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MagyarInnolux ahead of AUO and BOE | Lenovo's Panel Lottery continues with 3 different 14-inch LowPower displays
It is a familiar problem: Major manufacturers often use multiple suppliers for components, and Lenovo ThinkPads often suffered from noticeable quality differences between identical SKUs in the past. Now we have once again encountered this problem, because you will get one of three possible panels when you select the new 14-inch LowPower display with the 1080p resolution. This is a short summary of the models we have reviewed (or are still in review) so far:
| Model | Panel Supplier | Panel-ID |
|---|---|---|
| ThinkPad T490 i7/Nvidia | BOE | NE140FHM-61 |
| ThinkPad T490 i5/iGPU | BOE | NE140FHM-61 |
| ThinkPad T490s Intel | AU Optronics | B140HAN05.7 |
| ThinkPad T495s AMD | AU Optronics | B140HAN05.7 |
| ThinkPad T495 AMD | Innolux | N140HCG-GQ2 |
| ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019 | LG Philips | LP140WF9_SPF1 |
The following table shows our measurement results, and we only listed one of each panel type (only 1x T490 and T490s) to simplify the table. You can basically say that all three panels meet the specifications from Lenovo since the manufacturer is rather conservative with its claims (contrast 800:1, 400 nits brightness) to avoid complaints. Our AUO panel just missed the advertised value of 400 nits, but it is still very close at ~390, and all three models easily surpass the advertised contrast ratio.
Still, there is one clear winner with the Innolux panel in the ThinkPad T495. Compared to the other two options, it manages much faster response times, which is also noticeable in practice. It also features more precise colors and the widest color gamut.
Update: The LG Philips panel in the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019 is behind the Innolux panel when we consider all the measurements, but ahead of the other two. The response times are slightly slower compared to the Innolux, but still acceptable. The factory calibration of the screen is unfortunately not very good and you will have to calibrate it for the full potential.
| Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 NE140FHM-N61, , 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00 B140HAN05.7, , 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00 N140HCG-GQ2, , 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00 LP140WF9_SPF1, , 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | ||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 69.3 | 67.1 | 67 | 64.5 |
| sRGB Coverage | 92.2 | 97.6 | 98.5 | 95.8 |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 67.4 | 68.5 | 69.2 | 65.7 |
| Response Times | ||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 74 ? | 61.6 ? | 32.4 ? | 44.8 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 45.6 ? | 38.8 ? | 15.2 ? | 27.6 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 2451 ? | 26040 ? | ||
| Screen | ||||
| Brightness middle | 418 | 391 | 420 | 381 |
| Brightness | 400 | 389 | 391 | 375 |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 87 | 88 | 94 |
| Black Level * | 0.24 | 0.23 | 0.29 | 0.24 |
| Contrast | 1742 | 1700 | 1448 | 1588 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 4.6 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.7 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 8.5 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.9 | 4 | 3.4 | 5.1 |
| Gamma | 2.06 107% | 2.49 88% | 2.22 99% | 2.52 87% |
| CCT | 7350 88% | 6809 95% | 7168 91% | 7052 92% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 59.9 | 62.4 | 63.5 | 60.7 |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 92.1 | 97.4 | 98.6 | 95.7 |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) |
* ... smaller is better
The problem for potential users is that you cannot check the panel-ID before you buy the laptop. It is therefore still a lottery with once clear winner thanks to much faster response times: the N140HCG-GQ2 panel from Innolux.
Update: The panel from LG Philips is not a bad choice, but is also beaten by the screen from Innolux.
