Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 laptop review: The premium T-ThinkPad with Intel Core Ultra

Please note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here.

Carbon fiber, magnesium, aluminum—these expensive materials make up the majority of the outer shell of the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5. In this respect, nothing has changed compared to its predecessor, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 4. And yet lots is different on this year's model; Lenovo has completely redesigned its slim business laptop. The 14-inch display is now enveloped by a considerably slimmer frame. As a result, its so-called screen-to-body ratio has risen from 79 per cent to 83 per cent. However, the manufacturer has subsequently introduced its controversial "Communication Bar", the bulge that houses the webcam and microphones. Whether this looks good is a matter of taste—in any case, the protrusion makes it easier to open the screen. 

Thanks to the high-quality lightweight metals used as components of the laptop's base, it can hardly be twisted; the palm rest and keyboard don't give way, either. The carbon display cover is a little more flexible but even so, it easily absorbs pressure on the back of the panel. Part of this new design is its return to an all-black finish that feels velvety soft as always—but it unfortunately makes dirt and grease stains look super noticeable. The hinges and ThinkPad logos—which have traditionally always been silver—are now also black, which looks more modern.

Speaking of hinges: For the first time, Lenovo has installed a super wide "bar" hinge into its slim T-series; the Wi-Fi antennas are presumably housed inside the plastic centerpiece. The display lid can be opened up to 180 degrees, whereby the base is slightly raised. You can open it with one hand and the lid hardly wobbles.

While its weight hasn't changed compared to the predecessor model, its footprint has significantly. The new ThinkPad is noticeably more compact. In terms of its size, it's about the same as the Dell Latitude 7440, while HP's EliteBook 845 G10 is heavier and larger. The Asus ExpertBook B9 is the overall smallest and most lightweight of all the 14-inch laptops in this comparison.

Lenovo has placed the fan outlet on the back of the device—previously, hot air was expelled via its right side. Although this results in there being more space for ports, Lenovo has possibly made the situation worse: Most ports (which haven't been changed compared to the ThinkPad T14s G4) are on the left, while the two USB-A connections now sit super closely together on the right. Furthermore, you still don't have the option to charge the ThinkPad from the right.

Our test device uses the AX211 from Intel—a Wi-Fi 6E solution. It delivers fast transfer rates and didn't show any weaknesses during our test. You can optionally get Wi-Fi 7 on the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 in the shape of the Intel B200.

Another optional feature is WWAN. Our sample already came delivered with the Quectel EM061K-GL 4G LTE-A module. A 5G solution is also available. In contrast to the cheaper ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, the T14s hasn't been equipped with an RJ45 Ethernet port since 2019, so users of wired solutions will have to reach for a Thunderbolt adapter.

The webcam has a resolution of 5 MP in 4:3 and 3.7MP in 16:9 mode. Its image is sharp in good lighting conditions, even if its color reproduction shows clear potential for improvement. The image quality quickly deteriorates in darker environments.

As this is a laptop for corporate environments, security is of much higher importance. A smartcard reader, for example, is never found on consumer laptops, and the Kensington lock slot as theft protection also isn't seen often in the consumer segment. The same applies to a dedicated TPM chip. A fingerprint reader is much more common, and so are infrared cameras for Windows Hello. 

Lenovo's ThinkPad T14s G5 only comes with a 65-watt USB-C charger. Interestingly, this is just a normal charger, whereas the one delivered with the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 was a compact GaN brick.

When it comes to sustainability, Lenovo scores points through its use of fully recyclable packaging—plus, part of the laptop's outer case is made from recycled materials. As a business laptop, the support available is also better than with typical consumer laptops. The CO₂ emissions produced per T14s Gen 5 are 174 kg CO₂e.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 is covered by a 36-month warranty. In the event of a defect, the laptop must be sent in. Alternatively, a technician can come to your home, but you will have to book the on-site service package for an additional charge. The warranty period can also be extended to up to 60 months, i.e. five years. As this is a business laptop, the warranty also applies internationally.

As already mentioned, an AMD variant of the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 doesn't exist. Customers will have to make do with an Intel Core Ultra, whereby Lenovo offers a total of six different processors to choose from: Core Ultra 5 125U, Core Ultra 5 135U, Core Ultra 7 155U, Core Ultra 7 165U, Core Ultra 7 155H and Core Ultra 7 165H—so there are the non-vPro models and their enterprise counterparts respectively. The H-CPUs appear to be special configurations, as they cannot be found on the Lenovo website—at least not in Germany (where this test was carried out) or the USA.  

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s G5 never comes with a dedicated graphics card. As a result, most customers will rely on the simple Intel Graphics—buyers of models with H-CPUs, on the other hand, get the faster Intel ARC Graphics. In contrast to the other T-ThinkPads, the RAM continues to be soldered on inside this model and Lenovo installs 16, 32 or 64 GB LPDDR5X-7467. At least there is no longer an 8-GB variant on offer, as this simply isn't up-to-date anymore. A single M.2 2280 SSD with up to a 2-TB capacity serves as mass storage.

As always with ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo uses three different performance profiles that can be selected via the Windows settings: 

• Best energy-saving: PL1 25 watts / PL2 40 watts
• Balanced: PL1 27.5 watts / PL2 40 watts
• Best performance: PL1 30 watts / PL2 40 watts

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U is the base model of the Meteor Lake-U lineup. As a U-processor, it operates in a typical TDP range of 15 to a maximum of 30 watts. Its two large P-cores clock at a maximum of 4.3 GHz (1.3 GHz base clock), while the eight E-cores in the ComputeTile operate at 0.8 to 3.6 GHz. The chip also has two low-power E-cores, which have clock rates of 0.7 to 2.1 GHz. In total, there are 12 cores and 14 threads, as the two large P-cores use hyperthreading. For more extensive comparisons with other CPUs, please refer to our processor comparison list.

Lenovo was able to clearly increase the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5's performance compared to the T14s Gen 4 Intel under continuous load, although the T14s G4 still had an i7. This can show its advantages in single-core mode, where the 2023 ThinkPad clearly beats its 2024 counterpart. The T14s Gen 4 with an AMD CPU is generally faster, regardless of the discipline—the same can be said for the HP EliteBook 845 G10.

Instead of around 1600 points, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 only achieved about 1200 points in the Cinebench R15 multi-core test in battery mode. This corresponds to a throttling of around 25 per cent. 

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 is a fast system that runs very smoothly in everyday use. It also did well in the system performance tests.