lenovo t420 lcd panel replacement instructions factory

This is not the Lenovo Thinkpad T420. You can Tell by the RAM memory Slot Cover and the Position the RAM is put into its slot. the T420 RAM is Vertical Compared with being Horizontal in this Picture. that includes the cover also. Then the Battery Slot is a Dead Giveaway clue. The T420 Battery slot is in the middle. and this Picture has the battery slot to bthe left. Sorry Not Even Close. None of the screws he removes are on the T420. so this is Completely Useless. Thanks

There are many LCD screen manufacturers for the Laptop Industry. LCD screens have different resolutions, size and type and these screens are compatible as long as the resolution and connections are the same.

For this listing, we will ship you a brand new OEM Compatible LCD screen manufactured either by Samsung, LG, Chi Mei, Chunghwa, Sharp, or AUOptronics. For more information about each LCD manufacture please click here.

If you wish to know the make of the actual LCD that will be shipped to you, please contact us by phone with your order information between 10AM - 8PM EST (Monday – Friday).

If you turn your Lenovo laptop on and hear the computer working, but the screen is black, don"t panic. There could be a way to fix the Lenovo laptop"s black screen without replacing it or the computer.

If your Lenovo laptop has a black screen, there are a few things you can try to get it going again. Try these steps, each in order, until you find the solution that works.

Try a hard reset. In this instance, a hard reset is similar to a power cycle. Turn your Lenovo laptop off, unplug from any power, and remove the battery; disconnect any peripherals, and let everything sit for 30 seconds to a minute.

Connect to an external monitor. To test your LCD and LCD cables, connect your laptop to an external monitor with a VGA cable or connect to a TV as an external display using an HDMI cable, depending on the connections available on your system. Then restart your computer.

If the computer displays on the external monitor, the LCD or internal LCD cable could be faulty. Replace the LCD cable. If that doesn"t work, the LCD screen needs to be replaced and should probably go to the repair shop since replacing the monitor can be delicate. Do follow the steps below before taking on this repair to be sure it"s not anything else.

If you"ve tried everything above and the screen on your Lenovo laptop still isn"t working, there is likely a problem with the internal cables connecting the screen to the computer board or the display. Unless you"re well versed in repairing computers, then it might be time to call a professional. Just remember, if your computer is still under warranty, reach out to Lenovo first.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a great laptop overall, while the Lenovo Yoga 9i is one of the best 2-in-1s on the market. Gamers on a budget should check out the Legion Y545, and people looking for a good Chromebook might like Lenovo"s Duet line.

Since Lenovo laptops run Windows 10, you can use the keyboard shortcut Windows+Print Scrn to take a screenshot. This copies an image of the screen to your clipboard. You then need to paste it into a photo editing program like Microsoft Paint or Photoshop to turn it into a .JPG or .PNG.

Have you ever faced a situation in which you opened your laptop or ThinkPad and saw nothing but a constant black screen? Looks disaster, right? But don"t worry. Your Lenovo desktop black screen is not a big issue to solve! There could be various reasons for this issue. It could be a loose GPU connection, damaged port, or a faulty display, or any other.

So, to help you solve this issue, the article provides all the essential information about the possible reasons that lead to the Lenovo ThinkPad black screen, effective methods to fix the issue. Moreover, it also offers a reliable way to recover data from a crashed system. Let"s get it!

Now, the fact that your Lenovo laptop"s black screen could result from numerous possible reasons sometimes makes it difficult to find the real cause. Here"re some of the key factors that lead to such problems:

As seen in many cases, one of the common causes of your Lenovo laptop"s black screen is related to hardware glitches in different components. Over time internal cables in your laptop wear out, and a damaged internal cable might cause the problem. Moreover, overheating your laptop might a graphic card crash, which would have corrupted your video display.

The faulty battery could also be a possible reason for your Lenovo Ideapad Black Screen. Unplug the charger from the battery source, and if your laptop suddenly goes blank, then it"s a battery issue. Try to replace your battery with a working one for confirmation.

Can a faulty battery cause a black screen? Yes, it could! If the power supply network has any issues, it might be responsible for Lenovo ThinkPad black screen issue.

You might wonder how power supply would lead to such a situation. Issues with the power supply can make your Lenovo’s screen turn black, which can cause quite a lot of problems for you.

As mentioned earlier, even when Lenovo laptop black screen seems like a huge issue, it is not. Only if you know various aspects of the issue will you be able to solve the problem. Here are the nine effective methods that can resolve the problem.

