14" Thinkpad Edge vs. 15"

I see that both are priced the same and was wondering if which one do you guys prefer? I'm thinking about getting the 14" version as the size seems perfect but for the same price that 15.6" looks enticing.

Also, I noticed that a few days ago the 14" thinkpad edge was offering a 1600x900 higher resolution screen option but just a couple of days ago lenovo took it off. Does anyone know if it was due to some special deal or because it was lenovo's mistake for putting that option??

I built the 14" thinkpad edge with the 1600x900 screen many times when thinking about buying it but now that feature is simply gone.

Also is the standard display on the edge that crappy, for example similar to the t420?

 

Unless you need the numberpad, I recommend the Edge 14. Both of them have HD display, the HD+ that was on the site before was most likely a error. The 14 Edge are more compact, thus feel more solid. The screen on the edge are ok, it will less likely suffer the graininess issue if you select the glossy screen. The viewing angle would be similar to t420, so will the contrast ratio; however the slbook list it as 500:1 compare to t420 300:1, I doubt that they won't be any significance difference in screen quality.

 

Ive used Edge 15 (NOT the E520) with matte screen, it wasnt that bad, didnt notice immediately any graining, Id say it was rather normal for everyday use.

Cant comment on build quality, the one on 15" was ok for budget laptop, keyboard support was weak in the lower corner above DVD driver, the rest was ok. Liked its big touchpad.

If you will be using it as desktop machine only and not taking it from desk to sofa to school or work or with you while travelling then its up to you which size you feel more comfortable with.

14" could be a bit better built due to decreased size+have better battery life due to its smaller screen.

Make sure you buy Intel version, it SHOULD give you better battery life over AMD versions.

1600x900 - I too noticed that option, but that was just an error, since neither of Edge laptops were announced with HD+ as option, only budget (non X/T/W) ThinkPad with HD+ option is L520.

 

How is the feel of the keyboard on the 15" ?
Nearly all the reviews i've read said that there was much flex above the optical drive, but does it really kill the typing experience? Or it's quite comfortable even with that 'feature'?

 

I didnt type much, so I could rather comment on chiclet keyboard vs regular ThinkPad keyboard, which is fine-chiclet on Edge series with little getting used to is as accurate and nice to type on as its on regular TP keyboard.

The one I used had some keyboard defect above DVD drive which made they kb to detach from the frame and move up and down and rattle as you type.

The flex itself wasnt as bad and noticeable (when the keyboard was in its place and not detached from laptops frame) as on many other budget laptops, even pricier ThinkPads have some degree of flex above DVD drive, I think that if youre heavy pounding typer with hammering action on keys you might actually get annoyed by flex above DVD drive.
I would suggest that checking that out in real life is the best way how to come to conclusion and make a choice.

Would I want Edge 15 as my only laptop? I wouldnt (Ive owned R400 and T410 as my reference laptops), amount of keyboard flex above DVD drive, while not always noticable, would bother me pretty much(perhaps I used lemon one with rattling kb assembly, dont know), battery life is too low for me (I need at least good 5-7h) and system dimensions are bit too big, 15" isnt as portable as 14". It feels lighter than it actually looks for 15" tho.
But if its going to be your secondary-desktop bound laptop then its good for the price. It looks simple and doesnt cost much and does what its supposed to do - its good budget laptop. I wouldnt call it business laptop, not the 15" at least.

IF you are on tight budget then 14" would be better bet for you.
If on the other hand only 15" model is on sale and you need laptop now then I would once again recommend to try it out in real life to see whether amount of keyboard flex above DVD drive could posses concern to you.

 

I'm looking at the T420 but then after building up to the 1600x900 option its about $930 after taxes. I'm now looking at the Sony Vaio S series as well, at least those models come with a dedicated GPU atm.

 

i would probably go for the Edge 14 with the intel gpu.

 

Is the screen on the edge 14" that bad though? I am VERY picky about screen quality. I rather have a slower AMD CPU and a very nice screen, thats how picky I am.

 

I guess you are better off getting the L520 with HD+ or the T520 with HD+ if you are concern about screen quality. They are better than average screen on the market, while most other Lenovo screen are at best average budget laptop panel. The best screen currently offer by Lenovo are FHD in the W520, T520, and the IPS screen option on the X220.

 

I ordered the thinkpad edge e420 back on April 19th when it showed it having a 1600 x 900 screen. On the 28th lenovo notified me that the site incorrectly displayed 1600 x 900 instead of 1366 x 768. So I ended up cancelling my order.