Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 Review Specs - Price

Lenovo has released 2 more models to its ThinkPad Edge series, a 14-inch and a 15-inch. The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 is the biggest laptop in the Edge family. The Edge 15 is on the cusp of being too conservative, as its thick, boxy-looking black chassis lacks any kind of appeal.

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 include 15-inch screen, 2GB RAM, 250GB hard disk, adequate port and network options, and Microsoft Windows 7 Premium OS. The performance is line with the expectation. It is available at a price of $869.

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 Specifications:

* Intel Core i3-330M processor (2.13GHz, 3MB cache) * Intel GMA HD integrated graphics * 2GB DDR3 RAM (2GB x 1) * Windows 7 Professional 32-bit * 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 WXGA glossy display * 250GB Fujitsu 5400RPM hard drive * Intel 1000BGN Wi-Fi, Realtek Gigabit LAN * Built-in web camera * 6-cell 10.8v 5.2Ah 57Wh battery * Dimensions: (LxWxH) 14.96 x 9.72 x 1.33 - 1.56" * Weight: 5.56 pounds * MSRP: $869 ($649, street)

Design and Build

Unlike the SL-series ThinkPad the Edge models don't share the common look and feel of other ThinkPad models. The all-black exterior has been replaced with a silver-trimmed border with multiple glossy and matte screen cover options. The Edge 15's build quality seems to be a step down from the 13 and 14-inch versions. The whole black body is replaced with silver trimmed border with matte screen and multiple glossy cover options.

The glossy red (and highly reflective) finish of our sample system is about as bold a ThinkPad design statement as we've ever seen, and the combination of the lid and the silver trim does make you wonder. There is a LED-illuminated ThinkPad logo. Its build quality has been downgraded, but it is not so bad either.The ThinkPad Edge 15 has easy access to internal components through two access panels on the bottom of the notebook. One panel houses the SIM-card and WWAN PCIe slot while the other is to access the system memory, CPU and hard drive.

Screen and Display

As its name suggests, the Edge 15 has a 15.6-inch widescreen, which is ideal for multi-taskers who work with two or three applications open at a time. The 1,366 by 768 resolution does prevent the Edge 15 from fitting more content on the screen (fewer pixels).

Compared to other 15-inch panels on the market, this one rates below average with very poor contrast. Higher screen resolutions, as well as anti-glare screens, are available in enterprise laptops like the Lenovo ThinkPad T410 ($1,484.00 Direct, ) or you can upgrade to a 17-inch widescreen.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The layout has been updated over the years, but the keyboard could always be identified as "ThinkPad." With the new design, Lenovo took a hint from other new keyboard designs hitting the market and blended a combination of form and function. The keyboard has Chiclet/island-style with wide keys. The keys are sufficiently large and pretty tactile too. It is very comfortable to type on this keyboard.

The touchpad is large compared to most of the laptops. It has smooth matte finish, so you can easily glide on it. The touch-pad is very responsive and no need to do any adjustments out of box. Overall, the touchpad was pleasant to use, with a fast response time and no discernable lag. Sensitivity was excellent and no adjustment was needed out of the box. This particular touchpad has some multitouch capabilities, including pinch-to-zoom and pivot-rotation.

Port and Performance

We clearly aren't entirely won over by the system's looks, but the larger-than-we'd-like design does allow for a wide selection of ports and features. A seven-in-one multi-card reader is found up front, whilst a single USB port and the standard six-cell battery adorn the rear. To the right, you get a further two USB ports, an integrated DVD writer and a socket for the bundled 65W power adapter. Rounding things off on the left is Gigabit Ethernet, a USB/eSATA port, a headphone jack, and both HDMI and VGA out. Though the Edge 15 is running one of the newest Intel Core processors, namely the 2.13GHz Intel Core i3-330M, though it's not the speediest. Performance would have fared a lot better had Lenovo included 4GB of memory. Temperature remained under control, didn’t exceed 100F, across palmrest, keyboard areas. The Edge 15 remained quite in all our tests and Fan noise is also minimal under normal usage.

Battery

The Edge 15 is powered by standard 6-cell battery. In our test, with the screen brightness reduced to 70% and adjusted windows OS to balanced profile, it manages to run for 4 hours and 10 minutes.