Most of the time, the black screen is only a minor glitch that your laptop witnesses. It happens when the Windows operating system loses its connection to the screen display. The following instructions will help you reset the display mode whenever this kind of issue occurs.

This will reset the connections, and the Windows OS may regain the display. Once done, check if it works, and you could see the normal display on your Lenovo laptop. If the above method doesn"t solve your problem, move to the next option.

If the previous method for resetting the display doesn"t work, it could be a display issue. To test if your laptop screen is faulty, you need a monitor and HDMI DVI or a VGA cable compatible with your laptop. Follow the instructions below to check the display,

Step 3: Now, click on the "Fn" key and "CRT/LCD" tab (either F5 or F8). Keep on clicking on it until the content of your laptop is displayed on the external monitor.

Just like non-peripheral devices, peripheral devices can also result in your Lenovo ThinkPad black screen issue. Have you noticed some dots spinning in the boot-up process? If yes, then you should do a hard reset on your laptop to check it. The following steps will guide you to do so.

If your Lenovo laptop boots up properly, it was one of the peripheral devices causing your Lenovo laptop"s black screen. Now, connect all your peripheral devices one by one until you reproduce the black screen again. This way, you will know which device was causing the issue. If the issue persists, then the problem could be something else.

Lenovo laptop black screen can also occur if you use the wrong graphic drivers or an outdated one. But you won"t be able to update the driver on a black screen, will you? Well, in this case, you can try turning on your laptop in safe mode. When you start your laptop in safe mode, you may be able to update your graphics driver. Now, follow the steps mentioned below to run your computer in safe mode.

Explorer.exe manages various essential operations, including desktop, taskbar, among others. Now, if it"s closed in your system, your desktop and taskbar will become invisible. So, it could be a possible reason for Lenovo"s black screen of death.

Windows 10 is equipped with an incredible feature called Fast start-up that makes your system boot up faster. However, it"s a tricky method that can also mess up the start-up process. So, if it"s enabled on your laptop, this could be the reason why your Lenovo laptop black screen issue occurred. The steps below will help you to disable it to avoid such incidents.

Reseating the memory module is a procedure in which a RAM chip is removed from the DIMM slots and correctly placed in the slot. It"s a typical process used for plenty of laptop issues. These include long start-up time and system reading incorrect memory space, among others. As it is also a useful option in Lenovo laptop black screen issues, follow the steps below to reset the memory module correctly.

If your Lenovo black screen issue is a recent development, it might have happened because of some new installations or upgrades. These types of system glitches do occur when the new programs are not compatible with your operating system. In such a scenario, a system restore would be an efficient way to solve the issue. Follow the steps ahead to know how to do so.

Although you can test out all the necessary solutions to save your Lenovo laptop"s black screen, it would be better if you’d know how to prevent it. Black screen issues can get quite fatal in multiple situations; thus, it is important for you to understand the importance of the safety of your appliances. To save yourself from such situations, you can look over the following tips.

If the black screen is not caused by damaged hardware, you can recover the unaccessible data on the computer with Recoverit. Even when you can solve the Lenovo laptop black screen issue, you might face data loss from hard drives and turn to Recoverit to get your lost data back. Recoverit Data Recovery software application is one of the best bets to retrieve lost files and data.

As the crashed computer becomes bootable again, you can choose the data recovery. Select a hard disk for the scanning and connect a hard drive to your Lenovo laptop. After the scanning process is completed, select a hard drive to connect to your laptop and click on the "Recover" button to recover data.

Lenovo"s desktop black screen problem can be solved in multiple ways. Especially where you cannot see the content of your laptop might make you anxious. The article helps you understand the possible reasons for some of the effective solutions. Use Recoverit software to recover all the data lost due to the crashing of your Lenovo laptop.

t420 screen provide the touch interface in smartphones, which are vital for them to function. Alibaba.com stocks a stunning range of high-tech t420 screen with vibrant color depictions. Truly crystal-clear displays of t420 screen are available covering various brands and models such as the Samsung Galaxy Edge 2, OnePlus 7T, Samsung Galaxy C5, and many more.

t420 screen are the most commonly used displays, as they produce great image quality while consuming low power. Rather than emitting light directly, they use back lights or reflectors to produce images, which allows for easy readability even under direct sunlight. t420 screen are energy-efficient, and are comparatively safer to dispose of, than CRTs. t420 screen are much more efficient when it comes to usage in battery-powered electronic equipment, due to their minimal power consumption.

