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What if Lenovo combined its excellent laptop chassis with the performance and endurance of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips? And what if the manufacturer doesn’t make
What if Lenovo combined its excellent laptop chassis with the performance and endurance of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips? And what if the manufacturer doesn’t make any significant mistakes? The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon is the convincing answer.
The case of the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon (1,883 euros excl. VAT) immediately looks familiar. As the name suggests, Lenovo has installed an ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite processor inside this professional device, but you can’t tell.
The black chassis is typical of a ThinkPad, meaning it looks stylish until someone comes along with clammy hands and leaves fingerprints on it. The keyboard is still phenomenal. Today, almost all professional device manufacturers produce keyboards that offer excellent typing performance, but Lenovo continues to be ahead. The spacious and responsive touchpad complements the rest of the hardware well.
All other information is also correct. The on/off switch is conveniently located at the top and Lenovo relies on sufficient ports. On the left side we find two USB Type-C (USB 4.0), next to them HDMI and a 3.5 mm jack. There are two USB Type-A ports on the right side. At 1,198 grams, the device is not heavy. If you still want to criticize, you can note that USB-C ports on both sides are more convenient for use with a dock. Now both are on the left side when you sit behind the device.
What sets this Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon apart from other ThinkPads is the internals. This device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100. Like the other elite chips, this variant has twelve CPU cores and is clocked at 3.4 GHz. Qualcomm doesn’t give this processor a turbo, unlike the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 that Microsoft uses in its Surface Laptop 7. Our configuration also features a 1TB SSD flanked by a generous 32GB of RAM.
The ThinkPad T14s’ chassis was co-developed with x86 chips from Intel, which are warmer and more demanding than the Snapdragon that’s under the hood. Here’s what we see: Although Lenovo integrates the lightest Snapdragon X Elite in the range, this device delivers the highest benchmark results.
In terms of processor performance, this ThinkPad is an absolute champion. HP does less well with its OmniBook
The CPU in this device can deliver 3.42 GHz for a short time, but then drops to 1.92 GHz after an intermediate stop at 2.9 GHz. This is quite solid and, above all, ensures that the cooling never screams. The balance is right here.
Not surprisingly, we see this trend confirmed when we look at more realistic workloads. The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon is the fastest device for all applications in the Microsoft Office suite, with the exception of Edge browsing.
All the devices we compare in this review are speed demons, but the ThinkPad is the fastest. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro in the Lenovo X1 Carbon can hardly hold its own in comparison.
The ARM processor is not only powerful, but also economical. Once again, Lenovo can benefit the most with the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon. Although the batteries of all the laptops we compared are similar in size, there is a clear winner.
To be fair, the numbers aren’t just the credit of the CPU. Although the screens of all comparison laptops are around 14 inches, Lenovo uses a slightly lower resolution than the others (1,920 x 1,080). This contributes to economic efficiency.
It doesn’t take long to refill this laptop. At 32 minutes you are already halfway there. That’s also faster than average. The reason why the Microsoft Surface Laptop performs poorly in comparison is that Microsoft, for some inexplicable reason, includes a slow charger in the box (39 watts), while the other laptops come with a standard 65 watt USB-C charger.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon’s 16:10 screen is nice, but nothing special. As already mentioned, the resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels is slightly lower than premium devices of this size, but that’s not a problem. On the contrary: the additional autonomy that the resolution offers is an added value.
There may be a shortage of graphics specialists. When we measure the colors we see a DeltaE of 4.8 for white balance and 3.7 for colors. A DeltaE of two or less means that the colors on the screen correspond to the actual colors; a higher number indicates a greater deviation. Here we see a clear deviation, especially in the blue spectrum, which peaks at DeltaE 8.3.
This laptop is primarily intended for the mobile office worker. In this scenario, you don’t have to worry about color fastness. The maximum brightness of 401 cd/m² might be more relevant for you. That’s quite a lot, so working in bright (sun) light is definitely possible. If you occasionally want to create photos and videos and insist that a printout from a professional printer shows the same blue as the screen, then you should consider the DeltaE.
For the cameras, Lenovo has provided a small thickening on the top of the laptop, which immediately makes opening the laptop easier. IR cameras for Windows Hello are available as well as an FHD webcam. As we’ve come to expect from Lenovo, it delivers high quality images without being exceptional. The sound also comes across well, so you don’t have to miss out on a video conference with this device.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon doesn’t do much, except that you’re stuck with a Copilot key on the keyboard that’s specifically linked to Microsoft’s version of ChatGPT. We call this advertising.
Thanks to the NPU chiplet in the Snapdragon, the device has some useful features. Above all, it supports effects such as background blur in teams without putting a lot of strain on the CPU and battery. Any modern laptop with Intel Core Ultra or Snapdragon supports this, but that doesn’t make it any less useful.
All of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite laptops we’ve worked with since this summer have been excellent devices. The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon is a great addition to an already impressive list. Lenovo combines its ThinkPad expertise with the excellent chip and delivers an excellent, powerful and lightweight office notebook that shines in all important tasks.
If you want the lightest device, the nicest or most accurate screen, or the most pixels, there are other options. If you are looking for a great companion for office work that will allow you to easily survive more than one working day without a power outlet, then you have come to the right place with the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon.
Note: The usual caveats about ARM PCs apply. Many important software will (soon) run natively on ARM and most x86 devices run fine with emulation, but specialized (older) tools sometimes still require the x86 architecture. There is a chance, especially if drivers are involved. Don’t be put off, just check again if necessary.
Tested configuration: Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon 21N1-0008MH, Qualcomm Snapdragon
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
