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Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2, 14" FHD, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, 8GB/256GB $824 Delivered @ Lenovo

860
THINK-E
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Another Lenovo E14 deal.
Note: shipping time states it ships in more than 8 weeks

Upgrades get a 50% discount (which isn't available through the education store deal) so makes it cheaper if you:
a) don't have a .edu email or access to the education portal
b) add a few upgrades

Suggested upgrades are:

  • Intel AX200 wifi 6
  • 512gb SSD
  • 16gb ram
  • fingerprint reader and webcam IR options are also decent considerations

Base price is $849.50, -3% =$824
THINK-E code gets 3% off, or 3% cashback from Cashrewards - not sure if it stacks but worth a try.

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closed Comments

  • +8

    Note:

    Ships in more than 8 weeks

    • Good point - added it to the description. Seems about the same as the previous customisable builds deals.

      (Though I did just receive my "ready to ship" E14 in 2 days which is the current $950 variant, got it with the 20% cashback CR deal… so their prebuilt versions can be quick)

      • They just got stock this week. I purchased almost 4 weeks ago and it got shipped this week, you are lucky you bought at the same time as stock came in.

    • +4

      The next comment will be 250 nits screeen, 45% rgb. These are pretty standard comments for Lenovo deals. I ordered mine on 24th July and shipped on 8th August. I am hoping to receive it today.

      • Out of interest, was your shipping date always showing as 8 August from when you ordered? My date reduced from 9 weeks to 5 weeks since I ordered and now I'm checking it every day hoping it will come down more!

        • It was initially showing September shipment, October delivery. Can't remember the exact dates. It changed a few times.

    • It said that when I ordered mine on the 28th of July. According to DHL tracking it's currently en route to Melbourne

      • -1

        According to DHL tracking it's currently en route to Melbourne

        So 8 weeks is probably about right then.

        • the DHL portion is the last leg which could take 2-3 days so the biggest portion which is exporting/importing has already passed

          • @peter05: I ordered mine on 27-Jul (custom build), got it yesterday

      • Funk44, have you received your Thinkpad? My one looks like arrived to the sort facility in Sydney on Thursday but still no sign of delivery. DHL Express seems to be slower than Auspost.

        • Not yet. It's been in Melbourne since this morning so I am hoping it arrives this afternoon

    • Yah AMD is having supply issues with the 4000 series chips. They didn't think they would be this popular. Intel is about release a new range of mobile CPUs on the 10nm process.

  • Did the 2 hour 20% cash rewards deal worked for the 50% upgrade aswell? Spewin if it did :(

    • +2

      For the E14 there was only the $950 non-customisable base spec + FP reader + IPS screen or the ~1600 customisable variant available. The $850 base spec customisable variant in this deal wasn't there until today.

  • +2

    The version with fingerprint reader and ips screen which is ready to ship could be had for $740 during the Cashrewards Lenovo 20% sale a couple of days ago

    • My price came to $985.50 with the upgrades below.

      • Intel AX200 wifi 6
      • 512gb SSD
      • 16gb ram
      • fingerprint reader and webcam IR

      Would be sweet if 20% cashrewards come again to make it $788.40

      • Did you use Think-E code?

        • +1

          shows $955.94 with the code

    • Did the 20% cashrewards also worked with the upgrades below?

      Intel AX200 wifi 6
      512gb SSD
      16gb ram
      fingerprint reader and webcam IR

      • No upgrades were possible on the 20% cashback day

        • Cool thanks, I feel much better now that i didn't miss out haha

  • I wasn't able to customise during their 20% deal the other day. So not sure if this is a good deal.

  • +1

    Lenovo is advertising this model for this price every other day. Is this really a bargain, or just it's new regular price (regardless of what Lenovo says its RRP is)?

    • same as the Xiaomi monitor, but it probably gets more than 2 posts a week

      • What Xiaomi monitor?

        • The one on the front page…

  • +3

    Be prepared for trouble. Stupid Lenovo didn’t accept my PayPal payment so my cashback is void. They’re asking me to pay again through PayPal or bank transfer directly and said they’ll involve debt collectors if I don’t do it. Completely unprofessional.

    • +1

      Wtf, did they send the laptop already or are they trying to involve debt collectors from the getgo.