Some other advantages of t420 screen over the CRT counterparts are - sharper images, little to no heat emission, unaffected by magnetic fields, narrow frame borders, and extreme compactness, which make them very thin and light. Some types of t420 screen are transmissive, reflective, and transflective displays. Transmissive displays provide better image quality in the presence of low or medium-light, while reflective displays work best in the presence of bright light. The third type of t420 screen, transflective, combine the best features of both the other types and provide a well-balanced display.

Whether as an individual purchaser, supplier or wholesaler, browse for an extensive spectrum of t420 screen at Alibaba.com if you don"t want to stretch a dollar yet find the best fit.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T420 is a 14-inch powerhouse that offers exceptional performance at an affordable price. This laptop comes with a decent amount of ports and an exceptional keyboard. However, it lacks USB 3.0 and HDMI ports, and also its touchpad is a little too small for a 14-inch laptop.

Are you searching for a laptop that is both affordable and capable of handling all of your daily computing tasks? If yes, this Lenovo ThinkPad T420 review might just be what you are looking for!

To familiarize you with the Lenovo ThinkPad T420, I’ll go through its features and specifications in this review. I’ll also go over the laptop’s design, processor, RAM, graphics, storage, and battery life performances.

ThinkPad T series laptops from Lenovo have long been the most impressive models on the business laptop market. This is due to their exceptional build quality, powerful performance, and outstanding keyboards.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T420 continues this distinguished legacy. The laptop features a powerful Core i7 processor, a durable build quality, and a very pleasant keyboard.

In addition to its exceptional features, this laptop is also affordable. At the time I wrote this review in August 2021, the ThinkPad T420 starts at a price of $195.00.

The ThinkPad T420 maintains the original ThinkPad appearance that business users have grown to appreciate over time. Furthermore, the ThinkPad T420’s design appears to be very similar to that of its predecessor, the T410.

The entire exterior of the ThinkPad T420 is made of plastic but in matte black. This matte plastic is more scratch-resistant than glossy plastic, and it also resists fingerprints and dust.

The chassis of the Lenovo ThinkPad T420 is quite durable and strong – ThinkPad T-series laptops have strong internal frameworks that reduce flex. This is beneficial to the internal circuit boards; the less they flex, the safer.

In terms of the laptop’s display, the T420 has a 14-inch screen that features an anti-glare coating. Additionally, the laptop’s display also comes in two resolutions.

The ThinkPad T420 comes with a 7-row, spill-resistant keyboard with a full range of keys. On the keyboard, even infrequently used keys like scroll lock and pause are available.

On each side of the ThinkPad T420’s keyboard, there are two stereo speakers. This set of speakers are adequate for watching video clips, but they lack the power and bass needed to enjoy music.

The T420 features both a Touchpad and a TrackPoint, just like other ThinkPad laptops. By hitting the F8 and FN keys together, you can disable and enable the touchpad and TrackPoint individually.

Due to the fact that the ThinkPad T420 features both a TrackPoint and touchpad, it has two sets of mouse buttons. The mouse buttons have decent key travel and provide just the right amount of feedback.

Moving on, the ThinkPad T420 has a lot of ports, however, a number of key ones are missing. An Express Card 34 slot, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, 5-in-1 memory card reader, USB 2.0 port, and USB 2.0/eSATA port are located on the right side.

USB 3.0 ports and HDMI ports are totally lacking from the ThinkPad T420. These are particularly regrettable omissions given that Lenovo offers USB 3.0 and HDMI on several other ThinkPad laptops.

Lenovo packed the ThinkPad T420 with the basic range of ThinkVantage utilities. The ThinkVantage Power Manager is one of them, and it allows you to control the laptop’s power profile.

Access Connections, which manages your wireless connections, is also one of the ThinkVantage utilities. The T420 also features Corel DVD Movie Factory, which may be used to burn discs.

Moving on, the ThinkPad T420’s dimensions and weight are 340.5 x 233 x 30.1 and 2240 g, respectively. Comparatively, the ThinkPad T420 weighs more than Toshiba’s Tecra R840.

Specifically, the Toshiba Tecra R840 measures 340.36 x 238.76 x 27.94 mm and weighs 2086.52 g. On a bright note, the ThinkPad T420 is lighter than its predecessor, as well as the Dell Latitude E6420.

Overall, the Thinkpad T420 is a durable laptop with an excellent keyboard and a good number of ports. Therefore, for its overall design, I will rate it an eight out of ten.

