Lenovo ThinkPad T460s Long-Term Review: Part 2 - Wireless Docks and Terabyte SSDs

Display – brighter, but not bright enough

Before we take a closer look at the WiGig dock and the SSD, we want to touch upon another, hotly discussed topic: the display of the ThinkPad T460s. Even though the WQHD panel, which costs extra, is pretty decent overall and impressed us in our first review with high contrast, good viewing angle stability and decent color reproduction, it still has a rather significant shortcoming: with an average brightness of 248 cd/m², the panel doesn't come close to the claimed 300 cd/m² and isn't bright enough to compete against the sunlight should the user venture outside. The Full-HD version did even worse and achieved only 211 cd/m² according to our measurements (Lenovo claims 220 cd/m²).

Since we have a second T460s with a WQHD panel at our disposal for the WiGig test, we also conducted brightness measurements again. Unfortunately, the results aren't much better: the average brightness of 259 cd/m² once again doesn't come close to what Lenovo states in their specs. The minor difference between this T460s and the previous review notebook doesn't come as a surprise, since both us the same panels from Panasonic (VVX14T058J02). Several users informed us that there are versions of the T460s equipped with LG panels on the market, which are supposedly brighter. We haven't been able to confirm this - and it's next to impossible for a user to know which type of panel (Panasonic or LG) they are going to get before they actually purchase the notebook.

WQHD display, second review notebook (manufacturer: Panasonic)

WQHD display, first review notebook (manufacturer: Panasonic)

Full-HD display (manufacturer: Innolux)

The idea sounds promising: instead of having to connect the notebook to the docking station after each and every outing, the WiGig dock allows for immediate wireless connectivity of all peripherals once the notebook is placed on the desk. This is possible because of the new WiGig standard 802.11ad, which operates at 60 GHz and should allow for Gigabit transfer rates over short distances.

To use WiGig, two items are necessary: a suitable WLAN module with 802.11ad support - in our example, the Intel Tri-Band Wireless-AC 18260. Unfortunately, adapters like the Intel are hard to find for purchase on their own right now, although just like Lenovo, other manufacturers offer notebooks which are equipped with such a module. The other required component is of course the docking station - and that's where the problems start. Lenovo only offers a single model - the ThinkPad WiGig Dock – which sells for about 300-350 Euro (~$330-390). This is twice as much as the cable-bound ThinkPad Pro Dock, even though the selection of available physical ports is even less extensive:    

• 2x USB 2.0
• 3x USB 3.0
• 1x HDMI
• 1x DisplayPort
• 1x headphone jack
• 1x Gbit LAN
• 1x Kensington Lock
• 1x power jack

Visually, the ThinkPad WiGig Dock enters new territories - it's a small, black cube with an edge length of about 8.5 cm (~3.35"). The ports listed above are mostly located on the back, although the Kensington Lock slot and two USB ports are on the left side. There's a reason we point out the orientation: because of the extremely high frequency, 802.11ad depends on the exact orientation and line of sight. If the cube is turned more than 90 degrees to one side or if a larger item sits between it and the notebook, the connection can drop. As long as care is taken, the WiGig dock functions even at at distance of 3-4 meters (10-13') without any issues and nearly at the maximum possible speed.

Even though WiGig is undoubtedly a very comfortable solution, we wouldn't recommend it at this time. The main reason - aside from the price - is the pretty significant increase in power consumption on both sides, which is a side effect of the high transfer speeds. That might not be critical for the notebook - a docking station is likely sitting on a desk in the office or at home, so outlets are nearby. It's the little box itself that has some issues as a result: even at idle, the power consumption is 6 watts; an active USB stick increases that to 8.5 watts. Since passive cooling probably wasn't an option, Lenovo integrated a small and unfortunately very noisy fan. Shortly after the start, we measured 32 dB; during periods of higher I/O activities the noise increased to 39 dB. The T460s only gets this noisy during the stress test, which simulates a scenario unlikely encountered during normal use.

 While the PM961 didn't quite hit the targeted read rates specified by the manufacturer, it still outperformed not only the predecessor PM951, but also the SM951(a) and 950 Pro, which are actually higher up in the lineup. All things considered, Lenovo made an excellent choice here, although the (also brand-new) Samsung SM961 might potentially offer even higher speeds.