Lenovo was founded in China in 1984. But the company didn’t really take off as a laptop manufacturer until their acquisition of IBM in 2005. It brought with it the world–famous ThinkPad brand. It is a favorite name for people who are searching for a mid–budget laptop for everyday use. Lenovo also has Mid–budget Gaming Laptop line like the Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop. But for today’s generation, Lenovo is popular for its ThinkPad & IdeaPad.
If you are a Lenovo laptop fan or planning to grab a new Lenovo laptop then you have the best two options. Either you can buy a Lenovo ThinkPad or you can go with a Lenovo IdeaPad.
Lenovo’s Thinkpads are powerful, durable, and high-end laptops for business users and professionals. Lenovo’s IdeaPad devices are all-around machines made for a variety of purposes.
Ideapad, in general, seems to have better hardware. Thinkpads, in general, seem more durable than and not as elegant as Ideapad. The IdeaPad line is Lenovo’s entry into the consumer market. This usually means less durable plastics, different warranties, and possibly not offering the same packed–in software.
Today, we’ll contrast the ThinkPad against the IdeaPad to help you make the best decision about which laptop series is best for you.
Table of Contents
Lenovo Thinkpads:
ThinkPad laptops are especially popular with businesses and professionals. Its durable design makes it suitable for even the most demanding working environment. ThinkPads are the only laptops certified for use by the International Space Station. Thinkpads are also equipped with one of the most-watched Lenovo innovative products, namely TrackPoint.
Thinkpad envisioned as solid machines that you can rely on at home, in the office, or anywhere in-between.
What’s Great About the Lenovo ThinkPad?
The ThinkPad is the Iron Man of laptops. IdeaPads are purely a Lenovo product, as opposed to the ThinkPads which were originally from IBM, which was later acquired by Lenovo. Lenovo tests ThinkPads against 12 military-grade requirements and 200 quality checks to ensure they are able to function in any condition. Clearly, when it comes to gaming, you probably do not need a computer that can weather the elements. It is why the ThinkPads better serve as laptops for businesses with many people, where computers may be passed down to new employees.
Lenovo Ideapad:
The IdeaPad series of Lenovo laptops was first released in 2008. All IdeaPad laptops can satisfy the home users’ demands, that is to say, they focus on multimedia and games. IdeaPad provides you with distinctive portability, not only because it can be used both on a tablet and in tent mode, but also because it is very compact and ultra-lightweight.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad devices are a good place to start if you’re looking to pick up an inexpensive “first laptop”.
What’s Great About the Lenovo IdeaPad?
The Lenovo Ideapad series is better for home use, and yes, gaming. The IdeaPads are better for multimedia. You can stream, watch, and games on these laptops. It’s not to say you cannot do those things on the ThinkPads, but we would recommend going with the IdeaPads if your sole purpose is for gaming.
The IdeaPads aren’t nearly as robust or durable as the ThinkPads, which are meant for work environments where your computer may exchange hands a few times. The IdeaPads are great for students and people on the move. Students can fit their laptops easily in their bags to transport between classes, and then use them to game back in their dorm.
I would also recommend the IdeaPad for children if you are looking to buy a gaming computer for a child. Lenovo Thinkpad VS Ideapad–Features:
Lenovo Thinkpad VS Ideapad–Features
Lenovo Thinkpad Features:
To put it in simple words, Thinkpad resembles the Ferrari of the Lenovo brand. Paradoxically, these are professional–grade laptops that are dressed to match concerning durability, functionality, and layout.
If you’re on the very top of your area and your whole workday revolves around your laptop as you run numerous programs, tabs, attend online conventions, meetings, etc., the Thinkpad is a no–brainer.
- Durable: These laptops are so durable that they are generally made with a mix of titanium, magnesium, or carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic so that they could quickly deal with two or two.
- Quality: Adding to the durability, it is using better quality RAM, Processors, HDDs, SSDs, etc as compared to Ideapad’s.
