Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Picking the best Lenovo laptop is difficult because whichever one you choose, it won’t be perfect for everyone. With brands as unique and beloved as ThinkPad and Yoga, you’ve got a lot of choices on your hands. Do you go with the one that has the best internal hardware, the nicest display, the greatest portability? What about the best bang for your buck?
These might not make our list for the best laptops you can buy in general, but these are the best ones that Lenovo has for sale.
The best
Yoga 720 ($980)
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Modern laptops come in all sorts of guises, but one of the most popular and versatile is the 2-in-1. Being able to convert your powerful, portable computer into an even more portable tablet is a great feature and the Lenovo Yoga 720 is a perfect example of that. With a starting price of $990 (on sale at the time of writing at $750) it offers credible competition to some of the best laptops out there, while giving you that additional functionality.
Under the hood it sports seventh and eighth-generation Intel hardware, with a Core i5-8250U, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD at the entry level, up to a Core i7-8550U, 16GB of RAM and a terabyte of PCIexpress SSD storage. You are limited to Intel HD graphics, so although there is an option for a 4K display, we probably wouldn’t recommend it — even if we weren’t huge fans of the 1080p option either.
Battery life is the biggest let-down of this 2-in-1, but overall it’s still a solid system and thanks to aggressively competitive pricing, it offers a lot of bang for your buck at that near-premium mid-range of the market.
Buy one from:
Lenovo Amazon
The rest
Yoga 920 ($1,180+)
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
The Yoga 920 is an upgrade over our previously beloved Yoga 910 and it’s everything we could have hoped for. It packs the latest generation of Intel hardware with up to 16GB of memory, the option of a 1080p or 4K display, and still features that versatile and iconic watchband hinge.
Its design is also lighter than its predecessor — and battery life is excellent, especially for lighter tasks. That makes this a highly portable 2-in-1. It’s a little expensive compared to some of the alternatives from other companies, but the quality you get for your money makes it well worth it.
Just don’t expect to do much gaming on it. The Yoga 920 has great hardware, but the Intel HD 620 graphics — especially on a 4K display — won’t get you far unless you only play low-level indie games.
Buy one from:
Lenovo Amazon
Thinkpad X1 Carbon 2018 ($1,520+)
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
The ThinkPad range is aimed at a different type of user than some of Lenovo’s other laptops, in that it doesn’t look or feel like a completely modern device — and that’s a good thing. With refined, classic styling, plenty of ports and a focus on function over form, the latest generation of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon delivers stellar performance in a robust and professional package.
It is a little on the expensive side when compared to other brands, but Lenovo hasn’t scrimped on its design. Sporting Intel’s latest generation Core CPUs up to an i7-8650U, up to 16GB of memory, and a TB of high-speed PCIe storage, you aren’t going to want for power if you’re willing to pay for it. The laptop itself is also exceedingly well built meaning it will handle the odd bump and bang when taken on long trips.
The on-board graphics certainly won’t offer much for those wanting to game at the end of the day and battery life is a little lacking for more intensive tasks, but if you want a snappy laptop that doesn’t cry out for attention, this ThinkPad is hard to beat.
Buy one now from:
Lenovo Amazon
Thinkpad T480 ($1,050+)
The ThinkPad T-series is not likely to ever usurp the gorgeous laptops of the world as a mainstream favorite, that doesn’t mean it’s not a fantastic line. It has always been a firm favorite of ours and the latest T480 is no exception. With a clean, understated exterior and great hardware and battery life under the hood, what’s not to like?
The new T480 ups the ante of its predecessors with the option of a discrete Nvidia MX 150 graphics chip, which can handle entry level gaming better than integrated Intel graphics. With a Core i7 CPU from Intel’s eighth-generation and up to 24GB of memory, there aren’t many tasks you’ll throw at this laptop that it can’t handle.
Like the rest of the ThinkPad range, the T480 is also a tough and durable laptop, so if you plan on lugging it around with you on lengthy trips, it can handle the odd knock and wear.
It’s not going to win any style awards, but when it comes to functional, powerful notebooks, the $1,050 ThinkPad T480 is one of Lenovo’s best.
Buy one from:
Lenovo Amazon
Ideapad Flex 5 ($690)
We’ve enjoyed previous generations of Lenovo’s Flex range of laptops, so it’s been a pleasure to see the new Flex 5 continue that trend of a premium feel in a high-entry level package. Starting just under $700, you get a surprising amount for your money. All options include an eighth-generation CPU and you can add as much as 16GB of memory alongside a 4K display if that’s what you’re after.
All models feature the functional, 360-degree hinge for tent and tablet modes and Lenovo has gone out of its way to enhance the audio so the Flex 5 is great for media viewing.
Battery life isn’t endless, especially with a 4K panel, so this isn’t a device you’ll want to use away from a power socket for too long. Meanwhile, cheaper models with Intel HD graphics aren’t going to offer much gaming chops — though the optional GeForce 940MX is a little more capable if you need it.
The Flex isn’t as powerful or as impressive as other entries on this list, but at the price you pay, you get a lot of laptop for it.
Buy one now from:
Lenovo Amazon
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