Whether it’s their ultraportable PCs, business models or workstations, Lenovo solutions are always touted to be uncompromising solutions, with excellent quality and flawless product support. The ThinkPad series became well-known for the aforementioned features all the way back when IBM still held this company segment. Split into several series, the ThinkPad family comprises several important subcategories: the ultraportable X-series, the workstation W-series, the accessible SL-series, the stylised Edge series, the “green” L-series, and finally, the most popular of all, the balanced T-series. The newest representative of the T-series, T420, is the one that we’ve received for testing, and its intention was to convince us that it’s worthy of replacing one of the company’s best-selling models, T410.
As far as naming goes, T420 tells us everything about it - the series in question, its display size, as well as the type of CPU in question. Intel’s latest series of mobile Core CPUs is the one responsible for the number two in the name; more specifically, the heart of this model in particular is a dual-core Core i7 2620, one of the weakest CPUs in its series, if the adjective can be used for the Core i7 series at all. The T-series has had a replacement of all players, with T410, T410s, T510 and T510s replaced with T420, T420s, T520 and T520s, respectively.
The newest representatives from this series have kept their business matte looks, especially on the enclosure, which we can’t commend enough. Only a few elements differ from this look: the aluminium sections of the display’s frame, Lenovo and ThinkPad logos on the lid, as well as two yellow connectors - USB and voltage ones. The recognisable combination of red, blue and yellow discreet overtones that adorn the ThinkPad series is present here as well, as is the looks and layout of important elements characteristic for the series.
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As the T-series is targeting business users, who consider performance to be very important when deciding on a notebook to buy, it comes across as no surprise that T420 doesn’t belong to the thinnest models you’ve had the chance to see. Although it’s a 14” display model (T410 has a 14.1” display), it seems that every millimetre was used in the best way possible, which makes the notebook appear bigger than it actually is. The fantastic display with a resolution of 1600x900 (the perfect one for this display size, in our opinion) contributes to this feeling. This display diagonal is perfect for portable workstations, and combined with the aforementioned resolution, it enables a wide array of usage scenarios and great comfort in work. As usual, Lenovo hasn’t disappointed us with the display in any regard, since the latter has an anti-reflective coating, which makes it ideal for outside use under direct sunlight, where most display fail and become practically unusable.
As is the case with the rest of the enclosure, the plastic is resistant to fingerprints, while additional enclosure reinforcements make it impossible to twist the plastic and strain the components. Feel free to forget about any screeches or cracks, as Lenovo sticks true to their reputation and the ThinkPad brand, which means that the production quality is flawless. The keyboard is a classic model that’s remained unchanged on nearly all ThinkPad models - ideal for long typing sessions and with a good layout. The recognisable red trackpad is installed between G, H and B keys, and there are also the accompanying three keys for those that prefer this device to the touchpad. Some may dislike the fact that Ctrl and Fn keys have switched places, but BIOS allows this change to be quickly reverted to the usual setup. The keyboard is liquid-resistant and contains a plethora of functions accessible via the Fn key. The shape of the keys allows for very pleasant typing; the keys aren’t backlit, but there is a tiny lamp placed next to the camera on top of the lid, above the display. Above the keyboard, one can find volume and mute keys, as well as the blue ThinkVantage key and the power button. In the upper left corner, the Esc button was granted doubled room, and the same goes for Del, which makes both very accessible for frequent use - a very handy solution indeed.
