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MagyarLenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 Intel Review: Not up to par anymore
The ThinkPad L series is the entry level to the Lenovo business laptop world. Even more affordable is only the Lenovo ThinkPad E series, which lacks features like WWAN and Smart card readers and is thus more suited for consumers or small business. The ThinkPad L14 is one of the most popular models of the L series - today, we review the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 with Intel CPUs. We already looked at the AMD variant of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4, a review of the successor ThinkPad L14 G5 is also already in the works.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Version | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83.1 % | v8 (new) | 06/2024 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE i5-1335U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.6 kg | 23 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 88.6 % | v7 (old) | 08/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 R5 7530U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 19.83 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.6 % | v7 (old) | 10/2023 | HP ProBook 445 G10 R5 7530U, Vega 7 | 1.3 kg | 20 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.3 % | v7 (old) | 06/2023 | Dell Latitude 3440 i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.5 kg | 19.4 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 82 % | v7 (old) | 05/2024 | SCHENKER Work 14 Base i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.3 kg | 20.2 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here .
Chassis & Connectivity: Known ThinkPad L plastic design
The chassis is the same that we already tested with the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD. On the outside, the laptop is made out of matte gray plastic. Screen and palmrest have a smooth paint applied, the bottom and display bezel have a rough texture - not a very pleasant texture, but it does the job. We have no big complaints about the stability, even though the L ThinkPad is a bit more flexible than the T series, for example, as it lacks the Magnesium roll cage. Especially the lower left corner can be twisted a little bit. The silver hinges with metal caps securely hold the screen, but they do not allow for single-handed opening. The maximum opening angle sits at 180 degrees.
Compared with the ThinkPad L14 G4 AMD, the L14 G4 Intel gains a Thunderbolt 4 port, which the Ryzen variant lacks. A special feature of this model is the microSD card reader, a feature not seen on most recent ThinkPad laptops. The speed of the card reader is average. A bit restricted is the Wi-Fi solution, Lenovo puts in the old Intel AX201. It does its job, but only supports Wi-Fi 6 and not the more modern Wi-Fi 6E or 7 standards
Upgradeability of the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 is good. The ThinkPad has two SO-DIMM slots that take in modules of the obsolete DDR4 standard. A maximum of 64 GB is possible. The SSD is also modular, but Lenovo sadly uses the small M.2 2242 size. The maximum capacity is restricted due to this. An M.2 2242 bay is open. Here, the optional WWAN card can be put in, with the corresponding antennas already in place. Very positive is the user replaceable keyboard, something most modern laptops lack these days.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (8 - 83.4, n=42, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE (AV Pro V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 (AV Pro V60) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Average of class Office (25 - 90.5, n=37, last 2 years) | |
Input devices: Affordable ThinkPad with great keyboard & mouse replacement
Completely identical to the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD are the input devices of our review device. Touchpad, keyboard and the typical red ThinkPad TrackPoint are all very good, especially for a rather inexpensive laptop. Writing long texts or navigating the mouse, the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 Intel does all those tasks without any problems, making using this device very comfortable.
Display: Simple monitor with 16:9 aspect ration as the weak point
While other ThinkPad series by now offer better display options with a higher resolution, refresh rate or color gamut, the variety is much more modest for the ThinkPad L14 Gen 4. It is the last 14 inch ThinkPad with the wider 16:9 format, even an HD panel based on the obsolete TN technology is still on offer:
- HD (1,366 x 768), TN, 220 cd/m², 45 % NTSC, matte
- FHD (1,920 x 1,080), IPS, 250 cd/m², 45 % NTSC, matte
- FHD (1,920 x 1,080), IPS, 300 cd/m², 45 % NTSC, matte, On-Cell Touch
- FHD (1,920 x 1,080), IPS, 400 cd/m², 72 % NTSC, matte, Low-Power
The quality of the screen is good enough for everyday usage in the office, but not more. The brightness of under 300 cd/m² is below average. Also, there is comparably strong backlight bleeding.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 286 cd/m²
Contrast: 1100:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.2 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.99, calibrated: 4.7
ΔE Greyscale 7.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.2
44.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
43.1% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.04
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE N140HCA-E5B, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 B140HAN06.9, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP ProBook 445 G10 AUO2FA6, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Latitude 3440 BOE NE140FH, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | SCHENKER Work 14 Base B140HAN06.8, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 63% | 55% | -6% | 63% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 43.1 | 73.2 70% | 68.4 59% | 40.4 -6% | 72.4 68% |
| sRGB Coverage | 64.2 | 98.9 54% | 95.2 48% | 60.7 -5% | 99.8 55% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 44.7 | 73.9 65% | 70.6 58% | 41.8 -6% | 73.8 65% |
| Response Times | -77% | -42% | -31% | -84% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 30.1 ? | 58.1 ? -93% | 53.4 ? -77% | 35.3 ? -17% | 60 ? -99% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 20.5 ? | 32.7 ? -60% | 21.8 ? -6% | 29.8 ? -45% | 34.7 ? -69% |
| PWM Frequency | |||||
| Screen | 42% | 53% | 26% | 60% | |
| Brightness middle | 286 | 430 50% | 501 75% | 292.6 2% | 402 41% |
| Brightness | 270 | 409 51% | 464 72% | 270 0% | 404 50% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 88 0% | 87 -1% | 88 0% | 89 1% |
| Black Level * | 0.26 | 0.31 -19% | 0.26 -0% | 0.19 27% | 0.16 38% |
| Contrast | 1100 | 1387 26% | 1927 75% | 1540 40% | 2513 128% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 7.2 | 2.4 67% | 2.64 63% | 4.63 36% | 2.2 69% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 21.7 | 4.7 78% | 5.06 77% | 17.1 21% | 4.2 81% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.7 | 1.4 70% | 1.57 67% | 2.13 55% | 1.3 72% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.2 | 3 58% | 3.8 47% | 3.2 56% | 3 58% |
| Gamma | 2.04 108% | 2.3 96% | 2.103 105% | 2.34 94% | 2.18 101% |
| CCT | 6118 106% | 6489 100% | 6562 99% | 7184 90% | 6801 96% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 9% /
30% | 22% /
40% | -4% /
11% | 13% /
40% |
* ... smaller is better
Another weakness of this cheap panel is the bad color gamut coverage. This screen is not suitable for working with colors, nor is it pleasurable to use for multimedia, as the colors also lack depth.
The LED backlight is not particularly strong either, making the ThinkPad L14 G4 unsuitable for outdoor usage.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 20.5 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 9.1 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 40 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.4 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 30.1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14.2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 15.9 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 35 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17664 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance: Office warrior not very speedy
Lenovo offers a bunch of different processor options, all of which originate from the Raptor Lake generation. Different from the T series, customers can choose budget options like the Intel U300 with only five cores, as well as i3 CPUs. Intel's Core i7-1370P is the top of the line choice. With the Intel Core 3 100U, an Intel Core Series 1 CPU has made it into the L14 G4, but this chip is also based on Raptor Lake.
With the GPUs, the choices are more limited, as it mostly are different versions of the same Intel iGPU: Intel UHD Graphics, Iris Xe (80EUs) and Iris Xe (96EUs) as well as the Intel Graphics of the Core 3 100U are in this category. The Nvidia GeForce MX550, an optional dedicated GPU, is being offered, though not in Europe.
The maximum amount of M.2 2242 SSD storage sits at 2 TB. In terms of memory, the limit is 64 GB DDR4-3200, with two SO-DIMMs available.
Testing conditions
The following performance modes with differing power limits (PL1 = performance under load, PL2 = performance in short bursts) can be set with the Windows settings:
- Best battery life: PL1 10 W / PL2 20 W
- Balanced: 12.5 W / 35 W
- Best performance: PL1 15 W / PL2 45 W
Processor
The Intel Core i5-1335U is a processor with ten cores, which have clock rates between 1.3 and 4.6 GHz for the two P cores or 0.9 to 3.4 GHz for the eight E cores. As a Raptor Lake U chip, Intel has planned this chip for a TDP of 15 to 30 W. Our CPU list can be used for detailed performance comparisons.
With the low power limits in place, the performance of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 is in the expected range. It is sufficient for office usage, but this model is not a performance champion. The AMD variant of the ThinkPad with the AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 7530U is faster in Multicore loads, but falters in single-core benchmarks.
In battery mode, Lenovo limits the performance of the CPU. Instead of 9,000 points, the ThinkPad only achieves 6,000 points in the Cinebench R23 Multicore test.
