Manufacturer Lenovo CPU Intel, AMD | Type Notebook | |
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Memory 2-4GB Standard (Upgradable to 8GB) DDR3 Display 11in. - 15.6in. (Diagonal) 16:9 Glossy HD Lcd (1366 × 768 Resolution) Input Multitouch touchpad, Trackpoint, Stereo Microphone, Keyboard | ||
The ThinkPad E Series (formerly ThinkPad Edge) is a notebook computer series introduced in 2010 by Lenovo. It is marketed to small and medium-sized businesses.
Contents
Launch and reviews
The Edge series of ThinkPad computers was introduced at the 2010 International CES in Las Vegas and became available for sale in April of the same year.
For the Thinkpad Edge 13, a review on the Engadget web site said that even though, "it may not carry the premium features of [Lenovo Thinkpad] X301..., but for a budget ultraportable... [there is] little to complain about." Engadget also tested the battery life of the Edge 13 and discovered that "Lenovo's battery life prediction of seven hours is pretty on the mark." The Edge 13's battery lasted 5 hours and 12 minutes.
Laptop Magazine reviewed the Thinkpad Edge 14 and found it was "the most compelling 14-inch small business notebook on the market today."
NotebookReview reviewed the Thinkpad Edge 15 and said that its "build quality seems to be a step down from the 13 and 14 inch." The website also mentioned that the Edge series in general "feels under built...[and] the Edge 15 fares much worse.".
Reviews of the latest E220s and E420s have been more positive, citing better build quality than other models in the Edge line.
Features
The ThinkPad Edge series uses processors from both AMD and Intel. AMD processors offered include the Athlon II dual-core, the Turion II Dual-Core, and Phenom II Triple-core. Intel processors used include the Core 2 Duo, Core i3, and Core i5.
Voice Over IP (VoIP) features including high resolution cameras and an HD LED screen are also included. All four models offer a glossy LED back-lit 16:9 display capable of playing 720p video. However the Edge 11 and 13 does not include an optical drive. The laptops came in three colors: Midnight Black (Smooth), Midnight Black (Gloss), and Heatwave Red (Gloss).
Design
Lenovo designed the laptops to "reflect a new progressive and strikingly clean appearance while retaining ThinkPad durability and reliability". For example, along with the new Island-style keyboard, the Edge series had some keyboard design changes: uniform black keys and the removal of the embedded number pad. The Function keys were re-designed so users could use one finger to access functions such as multimedia keys. Some keys which were rarely used like SysRq were removed.
Edge 11 (DER Special Edition)
A special edition laptop was provided for Australian Year 9 students as part of the Digital Education Revolution (DER) program in 2011.
Edge 11
The ThinkPad Edge 11 laptop was not released in the United States, with the X100e serving as an 11-inch laptop solution in the US. The laptop was 1.1 inches thick and weighed 3.3 pounds. Like other laptops in the series, the Edge 11 was made available in glossy black, matte black and glossy red. Despite the low starting price, the Edge 11 laptop included some of the traditional ThinkPad durability features, including solid metal hinges. The battery life was better than both the IdeaPad U160 and the ThinkPad X100e laptops.
Specifications:
Edge 13
The ThinkPad Edge 13 laptop was released on January 5, 2010. It was 1.2 inches thick, weighed 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg), and fit into a backpack. The Edge 13 laptop was capable of handling Windows 7 Professional with ease, with multiple applications like Firefox, Microsoft Word 2007, GIMP, TweetDeck, and iTunes at the same time. It did not feature Intel’s Arrandale platform on release, and was launched with an older generation CULV processor. The lack of processing speed, however, was compensated by a gain in battery life. The laptop delivered 6 hours and 58 minutes of battery life in MobileMark 2007 tests.
Specifications:
Edge 14 and 15
The ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 laptops were both launched on March 22, 2010. A web review noted build quality above average, yet not the same as professional grade ThinkPad laptops. One difference was smaller screen hinges which were plastic-faced instead of metal. While the Edge 14 laptop did not have a roll cage, it was still durable, with no flex on the palm rest, keyboard and touchpad.
The Edge 15 laptop was noted for having the same features as the smaller laptops in the series, with lower build quality. The right side of the palm rest displayed flex under moderate pressure. The keyboard tray also displayed slight inward flexing at the optical drive area. Some positive features included a keyboard that was noted as being very easy to type on. The touchpad was also noticeably easy to use, with fast response time, no discernible lag, even without adjustments. But also at the support forum of Lenovo lots of keyboard failures were reported. The price was viewed favorably, with user experience and feature set receiving praise.
Specifications:
Edge E220s, E420s
The ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s were released in Spring 2011, as an updated, "more premium" line of the ThinkPad Edge. These newer series are significantly thinner, and include more of the traditional ThinkPad line of features such as the integrated 720p web-cam. Also notable is the return to use of metallic hinges versus the less durable plastic seen on earlier Edge models. Both the E220s and E420s can be configured with up to an Intel Core i7 processor, which offers a higher level of performance than other notebooks of this size category. The surfaces have been accented with a chrome finish around the exterior, and the addition of the "infinity glass" screen, which features edge-to-edge glass paneling on the display. Many design aspects of the E220s line have been seen in the recently unveiled ThinkPad X1, including the keyboard and trackpad design.
Edge E430
The E430 is powered by third generation Intel Core processors with integrated graphics. The E430 also includes a "hard disk drive performance booster" that Lenovo claims will generate a "184-percent increase in performance" over typical hard drives. The E430 makes use of Intel HD for fast graphics. Battery life is increased with the aid of nVidia's Optimus power management technology. Dedicated keys for controlling audio and video functions, Dolby Advanced Audio rated speakers, and an optional 720p camera were added to improve the experience for users of VOIP. The E430 makes use of USB 3.0 to improve data transfer speeds.
Edge E545
The Edge E545 is a 15'6-inch laptop designed for home, study and work. It had a very low list price of $499.
Specifications: