The V14 line received a new update and was one of Lenovo’s launches in Brazil in 2022, in the notebook market. It came in this third generation to maintain the predecessor’s line and prioritize the combination of an ultra-thin notebook with satisfactory performance.
Is this laptop a good consumer choice? We’ve been testing the AMD hardware version for the past few weeks, and we’ll break it down for you in this full review.
design and build
This generation of V14 is made up of plastic, with a textured finish, to look more premium and make the wrist rest a little more comfortable. The laptop has a very compact size with dimensions of 21.5 cm deep and 32.4 cm wide.
The thickness of it does not reach 2 cm, while the weight is only 1.5 kg. That is, portability will not be lacking for you to move around with it in your daily life or even to take it on trips. You can still generate an opening of up to 180 degrees on it, for a better fit in your view.
The keyboard is membrane type with ABNT2 layout. Here you will not see the numerical part, which was dispensed with by the manufacturer to save space. The keys are quiet and have satisfactory spacing. The problem is the lack of backlighting, which makes it difficult to use at night.
The touchpad is a decent size and has good sensitivity, and the buttons are integrated into the touch-sensitive area. But the most favorable experience is still connecting a mouse to this machine.
Overall, the monitor has few edges, to generate a front utilization of 84%. At the top is the webcam with a novelty. We are talking about a very discreet security lock, which allows you to physically close the camera, to guarantee user privacy.
The set of ports consists of a USB 3.2, an HDMI 1.4, a USB Type-C and an audio jack on the left side; and an Ethernet port and a USB 2.0 on the right side.
In addition to the notebook, the box only contains the power supply, the power cable and the user manuals, without major accessories.
multimedia
Starting the multimedia part, we find here a 14-inch TN-type screen. The material doesn’t help with contrast and has a brightness level of no more than 250 nits. Also, don’t expect a high refresh rate here, which makes fluidity more limited.
At least, it has a Full HD resolution, which provides good image definition. Another positive point is the anti-reflective treatment present on the panel. Thus, the visualization does not become a mirror, depending on the lighting of your environment.
You will not have in this display any technology that improves the visualization of streaming services. Not to mention the more limited viewing angle. In any case, the displayed images have less distortion on the side than in models from other brands that we have already tested.
This laptop’s sound system consists of two 1.5 W stereo speakers. As the number itself indicates, the sound power is well below ideal. The quality is also not pleasing and forces a lot on the highs and mids, while the bass is practically non-existent.
At least, the notebook is compatible with Dolby Audio technology and has a dedicated application to manage the sound. You can select a preset style or EQ directly. In this personalized option, it is possible to have a gain in the maximum volume and in the frequencies, although it does not perform a miracle.
As we mentioned earlier, the webcam is located on the top edge. It only delivers 720p resolution and generates images with a lot of noise, even in a well-lit scenario.
performance and system
The unit we tested comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 5625U processor, accompanied by an integrated Radeon graphics card. In terms of memory, we have 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage on an M.2 SSD.
The hardware set does not disappoint in everyday use for basic tasks. You can use it for work and studies without major problems or crashes. The RAM memory allows you to open several lighter programs at the same time, while the internal space may be very little, but at least it is fast to open the system and the main programs without delay.
And speaking of the system, the variant we tested comes with Windows 11 Pro. That is, you can have an offline account and some security features to better explore this machine.
To find out more about performance, we ran some benchmarks on this notebook. In 3DMark, we saw the lack of a dedicated GPU on this machine. The score of just over 700 with the integrated graphics was in the range of an entry-level laptop, with clear struggles during experiments.
PCMark 10 already showed the potential of the processor, noting more than 5 thousand points here. Highlight for essential tasks, such as browsing and opening apps, and productivity-related activities, whether in a document or a spreadsheet.
Will the third generation V14 be able to run games? We tested the lightweight Fall Guys and didn’t see it perform well even without the extras enabled. The graphic quality is acceptable, but the low fluidity of 30 fps does not make the experience smooth.
And in a 2D game, does it improve? This is not the case with Street Fighter 5. Even with the game’s native limitations at 60 fps, it doesn’t even reach half of that in Full HD resolution, even when the filters are on the lowest setting.
The solution for both cases may be to lower the resolution to HD only. Even so, bear in mind that this is not an appropriate machine for this type of use.
Drums
Lenovo is known for not having the battery as a strong point in its products, even the most affordable ones. But here we saw a different scenario and we have in this regard one of the greatest qualities of the product. Could AMD’s hardware be responsible for the change?
Anyway, we did our test that simulates a work shift, switching programs like Word, Telegram and Microsoft Edge. The result we had reaches 7 hours and 36 minutes of total autonomy. A time above the almost 6 hours that the manufacturer itself stipulates as factory duration.
And when loading, how is it? It comes with a 65 W source in the box, in addition to being compatible with Rapid Charge technology. In our tests, the V14 needed 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach 100%.
The start is even fast, but we noticed that the factory setting decreases the power at the end, to protect the battery.
Final considerations
The Lenovo V14 might not have changed that much in appearance for this third generation, but it did receive some significant gains. First, it is worth mentioning its portability to facilitate the user’s displacement without major inconvenience. Too bad the manufacturer skimped on construction and keyboard on this model.
The multimedia part could also be better. The TN screen delivers quality below expectations, the sound is not powerful enough if you are not going to use Dolby Audio, and the webcam leaves something to be desired in the images, despite having the always welcome security lock.
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In performance, the picture starts to improve. AMD’s hardware allows a very satisfactory performance in basic and productivity tasks. That is, you can expect this machine to be a good option for those who need to work and study with it.
The energy efficiency of the Ryzen processor still helps to have an excellent autonomy, which exceeds 7 hours of duration. And without compromising loading time.
The V14 G3 can be found at Lenovo’s official store, for a suggested price of R$ 4,400. Based on the market scenario, we understand that the ideal cost for this product would be less than R$3,000.
Closest to that mark in today’s market is the VAIO FE14. It highlights the integrated Alexa with sound output above the keyboard, but it also lacks in the multimedia part and does not offer the same autonomy, since it has Intel hardware.
But if you want a superior ultra-thin notebook, the way out is the ASUS Zenbook 14. You’ll pay a little more for premium construction, more performance, and a product that’s smaller in size and weight than the V14.
What do you think of this Lenovo notebook? Do you believe that AMD’s hardware has satisfactory performance and autonomy as a whole? Comment with us in the space below.
