104 reviews

32 reviews

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#5 most mentioned

Reddit · r/laptops

Best Windows Ultraportable Laptop

RTINGS · The 7 Best Laptops

#40 most mentioned

Reddit · r/thinkpad

Great quality keyboard

Large keys with less gaps and low backlight bleed

Overall good quality

Compatible with Linux

Thunderbolt charging capabilities

Great build quality

Compatible with Windows 10 until October 2025

Can take up to 16GB of RAM

Desktop-like keyboard layout for the nav cluster

Keys are not as stiff and tiring as island style keyboards

Not budget friendly

May have issues with difficult monitor set ups

Not suitable for those who prefer Thinkpad or Spectre keyboards

Not compatible with Windows 11

Battery life is poor

Can be difficult to find compatible mSATA or M.2 SSDs

Verdict

The Dell XPS 13 is a premium laptop that can be configured with a touchscreen. It has a good quality keyboard and large keys with less gaps, and low backlight bleed. It also has an overall good quality, though it may have some issues with difficult monitor set ups. It is compatible with Linux and comes with Thunderbolt charging capabilities. However, it is on the expensive side.

Verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad T420s is a popular laptop choice for those looking for a reliable and powerful machine. It has an i5 processor and 8GB RAM, making it suitable for running virtual machines. It also has a 14" form factor, making it a good size for portability. It can take up to 16GB of RAM and has a mSATA or M.2 slot for a second SSD. It has a desktop-like keyboard layout for the nav cluster and the keys are not as stiff and tiring as island style keyboards. It is also known for its good build quality. Finally, it is compatible with Windows 10 until October 2025.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Battery Life

So lightweight!

The battery life is very short (4ish hours) and it takes a long time to charge (about 1 1/2 hours). The brick on the cord gets very hot as it charges as does the bottom of the laptop. Otherwise it runs cool. I really like that there is no separate place to plug in the charger

5/5

3 years ago

amazon.com

Bought a Banged up T420s so I Can Try Upgrading and Restoring It

> I have until the battery drains to finish my work, or at least a huge chunk of it. To be frank, the battery life of the T420s is truly atrocious.

Negative

2 years ago

reddit.com/r/thinkpad

Performance

BEWARE!!!! Paid full price for a new one and received a used one!!!

Laptop seems to be working "ok" as of now besides the WiFi issues everyone has been having and apps like Netflix and Hulu not properly working. Another thing that is concerning is the packaging. I'm pretty sure I was sent a used product considering it came in a cheap cardboard box and not in it's original XPS box/packaging. Also the laptop itself was not even wrapped in any kind of plastic or padding or anything and I am at a military base in Iraq

2/5

3 years ago

amazon.com

My Lenovo Thinkpad from nearly a decade ago hasn't been working too well for me lately, sometimes struggling with video calls and buffering videos. Also, it's graphics card isn't good enough to run a few games I'd like to play (Civ 6, Ori & the Blind Forest, Journey).

Negative

3 years ago

reddit.com/r/SuggestALaptop

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