ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 AMD. $864.50 with code EOFY50.
Use https://www.cashrewards.com.au/lenovo#coupons to purchase and receive 14% cashback to get laptop for $743.47 Expired
Use https://www.cashrewards.com.au/lenovo#coupons to purchase and receive 3.5% cashback to get laptop for $834.24.
275 nits tested plugin.
At this price, it will be out of stock soon!
Display Type: 14.0" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 250nits Anti-glare
Memory: 8GB Soldered DDR4-3200 + 8GB SO-DIMM DDR4-3200
What alternatives are there with higher nit and non soldered RAM?
Depends, are you willing to spend another $800? If so, there are plenty.
If you want similar price range.
S540 at 1.1k is really the best alternative in terms of good display specs, but it has soldered ram too.
In terms of Lenovo, best you'll get is 1 soldered and 1 non-soldered slot.
Other than that, most laptops in this price range have 220 nits and 250 nits
I'm not willing to increase my budget that much so I might need to settle for low nits but don't find soldered RAM acceptable at all.
Yep agree, soldered RAM is horrible
if you don't mind buying Dell refurbished, they always have an option or two of good 300nit and close to 100% sRGB coverage panels around $900 and up
still same warranty as new Dell, and usually look and feel brand new
Lenovo build quality would be better in general, but also depends on the model
sometimes with discounts (from memory, every Thursday morning Dell updates prices and promotions on their retail website) new units with good screens are around that mark, too
usually when people say their budget is under $1k and they need a good screen, I find them a serviceable Dell.
It has one SO-DIMM slot so RAM is actually upgradable. If your budget is under 1k, I don't think you can find a new laptop from a reputable brand with similar spec and a brighter screen.
So I can upgrade the RAM to >16 GB? On the website, it's listed as 8 + 8 without reference to its ability to upgrade. Thanks
Yes, the SO-DIMM slot support up to 16GB, so you can upgrade it to 24GB (8GB onboard+16GB SO-DIMM). https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/ThinkPad/ThinkPad_E…
IPS? Spec says
14" FHD (1920x1080) WVA 250nits Anti-glare
Not a bad laptop for the price, Sure some will complain about that screen or chin
What is the RGB level on the screen?
At least 1 of each.
45%, 60% Adobe. Doesn't look bad, just not colour accurate so not suitable for photo editing.
Is there anything in this price range that is suitable for photo editing?
$988 for the Lenovo Carbon and $1100 education store for the ideadpad s340. The carbon has some cooling issues, so the ideapad s340 might be better for intense work (better processor as well).
@deliriouss: I am personally leaning towards the thinkpad because of the port selection, cooling, and durability. I cannot really think of a circumstance where i will be using the laptop and won't have access to an external monitor as well.
@Timmayc123: Make sense. Btw, my s540 suggestion was intended for Shiny1, think I tagged the wrong person my mistake.
Depends on how you are holding it. I have a spirit level attached to the top of my screen so that I know when they are level. Nothing worse than having colours bleed into one another when not level, makes gaming awful.
Every one of these laptop deals, everyone is complaining about the brightness.
Unless you plan to use it in the sun often, 250 nits is more than enough and you will probably never use it on full brightness unless you want to burn your eyes. For 99% of users, it is way more than enough
If you want more brightness then don't consider any laptop under 1.2k, that's the reality with laptops today.
I will say though soldered ram is complete bs by these companies
Look I agree, there is no need for more than 250 nits, but a nice 99% RGB IPS screen is very pleasant to look at…
People use these on the go and 250nits is garbage.
A 250 nits screen simply shouldn't be on a laptop
Soldered ram without extra dimm slot is bs for 8gb.
But 16gb is totally sufficient for most ppl whose budget is around 800.
100%. My Dell XPS has a 500nit peak and I use it on 50% brightness or it burns my bloody retinas haha. It’s only on full if I’m working outside and that has yet to happen.
The AMD display settings set 'variable' brightness by default (annoying) but when I disabled and defaulted to maximum brightness I noticed a huge difference. On maximum brightness it is fine in high light environment.
The default when plugged in was also "medium" brightness for some weird reason.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Vari-Bright-decreases-lapt…
Only one RAM slot is soldered - so there is still one upgradeable slot.
the whole concept of laptop presumes taking it along and using wherever.
