Thanks to very good values in the areas of battery life, display, and performance, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s G4 can place itself in the upper field of the notebook leaderboard. We clarify the most important details and have the best price.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s G4 at a glance
Along with excellent checkerboard contrast and a brightness of 333 candelas per square meter, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s G4 (21AS0006GE) can easily be used in brightly lit rooms. The resolution is 1,920 x 1,200 pixels on a 13.3-inch IPS display.
An AMD Ryzen 5 6600U with a clock of 2,900 MHz works in the ThinkBook 13s G4. Instead, the AMD Radeon 660M, a graphics solution integrated into the CPU, is used. This combination is sufficient for office software, video streaming, and some games. A total of 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB M.2 SSD are available. This allows you to have multiple windows or browser tabs open at the same time without sacrificing speed. The SSD offers enough storage space for the pre-installed Windows 11 Pro and your personal data.
As far as connectivity options go, you’re provided with the bare essentials: These include a USB 3.2 Type-A port (Gen 1), USB 3.2 Type-C port (Gen 2), a USB 4 Type-C port connector (Gen 3×2) and one HDMI 2.0 connector.
The integrated Full HD webcam can be covered mechanically. The camera ensures sharp images and uses two field microphones for voice transmission. Sound playback runs through two Harman Kardon speakers that are Dolby Audio certified. There is nothing wrong with the sound. There is nothing to complain about with the keyboard and touchpad. The battery life of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s G4 is among the best on the list.
Our conclusion at the time of testing:
“Thanks to the AMD Ryzen 5 6600U, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s G4 (21AS0006GE) not only delivers excellent performance values in our test but also offers a very long battery life. For example, it lasts for more than ten hours even when working intensively with office applications. The facilities could be better though.”
Good overall package with a few gaps and no highlights
Lenovo uses an AMD CPU with the Ryzen 5 6600U for its current ThinkBook 13s G4. The six-core processor has a nominal clock speed of 2,900 MHz and can briefly accelerate to 4,500 MHz for intensive work. You have to do without a dedicated GPU. Instead, the graphics solution integrated into the CPU is used with the AMD Radeon 660M. This combination offers enough performance for office software, video streaming, and one or the other game. However, you may need to
change the resolution and detail to get started.
In addition, the notebook is equipped with 16 GB of RAM and a fast 512 GB M.2 SSD. This allows you to easily open multiple windows or browser tabs at the same time without any performance issues. The SSD offers enough storage space for the pre-installed Windows 11 Pro, the necessary software, and your personal data. But if you own a larger software library, you could quickly reach (memory) limits here.
In terms of connectivity options, the laptop offers the essentials: a USB 3.2 Type-A port (Gen 1), USB 3.2 Type-C port (Gen 2), and a USB 4 Type-C port (Gen 3×2). There is also an HDMI 2.0 port so that you can connect an external monitor or projector to the notebook. And you don’t have to do without a combined 3.5 mm headphone and microphone jack either. However, an SD card reader is missing.
To connect the laptop to networks, it uses the current Wi-Fi 6E standard. And wireless Bluetooth devices such as headsets, keyboards, or mice can be paired with the notebook thanks to Bluetooth 5.2.
Furthermore, the ThinkBook has a Full HD webcam with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and which can be covered mechanically if desired. The camera ensures sharp images during video conferences and two field microphones ensure voice transmission. Two loudspeakers from the audio specialist Harman Kardon, which have Dolby Audio certification, handle the sound reproduction. The sound can be heard: It comes out of the speakers powerfully and well-tuned.
Of course, the now almost obligatory fingerprint sensor should not be missing either. Lenovo combines it with the on/off switch.
Robust aluminum housing and a short power cable
The case of the 13.3-inch laptop is made of aluminum, except for the display frame, and makes an impression that is as high-quality as it is solid. Thanks to the compact dimensions of 30 x 21 x 1.8 centimeters (width/depth/height), it weighs just 1.2 kilograms. Since the power adapter also only weighs 0.2 kilograms, you only have to carry around 1.4 kilograms. This weight is ideal for commuters and frequent travelers who want to work on the go. However, Lenovo has saved on the power connection. At 1.88 meters, it is one of the shortest in our previous test field.
Although the illuminated keyboard has a short travel distance due to the height of the case, it leaves an excellent impression when typing – nothing clatters here. The same applies to the touchpad, which is pleasantly large (10.5 by 6.3 centimeters). With its help, the mouse pointer can be precisely controlled, since the fingers glide well and do not stick to the surface.
Although the fan runs almost constantly, the noise development is only clearly audible after around two minutes, even under full load. Only then does the fan turn up again and becomes audible at high frequencies? However, this rarely happens.
Inexpensive notebook with outstanding battery life
The battery life of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s G4 is currently among the best that we have measured so far. More than ten hours of office use, around 14 hours of video streaming, and almost twelve hours of intensive surfing are excellent. For this reason, we give this category an overall rating of “Very Good” (1.0). This makes the notebook an ideal companion for anyone who travels a lot and wants to work at the same time without having to worry about running out of juice.
A fair deal for the notebook at a price of around 1,000 euros. That’s why we rate it as “cheap” overall at the time of testing.