The Lenovo Thinkpad T420 comes with a 2nd Gen 4-core Intel Core i7-2620M processor. This Core i7 processor is based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture and features a cache of 4 MB.

Additionally, the processor has a base frequency of 2.70 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.40 GHz. With this processor, the T420 is capable of handling numerous computing tasks such as web browsing, photo-editing, as well as multitasking.

To determine the performance of the ThinkPad T420 with this Core i7 processor, I conducted a wPrime processor benchmark test. The wPrime is a multi-threaded benchmark tool that uses Newton’s method of estimation to evaluate a computer’s processing performance.

The estimated runtime required to calculate the processor’s hyper-threading ability is the result of the test – a shorter runtime indicates better performance. According to the results of the test, the ThinkPad T420 recorded a runtime of 16.65 seconds.

Comparatively, the HP EliteBook 8560p achieved a runtime of 15.79 seconds. Therefore, the HP EliteBook 8560p has a better performance compared to the ThinkPad T420.

However, in comparison with its predecessor (ThinkPad T410), the ThinkPad T420 performed better. On the wPrime processor benchmark test, the ThinkPad T410 recorded a runtime of 16.82 seconds.

Finally, the Lenovo Thinkpad T420’s processing performance is impressive, especially considering that it surpassed its predecessor in the benchmark test. However, it was unable to outperform one of its closest competitors on the same benchmark test.

In terms of memory, Lenovo equips the ThinkPad T420 with two 1333 MHz SO-DIMM RAM slots. These RAM slots support a maximum memory capacity of 4 GB RAM each – 8 GB altogether.

Moving on, I conducted a PCMark Vantage benchmark test to measure the overall performance of the ThinkPad T420. Based on the PCMark Vantage test results, the ThinkPad T420 achieved a score of 8,122 points.

Unfortunately, this score isn’t enough to beat the Dell Latitude E6420 score of 9220 points. However, the ThinkPad T420 performed better than its fellow ThinkPad model, the ThinkPad T420s which scored 6197 points.

In conclusion, the Thinkpad T420’s maximum memory capacity is relatively poor and it also underperforms when compared to its competitors. Therefore, I will rate the T420 a seven in this memory review section.

The 7200 RPM SATA HDD storage option supports a maximum storage of 500 GB while the SSD supports up to 128 GB. Moreover, the ThinkPad T420 also comes with a 5-in-1 media card reader for extra storage expansion.

The ThinkPad T420 laptop I reviewed shipped with a 7200 RPM SATA HDD which has a storage capacity of 500 GB. To assess the performance of the laptop’s HDD storage, I conducted a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test.

CrystalDiskMark is a benchmarking software for analyzing a computer’s storage drive’s speed and overall performance. According to the results of the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test, the ThinkPad T420 has a sequential read speed of 94.39 MB/s.

To further assess the ThinkPad T420’s performance with the HDD storage, I conducted a file transfer test. On the file transfer test, it took the laptop 3 minutes and 5 seconds to copy 4.97GB of multimedia files.

For graphics, the ThinkPad T420 comes with two graphics card options. The laptop is available either with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, or NVIDIA NVS 4200M.

Therefore, when using the graphics card on the T420, don’t expect it to run graphics-demanding applications or games smoothly. On the bright note, the NVIDIA NVS 4200M features a dedicated VRAM of 1 GB DDR3.

The ThinkPad T420 laptop I reviewed came with both the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, and NVIDIA NVS 4200M. So, I conducted a 3DMark 06 test on the laptop to determine the overall performance of the graphics cards.

Based on the results of the 3DMark 06 test, the ThinkPad T420 scored 5,583 points. Comparatively, the ThinkPad T420 achieved a better score than the Dell Latitude E6420 and HP EliteBook 8460p.

I also conducted a real-world gaming test on the laptop to further assess the performance of its graphics cards. The ThinkPad T420 isn’t a gaming laptop, but its graphics card with dedicated VRAM is strong enough to play some popular title games.

For instance, the ThinkPad T420 achieved a solid frame rate of 61 fps when playing World of Warcraft. This frame rate is higher than the Dell Latitude E6420’s 41 fps.

Finally, despite the fact that the ThinkPad T420 isn’t for gaming nevertheless, it can play a few popular games. Therefore, I will rate the laptop an eight for its exceptional graphics performance.

For battery, the ThinkPad T420 comes with two battery configurations. The laptop is available with a 6-cell, 57 Whr Li-ion or 9-cell, 94 Whr Li-Ion battery.

