Lenovo K14

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tlmiller
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Lenovo K14

Post by tlmiller »

So, got this in and been using it pretty much nonstop since I opened it.

The TLDR of it is this: Small, ligthweight business type ultrabook, that's got amazing poformance for the price as long as you don't need a lot of storage.

So upon opening the box, this thing is actually a fair amount smaller and lighter than my T14's. Boot it up to verify Windows is activated. The LCD is 1080P, although it's the low end 250-nit one. While not the best, it's adequate. Most of my machines have better LCD's so it does take a minute to adjust to this low end of a LCD. Surprise, this is the lowest point of the machine. After verifying all the hardware, shut down Windows and tear her open. I suggest having a spudger kit if you're going to open it, this back is on TIGHT. So the wifi is a Realtek chip. It IS a realtek that can be made to work in linux on mine at least, however...I literally have Intel AX200's lying around my office. So that gets ditched for a AX200. Pop out the 8GB ram, pop in 2x16GB for 32GB. Look at the SSD. CRAP. it's right beside the edge, so you CANNOT put a longer (2260/2280) in it. Well, at least I have my 2230 SK Hynix BC711 512GB, and adapters to make it fit. So pull out the Samsung 256GB, pop in the BC711 w/ an adapter. Upgraded to 32GB ram, 512GB SSD, and a AX200. Good to go. Install OpenSUSE tumbleweed. Goes without issues. Everything works out of the box. No need to install virt-manager since not enough storage to do VM's. While that's a little disappointing, this thing is a NICE laptop for the price. It's currently $570 direct from Lenovo, and while it's a rather pedestrian build as far as the drive and ram, it's got a fantastic processor, and it is upgradable (I would have bought a 2242 1TB but I have too many drives already). For anyone looking for something that's thin, light, but has that "business" look, this is gonna be hard to beat. The keyboard is REALLY nice, definitely closer to Thinkpad than Ideapad. Touchpad is smallish, but there's not much way to change that since they worked on getting this so much smaller overall than the Thinkpad. I'll take the smaller touchpad over a smaller keyboard, or a fatter laptop. I'm actually really impressed by it overall. Thumbs up.
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tlmiller
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by tlmiller »

Image

And if there's any doubt that they've managed to get modern nand up to the point where even small drives can push a PCIe 3.0x4...here's a benchmark of the drive in there, a SINGLE SIDED m.2 2230 SK Hynix BC711 512GB

Image
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tlmiller
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by tlmiller »

Seems they've now raised the price on this to $1150. Way too high now. At the price I paid, it was an absolute bargain for what I got. AT $1150, it's very disappointing specs.
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crosscourt
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by crosscourt »

Pricing mistake?
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tlmiller
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by tlmiller »

No, I don't think so. It was listed as "normally $1150, you save $570 (or very similar)" like Lenovo ALWAYS does to make everything seem like a better deal than it is. But now it's actually showing the normal price as the ACTUAL price. Usually the "sale" prices fluctuate, but the "normal" price stays but it's never actually listed at that "normal" price.
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tlmiller
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by tlmiller »

I've been using this more and more, and it's definitely a nice laptop for the price I paid. Really just doesn't have issues with anything perfromance wise, just tears through stuff.
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crosscourt
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by crosscourt »

For the price its a great deal, I think most users would see it as a great price and I certainly would have purchased one for $570.
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tlmiller
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by tlmiller »

So did some comparing, and the T14s G3 is nearly identical overall to this. Pretty close to identical height, the K14 is wider, the T14s is deeper. Weight is about identical. So it's in pretty good company there. :D
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Re: Lenovo K14

Post by crosscourt »

Thanks for the separate post on this hardware. Feel free to post reviews on your hardware as they gain a lot of views.
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