Lenovo has officially announced their ThinkPad L Series, which we actually covered two weeks ago when it broke in Lenovo’s PSREF doc. Lenovo dotes that this is their most recycled–er, green ThinkPad ever. Considering it’s a refreshed, renamed ThinkPad SL series, we’d have to agree.
You can check out the side-by-side images of the SL and L series in the original post if you’re in doubt, but at least today we have some more specifics around the L Series.
Quick overview
Lenovo’s ThinkPad L Series consists of the 14-inch L412 and 15-inch L512 models powered by Intel Celeron, Core i3 and Core i5 processors. With the Edge models replacing SL in the small business realm, this “new” L Series will be replacing the R Series for entry-level corporate models. These are intended to provide comparable functionality to the more expensive T Series, but with a lower cost design and some feature de-contenting to reduce cost. Lenovo will also sell these to the education market, serving primary and secondary schools.
If you’re curious how all these models fit together, check out my post What is Lenovo doing with all these models?
It’s a green world after all
While these models do have a solid feature set, Lenovo has focused extensively on promoting their “green” stats more than anything. The L Series use post consumer content in their plastic chassis, supposedly from office water jugs and used IT equipment. The L512 actually measures up at 18% recycled bits, making it the most recycled laptop in the industry. To help put it in perspective, Lenovo tells us each L Series laptop saves 10 water bottles from hanging out in the landfill.
Of course the L Series sports Energy Star 5.0 certification and an EPEAT Gold rating. Perhaps the most interesting bit to me is that the packaging these ship in is almost entirely recyclable. Having received many laptops over the years, I can really appreciate the reduction of waste and non-recyclable materials in these packages.
With the floofy high level messages out of the way, I thought it would be helpful to cover the nitty gritty differences in this “new” series from the rest:
Differences between L and T Series
- Wider choice in processors, including Celeron, Core i3, Core i5; no Core i7
- Optional ATI graphics on L, NVIDIA graphics on T
- No SSD option on L
- Both have ExpressCard/34, 4 USB 2.0 ports, multi-card reader, VGA & DisplayPort (w/audio); no Firewire on L
- L has USB/eSATA combo port, T410 has separate eSATA
- No ThinkLight, roll cage or swappable bay drive on L Series
- ABS plastic on L; HEPC plastic on top, carbon fiber reinforced plastic on bottom of T410
- 6-row (non-chiclet) keyboard on L; standard 7-row on T
- 16:9 LCD on L, 16:10 on T410, 16:9 on T510
Differences between L and SL Series
- Update to newest Intel processors on L
- SL series have HDMI output, L Series have DisplayPort (w/audio output too)
- Combo headphone/mic jack on L
- L gets TPM chip, upgraded to Gobi 2000 WWAN
Wrap-up
At the end of the day, these models are designed to bring a higher margin to Lenovo’s entry price point, while still preserving the brand image that their existing corporate customers have. Diehard ThinkPadders like you and I won’t be as interested in this model and it won’t especially appeal to the ThinkPad un-initiated, considering the design is classic ThinkPad and despite a robust feature set, no real stand-out specs.
Looking at this from outside the ThinkPad hierarchy, the L Series are competitive feature to feature and in price, starting at $649. The design may be a sticking point, being semi-light at 5+ lbs and 1.25-1.4 inches thick with only a choice of black or black colors.
The ThinkPad L412 and L512 will be available mid-May through Lenovo.com and business partners.
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I am a diehard ThinkPadder and I am interested in this model. In fact, I am interested in all models because I love ThinkPads (and Lenovo)! Another reason of why I’m interested is because this is the replacement for the R series. I can’t believe that you would say this about the L series, which is after all, a ThinkPad! It sickens me to hear comments like this.
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