Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 vs Gen 3: Is it worth the upgrade?

• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4

  The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 appears to be a solid business laptop. It brings the latest 13th Gen Intel processors, or AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors, as well as the option of an OLED screen. Even the webcam has been improved with the option of a 5MP camera.

  Positives

  • Latest AMD and Intel processors
  • Option for a 5MP webcam
  • Still durable and portable

  cons

  • A new webcam and OLED display are additions
  • Not yet available for purchase

• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 3

  Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 is a business laptop powered by Intel 12th-gen or AMD Ryzen 6000 processors. It has a 16:10 display, plenty of ports, and it grabs all the essentials for businesses.

  Positives

  • A great screen with an aspect ratio of 16:10
  • The AMD Ryzen 6000 and Intel 12th Generation processors are still strong performers
  • Mostly for sale in 2023

  cons

  • Webcams max 1080p
  • There is no OLED option

Every year Lenovo updates its best ThinkPads and for 2023 we get the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 It’s an upgrade from last year’s ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 There are some subtle differences between these two great business laptops. For example, you’ll see faster CPUs and better webcams on the newer Gen 4 model, but that’s just the beginning. If you’re planning to upgrade from an older model or just curious why the Gen 4 model is better, we’ve got you covered.

Lenovo also offers the ThinkPad T14S, which is not part of this comparison but is nearly identical to the standard T14.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 vs Gen 3: Price and availability

You can’t buy the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 just yet, although Lenovo just announced that the laptop will be available in May. Lenovo also said that pricing will start at $1,239, which likely refers to the introductory model.

You can purchase the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 today at Lenovo.com. It’s currently on sale for $1,013, and the company also runs deals on its site, so you’ll likely see a similar price. That gets you a model with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The screen is the standard 1920 x 1200, 14-inch display with a 1080p webcam.

• 	Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4	Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 3
  Brand	Lenovo	Lenovo
  color	Storm Gray, Thunder Black	Storm Gray Thunder Black (optional antimicrobial surface treatment)
  storage	Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD	Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
  CPU	13th Generation Intel Core processors or AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors	Up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro P and U processors or AMD Ryzen 6000 Pro CPUs
  memory	up to 32GB LPDDR5x	Up to 48GB Dual Channel DDR4 on Intel and 32GB LPDDR5 on AMD
  OS	Windows 11 operating system	Windows 10, Windows 11 and Ubuntu
  battery	39.3Whr or 52.5Whr battery	39.3Wh battery (integrated graphics only) 52.5Wh battery
  ports	2 x Thunderbolt 4 (Intel) / USB4 (AMD) 2 x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) 1 x HDMI 2.0b 1 x RJ45 Ethernet 3.5mm combo headphone port SIM card slot	2 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB Type-C 2 x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) 1 x HDMI 2.0b 1 x RJ45 Ethernet 3.5mm combo headphone port SIM card slot
  camera	720p HD Webcam, 1080p HD Webcam + IR, 5MP + IR Webcam	720p HD camera 1080p Full HD camera 1080p Full HD camera + IR camera
  screen (size, resolution)	14″ with 16:10 aspect ratio, up to 2.8K OLED, 400 nits, 100% DCI-P3, 90Hz refresh rate	14-inch 16:10 aspect ratio: FHD + 1920 x 1200 IPS 300, 400, 500 nits touch, antiglare, Privacy guard, / 2.2K IPS 300 nits / UHD + 3840 x 2400 IPS 500 nits
  Weight	2.92 pounds	Less than 3 lbs
  GPU	Intel Iris Xe graphics, Nvidia GeForce MX550 (optional, Intel only) / AMD Radeon graphics	Intel only: Iris XE graphics and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 / AMD only: AMD Radeon Graphics 600M
  The dimension	12.51 x 8.93 x 0.70 in	12.51 x 8.93 x 0.70 in
  network	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.1 Cellular (Optional): 4G LTE	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 4G LTE (Cat4 / Cat16 / Cat20)
  Amplifiers	Dolby Audio Speaker System with Dolby Audio	Dolby Audio speaker system with dual Dolby Voice microphones

Display: A new Gen 4-style OLED option with a better webcam

The basic displays across the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 and ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 are the same. Both are still 14 inches with a 16:10 aspect ratio and slim bezels. The base resolution is similar too, coming in at FHD+ 1920 x 1200, with options to upgrade to 2.2K resolution (2240 ​​x 1400), touch, anti-glare, and privacy protection with 500 nits of brightness.

The differences come down to three things. The Gen 3 model has the option of UHD+ (3840 x 2400 resolution screen), while the Gen 4 model has the option of a new OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate.

