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Source: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4
Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is the brand’s latest take, and it’s a powerful business laptop. This device has serious power if you need it, available with 13th-generation Intel chips or AMD Ryzen 7000 chips, as well as an option for an OLED display.
Pros
- Recent AMD & Intel CPUs
- GPU options
- OLED panel if you want it
Cons
- Not the biggest battery
- Can get expensive
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Source: Dell
Dell Latitude 5430
Dell’s Latitude 5430 is an excellent all-around business laptop. This computer offers up as much RAM as you want, powerful Intel CPUs, and tons of storage; plus, it won’t break the bank, depending on your configuration.
Pros
- Tons of configurations
- Reasonable pricing
Cons
- Not the most powerful hardware
- Limited options for GPU and display
Lenovo’s ThinkPads have been a reliable choice in the laptop world for decades, and Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is another quality model. However, Dell’s also been making excellent business laptops for a long time, and the Latitude 5430 is another strong contender. So, the question becomes, which company makes the better business laptop? Read on to learn all about which laptop will suit you and your work best.
Price, availability, and specs
The ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 just launched, and according to Lenovo, pricing will start at $1,239 for an introductory model, while more fully-featured models can eclipse $3,000, depending on what you need. You can get it over at Lenovo’s website.
When it comes to the Latitude 5430, you can pick yourself up one at Dell.com starting at $1,169 for the introductory model, but loading it up with a more powerful CPU, up to 64GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and all the bells and whistles, can hike the price up to above $3,000.
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Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Dell Latitude 5430 Brand Lenovo Dell Color Storm Grey, Deep Black Grey Storage Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD CPU 13th-generation Intel Core processors or AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors 12-generation Intel Core i7 or Core i5 Memory Up to 32GB LPDDR5x Up to 64GB 3200M MT/s DDR4 Operating System Windows 11 Windows 10 or Windows 11 Battery 39.3Whr or 52.5Whr battery 58Whr battery Ports 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (Intel) / USB4 (AMD) 2 x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) 1 x HDMI 2.0b 1 x RJ45 Ethernet 3.5mm combo headphone jack SIM card slot 1x memory card reader, 1x global headset jack, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.0, RJ45 Ethernet, 2x Thunderbolt 4 Camera 720p HD webcam or 1080p Full HD webcam + IR HD 720p camera or FHD 1080p IR camera Display (Size, Resolution) 14-inch 16:10 aspect ratio, up to 2.8K OLED, 400 nits, 100% DCI-P3, 90Hz refresh rate 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) anti-glare, non-touch, 250 nits peak brightness Weight 2.92 pounds 3.01 pounds GPU Intel Iris Xe graphics, Nvidia GeForce MX550 (optional, Intel only)/AMD Radeon graphics Integrated Intel Xe graphics Dimension 12.51 x 8.93 x 0.70 inches 0.76 x 12.65 x 8.35 inches Network Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.1 Cellular (optional): 4G LTE Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2×2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Speakers Dolby Audio speaker system with Dolby Audio Stero speakers with Realtek Price Starting at $1,239 (MSRP) Starting at $1,169 (MSRP Model ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Dell Latitude 5430
Design
Source: Lenovo
Lenovo has a reputation for building laptops meant to last, and the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 doesn’t disappoint. It has a fairly standard clamshell form factor, but you’ll also get Lenovo’s seal of quality and military testing. Plus, the ThinkPad T14 is still quite portable, weighing just under 3 pounds. Of course, you’ll also enjoy the added versatility of a touchscreen.
Dell’s Latitude 5430 is another fairly traditional clamshell laptop. It’s a bit more rounded with fewer angular lines and edges than the ThinkPad, but in general, it has a similar look, albeit one that may read to some as a little less sleek. Dell has a decent track record regarding reliability, but you won’t receive the same durability as the ThinkPad.
In terms of weight, Dell’s Latitude is also slightly heavier, weighing in at just over 3 pounds, but you’d be hard-pressed to notice much of a difference between the two, making both laptops excellent choices for portability.
Display
Source: Dell
The Latitude 5340 has a 14-inch 1080p anti-glare WVA panel with a max brightness of up to 250 nits. It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll get the job done regarding browsing the internet, word processing, and other tasks as long as you don’t try to use it outdoors in direct sunlight.
With the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4, though, you have options. The base display is a 14-inch 16:10 panel with either FHD+ (1920×1200) or 2.2K (2240×1400) resolutions, touchscreen functionality, and glare protection with up to 500 nits of peak brightness. Where things start to get interesting, though, is the ThinkPad Gen 4’s option for a 2.28K (2280×1800) OLED display with a faster 90Hz refresh rate. It’ll provide far superior blacks and colors than a traditional display, alongside snappier navigation.
When it comes to choosing a ThinkPad display, it really depends on what you plan on using your laptop to do. An FHD+ screen can support casual web browsing and word processing, but a higher resolution is necessary for text-heavy tasks and image editing.