Cinebench R15 Multi loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.2: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| CPU Performance Rating | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 -2! | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 -2! | |
| Average of class Office | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (6957 - 9438, n=12) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (1366 - 15743, n=115, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (1532 - 1733, n=12) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average of class Office (529 - 1995, n=115, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (2602 - 3849, n=11) | |
| Average of class Office (356 - 5904, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (593 - 663, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average of class Office (181.3 - 764, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (242 - 2642, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (1109 - 1547, n=11) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (222 - 248, n=11) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average of class Office (98 - 284, n=111, last 2 years) | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (214 - 2248, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (340 - 786, n=12) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (6602 - 62349, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (25012 - 38513, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (4872 - 5545, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (2337 - 6687, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| Geekbench 6.2 / Multi-Core | |
| Average of class Office (662 - 12171, n=45, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (6604 - 9282, n=8) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Geekbench 6.2 / Single-Core | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (2236 - 2379, n=7) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (457 - 2646, n=44, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (5459 - 8618, n=11) | |
| Average of class Office (1018 - 11980, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (1506 - 1700, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (510 - 1974, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (1.55 - 17.4, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (6.55 - 10.7, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Average of class Office (31.3 - 129.6, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (45 - 58.7, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Average of class Office (0.4244 - 1.192, n=112, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (0.4892 - 0.524, n=10) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (763 - 24250, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (5661 - 7809, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (4027 - 102228, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (29483 - 43636, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (279 - 4442, n=112, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (1515 - 2278, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (8185 - 113016, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (53839 - 60992, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (404 - 14288, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (3873 - 5008, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (2054 - 54365, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (14376 - 20553, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (5226 - 147611, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (31154 - 65997, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (378 - 676, n=11) | |
| Average of class Office (78 - 1018, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (432 - 12755, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (2878 - 4214, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (13584 - 41123, n=11) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average of class Office (4814 - 48177, n=113, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
System performance
We have nothing to critique when it comes to the system performance in everyday usage or synthetic benchmarks.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (2463 - 7157, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (5068 - 5600, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (9828 - 11912, n=11) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (5575 - 20841, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (3041 - 10198, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (6196 - 7261, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Average of class Office (1912 - 9056, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (5361 - 6164, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (1339 - 1599, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (348 - 1891, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (1337 - 1638, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average of class Office (393 - 1870, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (1315 - 1620, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average of class Office (340 - 1982, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (1023 - 1868, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Average of class Office (258 - 2017, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (212 - 270, n=9) | |
| Average of class Office (110.2 - 368, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (195.6 - 238, n=7) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average of class Office (80 - 328, n=96, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (479 - 1966, n=104, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (545 - 1914, n=12) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 5147 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (22417 - 60884, n=11) | |
| Average of class Office (7158 - 88119, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Average of class Office (7325 - 87297, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (23104 - 61555, n=11) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (22936 - 72584, n=11) | |
| Average of class Office (7579 - 94965, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Average of class Office (44.3 - 188.3, n=114, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1335U (78.6 - 112.8, n=11) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
The DPC latencies are lower than they are for the competitors. Despite this, the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 Intel has some problems when working with audio. Lenovo could easily solve this with a driver update.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage
The M.2 2242 SSD by Western Digital has a capacity of 512 GB. In the performance comparison, this PCIe NVMe 4.0 flash memory is one of the faster ones, which helps the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 Intel to achieve a good speed in everyday usage.
* ... smaller is better
Sustained performance loop read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU
It is not surprising that the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 only achieves below average performance scores in GPU benchmarks. The iGPU Iris Xe with 80 EUs in this laptop is not the fastest GPU anyway and additionally crippled by the single channel RAM. For simple office tasks, the GPU is fast enough. Everything else is best done with other devices. For gaming after a long workday, the L14 G4 Intel is definitely not the right laptop.
| 3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base -1! | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 -1! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 -1! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 4989 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 15150 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2487 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1086 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE -1! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Office (2.66 - 34, n=104, last 2 years) | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Average of class Office (3.35 - 47.8, n=89, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Average of class Office (2.03 - 35.7, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Average of class Office (6.6 - 56.5, n=94, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Average of class Office (7.8 - 121.2, n=116, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
| Average of class Office (5.55 - 92.6, n=116, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 3440 | |
| HP ProBook 445 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | |
| SCHENKER Work 14 Base | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE | |
Witcher 3 FPS diagram
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| GTA V (2015) | 57.5 | 50.5 | 9.85 | 4.33 |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 55 | 34.5 | 16.7 | 8.55 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 92.4 | 64.1 | 39.7 | 36.8 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 24.7 | 13.5 | 9.59 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 31.5 | 22 | 20.6 | |
| F1 23 (2023) | 24.8 | 22.8 | 16.3 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 12.3 | 9.41 | 8.17 | 7.96 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 11.5 | 9.32 | 7.59 | 6.65 |
Emissions & energy: ThinkPad L14 G4 is mostly silent
Noise
The ThinkPad stays silent while idling or even under average load (profile: Balanced). Only with performance mode (profile: best performance) during the stress test, the fan of the L14 G4 Intel turns on. Even here, it does not get particularly loud with just 32 dB(a).
