Lenovo makes excellent 2-in-1 laptops that can double as a tablet, including models released under the Yoga brand. However, those convertible laptops are targeted at the consumer market, so what about business customers? If you aren't willing to pay upwards of $2,000 for a ThinkPad convertible, you might look at a ThinkBook model instead. This year, Lenovo updated the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 to include Intel Core Ultra, which adds an NPU for on-device AI processing. It isn't quite Copilot+, but it does bring more AI features to professional users. Beyond the performance improvements that come with Core Ultra, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1's big appeal is that it looks like a great business laptop yet supports convertible functionality.

However, it's only a good buy for people who really care about their laptop having a business-focused aesthetic. That's because the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 we reviewed earlier this year is a more consumer-friendly laptop, and it beats the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 in general performance. If you avoid the base model, you can get a great-value ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 configuration that will fit in easily in business environments. But for the casual user, the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 is cheaper, sleeker, and performs better.

About this review: Lenovo loaned us a ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 for the purposes of this review. The company had no input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Price, specs, and availability

Following an announcement earlier this year, the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 became available for purchase starting May 2024. The official retail price for the base model is $1,595, and it gets you an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. However, the laptop debuted with a hefty discount, bringing the price down to $1,037 at the time of writing. Our review unit includes the Intel Core Ultra 5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. This configuration costs $1,114 while discounted, with an MSRP of $1,714.

The configuration I'd recommend is fairly maxxed-out, but the price right now is too good to beat. You can buy a ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 with an upgraded Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage and an included pen for $1,386 at the time of writing. That's a steal, and if you're interested in the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1, you should jump on this discounted configuration while you still can.

Design and ports

You're familiar with the ThinkBook 14's design, and probably wouldn't guess it's a convertible

At first glance, you might not even notice that the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is a convertible, and that's by design. This laptop looks just like regular ThinkBook laptops, and to a lesser degree, Lenovo's other business laptops. The design will be especially appreciated by business users, since the angular and low-key appearance won't stand out. The build quality of the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is perhaps the most impressive aspect of its design. The metal chassis is incredibly sturdy, and there's virtually zero deck flex. It's about as durable as it can be without compromising looks.

Of course, there are downsides to the thick and sturdy construction. The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is heavy, weighing 3.62 pounds. It's also fairly thick, measuring a thickness of 0.73 inches in the thickest configuration. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but the thinness of a device matters in the convertible form factor. The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is quite difficult to hold with one hand in tablet mode, and feels too thick and heavy to make using it as a tablet a comfortable experience. It's just one of the ways that the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 is a better option for most consumers than the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1.

The port selection on the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is impressive, and that's one of the benefits to owning a business laptop. There are two USB-C ports, but they are unfortunately rated for different specifications. One is a full Thunderbolt 4 port, and the other is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and power delivery. The other ports include two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack. The configuration could be better — there are no USB-C ports on the right side of the laptop — but the overall selection offers a variety of ports.

Keyboard and touchpad

The same ThinkBook keyboard we're used to, now with Copilot

Lenovo keyboards feel consistent, whether you're using a ThinkPad or a gaming laptop. That's a good thing, because the keyboard on the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 feels excellent to type on. There's just enough key travel for a laptop of this size, and the layout is familiar. Full-size arrow keys and page up/down keys are pushed down slightly, and there's a Copilot key. Otherwise, it's a normal Lenovo keyboard. The touchpad is large and produces a satisfying click noise when pressed, without requiring too much force to trigger. In all, if you've used a ThinkPad or ThinkBook keyboard before, you know what to expect. Since it's a ThinkBook, you won't find the infamous TrackPoint here.

Display

It's a fine touchscreen panel, but it's nothing outstanding

Of course, the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is a convertible laptop that features a touchscreen display. That's great for people who love touchscreen laptops and 2-in-1 devices, but this particular display panel isn't groundbreaking otherwise. It features a 14-inch display with a 1920 × 1200 resolution, and it uses IPS technology. It's only 60Hz, too. With color accuracy that is just "fine" and brightness that is borderline bad, the only good thing about this display is that it supports touch. All of this might not matter on a business-oriented laptop, especially the refresh rate, but it's still worth noting.

Lenovo claims that the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 covers the entirety of the sRGB color gamut, and our independent display testing backs that up. However, most laptops cover the sRGB color space, and it's the NTSC, AdobeRGB, and DCI-P3 ones that prove to be more difficult. The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 covers 79% of the DCI-P3 gamut, proving that color accuracy isn't a reason to buy this laptop.

Aside from the relatively poor color accuracy, the brightness levels supported by this display are just downright bad. Lenovo rates this screen for 300 nits of brightness, but our tests only measured a maximum of about 200 nits. This made the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 difficult to see, even in generally favorable lighting conditions. It's almost impossible to see outdoors and in direct sunlight.

Performance

About what you'd expect, but worse than the Yoga 7 2-in-1

By this point, I've tested a range of Intel Core Ultra variants on various laptops, from the Core Ultra 5 in the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 to the Core Ultra 9 in the Alienware x16 R2. The level at which Intel Core Ultra can elevate daily performance compared to other Intel and AMD processors depends on a lot of factors, and generally, the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U isn't all that impressive.

It's passable for most workloads, but I did notice this laptop struggle at times, especially at extremely low battery levels. This was with 16GB of RAM, so I have to assume the base model with 8GB of RAM would perform even worse. As I mentioned earlier in the review, my ideal ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 configuration has a Core Ultra 7 chip and at least 16GB of memory — though 32GB is a good upgrade at the right price.

The thing that really hurts the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is how its performance stacks up against other similarly-priced convertibles. In our productivity benchmarks suite, the Intel Core Ultra 5 lost out to the AMD Ryzen 7 and the Core Ultra 7 in most cases.

If you configure the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 with a Core Ultra 7, it probably matches the performance of the HP Envy x360 2-in-1 in PCMark 10. However, the more concerning competitor is Lenovo's own Yoga 7 2-in-1 with the AMD Ryzen 7 chip. That laptop starts at $900, which is more than $200 less than the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 unit we tested. Still, the Yoga 7 beats the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 in every test, from Geekbench 6 single and multi-core scores to Crossmark's overall score. Unless you really need the ThinkBook look or an NPU, it's hard to recommend the ThinkBook 2-in-1 over the Yoga 7.

Should you buy the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1?

You should buy the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 if:

• You want a convertible laptop with a business look and feel
• You want an Intel Core Ultra laptop with a dedicated NPU
• You don't mind the laptop's chunky appearance and added weight

You should NOT buy the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 if:

• You don't need a business-style laptop, and would prefer the Yoga 7 14 instead
• You're on a budget and want to buy the base model of a laptop
• You like using convertible laptops in tablet mode

There are plenty of touchscreen laptops on the market, even those that would qualify as "business" laptops. However, there aren't as many business convertibles that can be quickly transitioned from laptop mode, to stand mode, to tablet mode. The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 targets this niche sector of the market, and is ideal for people that want a convertible laptop that can be brought into business meetings without catching funny looks. To me, the Lenovo Yoga 7 14 2-in-1 looks professional enough. But if you're left wanting more from the Yoga 7's design, the ThinkBook 14 looks just like a ThinkBook — it just happens to double as a tablet.

The good thing about the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 is that there are virtually zero compromises that come with using the device in laptop mode. The keyboard, touchpad, and chassis are excellent. There are a few downsides to using this laptop in tablet mode, and those are related to the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1's thick and heavy build. Still, there are a few configurations of the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 that are very easy to recommend. As long as you stay away from the base model, you'll end up with a great convertible laptop.