It’s not hard to understand why ThinkPads have become so synonymous with business laptops. For years, Lenovo’s powerful, portable workhorses have been the staple of many a modern worker’s desk.

The E range of ThinkPads are designed to be the affordable entry point to the storied laptop lineup, and the E14 Gen 6 proves solid business laptops don’t have to cost a fortune. From the solid spec sheet to the downright wonderful keyboard, it’s hard to go wrong with the E14 Gen 6.

About this review: Lenovo provided us with a ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 laptop for this review. It had no input in this article and did not see its contents before publishing.

Price, availability, and specs

Good options for a decent price

Being a ThinkPad, Lenovo offers a decent amount of customization options for the E14. The configuration I was sent includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155U (Meteor Lake), 16GB DDR5 RAM at 5600MHz, 512GB of storage, and a 14” WUXGA 1920x1200 non-touch, 60Hz display. All of that will run you just over $1,000 at the time of writing.

The base model offers a Core Ultra 5 125U, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for just a tad over $700 ($721 at time of writing). That's not a bad price for a good business laptop, but considering it's only a few hundred dollars more to upgrade almost all the internals, I would advise doing so if you can. At the very least, 16GB of RAM is about the lowest we recommend these days.

The E14 Gen 6 proves solid business laptops don't have to cost a fortune.

Sadly, the only display upgrades available are for a touch enabled display. Choosing the 16-inch (the ThinkPad E16 Gen 2) version gets you the option of 24GB of RAM, but everything else stays the same.

As configured, my model is currently $1,007 directly from Lenovo and most other retailers have it for around the same price. And with the holidays coming up, it’s likely you’ll be able to find it even lower than a thousand bucks over the next few weeks. To me, that’s a great price for what you’re getting, especially considering it’s a ThinkPad.

Design and ports

Once a ThinkPad, always a ThinkPad

The downside of that is that it keeps the quite pedestrian design language of the ThinkPad as well. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. The worst part is that being the budget line of ThinkPads, they don’t get the same (slightly) upgraded design as the more expensive ThinkPads like the P1 Gen 7. They keep the same bulkier design as they’ve had for the past several years, along with the physical mouse buttons for the TrackPoint.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s still very well-built and feels robust and durable just as a ThinkPad should. I just wonder if they’ll upgrade the design for the Gen 7 next year, which might be worth waiting for if you want a more modern look.

Lenovo gives you all the ports you might need on a business laptop including two USB-C ports (only one Thunderbolt 4), one USB Type-A, a full-size HDMI 2.1, and audio jack on the left, with a Kensington Nano lock, Ethernet, and USB-A port on the right.

I do wish that at least both USB-C ports were Thunderbolt 4, or that they gave you an extra one on the other side. And some people might need a dedicated DisplayPort, but these aren’t really dealbreakers in my opinion, especially for this price.

Display and webcam

Basic, boring display with a worse webcam

It’s a bummer that we’re still seeing 1920x1200 60Hz displays on laptops in late 2024, but this being a more budget-focused laptop, I can understand. However, the fact that there’s no option to upgrade is not acceptable in my opinion. I said it in my Acer Swift 14 AI review, and I stand by it here: I would happily pay for a better display, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Granted, I’m also not the target market for this computer, but customers always like more options.

I would happily pay for a better display, and I don't think I'm alone in that.

It's also unacceptable that we are still seeing terrible webcams in late 2024. The world has been remote and hybrid working for a few years now – many people since long before COVID – yet companies still seem content to skimp on the webcam. Again, I’m sure most people don’t mind all that much, and those who do need a better one likely use an external one anyway. But again, they shouldn’t have to do that.

It’s even worse when the AI and software features companies build to improve the webcam experience are just bad. The Video Enhancer feature stuttered so bad it wasn’t usable, and the Enhanced Clarity feature made me look like a cartoon. In truth, it’s not the worst webcam I’ve ever used, but the one the model I tested is the 1080p version, so I can’t even imagine how bad the 720p one is.

Keyboard and touchpad

A joy to type on

As always, the keyboard is one of the best parts of any ThinkPad, and the same holds true here. It’s just as responsive and pleasurable to type on as nearly anyone who’s used a ThinkPad before can attest. I had no trouble typing on it for long periods, even writing this review on it.

I do wish Lenovo would finally join the crowd and swap the left Ctrl and Fn keys, but at least you can do it through software. The backlight isn’t quite as bright as I’d like it to be either, and you only have two levels of adjustment. But to Lenovo's credit, the Copilot key is slotted between the right-side Alt and Ctrl keys instead of just replacing the Ctrl key like other manufacturers hav done.

The touchpad is also solid and responsive. It’s not haptic like on higher-end laptops and the Mylar surface means it’s also not quite as smooth as a glass one. However, this Mylar touchpad is infinitely better than the ones on other laptops I’ve tested, so it doesn’t bother me too much. I do wish it was glass, but it could be much worse.

The buttons for the TrackPoint are physical as opposed to the new haptic ones on some of Lenovo’s higher-end models this year. Diehard fans of the TrackPoint – you know who you are – will feel right at home here.

Performance and battery life

Capable performer, just don't stray too far from a plug

You can equip the E14 Gen 6 with either a Core Ultra 5 125U or Core Ultra 7 155U, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and up to a 1TB hard drive. All configurations come with integrated Intel graphics (not Arc, which is exclusive to the H-series processors). For an entry-level business laptop, that’s a respectable spec sheet.

The Ultra 7 155U is a lower-powered processor compared to the H-series chips you'll find on most high-end laptops, so performance is understandably lower. That being said, the numbers are not too shabby for a workhorse laptop. The E14 Gen 6 won’t give you blistering speed for editing and rendering, but it’s not designed for that either. It'll power through your workday without missing a beat though.

It will power through your workday without missing a beat.

Battery life was unimpressive on the E14. The PC Mark 10 battery test stopped running at 5 hours 36 minutes on Windows' Balanced setting. That’s not terrible, but it’s not great either. Fortunately, it supports fast charging so with a 65W or higher charger (including the one in the box) you can charge up to 80% in 60 minutes.

Unfortunately, performance drops pretty significantly on battery life. Lenovo is one of the worst offenders here, and the E14 is no exception. While on battery, PC Mark 10 turned in a score of 3,408. Geekbench single and multi-core scores were 851 and 4,559 respectively and Crossmark was 702. That’s about a 50% performance drop across the board which is not great. For lighter workloads, you probably won’t notice. But if you need to do anything even a little demanding, find a plug.

Should you buy the ThinkPad E14 Gen 6?

As expected, Lenovo has once again made a great business laptop. The ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is a robust, durable workhorse that’s a pleasure to type on. It offers plenty of power for those with lightweight work requirements and is backed by the ThinkPad quality we’ve come to expect. And all that comes at a very affordable price.

It’s not perfect with a very basic display that can’t be upgraded and a barely passable webcam. Plus, it’s not the most portable machine on the market. But if you just need a solid, reliable laptop for work or school, it’s hard to find a better value than the ThinkPad E14 Gen 6.

You should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 if:

• You need a powerful business laptop on a budget
• You want an affordable ThinkPad
• You don’t need to perform demanding tasks

You should not buy the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 if:

• You need all-day battery
• You want a better display
• You need a good webcam