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Face Off: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s vs. HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 vs. Dell Latitude 14 E7450

Compact business. These 14-inch notebooks show that you don't have to sacrifice core business features for a smaller and more portable screen size.

Portable notebooks are easy to find now that Ultrabooks have matured from their 2011 beginnings. However, many are standard consumer offerings with trimmed connectivity features that leave core business users in the dark. For this Face Off, we compare three 14-inch business notebooks that pack almost as many options as their 15-inch counterparts while being much lighter in the process.

We encourage users to check out our dedicated review pages below for more data and detailed analyses of each of the three models. This comparison is by no means a replacement, but a condensed aid for those on the fence.

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s i7-5600U Review (ThinkPad T450s i7-5200U Review)

HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 Review (Folio 1040 G1 i7-4650U Review) (Folio 1040 G1 i7-4200U Review)

Dell Latitude 14 E7450 Review

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450

Case

All three notebooks are made from alloyed metals and are sturdier than most consumer offerings. Nonetheless, there are notable differences when compared to each other. The ThinkPad T450s is the sturdier notebook out of the three and is subsequently the thickest. The Folio 1040 is also very sturdy despite the thin profile and light weight, but its hinges are noticeably more wobbly than on the Lenovo.

Dell's solution comes close to Lenovo but just misses the mark as we can observe some slight flexibility of the base of the unit due to the thinner design. The Dell weighs about as much as the Lenovo (1.6 kg) while being almost 15 mm thinner, so it is quite dense to carry. The Folio 1040 is about 100 grams lighter than both notebooks.

Winner: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s

331 mm / 13 inch 226 mm / 8.9 inch 34 mm / 1.339 inch 1.8 kg3.92 lbs337 mm / 13.3 inch 232 mm / 9.13 inch 20.4 mm / 0.803 inch 1.6 kg3.62 lbs338 mm / 13.3 inch 234 mm / 9.21 inch 15.9 mm / 0.626 inch 1.5 kg3.33 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Ports in Comparison

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450

Connectivity

The thicker Lenovo takes this round with more USB ports than the HP and more video-out options than both. The thin profile of the HP means it doesn't even sport an Ethernet port, so users may need to resort to USB adapters as needed.

The SIM slot on the Dell is hidden underneath the removable battery compared to the more easily accessible slots on the Lenovo and HP.

Winner: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s

Ports and Connections

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 Dell Latitude 14 E7450
USB 3x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 3x USB 3.0
Video-out 1x HDMI, 1x Mini DisplayPort, 1x VGA 1x DisplayPort 1x HDMI, 1x Mini DisplayPort
Other SD reader, 1x 3.5 mm combo audio, Gigabit Ethernet, SIM slot, SmartCard, Docking port, NFC, Kensington Lock MicroSD reader, 1x 3.5 mm combo audio, SIM slot, Docking port, SmartCard, NFC, Kensington Lock SD reader, 1x 3.5 mm combo audio, Gigabit Ethernet, SIM slot, Docking port, SmartCard, NFC, Kensington Lock
Storage Bays 1x 2.5-inch SATA III 1x M.2 1x 2.5-inch SATA III or 1x mSATA

Input Devices

It's a tossup between Lenovo and Dell in terms of feedback and travel. The Dell unit offers slightly shallower travel, but its tactile feedback is very good nonetheless. Thus, it's a matter of taste between both notebooks.

The keyboard on the HP is flatter and shallower than both in comparison, so users accustomed to desktop keyboards may not prefer the softer feedback. The Folio is at a large disadvantage since it includes no TrackPoint or dedicated mouse keys.

The touchpads on all three models work well with no major issues. However, we find the ForcePad on the HP to be a novelty and that most business users may simply prefer a standard touchpad instead. Additionally, the touchpad is not responsive around the outer edges either, so the surface area is smaller than it would otherwise appear for cursor movement.

Dell offers four dedicated mouse keys compared to two on the Lenovo at the cost of touchpad surface area. This is again a matter of taste depending on user preferences.

Winner: Keyboard: Tie -- Lenovo ThinkPad T450s & Dell Latitude E7450

              Touchpad: Tie -- Lenovo ThinkPad T450s & Dell Latitude E7450

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450

Display

The quality of the three different 1080p IPS displays is so close that choosing an objective winner should prove impossible. Key specifications like backlight brightness and contrast are almost equal between the notebooks. The HP and Dell, however, have 95 percent and 92 percent sRGB coverage, respectively, compared to 84 percent on the Lenovo, so both of these notebooks may be preferable for digital artists. Dell and HP also show slightly more accurate colors than the Lenovo as well.

The HP comes with a touchscreen glossy option that may appeal to a handful of business users. Otherwise, the feature should be avoided to reduce glare.