Comparatively, the HP EliteBook 8460p lasted 6 hours while the Toshiba Tecra R840 lasted 6 hours and 34 minutes. Therefore, the ThinkPad T420 has a better battery runtime than both laptops.

Finally, I will rate the ThinkPad T420 a nine out of ten for its impressive battery performance. This rating is based on the 9-cell battery performance.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T420 is a well-built 14-inch business laptop that offers a lot at a good price. It features the ThinkPad trademarks of excellent build quality and a good keyboard.

Almost everything about the ThinkPad T420 appeals to me, from its long battery life to its numerous graphics options. Its touchpad, on the other hand, is a little too small, and it lacks a USB 3.0 port, which is a major flaw.

Press the power button to turn on the ThinkPad, and press the blue "Access IBM" or “Access ThinkPad” key on the keyboard as soon as you see the IBM or Lenovo logo. On most ThinkPad laptops, the blue key is just above the top row of keys on the keyboard. After a few seconds, the ThinkPad Product Recovery Program menu will appear on the display screen.

Press the “F11” key after the ThinkPad Recovery Menu appears. Enable the “Restore Factory Defaults” option and follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall and customize your Windows operating system. The restore process also reinstalls other third-party software included on the computer when you first purchased it. During the restore process, enter a Windows username and password for the laptop when prompted.

Lenovo"s ThinkPad T series notebooks have long been the gold standard for mainstream business systems because of their strong performance, superior build quality, and best-in-class keyboards. With the 14-inch ThinkPad T420, Lenovo has made a couple of changes, switching the screen to the now-standard 16:9 aspect ratio and giving it the latest Intel 2nd Generation Core series CPU. Is the T420, $1,179 as configured, the business notebook to beat?

The ThinkPad T420 follows the classic ThinkPad aesthetic business users have come to know and love over the years. The matte black, rubberized lid with its simple silver logo and raven black sides, bottom, and interior are all long-time ThinkPad staples, as is the tiny red TrackPoint pointing stick that sits between the G and H keys. Like previous ThinkPad T Series notebooks, the T420 is designed for durability. The rubberized ABS plastic lid, carbon-reinforced bottom, and internal roll cage help protect against shocks and drops.

At 13.4 x 10 x 1 inches and 5.2 pounds with the high-capacity nine-cell battery, the ThinkPad T420 is a bit larger and heavier than the Toshiba Tecra R840 (13.4 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches, 4.6 pounds), but it"s still lighter than the HP Elitebook 8460p (13 x 9.1 x 1.3 inches, 5.4 pounds) and the Dell Latitude E6420 (13.9 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches, 6.2 pounds) with its extended battery. Using the standard six-cell battery cuts the T420"s length to 9 inches and its weight to 4.8 pounds. Lenovo"s ThinkPad T420s, designed as a lighter alternative, weighs only 4 pounds and measures only 13.5 x 9.1 x 0.8-1 inches.

The classic, spill-resistant keyboard on the ThinkPad T420 features 7 rows with a full range of keys, even rarely used ones such as scroll lock and pause. Enlarged Esc and Delete keys make it easy to perform these frequent functions. The combination of strong tactile feedback and a smile-shaped key surface allowed us to achieve an 86 word-per-minute score with a 1-percent error rate on the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor test, well above our 80 wpm average. However, the typing experience on the 13-inch ThinkPad X1 remains the industry"s best because of that notebook"s soft-touch palm rest and even more responsive keys.

The ThinkPad T420 stayed pleasantly cool throughout our testing. After streaming video for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured a frigid 82 degrees, the keyboard an icy 81 degrees, and the bottom a cool 87 degrees Fahrenheit. We consider temperatures below 95 degrees comfortable.

The 230-nit, 14.1-inch matte display provided sharp images and plenty of desktop real estate thanks to its optional 1600 x 900 panel. When we watched a 1080p QuickTime trailer for the movie Point Blank, images were sharp and motion smooth with viewing angles solid up to 45 degrees to the left or right. However, when we streamed a 720p Flash episode of Fringe from Fox.com, the edges of objects seemed a little pixelated, perhaps because the screen had a higher resolution than the video. We highly recommend the 1600 x 900 panel, a $50 option, because it shows a lot more of your favorite web pages and documents without forcing you to scroll.