We did detect some coil whine. It was barely audible though and could only be heard when pressing an ear to the keyboard deck.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 24.1 / 24.1 / 24.1 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 24.1 / 32.8 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24.1 dB(A) | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1335U, WD PC SN740 512GB SDDQMQD-512G | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 Vega 7, R5 7530U, Kioxia BG5 KBG5AZNT512G | HP ProBook 445 G10 Vega 7, R5 7530U, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNS512G | Dell Latitude 3440 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1345U, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | SCHENKER Work 14 Base Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1235U, Samsung SSD 980 500GB (MZ-V8V500BW) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -13% | -12% | -15% | -12% | |
| off / environment * | 24.1 | 25.2 -5% | 24 -0% | 23.9 1% | 23.6 2% |
| Idle Minimum * | 24.1 | 25.2 -5% | 24 -0% | 24.4 -1% | 23.6 2% |
| Idle Average * | 24.1 | 25.2 -5% | 25 -4% | 24.4 -1% | 23.6 2% |
| Idle Maximum * | 24.1 | 27.3 -13% | 28 -16% | 24.4 -1% | 24.8 -3% |
| Load Average * | 24.1 | 32.1 -33% | 33 -37% | 37.1 -54% | 34.2 -42% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 30.8 | 35.7 -16% | 36 -17% | 38.2 -24% | 34.2 -11% |
| Load Maximum * | 32.8 | 38.3 -17% | 36 -10% | 40.2 -23% | 42.9 -31% |
* ... smaller is better
Heat
The performance of the ThinkPad laptop is not great. On the upside, the heat output is under control. With 45.5 degrees Celsius / 114 F at the hottest, the chassis does not get very warm.
During the stress test with Prime95 and FurMark, we detected no throttling.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.8 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.5 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.8 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.3 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.3 °C / 84.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-1.6 °C / -2.8 F).
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE Intel Core i5-1335U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | HP ProBook 445 G10 AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Dell Latitude 3440 Intel Core i5-1345U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | SCHENKER Work 14 Base Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -9% | -7% | -1% | 7% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 39.8 | 39 2% | 43 -8% | 35.2 12% | 39.2 2% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 45.5 | 46.3 -2% | 51 -12% | 41 10% | 40.4 11% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 27.1 | 26.3 3% | 27 -0% | 29.8 -10% | 25.3 7% |
| Idle Bottom * | 27.4 | 37.5 -37% | 30 -9% | 32 -17% | 25.8 6% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 are user facing, as Lenovo places them above the keyboard. But they remain too quiet and the lack of base, making external speakers and headphones the easy choice.
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (75.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 21.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 34% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 43% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 49% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
HP ProBook 445 G10 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 65% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power consumption
The minimum power consumption of 4.1 W is too high for an office system like the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 Intel. Normally, a model that uses energy saving CPUs and does not have features like a dGPU or high-res screens should be more efficient.
With the charger delivering up to 65 W, the maximum consumption of 68.3 W could be a problem. But since the power draw drops off fast, the battery should not discharge while using the device.
| Off / Standby | 0.37 / 0.7 Watt |
| Idle | 4.1 / 5.9 / 6.8 Watt |
| Load |
41.3 / 68.3 Watt |
   
| |
Power consumption Witcher 3 / stress test
Power consumption with external monitor
Battery life
Due to the high power draw, the below average battery life of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 Intel is not a big surprise. Still, it is disappointing that Lenovo can not get much more than 8 hours out of the 57 Wh battery in the Wi-Fi test (150 cd/m²).
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE i5-1335U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 57 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 R5 7530U, Vega 7, 57 Wh | HP ProBook 445 G10 R5 7530U, Vega 7, 42 Wh | Dell Latitude 3440 i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 54 Wh | SCHENKER Work 14 Base i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 49 Wh | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 9% | 9% | 2% | -12% | 6% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 520 | 814 57% | 568 9% | 528 2% | 458 -12% | 598 ? 15% |
| Load | 125 | 76 -39% | 120.2 ? -4% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: ThinkPad L14 G4 as a solid, but outdated office worker
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 is a solid choice for the typical office worker, but not more. It is apparent in many areas that this system is not the newest hardware - no matter if the design or the components are concerned.
This for us is less about the processor, but more about aspects like the screen. 16:9 as a format is by now simply obsolete in laptops, and the quality of the screen is below average. Also, the battery life is disappointing and performance is nothing special. At least, the input devices are very good, the connectivity options are very good, and the device works without a lot of fan noise.
The ThinkPad L14 G4 Intel is a raptor in two ways: It is using Raptor Lake and it is a dinosaur in terms of the screen format. The outdated nature of the hardware does have a negative impact on this otherwise solid office laptop.
If the ThinkPad L14 G4 Intel is available for a large discount, this device can be a solid work laptop, especially for students. Otherwise, it may be preferable to look at a different laptop - maybe the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G5 with AMD CPUs, which we will test soon. The HP ProBook 445 G10 could also be a good alternative.
Pricing and availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 Intel costs €762 in Germany. Amazon offers it for $1,200 in the US.
Note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here .
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H1003DGE
-
06/24/2024 v8 (new)
Benjamin Herzig
Total Sustainability Score: More articles related to this device
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Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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