Lenovo is no stranger to portable monitors, as we reviewed theThinkVision M14t just over a year ago. At the time, we were impressed by its lightweight design, excellent color and touch capabilities (with stylus support). Knocks against the monitor included its expensive price tag ($449 MSRP) and limited connectivity options.
Lenovo is back at it again with the ThinkVision M14d, which retains the 14-inch screen size, but bumps the resolution from 1920 x 1080 (16:9 aspect ratio) to 2240 x 1400 (16:10). At the heart of the ThinkVision M14d is an IPS panel with a 6 ms response time and 60 Hz refresh rate. The 60 Hz rating here isn’t a detriment, as most people that are shopping for these types of monitors are more interested in the extra screen real estate to improve productivity. The company states that typical brightness comes in at 300 nits, while its contrast ratio maxes out at 1,500:1, which is about average for IPS panels in this class.
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Panel Type / Backlight
IPS / WLED
Screen Size / Aspect Ratio
14 inches / 16:10
Max Resolution & Refresh Rate
2240 x 1400
Color Depth
8-bit
Response Time
6 ms (normal mode)
Max Brightness
300 nits
Contrast
1,500:1
Power Consumption
8 - 9.5W
Ports
2 x USB 3.2 Type-C (DP1.2 Alt Mode)
Weight
1.3 pounds
Given that this is a portable monitor, the ThinkVision M14d should excel as a second workspace for your laptop when on-the-go. With this in mind, the monitor hooks up with your computer via a USB-C connection, which supports DisplayPort 1.2 Alt Mode (which remains the sole display connectivity option, as with the ThinkVision M14 and M14t).
So those folks that were hoping for a standard HDMI or mini-HDMI port might be disappointed as would anyone who wanted to use this with a USB port that does not support alt mode. In addition, power passthrough is supported, meaning you can supply up to 65W of power to your laptop through the monitor.
(Image credit: Lenovo)
The ThinkVision M14d’s mobile-centric vibes extend to the physical form factor, which is unchanged from previous versions of the ThinkVision M14 series. The monitor is just 4.6mm thick and weighs 1.3 pounds. It also features a built-in stand that allows you to adjust the angle of the screen to your liking (0 degrees to 90 degrees).
The stand also houses the connections for power, USB, screen brightness and power. Given that there are two USB-C ports on either side of the monitor stand (one of which is used by the PC), you can use the second one to attach peripherals like a mouse, external storage solution, or even charge your smartphone.
(Image credit: Lenovo)
Unlike the ThinkVision M14t, the new ThinkVision M14d does not support touch. However, that omission means that the ThinkVision M14d is priced at just $299 compared to $449. That's still a notable increase over the $269 asking price of the standard ThinkVision M14 (non-touch), but you are getting a higher-resolution 2.2k panel for that extra $30.
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According to Lenovo, the ThinkVision M14d will be available starting this July directly from its website or various retail partners.
Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
That horizontal resolution (2240) matches really well to the vertical resolution (2160) of a 4k monitor. Looks like a good fit to put in portrait mode next to a larger display for extra stuff. I currently have a 15.4" 1680x1050 laptop monitor next to my 27" 4K and it looks pretty good. But the lower resolution means I have an awkward transition and sometimes get stuck if my mouse is too low. I've looked at some 15.4" 1920x1200 screens which would match closer. But this is tempting as well. The 14" would mean physically it's a bit smaller but at least the resolution is very close.
I feel all the branded portable monitors have both poor specs and price. The bump in resolution is nothing when there are already 4K portable monitors out in the wild and they allow for higher refresh rate at the same time. I am using a Chinese branded 15.6 inch portable monitor that comes with Quantum Dot display even though its 1080p. But its got a peak brightness of 400 nits, and with my untrained eyes, I do noticed that images are both more vibrant and brighter than a proper IPS 4K monitor that I have.
