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 28.6 / 31.75 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24.2 dB(A) | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE Vega 7, R5 PRO 5675U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT256G | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD Vega 8, R7 PRO 5850U, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE Radeon 680M, R7 PRO 6850U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNV512G | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE Vega 7, R5 5500U, SK Hynix BC711 HFM512GD3HX015N | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE Vega 7, R5 5625U, Samsung PM991a MZALQ512HBLU | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 Vega 7, R5 5600U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES Vega 7, R5 5600U, SSSTC CL1-8D512-HP | Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, WDC PC SN530 SDBPTPZ-256G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -2% | -5% | -0% | -6% | -6% | 0% | -15% | |
| off / environment * | 24.2 | 25.08 -4% | 24.2 -0% | 23.8 2% | 24.41 -1% | 24.6 -2% | 25 -3% | 25 -3% |
| Idle Minimum * | 24.2 | 25.08 -4% | 24.2 -0% | 23.8 2% | 24.41 -1% | 24.6 -2% | 25 -3% | 25 -3% |
| Idle Average * | 24.2 | 25.08 -4% | 24.2 -0% | 23.8 2% | 24.41 -1% | 24.6 -2% | 25 -3% | 25 -3% |
| Idle Maximum * | 28.6 | 25.08 12% | 25.8 10% | 25 13% | 24.41 15% | 25.1 12% | 25 13% | 25 13% |
| Load Average * | 28.6 | 26.81 6% | 32.2 -13% | 32 -12% | 36.36 -27% | 29.6 -3% | 30.7 -7% | 36.5 -28% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 31.7 | 34.1 -8% | 32 -1% | 31.9 -1% | ||||
| Load Maximum * | 31.75 | 37.99 -20% | 38.8 -22% | 34.5 -9% | 38.62 -22% | 45.5 -43% | 30.7 3% | 52.4 -65% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
At max load, there was a hot spot that reached 45.8°C (114.4°F) on the right side of the bottom panel towards the back. In everyday load scenarios, though, the ThinkPad L14 G3 doesn't get as warm, even in that particular area of the chassis, and can be used on the lap without issues.
All other areas on the laptop were rather cool to the touch. By comparison, the ThinkPad T14 G3 AMD and ThinkPad E14 G3 AMD both run substantially warmer.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.4 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.8 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.4 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.3 °C / 94 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.9 °C / 89.4 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-4.2 °C / -7.5 F).
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, AMD Radeon 680M | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE AMD Ryzen 5 5625U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 AMD Ryzen 5 5600U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES AMD Ryzen 5 5600U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -3% | -2% | 1% | -4% | 10% | 2% | 3% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 40.4 | 42.1 -4% | 48.2 -19% | 45.1 -12% | 38.9 4% | 35.8 11% | 37.9 6% | 41.7 -3% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 45.8 | 45.2 1% | 52.8 -15% | 49.3 -8% | 42.8 7% | 42.8 7% | 44.1 4% | 35.6 22% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 28.2 | 28.6 -1% | 24.4 13% | 24.7 12% | 33.2 -18% | 25 11% | 27.8 1% | 29.9 -6% |
| Idle Bottom * | 28.9 | 31.5 -9% | 24.5 15% | 25.6 11% | 30.8 -7% | 26.2 9% | 29.8 -3% | 29.7 -3% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress test
We couldn't obtain any data for our combined stress test (running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously) because the system crashed every time we tried to do this. This in itself is a result and indicates that the system has stability issues – something we previously encountered when trying to launch some of the games. At least the CPU didn't throttle when the system was undergoing the pure CPU stress test and ran at 2.72 GHz, which is still above its base clock.
One downside is that the core temperature did reach a critical level of 95°C (203°F). For comparison, the L14 G2 didn't go beyond 65°C (149°F). The GPU temperature hit 86°C (187°F) when the system is only under graphics load, which is unusually high. Hypothetically, it could be the case that a Lenovo employee was too heavy-handed with the thermal paste.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | - | - | 36 | 35 |
| Prime95 Stress | 2.72 | - | 95 | 67 |
| FurMark Stress | 0.28 | 1,800 | 71 | 86 |
| Witcher 3 Stress | 0.77 | 1,800 | 71 | 69 |
Speakers
The upward-firing speakers don't get very loud, reaching a max volume level of just 68 dB(A). But at least there is a hint of bass, and the highs and mids sound balanced and flat. Nevertheless, we recommend connecting the laptop to an external audio device via the audio jack or Bluetooth if you really want to enjoy your music.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (68.33 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 22% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 71% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 28% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 32% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 21% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 75% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power management: ThinkPad L series gets good battery life at last
Power consumption
Even though the L14 G3's idle power consumption isn't too bad, the ThinkPad T14 G3 AMD requires much less juice at idle by comparison.
