Lenovo ThinkPad T470 (Core i5, Full-HD) Notebook Review

[Redaktion]

New revision of the business classic. The ThinkPads from the T-series represent typical business notebooks for many users. Lenovo does not only equip the new T470 with modern processors and ports, but also a completely new chassis. These are our first results – the review will be completed over the next couple of days.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T470-Core-i5-Full-HD-Notebook-Review.198130.0.html

[LL]

1640 euro for this??

[505thzajcev]

I would like to see the runtimes with the big battery! :)

[Kiteloop]

Awesome review, thanks a million, guys!  :)
Do you know by any chance if the model with dedicated GPU will be available in Spain?
Thanks

[Taneli]

Hopefully we get the X1 Carbon 5.gen review soon too! Since t470 is this expensive, the x1 is likely my choice

[Rayman]

"the T470 cannot utilize its full potential of the drive due to the x2 interface. The sequential transfer rates could be up to twice as high with an x4 interface."
Next line: "However, the impact in practice is negligible."

What!? Nope, sorry. This is a huge deal breaker for me as my 1tb samsung sm961 and 2tb 960 pro nvme ssds are going to waste and I don't fully trust that optane drive just yet. I'm sure many others feel the same.

Also, please note that according to the official psref documentation, it looks like the manufacturer has come up with another gamble along with existing display and keyboard lottery. There are two models: one with magnesium lid and another with pps(much less durable low quality plastic used on thinkpad L and E series). Seems like notebookcheck got the latter. Of course the weight different isn't significant but with the 72whr battery plus the ac adapter it is definitely noticeable and a serious stepback from previous generations.
http://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/ThinkPad/ThinkPad%20T470/ThinkPad_T470_Platform_Specifications.pdf

Other big personal deal breakers:
1) Still a crappy display, 1/2 people will probably still get pwm, max brightness drops on battery power.
2) Still no displayport 1.4 and hdmi2.0b. Other high-end laptops at this price point already have either or both. And aren't business laptops supposed to be feature-rich in this particular area? (Thunderbolt 3 isn't the solution here since it only covers displayport 1.2.)
3) No support for 9mm 2.5" drives, Could've put two m.2-2280 slots like the thinkpad P50/70 instead of one for people on budget (e.g. 256 sm961 nvme ssd for boot drive + 1tb sata 3 ssd for content storage). Yes there's an m.2-2242 slot but currently no commonly available nvme ssd in that form factor is noticeably faster than a sata 3 ssd.
4) I've practically given up on windows laptops' speaker quality but internal dac(soundcard) has become much more important because of this. I own a P50 and have tried other models in a retail store and all the last gen thinkpads except for the x1C and x1Y have unbearable dac quality. I suspect the T470 is no exception. I already carry a bulky headphone. I don't have to carry a portable dac as well.

Great review as usual but I'll wait for the 2017 x1C and x1Y reviews.

[eng]

For the reduced screen brightness on battery, turn off the Windows 10 Power saver and dimmed display brightness in Advanced Power Options (Windows

[systemBuilder]

1640 euro for this??

I think the 500 GB SSD adds a substantial amount to the price of the machine, probably 200 euros.  So the pricing is as follows:
    IPS FullHD Display £100
    Entire system chassis £800
    500 GB SSD £200
    Keyboard £540

[liangxing]

will you guys do the t570 anytime soon?

[Rwgr]

Can you please confirm whether the TB3 on the T470 operates on 2 or 4 pcie lanes? Lots of conflicting info everywhere it would be great to know for sure!

Thanks!

[Emeri]

About DDR4 memory :

- The specification says 2400mhz
- The official website only allows to select 2133mhz

Should we understand that both frequencies are possible for a ram upgrade?

[AG]

There are two models: one with magnesium lid and another with pps(much less durable low quality plastic used on thinkpad L and E series). Seems like notebookcheck got the latter.

PPS is not a cheap plastic, it actually has very good properties plus L and E are using ABS (not PPS).

[dthrp]

How do Macbooks achieve such high wireless speed? Can somebody explain?

[Anmol Sethi]

Which processor do you think would be best for the T470 given your comments about the i7 being "interesting"? The i5-7200U (base), i5-7300U ($94 more), i7-7500U ($150 more) or i7-7600U ($280 more) ?

[John Wong]

Somebody needs to fix the Pro & Cons translation, it is still written in german.