While not as high fidelity as audio-focused consumer notebooks such as the Dell XPS and the HP Envy series, the Lenovo ThinkPad T420 provides surprisingly good music playback. Whether we were playing Kool and the Gang"s jazz-oriented "Summer Madness," the bass-heavy "Between the Sheets" by the Isley Brothers, or Motley Crue"s guitar-laden "Looks that Kill," sound was accurate and loud enough to fill a medium-sized room. We could even make out a solid separation of sound between the speakers, which sit on either side of the keyboard.

Lenovo"s conferencing software features a unique keyboard noise suppression feature that, on our tests, completely muted the sound of our typing as we chatted on Skype. The software also allows you to configure the dual-array microphones for a single voice or group chat.

With its 2.5-GHz Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, an Nvidia NVS 4200M graphics chip, and 7,200-rpm hard drive, the ThinkPad T420 was strong enough for anything we threw at it, from playing 1080p video to spreadsheet crunching and light gaming. On PCMarkVantage, which measures overall performance, the T420 scored a strong 8,197, much higher than the 5,596 thin-and-light notebook category average, the 7,728 turned in by the Toshiba Tecra R840, and the HP EliteBook 8460p (both have the same Core i5-2520M CPU).

Using Oxelon Media Encoder, the T420 transcoded a 114MB MPEG4 to AVI in 43 seconds, 15 seconds less than the thin-and-light average, and on a par with the Toshiba R840 (41 seconds) and the HP 8460p (42 seconds).

Our ThinkPad T420 review unit came with Nvidia NVS 4200M and Intel HD 3000 GPUs and Nvidia"s Optimus graphics switching technology to toggle between the two for the best combination of battery life and performance. On 3DMark06, which measures overall graphics prowess, the ThinkPad T420 scored a strong 5,583, well above the 4,006 category average, the 5,060 provided by the Dell Latitude E6420 with its Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics, and the 5,032 scored by the HP EliteBook 8460p with its AMD Radeon HD 6470M GPU.

The ThinkPad T420 isn"t a gaming system, but its discrete graphics chip is good enough to get decent frame rates on some popular titles. At autodetect settings, the T420 provided a solid 61 frames per second when playing World of Warcraft, a little less than the 86 fps category average, but much higher than the 41 fps that the Dell Latitude E6420 got and the 52 fps scored by the HP EliteBook 8460p, and impressive given that most notebooks in the category have lower resolution screens. With special effects turned up, the rate dropped to a still-solid 32 fps.

In the more demanding Far Cry 2, the ThinkPad T420 got a solid 37 fps at 1024 x 768 resolution, on a par with the 36.6 fps category average. When we upped the resolution to 1600 x 900, that rate dropped to a modest 25 fps, which is comfortably above the 20 fps category average.

With its nine-cell extended battery, the ThinkPad T420 lasts all day and then some. On the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous surfing over Wi-Fi, the notebook lasted a whopping 10 hours and 36 minutes, more than double the 5:15 category average and the battery life of the T420s (5 hours). That time is also significantly longer than the HP EliteBook 8460p (6:01) and the Toshiba Tecra R840 (6:34). Only the 6.2-pound Dell Latitude E6420 with its extended battery came close, lasting 8:59.

Though our review unit carries an MSRP of $1,179, the ThinkPad T420 starts at just $789. For that price, you get a 2.1-GHz Core i3 CPU, integrated graphics, a 1366 x 768 display, but the same 500GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM as our review unit. If you want discrete graphics, you"ll need to buy the $1,089 model that comes with a Core i5 CPU and 1600 x 900 screen, along with its Nvidia NVS 4200 GPU. Configuration options include a choice of storage (320/500GB hard drive or 128/160GB SSD), up to 8GB of RAM, a choice of Core i3, i5, or i7, and several different Wi-Fi cards. Strangely, the webcam and fingerprint reader are not standard, costing $20 and $30 respectively.

Other utilities include Access Connections from managing your wireless connections, Password Manager, and Rescue and Recovery for Backups. The T420 also comes with Corel DVD Movie Factory for burning discs.

The ThinkPad T420 comes with a powered fingerprint reader that can read your fingers even when the system is off. Using the bundled security software, we were able to enroll our index finger in just a couple of minutes. With the notebook powered down, we were able to turn the system on, cold boot into Windows, and log in with just a single swipe.

Lenovo backs the ThinkPad T420 with a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor. Extended warranties up to three years and accidental damage protection are available at additional cost. See how Lenovo did in our Tech Support Showdownand Best & Worst Brands report.