Under load, the device consumes around 30 watts of power, which is in line with our expectation given the power limits specified. Even a 45-watt power adapter wouldn't have made any difference.
| Off / Standby | 0.6 / 0.8 Watt |
| Idle | 4.8 / 7.7 / 8.5 Watt |
| Load |
27.4 / 36.5 Watt |
   
| |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE R5 PRO 5675U, Vega 7, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT256G, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD R7 PRO 5850U, Vega 8, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-512GB, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNV512G, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE R5 5500U, Vega 7, SK Hynix BC711 HFM512GD3HX015N, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE R5 5625U, Vega 7, Samsung PM991a MZALQ512HBLU, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 R5 5600U, Vega 7, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G, IPS, 2240x1400, 14.00 | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES R5 5600U, Vega 7, SSSTC CL1-8D512-HP, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Inspiron 14 5425 6VPKR R5 5625U, Vega 7, SK Hynix BC711 512GB HFM512GD3GX013N, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -10% | -1% | -19% | -14% | -22% | 2% | -13% | -20% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.8 | 5.44 -13% | 2.4 50% | 3.5 27% | 4.1 15% | 3.8 21% | 3.6 25% | 4 17% | 4.3 ? 10% |
| Idle Average * | 7.7 | 8.06 -5% | 5.3 31% | 7.5 3% | 8 -4% | 6.9 10% | 7.5 3% | 6.6 14% | 7.35 ? 5% |
| Idle Maximum * | 8.5 | 9.4 -11% | 5.6 34% | 8.7 -2% | 8.9 -5% | 8.8 -4% | 9 -6% | 9.4 -11% | 9.15 ? -8% |
| Load Average * | 27.4 | 36.06 -32% | 39.7 -45% | 43.6 -59% | 39.3 -43% | 42.2 -54% | 27 1% | 37 -35% | 41.1 ? -50% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 32 | 26.1 18% | 42.8 -34% | 42.2 -32% | 38.1 -19% | 37.7 -18% | 26.9 16% | 37.1 -16% | |
| Load Maximum * | 36.5 | 42.26 -16% | 50.6 -39% | 55 -51% | 45.7 -25% | 68.4 -87% | 46 -26% | 53.7 -47% | 58.1 ? -59% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption Witcher 3 / stress test
Power consumption with external monitor
Battery life
Thanks to the 23% increase in battery capacity, one major flaw of the ThinkPad L series has finally been fixed. Our review unit came with a 57 Wh battery. With screen brightness at 150 nits, the L14 G3 managed to last longer than 13 hours during our Wi-Fi test. This is an excellent result that puts the laptop ahead of all the other devices in the comparison. Even with the 45 Wh battery option, you could still expect more than 10 hours of battery life from the device. There is also a 63 Wh option for those who want a larger battery.
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE R5 PRO 5675U, Vega 7, 57 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G2 AMD R7 PRO 5850U, Vega 8, 45 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3-21CF004NGE R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M, 52.5 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G3-20Y7003SGE R5 5500U, Vega 7, 57 Wh | Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G4 21DK0004GE R5 5625U, Vega 7, 43.01 Wh | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 R5 5600U, Vega 7, 57 Wh | HP ProBook 445 G8-3Z6Q8ES R5 5600U, Vega 7, 45 Wh | Dell Latitude 14 5420-D2G5W i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 63 Wh | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -30% | 1% | -12% | -36% | -36% | -4% | 21% | -5% | |
| H.264 | 759 | 574 -24% | 984 30% | 827 9% | 705 ? -7% | ||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 795 | 469 -41% | 772 -3% | 680 -14% | 511 -36% | 550 -31% | 605 -24% | 769 -3% | 594 ? -25% |
| Load | 101 | 77 -24% | 76 -25% | 71 -30% | 65 -36% | 60 -41% | 117 16% | 146 45% | 117.7 ? 17% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: A great alternative to the ThinkPad T14
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 is a good office laptop with a larger battery and slimmer chassis than its predecessor. Coupled with the fact that it has two RAM slots, the great CPU performance, quiet operation and a low-power display option make the L14 an attractive alternative to the popular ThinkPad T14, which runs warmer and has a soldered Wi-Fi module. The AMD variant of the T14 even has completely soldered RAM.
One thing is for sure: the L14 does not come close to the ThinkPad T14 in terms of input devices and case sturdiness, even though the keyboard and trackpad are excellent for the price. If you don't mind the somewhat more basic chassis, you can save a lot of money by buying the L14 for 1,019 Euro (US$1,104) rather than a T-series laptop.
The L14 G3 could be a worthy successor to the popular ThinkPad T480. It offers two RAM slots, great battery life, good performance and low emissions. There is also a great display option.
However, our review unit comes with a display that is lacking in brightness (282 nits) and covers only 61% of the sRGB gamut. Therefore, you should go for the brighter low-power display instead if the option is available. It is also a shame that Lenovo has retained the 16:9 aspect ratio to deliberately differentiate the product from the ThinkPad T14.
Those who absolutely want a longer key travel should take a look at the ThinkPad E14. It has incredibly similar performance to that of the L14 in most regards and only falls behind when it comes to port selection and business-related security features. But the E14 at least has one RAM slot. If you want a 16:10 display at a lower price, you can consider getting the IdeaPad 5 Pro 14 or Dell Inspiron 14. The latter also has two RAM slots, but its keyboard is not as good.
Price and availability
Our review unit is a special model for students and educators (available only in Germany) and costs 939 Euro (US$915). An AMD model with 512 of storage will set you back around US$1,699.
The Intel variants of the ThinkPad L14 G3 start at US$1,399 and is available directly from Lenovo US.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G3 21C50030GE
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10/18/2022 v7
Marvin Gollor
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