- International Space Station: Believe it or not, the Thinkpad series is the only laptop ever to become certified and approved for use at the International Space Station.
- Trackpoint: The Thinkpads also arrive with a few of the very talked-about Lenovo creations, the TrackPoint. The TrackPoint intends to offer you complete access to this pointer’s motion without needing to take your hands off the keyboard.
- Backlit Keyboard: The backlit keyboards have ample space between keys, so the travel space is ideal for comfortable and speedy typing.
With this much pace and power from the lender, the laptop may be used for everything and anything (from movie editing, graphic designing, programming into many matches, it can manage everything.
Lenovo Ideapad Features:
Though the ThinkPads were reaping the plaudits due to their specs and layout, Lenovo didn’t overlook the funding buyers and their assortment of IdeaPads in 2008.
- Affordable: Lenovo Thinkpads are very affordable. They are available at very low prices in the market.
- Portable: These laptops give you portability just like none other, not merely as they can be either used as a pill computer or tentatively, but also as they’re streamlined and ultralight.
- Low–end Ideapads: The low–end IdeaPads are created with vinyl. While that cuts down the price, you don’t wish to be spilling fluids or decreasing the laptop by any opportunity.
- Top–notch Ideapads: On the flip side, the top-notch IdeaPads are created using aluminum. Although that still is not as lasting as the Thinkpad, considering these laptops cost less than $1000, it’s as great as possible.
- Light in weight: They’re slim and lightweight, with wide-screen touch controls that range from 11.6″ to 17.5″.
- Superior Storage: Lenovo Ideapad provides you sufficient space for everyday tasks.
Lenovo Thinkpad VS Ideapad–Design
The ThinkPad and IdeaPad brands are where you’ll find Lenovo’s big range of hybrid systems; they’re under the Yoga and Flex series, respectively. The early versions of these machines pioneered the 2-in-1 convertible laptop movement.
Lenovo Thinkpad Design:
Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are designed with business users in mind. The first ThinkPad was designed by industrial designer Richard Sapper in 1990 under IBM. It was based on a traditional Bento lunchbox, which has a simple square shape.
They’re typically made with composite cases made of titanium, magnesium, or, for “cheaper” models, reinforced plastic. ThinkPad laptops also come with a TrackPoint device, an active protection system, and a client security solution. Many models have fingerprint readers and accelerometer sensors, as well.
As they’re intended to be used for work purposes, ThinkPad laptops focus more on simplicity and functionality. Thus, they utilize a basic but efficient design.
Lenovo Ideapad Design:
The IdeaPad is a more recent brand aimed at mainstream users. Launched in 2008, it not only provides users more choices. But it aims to offer solid performance that’s also wallet-friendly.
Lenovo IdeaPad is well known for its stylish design & outlook. The targeted customers for Lenovo IdeaPad are the home users & students so that Lenovo had decided to provide a compact design to this laptop line.
But if you compare the durability of this series with the ThinkPad series then sure it will be left behind. The low-end IdeaPad is made of plastic. The top IdeaPad is made of aluminum, although it’s not as durable as ThinkPad.
It is ultra-thin and light in weight thus easy to carry everywhere you want. Lenovo tried its best to provide the best look of the Ideapad within budget.
Lenovo Thinkpad VS Ideapad–Performance
Laptop performance mainly depends on the hardware inside, especially the processor that is used. In terms of performance, the laptop that has a higher version of CPU & RAM will perform better.
Lenovo Thinkpad Performance:
It’s not all about the design with a laptop – the performance is the focus, especially for the Thinkpad series. With extremely strong battery life, high-quality RAM combined with Intel Processors, the Thinkpad has been voted as one of the best lines of a laptop for its high performance, too.
Lenovo Thinkpad provides you with Think Shutter technology, which allows you to physically cover the lens of the built-in webcam to ensure privacy and security.
The majority of Thinkpads come with 8GB of RAM, but you can easily upgrade this if you need to. That would be a good idea if you’re looking for a laptop to last you another 5+ years or more.
