High-Performance Business Laptop: ThinkPad Neo 14 Review

When I hear “ThinkPad”, my first impression is of a “black, quiet business laptop”.

But this year, the situation has changed as ThinkPad has launched a new model – ThinkPad Neo 14.

This laptop is equipped with an H45 standard pressure processor and an RTX discrete graphics card, combined with a silver chassis, making it more like a “business powerhouse”.

This laptop is completely different from traditional business laptops; how does it perform in real tests?

Today, we will analyze it briefly:

ThinkPad Neo 14

Left side of the chassis

Right side of the chassis

Back of the chassis

Its specifications are as follows:

i7-12700H processor

RTX2050 4GB discrete graphics card (45W)

16GB 4800MHz memory

512GB SSD

14-inch 2240×1400 resolution 100% sRGB color gamut IPS screen

Battery capacity 57Wh

Thickness 17.9~20.8mm

Weight 1.52kg

Adapter weight 392g

Current price 9299 yuan

Its advantages and disadvantages are as follows:

Advantages!

1. Strong performance among 14-inch business laptops

2. Internal dual m.2 hard drive slots, supports expansion

3. Good keyboard and touchpad feel

Disadvantages!

1. Thicker than similar-sized models

2. Fewer external ports

3. High surface temperature of the keyboard under heavy load

[Upgrade Suggestions]

This laptop is not difficult to disassemble; after removing the screws from the D-shell, the back cover can be easily taken off.

The dual-channel 16GB LPDDR5 4800MHz memory can meet the needs of most uses, and the memory is soldered and cannot be replaced.

The SSD capacity of the test machine is 512GB, brand is Yilian, model is RPETJ512MGE2QDQ, supports PCIe4.0×4 and NVMe, the machine has two m.2 hard drive slots, which can be replaced or added as needed.

Note:The second hard drive slot specification is m.2 2242.

[Purchase Suggestions]

1. Requires a serious business laptop

2. Has certain performance requirements

3. Does not have high requirements for thickness

The biggest feature of ThinkPad Neo 14 is its configuration; there are very few ThinkPads with standard pressure processors and RTX discrete graphics under 10,000 yuan, and now this Neo 14 fills that gap.

In terms of screen, it uses a 2240×1400 resolution 14-inch high-definition screen, with real-world testing showing a color gamut volume of 105.8% sRGB, color gamut coverage of 99.8% sRGB, average ΔE 1.11, and maximum ΔE 2.62.

In terms of ports, the left side of the chassis has a full-function Type-C, Thunderbolt 4, and a 3.5mm audio jack;

The right side of the chassis has no ports, just an anti-theft lock hole;

The back side of the chassis has a USB3.2 Gen1 Type-A port and an HDMI 2.0 port.

In terms of battery life, the PCmark10 battery life test score for this laptop is 11 hours and 24 minutes.

In terms of noise, with ambient noise at 33.5dB, its full load decibel value is 41.3dB.

ThinkPad Neo 14 has four configurations available, which arei5/i7 paired withintegrated graphics/discrete graphics, with prices ranging from6999 to 9699 yuan.

It is worth mentioning that the silver version is 400 to 500 yuan cheaper than the black version, indicating that the classic black of ThinkPad is still more popular.

So if you want a relatively powerful and aggressive business laptop, you might consider this laptop.

However, if you have high requirements for external expandability, this laptop may not be suitable for you.

[Final Thoughts from the Author]

The above image shows the disassembly of the ThinkPad Neo 14, featuring a dual-fan and dual-heat pipe combination.

Room temperature 25℃

Reflectivity 1.0

BIOS version: R1RET42W (1.14)

Under full load, the CPU temperature reaches a maximum of 97℃, stabilizing at 73℃, with a power consumption of 20W, P-core frequency maintained at 1.5GHz, and E-core frequency at 1.3GHz.

The graphics card temperature is 74.1℃, frequency at 1455MHz, power consumption at 40W.

If only stressing the FPU, this i7-12700H reaches a maximum temperature of 97℃, stabilizing at 87℃, with a power consumption of 50W, P-core frequency around 2.9GHz, and E-core frequency around 2.2GHz.

If only stressing Furmark, this RTX2050 reaches a temperature of 72℃, frequency at 1545MHz, power consumption at 45W.

Swipe left to see the back temperature

Temperature on the back of the machine

The surface temperature is shown in the above image, with the highest keyboard keycap temperature of 47.3℃ occurring in the left side R key area, WASD keys at 45.8℃, and the arrow keys at 27.3℃. The left wrist rest temperature is 30.6℃, and the center point on the back is 39.3℃.

Overall, the cooling performance of the ThinkPad Neo 14 is average, with normal performance tuning, but the temperature on the left side of the keyboard is relatively high under heavy load.

Unlike traditional ThinkPad business laptops, the Neo 14 is more like an all-around product; although its port expandability is not as good as the T and X series at the same price, its performance is superior, even surpassing the previously tested ThinkPad P15v.

In my opinion, the Neo 14 carries the responsibility of exploring the mid-to-high-end laptop market for ThinkPad.

Every year we can see the ThinkPad X1 series introducing new designs, X1 Carbon, Nano, Tablet, Extreme, Titanium, Fold… various new designs indicate the possibilities of the laptop industry, but they are all too expensive for the average consumer.

The emergence of the Neo 14 expands the product category of ThinkPad; who wouldn’t like“suit-wearing thugs”??

If the Neo 14 receives good market feedback, we might even see a ThinkPad with RTX4060 in the future; I hope this attempt can be successful~

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