      • They sent the laptop, I had no idea the payment wasn't accepted in the first place

    • +1

      Cancel order and try different payment method.

      • Can't cancel order as it's already at the collection centre, I'm trying to contact their other teams to try to work it out. Returning it would mean another month of waiting!

        • +1

          Omg. I also used PayPal for my transaction. When I rang up on the ETA I was put through to their accounts team and they told me my order is being processed and that I would get charged when it gets shipped from their assembly plant. I hope they do charge as I also want cash rewards to pay me for this transaction. At the moment cash rewards hasn't detected my purchase on 29 July. Wait and see.

        • +1

          I had massive issues trying to get in contact with customer service. I bought a laptop, decided i wanted to upgrade it. Was told all i needed to do is cancel the order and reorder the new one and i'll be good to go. Waited over a month for the first order to be cancelled even though i cancelled it the day after i ordered it. The laptop ended up getting shipped to me and it was only that i kept ringing australia post to tell them not to deliver it that it went back to them. Then i had to wait for them to get it in to their system so i could get the refund. Over a month after the first order. I'll never buy another lenovo again after that fiasco. Customer service was absolutely rubbish in my experience.

    • +2

      that's crazy, I'd send the laptop back and tell them to stick it personally

  • I am not tech savy.. wondering why this gen2 AMD model seems popular?

    • +4

      it's a combination of the 4XXX AMD cpus finally going toe to toe with intel processors in general productivity but well surpassing the intel performance in multithreaded applications at about half the price, and it's a lenovo with exceptional build quality for the price

      this laptop other than weight would be able to directly compare with thinkpad T series which is very good quality

      the body almost has no flex and the screen is incredibly stiff. keyboard feels fantastic

      essentially it's not uncommon for most people to spend around this price for a normal laptop from another brand, but with this lenovo you are basically getting a free upgrade to thinkpad build quality

      • +3

        There are some downsides though:
        - (as has been stated multiple times) the screen isn't that bright (still usable though) and colour accuracy is below average.
        - there aren't many ports (T-series has around double the ports)
        - speakers aren't that great
        - it doesn't look that exciting as its typical Thinkpad black

        But spec-wise and build quality its pretty hard to beat at this pricepoint.
        Also good is that you can upgrade ram (1 soldered + 1 sodimm slot) and a 2nd empty M.2 NVME slot, which you don't have in many of the similarly priced consumer grade laptops.

        • +2

          I got my E14 Gen2 yesterday. I'm a regular user of MBP 13" and 15" version, so coming from the Macbook, the first impression after opening the lid, the trackpad looks too small (and I think, that's the thing which I'll hate about this). Build quality is good. While testing, I was watching a movie on youtube using the Microsft Edge browser and noticed some sound issues (sound was stopping for a couple of seconds after forwarding the movie) and that strange issue got me worried. But, then I downloaded and used Chrome, and didn't face that sound dropping issue there…

          One more thing, I got mine with 512GB ssd, but I see only 476GB (445GB free after windows installation and ~435GB free after drivers/updates) and don't understand where is rest of the 36GB??

          • @Shahw: Thanks for this.. i currently use a MBP as well and appreciate your reply

            • +1

              @WhereThouArt: then you'll see a clear difference in size of trackpad @robbbyrob

              • @Shahw: I use the laptop as a portable station and hook it up to external kb, mouse, and monitors.. :D will have to fork out some dollaroos for the dock now

          • @Shahw: Windows displays gigabytes under the assumption that 1GB = 1024MB, 1MB = 1024KB, 1KB = 1024 bytes. Most drives are labelled where 1GB = 1000MB, 1MB = 1000KB, 1KB = 1000 bytes and some OSes report this figure.

      • Thanks for the reply! I am glad i stuck with my OB mentality of BNAQL - buy now ask q's later..

    • +1

      In addition to what peter has mentioned, this series uses less power and produces less heat than the intel equivalent. They can get higher boost clocks for longer.

      An i9 intel cpu in a poorly ventilated macbook will have lower performance than a 4700, even though it costs over $3000

  • +1

    Does this have a VA panel rather than IPS?
    Listing says:
    Display Type
    14" FHD (1920x1080) WVA 250nits Anti-glare

    • +1

      appears that way, i noticed the ability to select this model during cashback as well but didn't. definitely something to note, if people are unhappy with the colours already, this won't be improving the reviews :D

  • Delivery issue is everywhere specially if you have customised. My previous lenovo & Dell both orders delayed by 1 month on top of regular waiting time: reason part unavailable.
    So in best bet situation go for ready to ship builds if needed urgently.

  • I thought I'd done well getting it for $869 a few weeks ago with the student deal, i should have waited

  • -1

    I think I'd go for this over the Redmibook.
    Redmibook has a great screen but, no Display port, no HDMI 2.0, slow RAM.

    If you really hate the screen on the Lenovo you could probably find a good after market replacement for ~$120

    • Soldered RAM. Also slower RAM whereas this default is 3200Mhz.
      Single SSD slot (this has 2242 and 2280, both PCIE)
      No Australian warranty
      Same price (More if you factored in delivery). For example the cheapest on Gearbest right now is U$689 + U$40 for shipping, with 8 GB RAM 256 GB SSD. I bought the Thinkpad on the other deal for U$680ish? delivered with 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Intel AX200 upgrade.
      No Webcam
      SATA III SSD included (Thinkpad is PCIE).

      I would take Lenovo. In fact I'm already using both Gen 1 & Gen 2.

  • This or Acer swift 5?

    • For me personally, the Acer swift 5, just because I have experienced how good it is since my dad has one. The screen is sharp and bright, it boots in about 4 seconds and it keeps up easily with multiple applications at once. I think its slightly more expensive then this deal though.

  • Will this Laptop be able to handle 4K video editing - for example 10 minute video in under 30 mins?

  • Looks like a good deal. Should i get this or wait for black friday?

  • +1

    What is the WVA screen - does it mean a TN panel with a "Wide Viewing Angle"?

    • Lenovo seems to use the terms IPS and WVA interchangeably. Viewing angle is much better than a TN but worse than most other IPS screens I've seen.
      Also, there is a fair bit of reflection on the matt screen. Not as much as glossy but worse than other matt screens I've used in the past.

      • Why do you say that?

        On this page they show it as a highlighted difference between the models:
        https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/…

        • There doesn't seem to be any other options for customisation, unless you are suggesting they'll give you a different screen if you customise.
          The one I have is listed as IPS and shown as "Wide viewing angle & High density FlexView Display" in device manager. Model - LEN40BA which google seems to suggest could be LG or Innolux.

          • @hsc21: there wasn't an option for WVA model until recently so if you already have a laptop most likely it was an IPS model.

            The WVA screen is TN panel

            • @peter05: How do you know that WVA is a TN panel?

              • @rendezvous: the listing clearly indicated an IPS panel before. working on the assumption that they don't have staff going around randomly changing screen technology/abbreviations, i would assume that it is a TN panel. Keep in mind that when i think of a TN panel it's not the ones from yesteryear with terrible colour reproduction and viewing angles but the newer ones with wider viewing angles, although not strictly correct i consider VA/TN to be essentially the same. if a TN panel actually looked like a TN panel that wouldn't even be an acceptable display technology in this day and age.

                • @peter05: It's a fair assumption to say that it is not an IPS panel, as Lenovo would have explicitly stated that in the product description as they have with their other products eg. "14" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 250nits Anti-glare" if it had one? It's leaning towards it being a TN panel when Levono use "WVA" but its not conclusive and no one said that TN was bad by any stretch. How can you "consider" VA and TN to be the same?

                  • @rendezvous: I don't consider VA and TN to be the same, but i am assuming that WVA is "Wide Viewing Angle" rather than "WXXXX Vertical Alignment" in their acronyms. I overall just don't use the VA acronym because it's been overtaken by marketing terms like Wide Viewing Angle that makes it more confusing.

                    I have seen panels marketed as TN that are not fantastic but still acceptable on extreme angles and hence VA/TN are essentially on the same playing field in my books, only IPS has a marked advantage in this area.

                    • @peter05: You said "The WVA screen is TN panel". How can you conclude that it is a TN panel when there is no evidence or proof?