Lenovo Ideapad Performance:
The Lenovo IdeaPads has more modest specifications. It comes with an AMD A12-9720P 2.7 GHz quad-core processor, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, 256 GB SSD, and the AMD Radeon R7 graphics card.
IdeaPad offers a broad selection of connectivity options, which include one Type-C port, two SuperSpeed 10Gbs USB 3.1 ports, one HDMI port, a headphone output/microphone input combo, and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port.
Lenovo IdeaPad is not nearly as powerful as the Lenovo ThinkPad, but its performance is sufficient for everything from web browsing to light gaming to document editing.
For demanding professionals who use heavy-weight applications like Photoshop, AutoCAD, Blender, or Microsoft Visual Studio, the Lenovo ThinkPad is an obvious choice.
Ideapad VS Thinkpad–Display
The display in the laptop needs to be big and clear enough to see even at a good distance. On the other hand, a smaller laptop display will give trouble viewing at a long distance. Just like the display length, the resolution also matters!
Lenovo Thinkpad Display:
Usually, the Lenovo ThinkPad series has 12.5 inches to 15.6 inches display length to view the average picture. They on top have FHD, UHD, anti-glare, and IPS technology that ensure rich color, fine pictures, and video. But, the Lenovo ThinkPad series doesn’t have a high contrast ratio.
Lenovo Ideapad Display:
Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad series comes with 11.6 inches to 17.5 inches screen length to view in the bigger picture. They also have FHD, UHD, anti-glare, and IPS technology to cut sunlight reflection. And so, the Lenovo IdeaPad series is our frontrunner in viewing comfort.
Ideapad VS Thinkpad–Price
When it comes to the price point, the laptop series can vary depending on the quality and features that are offered. Most of the time, both Lenovo ThinkPad and IdeaPad series have special features that make one laptop series better than another.
Lenovo Thinkpad Price:
Lenovo Thinkpad series comes with a higher price range due to its best quality and amazing features. They have good battery life, graphics, and many other benefits. They are also very durable.
Lenovo Ideapad Price:
IdeaPads are much cheaper than ThinkPads, which is why they are so popular among college students and parents. They have fewer features and average quality compared to Thinkpad.
If we have to say which one is better in price and quality, then it would be the Lenovo ThinkPad series.
Lenovo Thinkpad VS Ideapad–Specifications
Lenovo Thinkpad–Specification:
| Developer | IBM (1992–2005) LG/IBM (1996–2004,[1][2] only for South Korea branding) Acer (1998–2002, I-series only) Lenovo ( 2005 – present) |
| Manufacturer | Lenovo |
| Type | Laptop / Netbook |
| Operating System | 64-bit Windows 10 Professional operating system |
| CPU | AMD APU, Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 or Xeon |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon (Pro), Nvidia GeForce/Quadro |
| Marketing Target: | Business Purpose |
| Processor | Supports up to 8th Gen Intel Core i7 |
Lenovo Ideapad –Specification:
| Developer | Lenovo |
| Manufacturer | Lenovo |
| Type | Laptop, 2-in-1 PC |
| Operating System | 32-bit version of the Windows 10 operating system |
| CPU | AMD APU, Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, AMD Ryzen |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon, NVIDIA GeForce |
| Marketing Target | Consumer / Home purpose |
| Processor | Supports up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 |
Lenovo Thinkpad VS Ideapad–Pros And Cons
Lenovo Thinkpad Pros And Cons:
Lenovo Ideapad Pros And Cons:
To Sum Up:
The concept of choosing one is always hard when both competitors are actually worth for a certain sector of the user. For example, in this case, ThinkPad is surely the more professionally suitable series that serves businessmen and experts with better durability and fantastic reliability.
On the other hand, IdeaPad is designed for the mainstream market, for those who want solid performance but not at a very high cost. It has a sleek design which makes it easy to carry wherever you want. IdeaPad options are suitable for students and home users.
In my opinion, ThinkPad is better than IdeaPad since it has better performance.