Lenovo ThinkPad 13 (Core i3-7100U, Full HD) Review

[Redaktion]

Entry-level update. Intel's Kaby Lake platform has been appearing on more and more notebooks, and now Lenovo has updated the ThinkPad 13 with the 7th Generation processors. Does the new platform bring enough of a performance increase to warrant an upgrade?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-13-Core-i3-7100U-Full-HD-Review.213212.0.html

[Galdnieks]

I get that - when you're not used to the layout of the more rarely used keys- the lack of a backlight might cause some usability difficulties in the dark. But saying it 'cripples the typing experience' is silly. Do you not touch type?

[dthrp]

Actually, the battery life is disappointing, considering that has neither an NVMe storage nor a UHD touch screen. And not having backlight keyboard or dual-channel memory is an instant deal-breaker.

Asus UX330UA, UX360UA or LG Gram 13", 14" are superior for the price.

[Sam Medley]

Review author here.

Galdnieks: I can touch type, and like most Lenovo notebooks, this keyboard is great for touch typists. However, I would wager that a significant amount of users are not touch typists and may not be able to use a keyboard without a backlight.
I do see how the word "crippling" may come off as too strong and dramatic; I've updated the article to use the word "hurting" instead of "crippling." Thanks for the feedback!

dthrp:
Nine and a half hours for a 42 Wh battery is pretty good IMO. Yes, there are notebooks with better specs that have longer battery life, but this ThinkPad still has respectable battery life.
To clarify, the ThinkPad 13 can be configured with 8 GB in a dual-channel. There are two RAM slots that are user upgradeable, but it's pretty hard to get in there. During the previous review, Andreas Osthoff mentioned that he risked damaging the notebook when attempting to pry off the bottom, and I ran into the same concern. It's doable, but I didn't want to risk damaging the case.
I do agree that there are better notebooks out their for the money right now. Personally, I'm curious to see how long it'll be until Lenovo drops the price on this one.

[TN FTW]

could u please test if there is a PWM in the TN panel?
Thank you!