220nit: ok in an office, far from any windows during the day, but most of the time you will wish it was a bit brighter
250nit: fine indoors, but good luck using this sitting next to a window on a sunny day, brightness just won't be enough for working with text
300nit: fine indoors sitting next to a window on a sunny day. good luck trying to use this outdoors
400nit: some light outdoor use possible (think outdoor cafe under a sunshade)
600nit: a lot more suitable for outdoor use
1000nit: direct sunlight readable
6000000nit: sets nearby cathedral on fire
so yeah, there are conditions when 250nit is fine, but it is very limiting where you can use this laptop without cursing you didn't get a brighter panel
Just too many bargain lovers out there who keep buying laptops with POS screens and waving how they're fine for 80% of the time therefore they are 100% a good deal
Issue is that people want a laptop under 1k with like 400+ nits and this just doesn't exist in today's market.
Maybe used, but not brand new so you got to get realistic about what you want from a laptop
@BarginGrabber: I am currently using a Dell Inspiron 7590, it has i5-9300H CPU, GTX 1650 graphics, 2 ram slots, 2 nvme slots, and a 300nit screen with 96% sRGB
got it for $900 refurbished, no issues with warranty, there was a loose screw and Dell replaced whole bottom cover no question asked, they sent a technician to my home free of charge
all I am saying is it's possible to find good screen under $1k without compromise, just need to look harder.
btw before anyone asks, dell "refurbished" is mostly change of mind returns and sometimes when there's a big batch it's brand new stock that came back from a physical store unsold
I get their outlet stock listings so can see big batches coming through
only units that have been handled by Dell only are sold as "brand new"
I posted a few of those deals, but I am too busy now to monitor the market lol
That's fair, I'm assuming majority of people use their laptops in an office space, at home, in the library etc..that's why I thought 250 nits is not the best but reasonable for general use
Not really. Only if you are used to dim screen.
My Yoga 7i 15 is rated at 500 nits and apart from when I use it in bed with the lights off, I usually have it near the maximum setting or couple of levels below Max. I then go back to my work issued dell and always think the brightness is turned down when it's at Max because it has crappy 250 nits screen
I have a Lenovo with a 250 nits IPS panel. It is ok indoors. It's <$900 for 16gb ram and a decent CPU, what are you expecting?
I think it's good to mention, since these are hard to look at in stores and some people might value a good screen more than specs.
that's exactly what Lenovo want you to think
it's possible to find laptops with good panels within $1k threshold
EOFY50 is not listed on Cashrewards.
Cashback may be ineligible when using codes not listed on Cashrewards.
Anyone purchased this laptop and got cashback?
I purchased it and got my cashback tracking notification of AUD 121.02 about 10 minutes later.
Any chance of cash rewards back tracking on this with the other posters comment about code not on CR’s list of codes?
@RudedogandDweebs: It’s not cashrewards backtracking, that would be lenovo not approving this code to be used for cashback.
CR don’t list this code as approved so even if it tracks there’s a high probability that lenovo will not pay the cashback.
@sigh: Oh well. Pulled the trigger on this. Got the confirmation on cash rewards too. Hopefully this is a good enough deal even at $864…
I signed up to Lenovo and received the 10% code (that is not listed on Cashrewards' website), does anyone know if I will still get the 14% on top of the sign-up code? Thanks
I do not know but make sure you can apply more than one code because you have to apply that EOFY50 at checkout too.
The 10% is only applicable for laptops that are not on deals.. plus its only for the 2nd purchase.
I actually have a couple of Dell's notebooks and a few E14 Gen2 and E15 Gen2, I used to complain so much about the brightness of the Lenovo especially when it compares side by side with the Dell. Not until recently when I updated the monitor driver, the Lenovo suddenly become much brighter. It's still not as good as the 2k let alone 4k, but don't forget this is 16GB ram with 512ssd for less than $800. I think it's good enough for most of people.
could be that you have the annoying dynamic brightness on in Radeon settings (or Intel graphics depending on the model)
it's on by default and is there to conserve the battery life, but at the cost of making the display nigh unusable
this is the first thing I turn off
but my X1 carbon keeps turning it back the fkk on when it comes back from sleep. annoying AF
Why sabotage a good product with tiny savings on couple of LED back lights and cheap ass battries?
Just like people on ozbargain upvoting a $2 cashback deal, people seems to care about that $2 difference
Lenovo is limiting your nits.
@14.55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMXADnpyIHA&t=895s
Reduced down to 88-89 nits with 100% brightness setting when on battery.
It's no wonder so many are complaining about the low nits.
The AMD display settings set 'variable' brightness by default (annoying) but when I disabled and defaulted to maximum brightness I noticed a huge difference. On maximum brightness it is fine in high light environment.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Vari-Bright-decreases-lapt…
yes, that's the first thing to turn off on those ryzen machines
just like the equivalent in Intel models
a solution for the problem I didn't ask no one to be solved, but they solved it and enabled for everyone by default
so infuriating lol
Why do I still cringe when I read ThinkPad, sooo 1990's, I hated them when they were sold as IBM and I still hate the design now, or has it got better?
