Lenovo ThinkPad T560 (Core i5, SSHD) Ultrabook Review

While the VGA port has been dead (for the most part) in the consumer space for a couple of years now, many business notebooks were still equipped with one. Lenovo now waived this old port as well and equipped the T560 with a modern and digital HDMI port instead. Skylake does unfortunately only support HDMI 1.4b and not the current HDMI 2.0 standard, so 4K panels can only be driven at 30 Hz. The ThinkPad fortunately also comes with a Mini-DisplayPort in version 1.2, which allows 3840x2160 pixels at 60 Hz.

The other ports are limited to 3x USB 3.0, Gigabit-Ethernet, an SD-card reader as well as the mandatory headset port distributed across both sides of the chassis. This means the T560 should be well equipped for typical usage scenarios, but we would have liked to see a USB 3.1 port with the new Type-C connector. Maybe this port will be available at an upcoming docking station – current models like the ThinkPad Pro Dock (3x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0, 1x VGA, 1x DVI, 1x DisplayPort, 1x LAN, 1x sound) for around 140 Euros (~$154) do not offer it.

Intel launched a new Wi-Fi module with the designation Wireless-AC 8260 right before the launch of the new Skylake generation, which replaces the old model Wireless-AC 7265. Even though there are no big differences (802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2x2 TX/RX, 2.4 and 5 GHz) except for the improved Bluetooth support (version 4.2 instead of 4.0), the new adaptor seems to be even faster than before and managed an impressive transfer rate of 60.5 MB/s at a short distance to our TP-Link Archer C7. For comparison: Intel's Wireless-AC managed up to 45 MB/s in our environment – and even the current record holder MacBook Pro 13/15 with a triple-stream adapter is not much faster at 65 MB/s. Range and signal quality are also very good.

Just like the predecessor, the T560 can be equipped with an optional LTE module. This upgrade can also be performed by the user; the necessary antennas are already included ex-works.

The T560 is equipped with a simple 720p webcam and a dual-array microphone for video chats. While the picture quality is typically mediocre for a notebook with low sharpness, washed-out colors and visible picture noise, you do not really need an external headset thanks to the clear and well-understandable voice recordings.

Security 

The ThinkPad does not leave anything to be desired in respect of security features and includes, among others, a swipe-style fingerprint scanner, Kensington Lock, TPM (TCG 1.2) as well as (optional) vPro support. It is also possible to set passwords (boot, hard drive, BIOS) to prevent potential data thefts.

Accessories

Except for the short quick-start guide as well as the corresponding 45-watt power adapter, Lenovo does not ship the T560 with any accessories. We still did not miss anything – if necessary – driver and system applications can easily be downloaded from Lenovo's website. Considering the clean Windows 7 installation, we do not really see a reason to perform a clean install right after the purchase; we just decided to make use of the free Windows 10 Pro upgrade for our review.Maintenance

The ThinkPad unfortunately lacks a dedicated maintenance hatch, so all upgrade and maintenance works require a disassembly of the chassis. First, you have to loosen all screws at the bottom before you can lift the whole bottom cover. The latter is secured by numerous small plastic clips, so we would not recommend this procedure for inexperienced users.

Once you have passed this obstacle, the T560 turns out to be very maintenance-friendly. The main battery inside the chassis is only screwed and therefore easy to replace, fan and cooling unit are just as easily accessible as the two memory slots (one of them free), the Wi-Fi module (M.2 2230) as well as the 2.5-inch tray (7 mm high). It is doubtful that the mentioned slot for the WWAN card can also be used for an M.2-SSD since there is no information in Lenovo's spec sheets.

Warranty

You expect quality if you get a real ThinkPad – Lenovo grants a three-year manufacturer's warranty including on-site service, which is usual for this class of devices. This period can even be extended to 4 or 5 years for around 75/150 Euros (~$83/$165), respectively; a fair price when you consider the retail price and that the upgrade could pay off in the future.