Winner: Tie -- HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2

                        Dell Latitude 14 E7450

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Displays at a Glance

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Size 14.0-inch IPS 14.0-inch IPS 14.0-inch IPS
Native Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Pixel Density 157 PPI 157 PPI 157 PPI
Panel ID LG Philips LP140WF3-SPD1 AU Optronics AUO133D AU Optronics AUO B140HAN
Panel Matte Glossy (Touchscreen) Matte
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2Dell Latitude E7450
Display
Display P3 Coverage
64.8
66.1
66.6
sRGB Coverage
83.8
94.8
92.4
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
61.2
68.3
67.7
Screen
Brightness middle
288
274
280
Brightness
281
263
257
Brightness Distribution
94
85
75
Black Level *
0.286
0.21
0.3
Contrast
1007
1305
933
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.35
3.93
3.45
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.7
5.28
3.35
Gamma
2.68 82%
2.49 88%
2.37 93%
CCT
6076 107%
7108 91%
6940 94%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
54.7
61
60
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
92
Total Average (Program / Settings)

* ... smaller is better

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s color profile
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s color profile
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450

Performance

CPU Performance

Lenovo, HP, and Dell all offer multiple CPU options beyond what we have here, so this comparison is only between the configurations on hand.

Our three ULV Broadwell notebooks are essentially neck-to-neck in raw CPU performance with differences of just a few percentage points between them according to CineBench benchmarks. Interestingly, Lenovo consistently edges out the HP despite the two systems having the same CPU, which may suggest better Turbo Boost control on the Lenovo when under CPU-intensive tasks.

See our dedicated CPU pages on the Core i5-5300U and i5-5600U for more comparisons and benchmarks.

Hardware at a Glance

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 Dell Latitude 14 E7450
CPU 2.6 GHz Core i7-5600U 2.6 GHz Core i7-5600U 2.3 GHz Core i5-5300U
TDP 15 W 15 W 15 W
RAM 12 GB DDR3L-1600, Dual-channel, 1x SODIMM slot (4 GB soldered) 8 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz, Dual-channel, 1x SODIMM slot (4 GB soldered) 4 GB DDR3L-1600, Single-channel, 2x SODIMM slots
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G1
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G1
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
130 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
121 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
117 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
302 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
277 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
280 Points
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
1.51 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
1.46 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
1.35 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
3.31 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
3.14 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
3.07 Points
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
6487 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
5970 Points
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
13756 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
12043 Points
wPrime 2.10
1024m (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
525 s *
32m (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
15.55 s *
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
617 s *
Dell Latitude E7450
687 s *
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
39013 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
34108 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
3486 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
3185 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
3057 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
4988 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
4354 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
4274 Points
PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
4797 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
5295 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
4650 Points
Lightweight (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
5593 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
3453 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
4702 Points
Productivity (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
4294 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
2681 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
3972 Points
Entertainment (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
3594 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
3869 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
3507 Points
Creativity (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
9128 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
9849 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
8512 Points
Computation (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
12416 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
18031 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
16109 Points
System Storage (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
5387 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
5015 Points
PCMark 8
Storage Score (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
4857 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
4894 Points
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
4394 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
4002 Points
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
3613 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
3459 Points
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
3270 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
3100 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
2932 Points
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
102.4 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
92.1 fps
Pass 2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
18.72 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
17.51 fps

* ... smaller is better

GPU Performance

The three notebooks share the same integrated HD 5500 GPU, but Dell comes out last by up to 20 percent when compared to the Lenovo since the Intel GPU will perform at different levels depending on the CPU it is paired with. The single-channel RAM on our configuration is also attributing to the lower performance. Lenovo once again comes out consistently ahead of the HP by just a few percentage points in 3DMark benchmarks.

See our dedicated GPU page on the HD 5500 for more benchmarks and comparisons.

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
1117 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
1011 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
927 Points
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
1251 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
1133 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
1023 Points
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
1085 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
1006 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
806 Points
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
59263 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
30495 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
7123 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
6585 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
5474 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
797 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
660 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
287 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
753 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
619 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
4988 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
4354 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Combined (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
281 Points
Dell Latitude E7450
225 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
25.89 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
18.29 fps
Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
32.22 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
24.99 fps

Stress Test

To test system stability, we run both Prime95 and FurMark to simulate maximum stress. These unrealistic conditions do not represent daily workloads, but are instead meant to put both the CPU and GPU at 100 percent capacity.

Unsurprisingly, all systems will throttle when under both Prime95 and FurMark stress. A noteworthy find is that the Core i5 CPU in the HP can be as warm as 84 C or nearly 20 degrees higher than on the Lenovo. Once this maximum is reached, the system will automatically throttle the CPU for a more stable 60 C operating temperature. The same is also true for the Dell where the system will automatically throttle to maintain an average core temperature of 70 C when it reaches the 80 C range.

We are unable to provide the stable GPU core clock for the HP as our editor did not include the information. Nonetheless, a fair interpolation based on the Lenovo and Dell notebooks would be in the 700 to 750 MHz range.

