Lenovo ThinkPad E460 (Core i5, Radeon R7 M360) Notebook Review

The only innovation in terms of interfaces is the integration of another USB 3.0 port which replaces the former USB 2.0 port on the casing's left. There are now a total of three super-speed ports installed. Unfortunately, none are made in the cutting edge Type C format. The other interfaces are unsurprising with HDMI 1.4a (4K @30 Hz), GBit LAN and a headset jack.

It is possible to buy an external docking station should the E640 primarily be intended for stationary use, and larger interface diversity is needed. It is connected to the OneLink socket, which is a kind of extension of the normal power socket. Two different models are available: Lenovo offers the simple "OneLink Dock" including a 65-watt power supply (adds 4x USB, 1x HDMI, 1x LAN, 1x audio) for approximately 100 Euros (~$106) and about 150 Euros (~$159) is demanded for the better equipped "OneLink Pro Dock" with a 90-watt power supply (adds 2x USB, 1x DVI, 1x DisplayPort).

Communication

Rather than using Intel's Wireless-AC 3160 like before, Lenovo now installs its successor the Wireless-AC 3165. It supports the new low-energy mode of Bluetooth 4.2. Nothing has changed in terms of Wi-Fi. Via single-stream transmission (1x1) in the 802.11 ac standard, the adapter achieves data rates of up to 433 Mbit/s and operates in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. We achieved an impressive 26 MB/s in conjunction with a TP-Link Archer C7 router under ideal conditions, and we can also confirm that the module has a high range and good connection stability.

As typical for laptops, the integrated webcam has a modest resolution of 0.9 megapixels, which is also reflected in a correspondingly middling image quality. The low reproduction of details, pale colors and visible noise at most qualify the sensor for simple communication purposes, such as Skype. The accompanying array microphone does a better job. Its well-intelligible recordings of speech usually make an additional headset superfluous.

Security

No vPro support, no NFC, no fingerprint scanner (optionally available for selected models) - the low-cost E-lineup is definitely not made for security-critical applications. At least Lenovo installs TPM in the TCG 1.2 standard, which enables some fundamental security functions.

Accessories

Like most Education models, our review sample was also shipped without an operating system, which can be installed quickly via a USB flash drive. All needed drivers are found on the manufacturer's website where all current Windows versions (from Windows 7) can be downloaded. It would have been nicer had Lenovo delivered them on an included USB flash drive.

It was no problem for us to run the latest Ubuntu 15.10 version in a quick test. All components (including the hot-key bar, Wi-Fi module and touchpad/TrackPoint; excluding the card reader) were identified autonomously.

Maintenance

Inexperienced users should not try to open the device despite the present maintenance hatch. A plate held by thin plastic clips has to be removed after releasing three screws. However, it sat very tight in the predecessor, and multiple cracks and broken plastic parts were the result. When this hurdle has been overcome, the user can replace the hard drive (2.5-inches, 7 millimeters in height), working memory (1 of 2 slots filled) or the wireless module. On the other hand, the processor and graphics chip are soldered, and it is not easy to clean the fan and heat sink without some effort.

Warranty

Unlike the T-line (36 months), the warranty period for the L and E lines is just 12 months. However, this period can be upgraded to a simple bring-in service for 35 (~$37, 2 years) or 75 Euros (~$79, 3 years) if that is enough. That is also a very fair offer in relation to the purchase price - even relevant repair services charge more for a minor defect.

Our review sample is the only presently available configuration with a Full HD panel (1920x1080 pixels, 157 PPI). However, entry-level models with a basic WXGA resolution (1366x768 pixels, 112 PPI) will likely also be available again in the future. We would definitely recommend buying the 1080p model due to its sharper reproduction and considerably larger desktop - it is hardly possible to perform multitasking or intricate office tasks (for example, extensive Excel spreadsheets) productively on a WXGA screen.

Beyond that, the Full HD model promises a higher maximum brightness of 250 cd/m² that we cannot quite confirm after measuring. The panel does not achieve more than 233 cd/m² even in its center, and the average is only 221 cd/m². However, this rate is normally enough for indoor use especially since the matte surface effectively reduces distracting reflections (although they are not completely eliminated). Positive: In contrast to many rivals, the E640 manages without PWM control, i.e. the backlight does not start to flicker even in reduced brightness. We deduct points for the very evident backlight bleeding on a black image, which we observed in all four corners of our review sample.

In addition to higher contrasts and often better color reproduction, it is primarily the viewing-angle stability that discerns IPS screens from low-cost TN models. The image hardly changes even when larger shifts are made in front of the screen, making it possible for several users to work or to watch a video in front of the laptop simultaneously. Only the contrast ratio decreases visibly in extremely slanted viewing angles, but massive color distortions or gamma deviations will not be observed.