Potential buyers of the T560 can decide between a total of four different 15.6-inch displays, starting with a simple WXGA panel (1366x768 pixels, TN panel, 220 cd/m², 400:1), Full HD (1920x1080 pixels, IPS panel, 250 cd/m², 600:1, touch optional) all the way up to a high-end 3K screen (2880x1620 pixels, IPS panel, 350 cd/m², 1000:1). Our Full HD screen does offer a great contrast ratio of 900:1, but clearly misses the advertised maximum luminance. We can only measure 220 cd/m² on average. This should still be sufficient for the office, but we would have liked to see a brighter panel for outdoor usage – but more on that later. Unfortunate: The LED backlight is controlled by PWM under 50% of the maximum luminance, so there can be slight flickering (220 Hz) for sensitive users.

The Full HD resolution with a pixel density of 141 PPI is a good compromise between size, screen estate, price and power efficiency. Even though the picture quality of the 3K panel is appealing, the additional charge of 200 Euros (~$220) is hardly reasonable; the battery runtimes should also be significantly shorter at the same luminance.

The switch from the TN (T550) to the IPS technology does not only provide higher contrast for the T560, but also much wider viewing angles. You can still see the picture contents even from almost 90-degree angles, even though the contrast and the color saturation will drop. Very high-quality displays, like the one from the MacBook Pro 15, for example, are even better in this regard – but this is once again complaining on a very high level.

Like all the other T560 models, our review unit is equipped with a dual-core chip from Intel’s Skylake generation, in this case the Core i5-6200U. The mainstream model runs at 2.3-2.8 GHz (2 cores: up to 2.7 GHz) and can execute up to 4 threads simultaneously thanks to Hyperthreading. It is manufactured in an advanced 14 nm process and Intel specifies the TDP of the ULV chip with just 15 watts – this promises long battery runtimes as well as low emissions (noise and heat).

Designed as a business notebook, the T560 usually does not require a lot of graphics performance and just uses the integrated HD Graphics 520 (GT2 with 24 EUs, 300-1000 MHz). If this is not sufficient, you should wait a couple of weeks: According to the spec sheet, the ThinkPad should also become available with the still not officially announced GeForce 940MX, which should provide roughly twice the 3D performance based on our estimates.

The other components of our configuration are 4 GB RAM as well as a 500 GB SSHD, which is the least powerful configuration you can get. Interesting: Contrary to the X260 or T460p, the T560 is not equipped with modern DDR4 memory, but common DDR3L-1600. The appeal of DDR4 memory besides the higher bandwidth (which mainly helps the integrated graphics unit) is primarily the lower power consumption (1.2 instead of 1.35 V supply voltage) as well as the maximum amount of storage: 16 GB modules of DDR4 memory are already available for around 75 Euros (~$83), whereas a comparable DDR3L module is almost twice as expensive.

Thanks to several architectural improvements, Skylake surpasses its Broadwell predecessor by around 5% at an identical clock, and up to 10% in some applications. If the Turbo Boost of the Core i5-6200U is fully utilized like in this case, the CPU is on par with the former high-end chip Core i7-5500U and even consumes slightly less power (TDP is not fully used even during multithreading). The full CPU performance is available on mains and battery power.

So is it worth it to pay the additional charge for the Skylake i7 CPUs? Not really in our opinion: Despite the larger L3 cache and higher clocks, the Core i7-6500U is only around 10%, the i7-6600U only around 15% faster than the i5-6200U. The differences are not perceptible in practice – but definitely in your wallet.

A much better investment should be the purchase of an SSD, which can be used to replace the existing 2.5-inch hard drive. Our review unit is at least not equipped with a common HDD, but a so-called SSHD with 8 GB flash storage that stores frequently used files. The operating system in particular, as well as the most important applications (browser, messenger), launch faster, but such an SSHD cannot compete with the responsiveness of a "real" SSD.

Applications like HD Tune can unfortunately hardly show the advantages of flash storage cache, so the results of the Seagate Laptop Thin ST500LM000 are similarly as bad as a conventional hard drive running at 5,400 rpm. The numbers are: 18.5 ms access time and an average transfer rate of 85.5 MB/s – typical results for such a drive.

Note: Depending on the model, the 2.5-inch drive of the T560 also supports SATA-Express SSDs (PCIe 3.0 x2 interface).

