Lenovo ThinkPad L13 2-in-1 G5 review - A business 2-in-1 with a matte touchscreen

The ThinkPad L13 2-in-1 G5 is a compact business 2-in-1 with a good feature set, built-in stylus, and a matte touchscreen. It offers accurate colors and full sRGB coverage, but suffers from grainy image quality. The Meteor Lake processor is sufficient for office applications, and our review unit's storage configuration is already very good with its 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. However, the RAM cannot be expanded.

The input devices are comfortable, a WWAN module can be retrofitted, and the stylus is conveniently stored and simultaneously charged inside the case. Battery life is significantly better than before, even though the battery is still quite small. The stability of the base unit (made entirely of plastic) is the first thing that makes it clear the ThinkPad is an entry-level 2-in-1.

The ThinkPad L13 2-in-1 is a comparatively affordable business 2-in-1 powered by fifth-generation Intel Meteor Lake-U processors. Our review unit has a Core Ultra 5 125U processor, 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD, and a matte Full HD touchscreen, priced at around $1,099 (without an operating system). In Lenovo's online store, the L13 2-in-1 costs around $1,400 in a comparable configuration. The laptop can also be ordered directly with Ubuntu Linux.

The chassis is effectively identical to its predecessor, meaning the compact black ThinkPad still lacks a camera bump. The lid is made from aluminum, while the base unit is still constructed using fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Stability is generally acceptable but falls short of more expensive ThinkPads with metal struts, especially when subjected to torsion tests. The lid performs better, but it is quite susceptible to dirt. As a 2-in-1, the screen can be folded entirely, and the hinges are sufficiently tight. All major ports, including Thunderbolt 4, are available, and the laptop can be charged on both sides.

The internal layout remains almost identical to the old model, although it now features a standard M.2 2280 SSD. Our review unit is WWAN-ready, which means the required antennas for a cellular modem are already installed, and a SIM card slot is also available. The Intel Wi-Fi module (AX211) supports the Wi-Fi 6E standard and achieved very good and stable transfer rates in our tests using the Asus reference router.

A 1080p webcam with a mechanical shutter is built into the top edge of the screen and also supports Windows Studio effects. However, the quality can only be described as average. There's also an autofocus 5 MP camera above the keyboard, which can be used in tablet mode. An IR sensor for facial recognition is also available. This isn't a Copilot+ laptop, but live subtitles are supported.

The ThinkPad L13 2-in-1 G5 meets several environmental standards, but Lenovo has not disclosed the percentage of recycled materials used or its carbon footprint. The packaging is fully recyclable.

As is typical with ThinkPads, Lenovo doesn't offer dedicated power profiles. Instead, the settings are directly linked to the standard Windows settings. We conducted the following benchmarks and measurements using the Best Performance mode.

The Core Ultra 5 125U belongs to Intel's Meteor Lake generation and only features two fast-performance cores, so its multi-core performance isn't particularly high. The processor's maximum power consumption is 42 watts, initially settling to 35 and later to 15 watts. It outperforms the previous AMD and Intel models, and its performance is sufficient for simple office tasks. Performance isn't further reduced when running on battery power.

The review device performed well in the synthetic benchmarks, and there's plenty of headroom, thanks to its 32 GB of RAM. In everyday situations, the ThinkPad is a nimble companion, and we didn't encounter any issues regarding the system stability.