Lenovo ThinkPad L Series Geared for Professionals

By Kevin Parrish
published

Lenovo launches its new L Series next month.

Lenovo revealed Tuesday (opens in new tab) its new series of ThinkPad laptops, the L Series (opens in new tab). Both models--the ThinkPad L412 and ThinkPad L512--are designed for business, education, and government customers, providing high performance and military-grade durability starting at $649. Lenovo is also promoting the new line as one of the greenest on the market, as they integrate the highest amounts of post consumer recycled content yet.

Under the hood, the L Series provides a choice of Intel Core i3 and i5 processors. On the visual front, consumers can stay with the Intel integrated graphics, or go with AMD's Mobility Radeon GPU. As for the actual displays, Lenovo stated that 16:9 HD anti-glare panels are provided on both the 14-inch L412 and the 15-inch L512.  With the built-in hi-res camera and 3G/4G wireless connectivity options, the L Series is great not only for HD playback, but for clear, sharp web conferencing.

"Today more than ever before, customers are looking to get more out of their PC technology," said Dilip Bhatia, executive director, ThinkPad Product Marketing, Lenovo. "We designed the new L Series to give users the most important features for being productive like cutting-edge processing performance, long battery life and a VoIP-optimized design without sacrificing the reliability and durability ThinkPad is known for."

Other bells and whistles with the new L Series includes a battery life of up to 8 hours, and Windows 7 with Lenovo's Enhanced Experience that boasts a 57-percent faster bootup and shutdown time. Currently the ThinkPad L412 and L512 laptops aren't available, however they are scheduled to hit the market starting in mid-May via Lenovo's website and through business partners.

Kevin Parrish
8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • xc0mmiex
    Sounds like a pretty good deal for an i-core... but also dont forget, its a lenovo, means its as tough as nails(yes those are metal hinges) and good tech support (speaking from experience)... it may look simple, but when you get your hands on it, you know it means business...
    ... i somewhat wish they get a gaming line going... would be amazing if they carry over the quality of their professional line
    Reply
  • No thanks, I will never buy a Lenovo. Besides that, Dell has better deals.
    Reply
  • nevertell
    Hey Lenovo , I'm real happy for you and all, and Imma let you finish, but IBM was the best manufacturer of thinkpads of all time.

    ALL TIME!!!
    Reply
  • czar1020
    I have to deal with these lenovos all the time. They are "ok", can't justify the cost on them though.
    Reply
  • misry
    Evaluating an L512 i5 right now. Bluetooth, DL DVD-RW, SD card port, Express card port, ESATA port, combined speaker/Mic into a single headphone jack, 3 USB 2.0 ports and 1 3.0, 4G and 320G. Good speaker placement but a little tinny. Hardware WiFi switch so you don't waste batteries in flight. Finally no more stupid latch to hold the screen down. Win7 Ultimate. Overall worthy of the corporate dollars we will be spending on them.
    Reply
  • therealfly
    I love my W510. Core i7 in a laptop makes me happy. Plus the 16:9 screen does work pretty good for watching movies. and it's the brightest laptop screen i've had so far.

    still though, I can't waiting for the Lenovo laptop with the detachable screen that turns into an iPad. errr... tablet.
    Reply
  • belardo
    The "new" L-Series is nothing more than a re-labeled "SL" series that will replace the SL510, SL410 (hint hint "L412 & L512") If you look at the service manuals, they are the same thing.

    The only thing different is that the L's have i3/i5 CPUs, otherwise its the same case, battery, etc as the previous model. The new model Ts are out with i5~i7 CPUs.

    "L Series Geared for Professionals" is perhaps somewhat true. In comparison to buying other $600~800 notebooks. Its a very modern looking Thinkpad, but other than the liquid protection system, it has no other ThinkPad features. The ports are excellent with 4 USB ports (one USB is hybrid with the ESATA). The "latch" can go both ways... as a latch does keep the notebook from being opened by accident.

    I've taken an SL-510 apart, its nothing close to an R,T,X or W series (everything else). But for the price, the L/SL are the cheapest "thinkpad" you can get with features that are not available on most notebooks, including Dells. Such as internal WAN antennas for Clear, at&t and Verizon. Bloat/junkware not installed.

    Features missing from SL/L series compared to "true" Thinkpads.
    - Roll-cage. This also makes them more ridged. SL do have some flex.
    - Thinkpad Keyboard arrangement. While still a great keyboard, its not ThinkPad.
    - No keyboard light (not a biggie, but some of us DO use that feature)
    (( Would like to see Thinkpads with true lighted keyboards, like MacbookPro)
    - Hard Drive shock-cage.
    - Non-Glossy screens. UGH, I wish the SL/L offered that as an option!
    - Steal-hinge. Not sure what the SL/L has, but its not the same. Its an IdeaPad design and layout.

    The SL/L are no-where near as tough as the other ThinkPads (Edge not included).

    An SL with core-2 WAN/CAM is about $800, A R-500 Series with similar config is $900 - but a T-510 with core-i5 is $1050 which is a good speed bump over Core2... so I think the R-Series maybe phased out... since if it was actually upgraded to the newer THinkPad keyboards & trackpads with i5, it'd cost the same as a T.

    PS: 14" T-series Thinkpads are tougher than 15" models.
    Reply
  • magnumfinger
    Still the best, although users could use a little skinning of that thick bezel. Impressions-- http://j.mp/lenovo-thinkpad-l-impressions
    Reply