With its epic battery life, awesome keyboard, solid sound, durable design, and high-res screen, the ThinkPad T420 offers nearly everything you"d want in a 14-inch business system for a good price. If you"re looking for something a bit lighter, consider the ThinkPad T420s, which weighs 1.2 pounds less but lasts half as long on a charge. However, if you want the ultimate thin-and-light productivity powerhouse, the ThinkPad T420 should be at the top of your list.Lenovo ThinkPad T420: Price Comparison

An invariable constant. The tried and tested Thinkpad design has practically remained untouched on the outside. But from now on, the new Sandy Bridge hardware does its job inside the T420. Moreover, the compact office laptop boasts with an excellent communication configuration for the professional field.

Lenovo has doubtlessly made a name for itself in the business field with the Thinkpad notebooks. The T-series wants to "offer the best security, manageability, services and support" according to Lenovo"s homepage, and thus sets itself apart from the top of the significantly stronger W-series. In return, the X-series scores with a greater mobility.

Our test device is the 14 incher from the T-series, called T420. Adjacently, the 15 inch model, T520, is also offered and in review at the same time. Essentially, the Tx20 laptops only differ from the previous models, called T410 and T510, by a hardware refresh to the new Sandy Bridge processors.

The test device"s full name is T420 4236-NGG. Inside an Intel Core i7 2620M CPU does its job. The incorporated graphics chip, Intel HD Graphics 3000, is exclusively available for video output in our test model. This configuration is supported by a four gigabyte DDR3 main memory and a fast 500 GB hard disk with a revolution speed of 7200 rpm. Aside from various Core i processors, the T420 is also available with a dedicated NVIDIA NVS 4200M graphics card and Optimus technology – at least in the USA. Consequently, the rating of performance contingent parts is dependent on the real configuration and can"t necessarily be applied to other models.

The Thinkpad T420 can practically be seen as an immediate opponent of the basically similarly configurable Latitude E6420 from Dell. While Dell has opted for a completely new design, Lenovo contrarily sticks to the tested and tried Thinkpad design for the Thinkpad T420. We will show to what extent both vying notebooks differ in detail.

At first glance, The T420 doesn"t seem to differ from the T410 much. But this is deceptive. For one thing, the display"s diagonal has slightly shrunk from 14.1 inches to 14 inches. The same applies for the laptop"s height and width, whereas the depth has interestingly gained a bit. The measurements for comparison: 30.5x340.5x233mm for the T420 and 32x336x239 for the T410.

Albeit, as we will see in a moment, quite a few changes have been made on connectivity, Lenovo sticks to the proven, light clamshell design. No modifications can be found in color or material choice, either. The almost completely black case has been made from plastic. The haptics correspond to the choice of materials. However, the matt and slightly roughened surfaces don"t feel unpleasant.

In opposition, Lenovo has taken care to place potentially permanently occupied ports, such as the other two USB 2.0 ports and the eSATA/USB combo port, in the right"s rear area in the interface arrangement. In addition, the right accommodates, from front to back, a 3.5mm combo audio socket, the optical drive in an Ultra Bay slot, a 4in1 cardreader that supports SD, MM, SDHC, SDXC, and an ExpressCard34 port.

To our regret, Lenovo forgets, like Dell in its E6420, to install a USB 3.0 port in the course of the refresh. Although the eSATA interface also bids a higher data transfer rate than USB 2.0, increasingly more external mass memories are being offered with USB 3.0 ports and eSATA is disappearing little by little from the market. In comparison to the competition, we also notice that Dell relies on the utilization of a HDMI port in the E6420 and thus accepts the according restrictions. In opposition, Lenovo remains resolute in installing a display port directly on the device.

Talking about docking stations – it remains interesting to see which docking solutions will find their way to Europe. Currently, two models are available for the T420 in the USA: The ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 (US/Canada/LA) (-> manufacturer"s information) for about 250 US dollars. It allows connecting three additional external monitors in addition to the installed display. Secondly, the ThinkPad Port Replicator Series 3 (-> manufacturer"s information) for about 280 dollars.

Alike the T410, our T420 test sample scores with an extensive communication configuration. Everything that is useful and available is installed. A Bluetooth module version 3.0 is optional, and installed in our test device. It allows data exchange with small, portable devices, such as PDA or mobile phones. Just as optional is a mobile broadband module (F5521gw Mobile Broadband) also installed in our Thinkpad. The correlating SIM slot is located in the battery compartment. The matching antenna cables are present so that a UMTS/HSPA module can be retrofitted later. In regards to WLAN, various options are given. An Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN (agn) module is in the test device. The laptop can be linked to Ethernet networks via the Intel 82579 LM Gigabyte Network Connection. Video conferences aren"t a problem anywhere with the (optional) 720p HD camera and this configuration.

