Lenovo ThinkPad L380 review: Quality build for less

Lenovo'due south L-series of ThinkPad laptops attempts to bring a mix of power, size, and cost that appeals to those who don't want to drop quite equally much — sometimes up of $2,000 on X- and T-series models — on a business-oriented device. The ThinkPad L380 configuration I have hither costs about $950, with low-end models starting at about $585, and it acts as a successor to the ThinkPad thirteen.

Certain, there are some compromises made to continue the cost down, but it'due south still a ThinkPad with a lot of the features, like TrackPoint system, MIL-STD 810G durability testing, and upgradeable hardware, that we tin can appreciate. Let's accept a close look at whether or not the L380 would be a practiced fit for your next business organisation companion.

13.3-inch business

Lenovo ThinkPad L380

Starts at about $584

Lesser line: The $950 model we reviewed is a great (and cheaper) way to go your hands on a xiii-inch ThinkPad.

Pros

• Upgradeable RAM, SSD, Wi-Fi
• Price is competitive
• Great keyboard
• Snappy fingerprint reader
• Lots of ports
• All-day battery life

Cons

• Drab display
• Slow SSD

What you'll beloved about the Lenovo ThinkPad L380

Lenovo's cost-effective xiii.3-inch ThinkPad is built well, with an aluminum chapeau and glass cobweb reinforced polymer (GFRP) bottom. At that place'due south not much flex in the lid or chassis, and it feels sturdy to choice up. It'southward gone through MIL-STD 810G tests for everything from temperature to humidity to vibration. The dual hinges allow the hat to fold back flat (no convertible function here), and yous become a sturdy brandish that won't shake around too much if y'all're using the laptop while in a moving vehicle or train. It's available in black and argent colors.

Category	Spec
Form factor	Clamshell notebook
Brandish	13.3-inch FHD (1,920 x one,080) IPS, not-impact, anti-glare
Processor	8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM	8GB DDR4-2400MHz (Single stick)
Storage	256GB SATA Thousand.2 (Samsung PM871b)
Camera	Front-facing 720p
Speakers	Dual 2 watt
Biometrics	Fingerprint reader
Battery	45Wh (USB-C charger)
Wireless	Intel Dual Ring Wireless-Air conditioning 8265 (two 10 2) Bluetooth four.1
Ports	Two USB-A 3.1 Two USB-C 3.0 HDMI one.4b Mini Ethernet microSD menu reader 3.5mm audio
Size	12.67 inches ten 8.83 inches x 0.74 inches (321.8 mm ten 224.2 mm x eighteen.8 mm)
Bone	Windows 10 Pro
Weight	From 3.22 pounds (1.46 kg)

Afterward ensuring the laptop booted properly, I powered it down and took off the back cover. Nine screws and a lot of clips hold information technology in identify, but in one case removed, you take admission to the M.2 solid-country bulldoze (SSD), two slots of RAM, and Wi-Fi card. These can all be easily replaced downward the line, then you can save a couple hundred dollars now on smaller storage and less RAM and wait for a tertiary-party bargain to come your way. Unfortunately, there'southward no hot-swappable battery, merely I did become about 8 hours from a charge when going virtually usual tasks. When in dire straits, the USB-C charger tin get it back up to about 75 percent life in an 60 minutes.

The laptop is respectably thin at 0.74 inches (eighteen.viii mm), and you still get a broad selection of ports that tin can handle older and newer devices. There's no Thunderbolt 3 or Ethernet, but yous do go two USB-C and a Mini Ethernet port that's uniform with Lenovo's extension cable. HDMI ane.4b makes it easy to hook up a display, and 2 USB-A 3.1 ports hateful you won't be looking for a dongle for your older accessories.

A fingerprint reader for Windows How-do-you-do is set into the palm rest, and while it looks similar it would hit your palm while typing, it's placed strategically to avert whatsoever rubbing. It logged me in speedily and easily every fourth dimension, with no need for a password. A detached Trusted Platform Module (dTPM 2.0) security chip is also included for added security, and you can upgrade to a Cadre i5 vPro processor (CPU) for remote management.

Lenovo'due south ThinkPad L380 is a quality (and cost-constructive) business notebook with upgradeable hardware, plenty of ports, and great battery life.

In everyday usage, the L380 seems like a competent worker. I didn't notice any hiccups from the 8th Gen Core i5 CPU and 8GB of RAM, and testing with Geekbench and PC Marker came back with standard results. I saw a single-core three,945 and multi-core 9,775 score with the old exam, and a score of 2,762 with the latter exam. These are average results, and while you won't beat the more expensive ThinkPad models, you lot shouldn't exist disappointed with what y'all get here.

Finally, the keyboard, touchpad, and TrackPoint system are what yous'd wait from a ThinkPad. The keys are slightly cupped, they have a lot of travel, and they make a satisfying click. The appropriately-sized touchpad uses Precision drivers for the full range of Windows x gestures, and the TrackPoint organization remains intact, with three physical buttons and ruby arrow. Information technology all works as it should, and comfortably at that.

What you'll hate about the ThinkPad L380

Like a lot of Lenovo's cheaper laptops, the ThinkPad L380 suffers from a display with low brightness and poor color reproduction. The brightness issue is a bigger bargain here, with the display hitting just nether 250 nits. It has a matte stop that helps cut down on glare, simply in a well-lit room you'll probably observe yourself wishing for a few more increments of brightness. Testing colour accurateness, the L380 hitting 66 percent sRGB and 49 percent AdobeRGB, both pretty low results. This isn't a huge bargain on a business-oriented laptop — as long as you don't plan on any photograph or video editing — but it'southward even so something to go along in mind.

The other main grievance I accept is with the SATA SSD. Here Lenovo'southward gone with a Samsung PM871b, with a faster PCIe option available. In testing, I got a 545 MB/s read speed and a 528.9 write speed, which is average for upkeep devices. The slap-up thing, though, is the ease with which you tin swap out the SSD down the line for something far faster.

Lenovo ThinkPad L380 bottom line

Other than the dim display with poor colour reproduction and the slow SSD (which can be upgraded at checkout or easily swapped out after purchase), Lenovo'due south ThinkPad L380 has a lot to similar. Its xiii-inch size hits the sweet spot for many people, there'south a proficient selection of ports that will comprehend accessories for the next few years, and it's congenital well, true to the ThinkPad line. It's also priced competitively, opening it upward to a large audience that can't splurge on the higher-end 10- and T-series ThinkPads. All-day battery life and versatile USB-C charging ports means nearly days you can leave your charger backside when heading to the function.

Who should purchase this laptop?

If you're in the market for a business companion and don't mind a display without bully colour reproduction, the ThinkPad L380 is a cost-effective laptop for students and professionals. Information technology's durable, it's the correct size to behave around, and it has peachy battery life to get through a work (or school) day.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/lenovo-thinkpad-l380

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