Lenovo ThinkPad T431s Pro Reviews

The Lenovo ThinkPad T431s offers an exceptional design that few notebooks match at this price point. With its durable build quality, portable form factor and above average battery life, the T431s is the ideal travel notebook. Users can also rest assured that the device is a pleasure to use thanks to its high-quality keyboard and responsive touchpad. While the feel and look of the T431s easily justifies its sizeable price tag, the performance does not. With its dull color contrast and limited viewing angles the display is lack luster and the middling performance scores are more in line with a mid-tier device; especially considering the inclusion of a fourth-generation Intel processor and SSD storage has become common place. Business users looking for a device aimed at travel who require modest performance and don't mind conceding on the display will be well served by the Lenovo ThinkPad T431s. However, users may also want to consider the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon as an alternative option; the device offers better performance within an even more portable form factor and is currently available on Lenovo's website at a comparable price.

If you're looking for a laptop that will make your IT department happy that also won't be a drag to work with on and off the clock, the Lenovo ThinkPad T431s would certainly be a good way to go.

As Ultrabooks go, the ThinkPad T431s is far from the skinniest, lightest, fastest, or longest-lasting model you can buy. And without perks like a touchscreen and solid-state storage (the latter is available on other configurations), it's hard to justify Lenovo's higher-than-average price. Business users might continue to appreciate the ThinkPad's sturdy design, security features, and comfy keyboard, but others will find more features and better performance for less money.

Lenovo's pricey new entry into the Ultrabook market caters deftly to business users, but it fails to deliver most of what's good about Ultrabooks: speed, portability, and convenience.

We've looked at so many stylish and thin consumer-oriented ultrabooks that when a blatant business tool like the ThinkPad T431s comes into our labs we have to remind ourselves to see it from a different perspective. Instead of media consumption, social networking, and Web surfing, would-be ThinkPad buyers have a different set of priorities: business productivity. With that in mind, ThinkPad shoppers are looking for machines that can stand up to harsh business and workplace environments—laptops built to travel and to provide features, such as industry-leading keyboards, to help users get work done. When we look at the T431s from that mindset, we don't care as much about eye-popping screens that display the latest superhero movie with breathtaking vibrancy and detail. Cool, work-of-art chassis designs take on less importance, too.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T431s is a solid business laptop, and users should have no problem adapting to it from previous T-series ThinkPads.

The renowned ThinkPad T Series was more or less stagnant in its visual design until the introduction of the Chiclet AccuType keyboard a little more than a year ago. The chassis changes on the T431s signify a move towards a more traditional Ultrabook look whilst maintaining as much of the traditional qualities of the ThinkPad as possible including the magnesium construction and internal roll cage. To that end, build quality is excellent as always for a T Series model, but the process of slimming down both the thickness and weight has resulted in slight sacrifices in rigidity that longtime ThinkPad users may notice. It’s a typical tradeoff between portability and sturdiness no matter how users choose to look at the thinner design. Meanwhile, the major improvements to the AccuType keyboard and the reimagined touchpad are terrific. The greater travel and feedback of each key and the considerably large touchpad for a 14-inch notebook make the notebook very easy to use. We’re missing the traditional beveled layout less and less as the Chiclet layout continues to improve overtime. Lenovo’s big bet on integrating the five dedicated mouse keys onto the touchpad has certainly paid off and we would not be surprised to see it expand onto other ThinkPad lineups in the future. Although it is the manufacturer’s first release of a glass touchpad for a T Series, it is already one of the best for an Ultrabook. With regards to performance, the lower surface temperatures and longer battery life compared to the T430s and T430 are big pluses, though at the cost of having a non-removable battery and a louder system fan when under medium to high loads. These features make the T431s a sort of hybrid between the X1 Carbon and T430s with most of the best qualities of both models. Frequent travelers who want something lighter than a standard ThinkPad without the usual fragility of a typical Ultrabook will find a lot to like about the new design philosophy and direction that future T Series models may be heading towards.