Winner: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Dell Latitude 14 E7450
CPU and GPU Clock Rates Under Stress

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Rated GPU Core Clock (MHz) 300 - 950 300 - 950 300 - 900
Stable GPU Core Clock on FurMark (MHz) 750 -- 800
Rated CPU Core Clock (GHz) 2.6 2.6 2.3
Stable CPU Core Clock on Prime95 (GHz) 1.5 1.6 1.5
Maximum CPU temperature 66 C 84 C 81 C

Emissions

System Noise & Temperature

All three notebooks are essentially silent when idling or during low load operations. The Dell notebook is perhaps most impressive as it remains silent even during heavy loads for the first minute or so before the fan starts to kick in. The differences in fan noise and behavior are not enough to justify crowning one notebook over another for this particular category.

Average surface temperatures are also similar after taking into account the different ambient temperatures during measurement. The EliteBook will include more hot spots than both the Lenovo and Dell due to its much thinner profile. Thankfully, most of the temperature development is concentrated towards the rear half of the notebook compared to the left corners on the two competing models.

Winner: Tie

Average Fan Noise and Surface Temperature

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Fan Noise when idling 29.1 dB(A) 29.6 - 32.2 dB(A) 29.1 - 30 dB(A)
Fan Noise under high loads 34.8 dB(A) 36.4 dB(A) 36.4 - 37.8 dB(A)
Average surface temperature when idling 25.4 C 28.0 C 26.3 C
Average surface temperature under high loads 30.9 C 35.1 C 30.1 C
Ambient temperature 20.0 C 23.9 C 20.0 C

Battery Life

HP is the clear winner over the Lenovo and only slightly edges out the Dell in terms of WiFi runtimes. The downside is that the battery modules inside the Lenovo and HP are not easily removable. Dell has the advantage in this regard for owners who have a have a habit of carrying backup batteries when traveling.

The internal battery of the Lenovo is only 24 Wh, but our test configuration also came with a 24 Wh external add-on. These secondary modules can be even larger for longer runtimes at the cost of weight and portability, so this particular feature is unique to the Lenovo. Regardless, HP comes out well ahead based on runtime alone.

Winner: HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
48 Wh
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2
42 Wh
Dell Latitude E7450
54 Wh
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle
774
901
714
WiFi
336
459
WiFi v1.3
276
452
422
Load
88
112
115

Verdict

Each of the three notebooks represents a different tier separated by thickness and number of features. Depending on the user's needs for VGA, battery life, etc., each notebook can be an optimal choice.
Each of the three notebooks represents a different tier separated by thickness and number of features. Depending on the user's needs for VGA, battery life, etc., each notebook can be an optimal choice.

There's a reason why the ThinkPad T450s is a popular choice. It's well-rounded in all aspects with features most business users have come to expect. This is still the de facto 14-inch notebook for work and travel with easy maintenance and no hassles. Its wide variety of video-out options - including VGA - means less adapters to carry for conferences and external monitors. The main downside will be the thicker profile of the chassis.

With that said, there are a wide variety of reasons to choose the Folio 1040 or Latitude E7450 over the T450s. Users who are willing to sacrifice VGA and slight case rigidity for a much thinner profile may prefer the Dell. Users can go even thinner with the HP, but will sacrifice another level of connectivity features including HDMI, a full-size SD reader, an extra USB 3.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet, TrackPoint, and dedicated mouse keys. Nonetheless, both of these notebooks have more accurate colors and longer battery life than the T450s despite their thinner designs.

None of the notebooks are poor choices as the Lenovo offers the most options at the cost of size while the thinner Dell and HP are one step and two steps down, respectively, in terms of feature set.

Lenovo ThinkPad T450sHP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2Dell Latitude 14 E7450

+ Stronger chassis

+ Slightly higher CPU performance

+ TrackPoint and two dedicated mouse keys

+ Secondary battery options

+ More connectivity features; 3x video-out, VGA

+ 2.5-inch SATA III bay

+ Thinner and more portable

+ M.2 SSD

+ 95 percent sRGB coverage

+ Longer battery life

+ Touchscreen options

+ Removable battery

+ mSATA or 2.5-inch SATA III

+ TrackPoint and four dedicated mouse keys

+ Longer battery life

- Much thicker profile

- Lower battery life

- Non-removable internal battery

- Less accurate display

- Weaker hinges

- Less connectivity features; no Ethernet port or full-size SD reader

- Shallow key travel

- No TrackPoint or dedicated mouse keys

- Non-removable internal battery

- SIM slot inconveniently located beneath battery slot

- No VGA out

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s

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HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2

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Dell Latitude 14 E7450

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Face Off: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s vs. HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G2 vs. Dell Latitude 14 E7450
Allen Ngo, 2015-12-27 (Update: 2020-06- 8)