Lenovo Thinkpad W510 Review

The Lenovo ThinkPad W510 is a 15-inch laptop that should appeal mainly to business users, at a price in the $2000 range, although it may also find a home with casual users who are looking for solid performance. Does the W510 stand out, or is it surpassed by others in its class?
Positives
There’s no doubt that Lenovo has positioned the ThinkPad W510 as a high-end laptop. Its features include a 15.6-inch LED backlit display, an Intel Quad Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM (expandable to 16GB), a 320GB hard drive, and a 1GB NVIDIA graphics card.
Performance-wise, the W510 is nearly identical to the similarly priced HP Envy 15; however, Lenovo’s offering does differentiate itself in a few significant ways. The most obvious is bulk. The W510 is a very solidly-built laptop, which should appeal to business users, as it will certainly be able to withstand the rigors of travel. The keyboard and palm rest, as well as the outer shell, have a very sturdy feel that go beyond simple heft. At the same time, the W510 isn’t just a big, solid chunk of machinery – it actually looks pretty good. The display, in particular, is one of the best in its class, with a 95% color gamut and a resolution of 1920 x 1080.
Negatives
It is possible that some may find the W510’s heavy-duty build to be a bit of a drawback. The W510 is about two pounds heavier than the HP Envy 15, and its overall appearance isn’t nearly as sleek. It’s also a bit of a power hog, with seriously reduced performance when running off the battery. Finally, the W510’s high color gamut can be a blessing and a curse, as the display can be very rich under good conditions, but when you can’t see the screen at the ideal angle, or with the right lighting conditions, the image can look more washed out than normal. This all adds up to a laptop that isn’t quite as portable, in a broad sense, as some of its competitors.
The Bottom Line
If you’re interested in a laptop in the $2000 range, the W510 is certainly a good bet, with very solid performance and reliability. If you value portability and sharp design, the HP Envy 15 might be a bit better, while the ThinkPad W510 is better suited to heavy-duty users.

Posted in: Lenovo