Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Review

Laptops aimed at modern business people are one of the most superior lines by Lenovo in the Indonesian market. Their product range is quite complete. The latest is the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus, a laptop with good performance that looks unique with dual screens.

For some users, having a laptop with two screens may not be a necessity. But you need to know, the existence of a second screen on the ThinkBook Plus is able to provide interesting benefits that you will not find on conventional business laptops. What are you curious about? Come on, just take a look at our review:

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus design

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus carries a clamshell design concept like a laptop in general. When we first saw this device, our eyes were immediately fixed on the second large screen attached to the outer cover. The main idea is that this screen offers functions that will make it easier for you to do some work directly without needing to open the laptop.

But we put aside the discussion about the second screen first. Back to design, Lenovo ThinkBook Plus uses metal material which makes it look very premium, elegant, and sturdy. Thumbs up should we go to the quality of the design.

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is a pretty slim laptop. In width and thickness, we find this laptop easy to carry and fit into a bag. Its weight is quite light, only around 1.4 kilograms. A quite tantalizing combination, especially for those of you business people who travel a lot.

When opened, you will find the main screen measuring 13.3 inches with thin bezels on the left and right, but not on the top because it has to accommodate a 720p webcam. We did not forget to mention that the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus has a hinge that allows it to open up to 180 degrees.

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The keyboard appearance is more or less similar to most Lenovo ThinkBook laptops, complete with a touchpad which in our dimensions and position is very ideal. Basically we’ve always loved keyboards on Lenovo laptops. As expected, the keyboard on the ThinkBook Plus feels so comfortable when used for fast typing.

Lenovo doesn’t forget to provide a security system in the form of a fingerprint sensor that is integrated with the Power button. As for port availability, on the right side you will find 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 type-A, and on the left there is 1x HDMI, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C which also functions as a power port, as well as an audio combo. Card reader? Unfortunately there isn’t.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus display

As mentioned above, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus carries a 13.3-inch main screen with an IPS panel that has Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. This anti-glare screen has a brightness level of 300 nits and is quite comfortable to use when in a bright location because it is not reflective. Even so, the screen does not yet support touch.

Functionally, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus main screen is adequate for various purposes, including entertainment. The image display is sharp with colors that we think is quite a feast for the eye. Lenovo claims this screen can present a 100 percent sRGB color gamut.

Turning to the second screen on the outside, this is the monochrome E-Ink screen you usually find on e-Reader devices for reading eBooks. The size is quite large, 10.8 inches touch screen with a resolution that is also Full HD. Then, what can you do through the E-Ink screen?

To be sure you can read the ebook comfortably. This black and white screen is also capable of displaying various incoming notifications such as email. That means, you can read the email immediately without having to go to the main screen. Moreover, Lenovo ThinkBook Plus adopts the Modern Standby feature. Not only notifications, main information such as date, day, battery indicator, and weather updates are also available.

Even more interesting, the E-Ink screen on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus allows you to write notes or make sketches using the Precision Pen included in the sales package. Features that may be very useful when you are in a meeting and need quick access to take notes. In addition, you can change the wallpaper on this screen according to your taste.

Overall we quite like the presence of a second screen on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus. The functions it offers are fairly innovative and functional. However, there are times when we feel the performance when using the E-Ink screen feels less responsive, for example when you want to open an email notification. Also note that the Precision Pen uses AAAA batteries.

Just for additional information, in the audio sector the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus has a Harman Kardon speaker at the bottom which is able to present loud and clear sound quality. Quite fun to accompany you to enjoy music or while watching videos.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus performance and battery

Entering the discussion of performance, Lenovo is arming the ThinkBook Plus with a 10th generation Intel Core i7 10510U processor accompanied by 16GB RAM and 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD storage space. The combination is quite okay, although unfortunately it is not supported by discrete VGA.

The performance of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is fairly agile to support a variety of standard jobs that do not require high computing. When invited to light video editing, it is quite ideal. One thing we like the most, Lenovo ThinkBook Plus has storage with super fast performance.

As long as it is used in a casual everyday wear style, we don’t feel a significant increase in temperature and have the potential to interfere with comfort. Everything feels stable. No wonder the cooling system uses two fans to dissipate heat.

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Regarding connectivity, Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is equipped with WiFiax and Bluetooth 5.0. You will also immediately be able to enjoy the Windows 10 Pro operating system. Turning to the battery, when we use it for daily work, the endurance reaches 6-7 hours. Slightly lower than our initial expectations.

Conclusion

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is an attractive laptop if you are a business person who wants a premium device to work more productively. The uniqueness of carrying the E-Ink screen on the outside can be a plus for people who really need the functions that the screen offers. If you don’t need it, obviously there are various other alternatives out there that are more attractive in terms of specifications and prices.

For those who are interested, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is priced at USD $1707. There is only one variant with the exact same specifications as the one we review in this article.

The advantages of Lenovo ThinkBook Plus:

• Premium build quality
• The size is still relatively compact and quite light
• The E-Ink screen offers several interesting functions
• Okay performance and stable
• Super tight storage
• The cooling system is able to work properly
• Comfortable keyboard
• Complete sales package, including high quality Precision Pen and sleeve

Lack of Lenovo ThinkBook Plus:

• There is no card reader
• E-Ink screen sometimes feels less responsive (a little lag)

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is ideal for: Business people. Professionals who need a device with quick access to jotting down and expressing ideas. Employees who are frequently mobile.

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is less than ideal for: Casual users who don’t really need the functions that the E-Ink screen offers. Gamers.