The successor of the Core i5-4200U (1.6 - 2.6 GHz, Haswell) and Core i5-5200U (2.2 - 2.7 GHz, Broadwell) is the Core i5-6200U which represents the new mid-range in the Skylake generation. With core speeds of 2.3 to 2.8 GHz (2 cores: max. 2.7 GHz), the dual-core CPU is only insignificantly faster than its direct predecessors. However, it benefits from the multiple architectural improvements made in the sixth core generation. The ULV chip is built in the 14 nanometer process, and Intel specifies a TDP of only 15 watts for it. More details can be found in our extensive CPU database.

While the entry-level configuration of the E640 relies on the processor-integrated HD Graphics 520 (24 EUs, 300 - 1000 MHz), our review sample additionally features a dedicated Radeon R7 M360. With 384 GCN Shaders, a 64-bit memory interface and clock rates of 980/900 MHz (core/DDR3 memory), it is ultimately just a renamed Radeon R7 M260 like found in the older E450. AMD's small GPU will unlikely calculate much faster than the once again improved processor graphics, which also provides the more modern feature set including H.265 decoder. The ThinkPad switches between both graphics chips via Enduro technology to reduce the power consumption.

A 192 GB SSD and an 8 GB DDR3 memory (1x 8 GB DDR3L-1600, single-channel, 1 of 2 slots filled) completes the configuration. The Skylake platform principally would also support DDR4-2133. However, Lenovo does not implement that presumably for cost reasons. A DDR4 RAM would only boost the general performance insignificantly anyway. The integrated GPU would primarily benefit from the higher bandwidth, which would only be utilized in 2D operations in this case.

Not even 9 months after its official introduction, the Broadwell-based Core i5-5200U already belongs to the "old guard" and has to make way for the Core i5-6200U Skylake successor. In addition to the approximately 5 to 10% improved per-MHz performance, the higher energy efficiency primarily advocates the new model. It also promises a better utilization of the Turbo Boost headroom at the same TDP classification at the same time.

In fact: The i5-6200U keeps it maximum clock of 2.8 GHz in single-threading and 2.7 GHz in multithreading stably. It thus achieves a performance roughly on par with the former high-end Core i7-5500U model. At the same time, the direct predecessor i5-5200U is surpassed by approximately 10%. However, the gain under full load is somewhat larger than when only one core is loaded. We did not observe any performance differences between AC and battery mode.

Astonishingly, the purchase price of 700 Euros (~$743) includes a 2.5-inch SSD with a very practical capacity of 192 GB. Although the Samsung CM871 is only an inexpensive low-end model (23K IOPS random read, 7.4K IOPS random write), the V-NAND chip-based drive will definitely operate faster than conventional HDDs.

Our benchmarks confirm that the CM871 has a high sequential read rate of around 500 MB/s. As said, the write speed and all 4K benchmarks are considerably poorer than most other current SSDs as expected. This performance deficiency is hardly noticed in real-world use; time needed for booting, installing and loading are not different from other flash memories subjectively. The low write rate is only sometimes noticed unfavorably when copying very large folders.

New name, old GPU: As said, the Radeon R7 M360 does not differ much from the Radeon R7 M260 installed in the ThinkPad E450, and the performance consequently more or less stagnates. Depending on the 3DMark version, the GPU places itself approximately 30 to 50% above the integrated HD Graphics 520 when it can fall back on dual-channel memory. That roughly corresponds to an Nvidia GeForce 830M in the comparison with the competition.

We naturally could not resist testing the present H.265 decoder integrated in Skylake for the first time (Broadwell only had a hybrid solution here). In fact, it is so powerful that even our demanding test video (Big Buck Bunny, 4K, 60 FPS) hardly pushed the CPU capacity over 5%. That allow the processor to keep its minimum clock, and the power consumption only surpasses that of a H.264 video insignificantly.

Lenovo regrettably cannot perform magic and pays for the moderate noise development with relatively high casing and hardware temperatures. The chassis reaches up to 48 °C in some places under full load. However, the wrist rest does not surpass 30 degrees then, and thus the user will not really notice much of that. The laptop remains considerably cooler in normal real-world use and can be placed on the thighs without hesitation.

The integrated temperature sensors of the CPU and GPU report maximum rates of just below 90 and 80 °C when they are simultaneously loaded via Prime95 and FurMark. While the processor keeps its maximum clock of 2.7 GHz stably, the GPU throttles its core frequency to approximately 800 MHz. This light throttling was limited to our stress test only and was not observed in real-world applications.