Upgrading the memory would have another advantage: With a second module (doesn't matter if 4 or 8 GB), the memory could run in a dual-channel configuration, which can result in a performance advantage between 20% and 50%  depending on the 3D application. Corresponding results can be found in the diagram of the HP ProBook 430 G3. Contrary to the Broadwell HD Graphics 5500, the HD Graphics 520 is about 25% faster. However, this is still not enough to compete with dedicated low-end GPUs like a GeForce 920M, even with a second memory module.

The real strength of the GPU is in multimedia applications. The Skylake architecture not only supports older codecs like H.264, but also H.265/HEVC and ensures smooth playback at minimum CPU load – even at 4K, 60 fps and high bit rates. Only one of our test videos (4K, 60 fps, 50 Mbps, Main10 profile) stuttered heavily, probably because the hardware acceleration is not designed for material with a color depth of 10 bits. Only a handful of current GPUs, including the Nvidia GM206, support the necessary Main10 profile of the H.265 standard.

Similar to almost every modern office notebook, the fan of the T560 is deactivated while idling. But that's not all: Even after the start of Cinebench R15, it takes about 30 (multi-core) or 60 seconds (single-core), respectively, before the cooling system starts to spin at the lowest level. Sustained maximum load will increase the system noise to a still very moderate 33-34 dB(A), so the ThinkPad is inconspicuous in quiet office environments. Our measurements show very comfortable low noise characteristics with a peak at little more than 2 kHz (blue: idle, red: maximum load).

One final recommendation: If you want a completely silent device while idling, you should get a configuration with an SSD, because the SSHD – just like a conventional hard drive – always creates a subtle murmur.

Thanks to the combination of a frugal ULV-CPU and large 15-inch chassis, the ThinkPad still manages low chassis and component temperatures, despite the low fan speed. The T560 never surpasses 30 °C (86 °F) at any spot while idling, and only one of our 18 measuring spots at the top and bottom surpasses 40 °C (104 °F). Using the notebook on the lap is therefore no problem.

Almost even more impressive are the temperatures inside the chassis. The CPU only reaches 56 °C (132.8 °F) after two and a half hours under maximum load – this raises the question why Lenovo does not equip the T560 with 28 or 45-watt processors. The cooling solution could probably handle the additional heat with ease. It is therefore the 15-watt TDP that prevents higher CPU (1.5 GHz) and GPU clocks (950 MHz).

Compared to many rivals, the T560 comes with pretty decent stereo speakers that are even suited for movies and the occasional MP3 playback thanks to the clear and rich sound. The measured frequency response is similar to a mountaintop and not the desired plateau, but the speakers are sufficiently linear between 250 Hz and 15 kHz for notebook speakers. We could not hear distortions even close to the maximum volume of around 82 dB(A).

Headphones or external sound systems can be attached, as usual, via stereo jack or digitally via one of the two video outputs (HDMI/Mini-DisplayPort).

Boring update or sensible development? We have to admit: Except for the new Skylake platform, the improvements of the T560 are limited to details, but this does not have to be a problem considering the excellent performance of the predecessor.

The positive aspects of the ThinkPad once again include a solid chassis, great input devices – the great keyboard in particular – as well as the extremely low noise and heat development. The latter is partly a result of Lenovo's decision to equip the big 15-inch chassis exclusively with frugal ULV processors. Based on Intel’s current Skylake architecture, even the Core i5-6200U of the review configuration is already more than powerful enough and can handle complex software as well as multitasking. The whole system is impressively frugal at the same time and allows practical runtimes of around 11 hours.

Unfortunately, Lenovo did not use the new model of the T5x0-series to implement modern USB 3.1 or Type-C ports or even Thunderbolt 3. The new IPS display is not always better than the previous TN panel, either: Contrast and viewing angle stability increased significantly, but the colors and the maximum luminance of the T560 are even worse than before. At least the optional 3K panel should remove these issues, but it is quite expensive.

All in all, Lenovo once again created an excellent overall package with the ThinkPad T560 that is the benchmark for competitors like the HP EliteBook 850 G3.

Still, you should really think about a purchase considering the high price – due to the small differences, the outgoing T550 could be an interesting alternative for price-conscious users.