I was amazed to see a Lenovo ThinkPad with a new look that somewhat replaced the very traditional and established design of the ThinkPad. Here’s my review of the thin, light, and edgy laptop from Lenovo, the ThinkPad Edge 13.
Look and feel
The Edge 13 has a glossy red lid with a “œwet look” sports car feel to it. The sides are trimmed with silver plastic, not metal, but plastic will do since this can be considered as a budget laptop. Another stylish design element is the red LED in the “œi” of the ThinkPad logo located at the top lid and at the deck of the laptop.
The bottom lid of the Edge 13 is made of black plastic which houses the battery pack and speakers. I’ve noticed that the battery extends to the bottom part which elevates the laptop for enhanced and effective ventilation. With that design, you don’t need to purchase those cooling balls or cooling pads anymore.
The speakers are embedded below the front edge of the unit. This design can be effective if the laptop is resting on a flat and hard surface but if you literally place it on your lap, you might just cover the speaker grills which can affect the sound output. The sound quality is average but can be improved if the unit is plugged into a boombox/speakers (you will need an AUX cable for this setup) or a decent pair of headphones.
When I opened the top lid of the ThinkPad Edge 13, I was impressed by the streamlined “œChiclet style” keyboard design. Lenovo reveals that the keyboard is also spill-resistant, though I didn’t really tried pouring or splashing liquids to it. I’ll just take their word for it.
I got a bit confused with the layout since the Fn key is located on the lower-far-left part where the Ctrl key is traditionally placed. Nevertheless, you can swap these two buttons in the BIOS. Other than that, the whole typing experience felt just right.
Since this is a ThinkPad machine, you will find the red dot or TrackPoint situated in the middle part of the keyboard. With this, comes the UltraNav design which is a combination of the TrackPoint and a multitouch pad. The dedicated left and right mouse buttons can be found both at the top and at the bottom of the very spacious and responsive touchpad.
Going back to the top lid, the Edge 13 has a glossy 13.3 inch LED screen with a 1366 x 768-resolution. It was great for viewing images and watching movies indoors. I would suggest adjusting the brightness to its peak level when using the Edge 13 outdoors or under bright viewing conditions.
For a thin and light laptop, ports and slots on this machine are pretty standard. Distributed at the left and right sides, you will find three USB ports, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, a SD card slot and an audio plug for headphones and/or a mic (Oh yes, it’s a hybrid plug). What’s lacking is an optical drive which is common for thin-and-light laptops.
Performance and battery life
Speed and performance-wise, this machine will meet what is expected of it. It was able to perform well even with multiple applications (internet browser, audio and video player, image editor, and office applications) running simultaneously. With the Core i5’s Turbo Boost, you should expect a “œboost” in performance when running single tasks.
Here’s the Windows Experience Index of the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 that we got:
It has a pretty average score for the low-voltage Core i5 processor. Base score of 3.2 is expected given the nature of its integrated graphics.
The battery life lasted about 3-4 hours on regular use. Take note that this may still vary, depending on the amount of usage and power settings by the user.
Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 positions itself somewhere in the middle of a netbook and a high-end laptop. It will be perfect for users (especially professionals) on a budget with small IT needs. So, if you want an ultraportable that is thin, light, and edgy, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 is the one for you.
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 SRP starts at Php38,000.
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i5 470UM @ 1.33GHz (Turbo Boost 1.87GHz)
- Display: 13.3″³ – 1366×768 pixels
- RAM: 4GB DDR3
- HDD: 500GB SATA HDD 7200rpm
- Graphics: Intel HD
- Wireless Connection: WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1
- Ports: 2 x USB 2.0 ports, eSATA port, HDMI port
- Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion battery
- OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Editor’s note: This post is contributed by Jai Katipunan with some slight revisions by the editor. Jai is a runner and a surfer and also DJs from time to time. In fact, she used this Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 on one of her DJ stints hoping to test its spill-proof keyboard.