IBM (and early Lenovo ones) ThinkPads were built like a tank and can be used as a personal defense weapon.
Sure, it is not as beautiful as a MacBook, but atleast you can know that your laptop will be perfectly fine even after falling off a table or used as a throwing disc.
Completely different markets.
What's with all these new laptops with soldered RAM ?
Is it a new thing?
Cost saving or just to be a pain in the butt to customers?
I don't get it.
I'd say it's cost savings (no need for an extra mechanical assembly step) and the fact that their target market will never need more than 16GB of RAM in an $864 laptop. It will be used till it dies, rather than upgraded.
Yeah, the laptop is definitely going to start calling apart before I feel the need to upgrade it.
Also, form factor, weight, etc.
It's like when I commission about batteries in phones not being replaceable because it was so convenient to carry spare batteries… but nobody else did, so slimness, water proofing, etc became Samsung's priorities.
Thank you OP. I ordered mine and got the cashback tracking notification for $121.02 about 10 minutes later.
It will track but due to the Terms, cashrewards has the right to refuse your cash back. No harm in trying to get it though.
Lenovo is very relaxed with their cash back, got $1k worth of cash back even though my entire order was cancelled
Nice
My 5yr old Lenovo laptop seems to be going strong but it is slowing down…
Will I see a noticeable increase from my i5 7th gen to this AMD?
Yes
Slowing down in what way?
Net, Netflix, downloading etc
I only use it for day to day, no gaming
I have a 5 year old E460 that I upgraded to 16GB RAM with an extra stick of RAM and also a 512 GB SSD and it's very speedy for day to day use and office productivity including handling 10 Chrome pages, Word, Excel and running a zoom conference at the same time. At the time SSD cost about $100 and RAM cost $40. Loading applications became almost instantaneous with the SSD.
Your download speed is not related to your CPU speed.
Have you tried the windows "reset"? It's possible that it's a hardware issue, but it's much more likely to be software.
I upgraded from 7th gen i7 to a Lenovo S540 with an 8 core AMD. The difference in performance is night and day. The 6 core 4650u should be the same. i5 7th gen is only a dual core. If you look up independent reviews online, you will see that AMD is fastest CPUs you can get in Windows based laptops at 15w TDP.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Ryzen+5+PRO+465…
I noticed there's an Intel i5 version if the E14Gen2 for similar price ($849), is AMD better than Intel i5? Thanks
If you get the i5 version, it would be a downgrade in performance. i5 is only a quad core vs the hexa core of the Ryzen 5.
The i5 only scores 10,000 in Passmark, whilst the Ryzen 5500u scores over 13,000
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/AMD-Ryzen-5-5500U-vs-In…
At 15w TDP AMD also outperforms the Apple m1 in many task as well.
@TA - Will the cashrewards work if buying this via coupon.
Really need to buy one for Uni. But budget is 700.
Any help appreciated
Waiting to find this out too
@tightarse
Thanks for tagging me :)
Hope this helps.
See my reply earlier.
Tracking doesn’t mean it’s approved, only that CR has tracked the sale.
Lenovo pays the cashback, not CR, and its not an approved code on CR’s website.
Until TA, or another CR rep, confirms it’s use i wouldn’t rely on it being approved.
Oh didn't know that! It is still a good deal for me even without the cashback.
I'm not sure TA would be reading through these comments… Best you contact Cashrewards directly.
They dont have a chat option :(
did anyone find out the student price for this?
How to?
The education store is $1025.10, so this deal is much better.
Checked the edu store last night and the price was the same.
would have gone for P/N# 20T6000CAU few $'s more but they been out of stock. hopefully show up before promo ends
Yeah I was planning to get the Ryzen 7 model. Didn't know they'll sell out so fast, thought they can build to order but I guess not!
I couldn't resist - pulled the trigger on the op's model - 4650U has SMT enabled and the 4700U doesn't, performance difference between the two 15W models is marginal @ best. and if CB gets approved this be one hell of a deal.
The Ryzen 7 model is back in stock but only 2 left.
Not much big difference between the CPUs though https://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/206/AMD_Ryzen_5_PRO_Mobile…
For this E14 model, the Ryzen 5 has onsite warranty, Ryzen 7 has depot warranty.
Can't be bothered cancelling the Ryzen 5 order though.
16GB of soldered RAM no problem for me. What would you need to be doing for 16GB RAM to be the bottleneck?
250 nit screen before anyone asks