In addition to the obligatory Kensington Lock, the T420 also has a fingerprint reader, among other things. A splash waterproof keyboard saves data from loss in case of mishaps with liquids.

The T420 has generally improved in comparison to the T410 in terms of assessments. It is brighter and illuminated more evenly. Merely the black value is slightly lower than in the prior model. Nevertheless, the better brightness results in a somewhat higher contrast.

As you can see in the comparison pictures, which have been made with various ICC color profiles, The T420 hasn"t been designed for professional image editing. AdobeRGB and sRGB aren"t covered. Thus, it is in the same league as Dell"s E6420 with the same display size and resolution. Differences in view of color reproduction become visible in comparison with especially high quality screens. They can be found, for example, in Apple"s MacBook Pro 13 or in Dell"s XPS 15. Even the T420"s bigger brother, the T520, scores better here.

The last point we look at for rating a screen is its viewing angle stability. It turns out to our satisfaction horizontally and the image can be recognized even in very narrow angles without ado. As usual in the majority of laptops, the viewing angles along the vertical plane are considerably lower in the T420. Consequently, you can take it for granted that frequent viewing angle adjusting will be necessary to ensure a well legible image, especially during outdoor use. When several people are looking at the screen at the same time, their eyes should be at about the same height.

Our T420 has a four gigabyte DDR3 RAM available for the main memory. They are located on one single, inaccessible for the user, chip. Only a second, still unoccupied bank is accessible via the maintenance cover. An intended upgrade can easily be accomplished by the customer. Due to the 64bit Windows 7 Professional operating system, the four gigabyte of main memory can be exploited efficiently, in contrast to a 32 bit version, and there"s nothing standing in the way of a RAM upgrade. The processor"s memory controller can address a maximum of up to eight gigabyte of DDR3-1066/1333 RAM.

Unfortunately, the test results are beneath those that would be expected for a HD Graphics 3000. However, since the power measurements always remain under par, we have to reckon with a defective device. Another indication for this is that the device detection of the ThinkVantage Tools fails regularly. In order to exclude a problem in the settings we checked the BIOS and the energy settings in Windows 7. We will attempt to attain a replacement device for an update review. We would refer to our detailed test of the Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip and to the HD Graphics 3000"s spec sheet for more information.

The T420 always remains fairly quiet regardless of the load. The system noise is a constant 32.2 dB(A) in low load. The hard disk is slightly louder with 32.5 dB(A) during access.

The tested T420 stays pleasantly cool everywhere in low load. This still applies for the entire upper surface even during higher load, for example two hours in the stress test. Merely temperatures above body temperature are measured in some places on the bottom, and a maximum of 39.7 degrees Celsius in the vents" areas.

The Core i7 2620M dual core processors" core temperatures inside climb to a maximum of 85 degrees Celsius inside. We must point out that the T420 in the configuration at hand hasn"t been conceived for graphic-heavy applications, but for office and internet anyway.

Surprisingly, the maximum power consumption wasn"t as high as expected in the stress test (100% CPU and GPU load). Solely the CPU proves to have a maximum power loss of 35 watts. However, our meters only recorded 28.6 watts for the entire system. Thus, we checked the setting in Lenovo"s PowerManagement in Windows 7 and the BIOS settings. But we didn"t find anything in neither place. The settings for mains operation are clearly set to "Maximum Performance" in the BIOS.

At any rate, the T420 is also available with a dedicated NVIDIA NVS 4200M graphics card in the USA. The Optimus technology is thus used to keep the power consumption low during low load. Since our E6420 test device is equipped with the NVIDIA NVS 4200M graphics card and Optimus option, our T420 has a clear advantage in power consumption during load scenarios.

We like the 14 inch screen that is marginally smaller than the T410"s (display diagonal). The desktop"s layout has been maintained, respectively even slightly improved in width due to a resolution of 1600x900. There"s nothing standing in the way of mobile use with the matt display surface and good brightness. However, the T420 only bids standard fare in terms of color reproduction.

The T420 has basically been designed for business customers who are looking for a solid office laptop with a good application performance and nevertheless good mobile qualities. A slight performance increase in 3D applications can be expected in the configurations with a dedicated Nvidia NVS 4200M graphics card, which also supports DirectX 11, listed in the USA. However, our test laptop won"t mutate to a stronger graphics workstation even with this graphics solution.