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 3
Regarding a webcam, the ThinkPad T14 comes with two options: a 720p cam or a 1080p cam with IR. A 720p cam is perfectly adequate for the occasional, casual video call, but a 1080p cam will provide a more professional result. The Latitude has similar options, with a choice between a 720p HD cam and a 1080p FHD cam with IR. There’s the added option for a 1080p webcam with an ambient light sensor and human presence detection. Both of these laptops are fully capable of handling Zoom meetings in terms of webcams.
Ultimately, the ThinkPad will serve you best if you’re looking to play some games in your off-time or need high-quality color performance on your laptop. Still, if you’re just looking for a solid computing experience that you can use to watch a movie from time to time, the Latitude likely won’t give you any problems.
Performance
Source: Lenovo
Hungry for the most power you can get? The ThinkPad is the way to go, but that doesn’t mean the Latitude doesn’t compete. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 offers up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, 13th-generation Intel Core processors or AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and your choice between Intel Iris Xe graphics, an NVIDIA GeForce MX550, or AMD Radeon graphics, depending on your processor selection.
This is some serious horsepower for a laptop. These Intel and Ryzen CPUs can compute just about any workload, and thanks to the option of a dedicated GPU, you’ll be able to handle graphically demanding tasks, too.
On the other hand, the Latitude provides 12th-generation Intel Core processors, up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, up to 2TB of PCIe NVME storage, and integrated Intel graphics. While a 12th-generation Intel CPU can handle a lot of computation, it’s not the very best you can find, though this won’t bother most people. What might cause trouble is the reliance on integrated graphics if you’re planning to do video processing or run the occasional game. Still, not everyone will be doing that on their laptop. If that sounds less powerful than what the ThinkPad offers, it is, but in general, if you need a business laptop, you’ll have no trouble completing work on the Latitude.
Source: Dell
The biggest differential here, practically speaking, comes down to graphics. Yes, the ThinkPad might come with faster RAM and a more powerful CPU, but you won’t need those if you aren’t gaming or video or image processing, which will rely primarily on what kind of GPU you have. Depending on your line of work, you may be perfectly suited to what the Latitude offers.
Plus, unless you’re planning on hitting your CPU rather hard, the difference between a 12th-generation and 13th-generation Intel processor likely won’t be night and day, especially as Intel only estimates approximately a 10% performance uplift generation-on-generation.
If you’re thinking about playing games on your laptop or doing some especially heavy multitasking, Lenovo’s T14 Gen 4 ThinkPad will give you more power to work with, but if you aren’t planning on computing anything too intense, that extra money is probably not worth spending on the ThinkPad.
Battery life
Source: Dell
Of course, since the Gen 4 ThinkPad T14 hasn’t spent much time out in the wild just yet, it’s hard to get a reliable indication of its battery life. That said, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 4’s battery is rated the same as the T14 Gen 3, so you’ll receive either a 39.3Whr battery or a 52.5Whr battery, depending on your configuration.
Based on the battery life of the ThinkPad T14 Gen 3, the Gen 4 should offer up to around 8 hours of battery life when browsing the web with the 52.5Whr battery, while you should definitely expect less if you’re doing something more intensive. Though, I’d have to test out the battery life of the latest ThinkPad to be sure. Either way, you’ll want to opt for the bigger battery on the ThinkPad.
Regarding the Latitude, you’ll get a 58Whr battery, similar to the ThinkPad, but with a little extra juice. XDA hasn’t tested this yet, but reports suggest you can expect around 12 hours of battery life when browsing the web. This likely puts the Latitude ahead of the ThinkPad, but it makes some sense considering the more powerful hardware on offer with the ThinkPad.
In general, neither of these laptops will last all day without a charge, but if you want the best battery life possible, that award goes to the Latitude. However, if you’re looking for a powerful laptop with the best hardware possible, like the ThinkPad, you’re probably already aware that it comes with some battery life sacrifices. But if you don’t need that level of performance, opting for the Latitude, which can last a few extra hours, makes a lot of sense.
Which is right for you?
As with any laptop purchase, the model you opt for will come down to what you want out of your laptop. As business laptops, though, both of these computers can handle most work. Neither will give you trouble regarding portability and connectivity, which is no small deal.
However, if you’ve got money to burn, you may prefer the ThinkPad with its optional OLED display, more powerful processor, faster RAM, and dedicated GPU option. That extra cost will also go toward the ThinkPad line’s excellent durability. Though, all these bells and whistles may not be worth the extra cash if you don’t need the hardware.
Source: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4
Winner
Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is the brand’s latest take, and it’s a powerful business laptop. This device has serious power if you need it, available with 13th-generation Intel chips or AMD Ryzen 7000 chips, as well as an option for an OLED display.
The Latitude is an excellent choice if you don’t need as much power as possible. It has the hardware to handle almost any normal day-to-day task, and you won’t be spending extra for anything you don’t need. But you still have the option to kit it out with more RAM, a more powerful processor, and as much storage as you might need.
Source: Dell
Dell Latitude 5430
Runner-up
Dell’s Latitude 5430 is an excellent all-around business laptop. This computer offers as much RAM as you want, powerful Intel CPUs, and tons of storage; plus, it won’t break the bank, depending on your configuration.