Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 Pro Reviews

All in all, the Lenovo Edge 15 should suit the needs of the majority of PC buyers—from home computer shoppers to students and even small business users—very well. It looks more expensive than it actually is, while delivering adequate performance and excellent creature comforts. If you need more power, step up to the $899 model, but if value is more important, this $699 version should tick all the boxes.

In short, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge makes too many sacrifices for no real benefit. It's thoroughly trounced by the Acer and HP in every respect, from raw power for getting more done to size, weight and build quality. With so many great machines on offer in the sub-£450 space, it's impossible to recommend the ThinkPad Edge for any user.

Lenovo’s attempt to class up the ThinkPad line leaves it shinier, but not ready to compete for any style awards just yet.

Take into consideration the ample connectivity options, an integrated DVD writer and Lenovo's excellent ThinkVantage software and support, and you're left with a solid business solution that's cheaper than others in the ThinkPad line.

If you could care less about the looks of a small business laptop, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 is user-friendly and cheap.

The Edge series has brought a lot of changes to the ThinkPad name. Most prominently, the glossy painted lid and Chiclet keyboard. With the smaller Edge 13 and Edge 14, build quality wasn't a huge problem; we only had a few minor concerns like screen protection and hinge quality. The Edge 15, with its larger size, seemed to hit the breaking point where the lack of an internal framework created considerable chassis flex around the palmrest and keyboard areas. The Edge 13 had panels that felt as hard as rock with absolutely no keyboard flex, which obviously didn't carry over as the size was increased past a certain point. In the end, our only recommendation would be to steer toward the smaller Edge 13 or 14 if you like the design or look at higher ThinkPad models if you need a 15-inch screen.

The ThinkPad Edge is perhaps the first step towards letting go of the classical ThinkPad design to a more modern styling. If that is really necessary will remain to be a matter of taste. You however have to accept setbacks in terms of function, as well as workmanship. Although Lenovo clearly positions the ThinkPad Edge series on the inexpensive starter level with superior equipment, the Edge can't fully keep up to the quality claim of a ThinkPad.

The look and feel of the ThinkPad Edge 15 inch is superb, and the performance of the Core i5 hardware delivers the goods. The only weak part of the specification is the Intel graphics core, which will be a downer for gamers but the rest of us won't care. And using Intel graphics helps to extend the battery life to a credible 114 minutes of continuous use. Our single biggest problem with the ThinkPad Edge is that it is rather expensive, despite its claim to be a budget laptop.

The ThinkPad Edge has good performance and battery life but a disappointing screen and smallish hard disk.