Review of the ThinkPad T470s (Core i7, WQHD)

[Puppy]

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Thi ... 880.0.html

AU Optronics (B140QAN01.5)
Contrast: 1308:1
94.88% sRGB
The panel does not use PWM to control the luminance.

WOW, has Lenovo finally noticed the display quality issue or they couldn't get cheaper crappy display only ?

[mj0]

While they may have gotten the display right this time they have managed to f**k up in other places. The USB-C port for charging the laptop for example - who on earth decided to put that smack down in the middle on the right hand side? At some point, during a meeting, somebody at Lenovo must have been like "hey, you know what'd be super awesome? if we had an ugly power cable sticking out of the right side right in the middle instead of the back! And as an added bonus it'll keep right handers from using a mouse while charging their laptop, so it's a win-win!" It's just so incredibly stupid I'm lost for words.

Then there's the CPU throttling once it reaches 75°C, and the fact that the CPU isn't running on full speed on battery at all. Lost for words here as well.

I just keep shaking my head in disbelief how on earth Lenovo managed to mess the T470s up so badly. I was really looking forward to it but am now utterly disappointed to be honest.

[Ibthink]

The USB C port is not the main charging port, the T470s comes with a slim-tip charging-port at the back of the left side. If you order a T470s, you will get it with a slim-tip charger, charging via USB C is optional.

T470s is an update of the T460s. This means they use basically the same chassis design with a few modification, the Thunderbolt 3/USB C port instead of mDP is one of these modifications. But this also means that this port has to be positioned somewhere, and if you don´t want to redesign the whole system (which is not what Lenovo wanted to do here), it could not be placed near the back of the system. If you look at systems like the T470 or T570, systems that were completely new designed, these systems have the USB C port more to the back at the left side.

[mj0]

I know all that (except for the part with the charger, I thought it came with a USB-C charger instead of the old one so thank you for that) yet it still doesn't make any sense to put it... well, there. That placement it simply put very, very stupid.

Quite frankly I'm rather disappointed with Lenovo's current lineup - each one requires a compromise one way or another. The T470 is only available with a FHD display and no WQHD option. The T470s has the most stupid USB-C port placement imaginable as well as thermal isues. The X1C doesn't have a docking port at the bottom and its RAM soldered onto the motherboard (and, from the looks of it, also thermal issues). The X270 has been all but abandoned by Lenovo.

I was ready and willing to spend $2000 on a new Thinkpad that would last me upwards of five years. And maybe it's just me but somehow I'm don't really want to spend that amount of money on something that is a compromise to begin with.

[dr_st]

Quite frankly I'm rather disappointed with Lenovo's current lineup - each one requires a compromise one way or another.

I've been into Thinkpads for well over a decade, and I don't recall any generation where there were no compromises required.

[mj0]

True. It's just that in the current lineup I have yet to find a compromise that I am willing to live with. Right now I'm seriously considering getting a T450s instead because a) they can be had brand-new for 40-50% of the price of a T470s, b) they're similarly equipped to and c) not much slower than the new ones.

[mj0]

The USB C port is not the main charging port, the T470s comes with a slim-tip charging-port at the back of the left side. If you order a T470s, you will get it with a slim-tip charger, charging via USB C is optional.

Turns out you're wrong about that, the T470s comes with a USB-C charger by default. At least according to notebookcheck.net:

The Mini-DisplayPort was replaced by a modern USB-C port (Gen.2) including Thunderbolt 3 support with the full 40 Gbps. The port also supports power delivery (2.0) and video output via DisplayPort 1.2a. Our test model is also shipped with a corresponding 65-watt USB-C power adapter. However, the location at the center of the right side is a problem. You cannot use an external mouse on the right side and the cable is annoying here in general – it would have been much better towards the rear.

Thus one has to either order the slim-tip charger as an optional extra or live with the stupendeously braindead position of the laptop's charging port...