The Gen 4 model has a better webcam, and an option for an OLED screen, but you can get the Gen 3 model with a more pixel-dense panel.

Whichever model you choose, you’ll still have a great multitasking experience, with an aspect ratio that lets you stack windows side by side more easily. If you want more pixels to play with, the Gen 3 model comes with a UHD+ display, which you won’t find on the new Gen 4 model.

Meanwhile, the Gen 4 model has a new 2.28K (2280 x 1800 resolution) OLED display, which has a faster 90Hz refresh rate, better color reproduction and color accuracy. Those who care about photography might prefer the new OLED model, but standard business users just browsing the web don’t need to upgrade, as color accuracy isn’t as important.

And let’s mention the webcam on top of these screens, too. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 has a 5MP webcam option, which is higher quality, and will make you look better on video calls due to the jump in pixels on the sensor. It is a paid promotion. Meanwhile, Gen 3 has a lower-end 720p HD webcam, with the option to upgrade to a 1080p webcam. All webcams are compatible with Windows Hello, so you can log into your computer using your face.

Performance: Newer CPUs vs. Older

Performance is very important when you’re buying a laptop, but you shouldn’t see much difference between Gen 3 and Gen 4 models unless you’re doing more demanding tasks like video editing or encoding. If you must have the latest and greatest CPU inside your laptop, the Gen 4 model would be the one to buy since it has options for 13th Gen Intel CPUs and AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs. But overall, it should The Gen 3 model also performs with productivity tasks because the 12th Gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 6000 Pro series processors are still fast.

However, Lenovo appears to have removed the RTX graphics option this year on the Gen 4 model with an Intel chip — you’ll only get the MX550 graphics card. The Gen 3 Intel model still has this option, but it’s a dated graphics card at this point. But if you want a more powerful laptop, consider adding the MX550 graphics card as an upgrade.

You shouldn’t expect a huge performance increase between generations.

We haven’t compared any laptop’s performance to Intel’s 13th Gen CPUs yet, so we can’t tell you how much performance you’ll get with the new processors. Intel stated that you’ll get a 10% increase in throughput between CPU generations, which isn’t very significant.

However, the main differences relate to the CPU clock speed, which has been bumped up a bit on the new 13th Gen parts. It won’t make a huge gain to standard productivity, but it’s still worth noting. Again, we’re looking to benchmark Intel’s 13th Gen U-series and P-series processors for a more in-depth comparison, and we’ll update this guide when we do.

Meanwhile, there are new AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors on the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4. That’s versus the AMD Ryzen 6000 PRO (20W) processors on the Gen 3 model. It’s hard to talk about performance here as well because we don’t know what the specific AMD CPU is. used by Lenovo. Some of the new Ryzen 7000 CPUs are still using Zen 2 and Zen 3 architecture. If those CPUs have the new integrated Radeom 700M graphics and use Zen 4, you can expect an increase in battery life as well as battery performance, which was a problem with Older Ryzen 6000 series processors. However, we will have to wait for more spec sheets and official confirmations.

Design: Both laptops look the same

As is usual with generational improvements, there aren’t many design differences between the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 and Gen 3. Both are military-tested, are quite rugged, and are also both clamshell laptops. There is no real design difference to consider if you want to buy one or the other.

You’ll still get a portable laptop no matter which one you choose. Both devices are just under 13 inches and 3 pounds. They share the exact same dimensions, but weights may vary slightly. The Gen 4 is listed at 2.92 pounds while Lenovo only says the Gen 3 is less than 3 pounds. Either way, we doubt you’ll feel the difference.

Connectivity: Very well matched

There isn’t much of a connectivity difference between the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 and ThinkPad T14 Gen 3. Both devices are identical in connectivity, which isn’t surprising considering this is just a generations update. On both devices, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) ports, an HDMI 2.0b port, an RJ45 Ethernet jack, and a 3.5mm headphone jack in addition to the optional SIM card slot. This is more than enough to avoid using a dongle or dock.

The ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is for you

The ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is not yet on sale, but it’s worth buying if you want the latest and greatest. It may be more expensive than the Gen 3 model, but you’ll get a newer CPU from Intel, as well as the option to upgrade to a better OLED display and a 5MP webcam. This can help make your laptop more adaptable for the future.

The ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 is still a great laptop, too. This device looks identical to the newer model. It’s cheaper too, but you won’t get upgrades and will have to stick with a 1080p or 720p webcam and a standard IPS screen. It is a great choice for those who do not need the latest and best Lenovo products.