Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E550 Notebook Review

The Edge E550 is one of the few ThinkPads of the 2015 generation where Lenovo visibly reworked the casing. Principally, the matte-gray chassis is still based on a plastic construction (PC / ABS) that does not have additional metal struts. Despite that, the display and base unit prove to be very rigid. The surface first yields noticeably when high pressure in places or excessive warping attempts are made. The manufacturer has obviously favored stiffness over mobility here. The 2.38-kilogram heavy and 27-millimeter thick E550 is not exactly portable.

Considering the low purchase price, the display's tightly pulled hinges are also convincing. Although they do not allow one-hand opening or an opening angle beyond approximately 135 degrees, they have a firm hold on the lid even during strong vibrations. We did not like the sharp edges on the outer bezel where the front and back of the two-piece display meet as much. Also, we discovered similar manufacturing flaws, such as inaccurate material transitions or uneven gaps, on other parts of the casing. This does not lead to functional restrictions, but a better quality control would be welcomed.

Still only two of the three USB ports support the high-speed USB 3.0 standard, which does not seem very logical in view of the modern Broadwell platform. It's also too bad that both the VGA (analog) and HDMI (digital) video outputs only officially support a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Unfortunately, the ThinkPad does not feature a (mini-) display port, which is particularly needed for high-resolution monitors. However, none of the contenders have one, either. The interface diversity is completed with the usual standards like Gbit LAN, a headset jack, and card reader (SD/MMC).

Although the E550 does not have a conventional docking port, the listed connectivity can be expanded. Lenovo installs a special power-in socket for this purpose. So-called OneLink Docks - a small box that is placed beside the laptop - can be connected to it. The pro-version sold for around 130 Euros (~$137) even features the missing display port.

Communication

A mini-PCIe wireless adapter from Intel is inside our review sample. However, it is not the current top model Wireless-AC 7265 but the slightly less expensive Wireless-AC 3160 version. Although it supports exactly the same radio standards in form of Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), it only achieves 433 Mbps gross because it is limited to single-stream transmissions. This is not a major drawback in practical use. The module only lagged behind the bigger model by roughly 10 to 15 Mbps with the ascertained 30 Mbps (TP-Link Archer C7, 802.11 ac) in ideal reception conditions. Furthermore, we can confirm that the ThinkPad has a stable and high-range connection.

As so often, the 0.9-megapixel webcam installed in the display bezel, unfortunately, only provides very moderate results. Lack in detail, faded colors, and strong noise characterize the image impression, making it at most suitable for Skype and co. However, the very clear dual-array microphone did not give us reason for complaint.

Security

Despite the ThinkPad label, the E550 is more a member of the consumer category, and thus it hardly has any security features. A TPM or fingerprint scanner are only found in exclusive models.

Accessories

Our Campus model without an operating system is not shipped with driver CDs or any other accessories. The needed drivers and system tools for installing Windows 8.1 64-bit at a later date are, however, easy to find on Lenovo's support website. The manufacturer also still completely supports Windows 7.

Maintenance

There are two maintenance covers on the device's underside, which enable accessing the most important hardware components. A 2.5-inch, 7-millimeter hard drive, Wi-Fi module and working memory (1 of 2 banks filled) but not the casing's fan belong to that. Interesting: soldering points on the motherboard indicate a preparation for an M.2 slot, which our model did not have. It is possible that configurations with a mobile network adapter or an M.2 SSD are planned in the future.

Warranty

As standard for this price range, The E550 only includes a 12-month warranty. However, extending this period with one of the fairly inexpensive upgrade packages (bring-in service: 24 / 36 months starts at 32 / 58 Euros, ~$33 / ~$61) would seem recommendable.

The screen exhibits an intense bluish cast with the default color profile, and that is one of the reasons for the strong shifts in our color and grayscale measurements (DeltaE 10.04 and 10.65). Calibrating the screen improves the RGB balance and results in considerably lower DeltaE rates. However, the screen remains unsuitable for professional image editing due to its limited color space (AdobeRGB: 38.8%; sRGB: 55.7%).

For technology-related reasons, a TN screen will never achieve the same viewing-angle stability as an IPS screen. However, there are sometimes extreme differences even among screens with the same build. Our review sample exhibited severe image deviations in the slightest vertical shifts, and it is not advisable to move too much horizontally, either. That is not a very satisfactory result even for a TN-based model.

After testing several Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs from Intel's new Broadwell generation in the past few weeks, we are now facing a slightly cheaper version for the first time with the Core i3-5005U. The 2.0 GHz dual-core does not feature a CPU Turbo, which is typical for Core i3s. However, it does have Hyper-Threading for processing up to four threads simultaneously. As an economic ULV model, the chip, built in a cutting edge 14-nanometer process, has a TDP of a low 15 watts, including PCH.