                      You also said ".. i consider VA/TN to be essentially the same." hence my queries are surrounding those claims. Now you say "I don't consider VA and TN to be the same" so which one is it? are you not contradicting yourself?

                      It has been established that Lenovo use WVA acronym to mean Wide Viewing Angle. But mystery still surrounds the type of panel that is used.

                    • +1

                      @peter05: The WVA panel on the ideapad slim is 100% an IPS panel. Confirmed with the rep and managed to get a spec sheet. They definitely use WVA and IPS interchangeably in some situations. Without going to the effort of getting a copy of the specs, my guess is this would be IPS

                      • @gruffjaguar: There are comments that say that Lenovo use WVA and IPS interchangeably but where is this information coming from? When you say "in some situations" what situations are those? Why guess if you have the fact can you please provide in order to clarify once and for all

                        • @rendezvous: No problem. Here on this ideapad, it is listed as WVA:
                          https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-s-serie…

                          The actual panel is this:
                          Display 14.0FHD IPS AG 3.0T 300N N

                          ^As per the receipt on my order.

                          I can't say for sure that it's the same for the Thinkpad E14 listed here, but certainly on the Ideapad slim they are using WVA and IPS interchangeably.

                          • @gruffjaguar: Thanks

                            Found this on the NZ Lenovo website which state that WVA= IPS:

                            https://www.lenovo.com/nz/en/faqs/pc-life-faqs/what-is-ips/

                            "Lenovo now offers more laptops, tablets and monitors based on In Plane Switching or WVA display technology than with the earlier TN (Twisted Nematic) construction"

                            The claims that Lenovo use WVA and IPS interchangeably are correct.

                            It would be fair to say that assumptions are the mother of all F* Ups. Case closed

                            • @rendezvous: I still believe that statement is ambiguous, perhaps they could be referring to VA as WVA, or they could be saying that IPS = WVA.

                              regardless if they are on the same level as IPS and it doesn't look like a TN panel with distorted colours i think everyone should be fine

                              even if you receive a panel that says IPS in the control panel it's not easy to determine if it was "intentional" that they sent you what the industry refers to as an IPS display

                              it doesn't make sense that they would not advertise as IPS, if their intention is to sell you an IPS. it could be a situation where you are sold a WVA but get an IPS as a bonus as an example

                              it's very confusing regardless, as pointed out by previous user you have a single page that has both acronyms listed when they are supposed to be "the same"

                              • @peter05: So is the WVA screen still a TN panel?

                                If you read the whole article, you can probably get the idea that WVA is Lenovo's way of referring to their display as an IPS panel

                                • @rendezvous: As stated earlier, I prefer to think of WVA as upgraded TN rather than downgraded IPS. As shown above, even their own website is showing that there is a difference between WVA and IPS.

                                  A VA panel is most certainly not an IPS one, you can choose to interpret it how you wish and in real practical terms it may not even make any difference to the end user but i would "expect" to receive a VA/TN panel and then be pleasantly surprised to get an IPS, rather than to expect an IPS and receive a VA/TN instead, when making this purchase.

                                  The bashing on the colours on this screen and it's inadequacies are around the IPS panel too so therefore it would be better to assume the worst and perhaps be surprised with a better product.

                                  From my E14 received and marketed as IPS, this is the panel that was installed
                                  https://www.panelook.com/B140HAN04.2_AUO_14.0_LCM_overview_3…
                                  The display technology is listed as "AHVA" which is proprietary term for IPS-like screen, rather than VA type
                                  https://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/lcd-panel-types.php

                                  if someone orders this one with "marked" WVA instead, it would be good to compare the two

                                  • @peter05: Not sure what you are going on about there with your "assumptions" and how you "prefer to think of it" and "expect" to get something but get another and be "pleasantly surprised" but there's no argument around this mate, a Lenovo rep I spoke to has also confirmed it's an IPS panel. They use the terms WVA and IPS interchangeably and WVA is just a different naming convention that is used instead of IPS. In Lenovo's products WVA and IPS are the same is what they have told me.

                                    • @rendezvous: this situation only arises because manufacturers come up with their own acronyms for marketing and use them interchangeably with others. Really we're discussing whether the term WVA should be used here at all. The ambiguity in technical specifications originated from Lenovo. It could very well be that Lenovo considers them equal, however they aren't. This is not dissimilar to some car manufacturers calling their cars 4WD/AWD/Quattro etc etc, there are the terms that are generally accepted in the industry and those that the consumer would understand.