The processor-integrated HD Graphics 5500 is responsible for graphics calculations. Of the actual 24 execution units (EUs) of this mid-range GPU configuration level, one is disabled in the Core i3 models, and thus only 23 EUs with a clock rate of 300 to 850 MHz are effectively available. Lenovo additionally installs a dedicated AMD Radeon R7 M260 with a performance level between an Nvidia GeForce 820M and GeForce 830M in some models. 

A single 4 GB, DDR3L-1600 module has to cover the RAM requirements of Windows and programs, and thus the memory controller only operates in the slow single-channel mode. The 500 GB hard drive does not exactly excite us, either. At least both components can be upgraded easily like we described in the section concerning maintenance.

It could be said that the different Core i3 models are perhaps the most interesting models of the recently introduced Broadwell lineup. Unlike the Core i5 and Core i7 members, Intel has considerably increased the clock rates of some - from the Core i3-4005U (1.7 GHz) to the Core i3-5005U (2.0 GHz) by almost 18%, for example. Then there is the approximately 5% higher per-MHz performance of the improved micro-architecture. As expected, that equals a total advantage of about 23% in contrast to the mentioned Haswell precursor, which is found in the TravelMate P256-M, among others.

That is, however, only one side of the coin - after all, we do not want to forget that the ThinkPad E lineup was equipped with standard 37-watt processors until now. Just a Core i3-4000M (2.4 GHz) outruns the i3-5005U by 10 to 15%. Comparisons with the Core i7-4702MQ quad-core behemoth (2.2 - 3.2 GHz) should not be made from the outset. This is the price for a longer battery life and lower temperature development - but more about that later.

Instead of a swift SSD or SSHD, a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive with a capacity of 500 GB spins in the E550. At least the Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 is a relatively fast 7200 rpm model, unlike the drive in Acer's TravelMate P256-M with only 5400 rpm.

Both the access times and the average transfer rates benefit from the higher speed. With 16.0 milliseconds and 98.5 MB/s (Acer: 18.3 ms and 83 MB/s) it belongs to the fastest members of its kind although the difference to any flash-memory based alternative remains eminent. It's too bad that Lenovo does not have a model with a 128 GB SSD in its lineup - the extra cost would likely only be a few Euros.

Upgrading the working memory would involve another advantage: Since the integrated HD Graphics 5500 graphics unit has to share the tight memory bandwidth with the processor, installing a second module would boost the 3D performance by a good 20%. In view of the modest performance level, which is only 15 to 20% higher than that of the old HD Graphics 4400, these gains are very welcome. For comparison: The low-end Radeon R7 M260 GPU optionally available for the E550 calculates twice as fast in some benchmarks.

Just as interesting is a comparison between the ThinkPad and the ProBook 450 G2 with a marginally stronger version of the HD Graphics 5500 in its Core i5-5200U. Despite the additional Shader cluster (24 vs. 23 EUs) and a 50-MHz higher clock rate (900 vs. 850 MHz Turbo), the GPU performance difference of both laptops is only insignificant - when opting for the Core 5 then it will primarily be due to its processor's higher performance.

Only good things can be said about the temperature development. We did not ascertain a significant temperature increase on the casing's surface no matter to what extent the hardware was loaded. The Core i3-5005U had a core temperature of just 54 °C in our one-hour stress test via Prime95 and Furmark. Intel specifies a limit of up to 105 °C. Consequently, overheating is unlikely even in midsummer. The CPU's throttling is related to the low TDP; the graphics unit can utilize the biggest part of its clock headroom in order to stay within the 15 watts specified for the entire chip, and thus it still achieves 750 MHz. We did not ascertain a significant temperature increase on the casing's surface no matter to what extent the hardware was loaded.

Of course, buyers cannot expect the quality of a two to three times more expensive business model from a laptop for just below 550 Euros (~$583) - even if both bear the image-laden ThinkPad label in their name. Lenovo has nevertheless managed to set up a rock-solid work device that delivers a satisfactory to very good performance in every office exercise.

We particularly liked the impeccable input devices and the low noise and temperature development that is not least owed to the Broadwell-based hardware. However, it is doubtful if every customer will welcome this change. The performance of the E550 lags behind its direct precursor, which will likely not only be the case for our Core i3 model but for all configurations, as well. Especially the discontinuation of the extremely swift quad-core processors leaves a hard-to-bridge gap in the product lineup.

Most other shortcomings are due to the low price point and also just as present in comparable contenders. For example, the casing has minor manufacturing flaws in detail, the screen is too dark and its contrast is too low, and the warranty period of only 12 months is very meager. At least the last point can be eliminated for a reasonable surcharge.

The bottom line: We will not deny the ThinkPad E550 a purchase recommendation, but a comparative look at the countless alternatives from HP, Acer or Dell is nevertheless advisable.