                                      You shouldn't need to dig into a Lenovo NZ page to find out what exactly WVA is coming from. I have presented the reasons as to why i would consider it a lower spec screen, if only to lower expectations as to what you are receiving.

                                      a similar page to one you linked is on the australian page and other than the topic and web address, there is no mention of IPS
                                      https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/faqs/pc-life-faqs/what-is-ips/

                                      This may be Lenovo steering towards using different terms in their marketing, or it could indicate that you could receive lower quality screens in the future. A case of a burger is a sandwich but a sandwich isn't a burger type of situation happening, an IPS display could fall under Lenovo's badge of wide viewing angle displays, but you may also potentially receive another type of screen that meets Lenovo's expectations of wide viewing angle requirements.

                                      Once again, it makes no sense that Lenovo themselves would advertise two laptops side by side with different display acronyms and also highlight them, if they are equal. However I have seen in the past that due to different wording for the same WiFi module as an example, would also cause the same box to pop up

                                      In addition if you search for Lenovo and IPS you will find many monitor products that use IPS as the technology behind the screen. As mentioned earlier they could be in the middle of changing their marketing strategy. I believe Dell also do this with some of their products too (using WVA)

                                      All in all it's just something to be mindful of.

                                      • @peter05: It appears that you are basing your findings on opinion rather than fact but thanks for your contribution

          • @hsc21: Had a chance to look at it in more detail today. Apparently I have an LG panel. Link below for those that are interested.
            https://www.panelook.com/LP156WF4-SPD1_LG%20Display_15.6_LCM…

            Edit: Based on Panelook, the LG screen seems to have a smaller viewing angle vs the Innolux screen. 160 vs 178.

  • Can these be used with a dock via a USB-C connection? (ie, just the one cable)

  • Anyone got any recommendations for a Ryzen 4xxx series laptop with:
    - Great screen (doesn't need to be high refresh rate, just has to be bright and look good for content consumption);
    - Decent IO (USB-C charging would be a big plus); and
    - Decent build quality?

  • I'm ok to wait or until my junker dies

  • which version of E14 is better? 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10510U (4C / 8T, 1.8 / 4.9GHz, 8MB) or AMD Ryzen 5 4500U (6C / 6T, 2.3 / 4.0GHz, 3MB L2 / 8MB L3)

    • The Ryzen

  • +1

    Just FYI re: shipping. We purchased the ryzen E15 earlier in the week and got it in two days to Melbourne. Granted we made no changes to spec.

  • My ThinkPad T series (T460s) has been falling to pieces - speakers warble, earphone jack gone, power can disconnect if laptop looked at wrong way, just ordered 4th keyboard replacement, full charge would last 30 minutes now won't even charge past 57% so either one of the batteries is completely gone or one of the charging circuit dead. I only use it an hour a day too.

    I shudder to think of the quality in an E series. If not for the amazing 2560x1440 IPS screen and the trackpoint making me continually repair it - it'd be on the roof of the house across the street.

    I've had ThinkPads for the last 20 years - cheap garbage now.

    • You've got a really good throwing arm!

    • We got T480s for our whole team, running well, fast and really good battery for well over a year now

    • Just my personal anecdote. I have the same machine, circa 2016. Haven't had any issues. My son now uses it for school and it's got a small chip and one small scratch on the cover. The screen is now pretty filthy most of the time and I see sweat marks on the palm rests and other surfaces. However, everything on it still works a peach. I was just thinking the other day that I'm glad I sprung for a thinkpad.

      • That's good to hear and restored my faith a little.

  • Whats shipping dates like for you guys, is it really shipping earliest in October? lol

  • -1

    So in conclusion, the WVA are inferior to the IPS panels? And only the WVA panels are left? (IPS all sold out) Any idea if they will restock the IPS panels?

    • I think the conclusion is that these terms mean the same at Lenovo. Although I'm not sure which screen you'd actually get.
      I got the LG one. Maybe someone can comment if they've managed to get the Innolux one.
      Btw, the LG one is fine as long as the room is relatively dim.

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