Is the Lenovo 720s 14" Worthwhile?

[Purphoros]

Hey everyone!

I've been on the hunt for a solid laptop with a good keyboard and capable of handling some light gaming.  I've considered a huge range of options from tiny ultrabooks to workstation behemoths and I think I finally found the one that would suit my needs.  Striking the balance between portability, battery life, and power has been difficult.

 

I've decided on the Lenovo 720s 14". (link)

It features:

• i5-8250U
• MX150
• 256Gb NVMe SSD
• 1080p screen
• 55Whr battery
• 2x2 WiFi
• 2 PCIe Lane Thunderbolt 3
• Price is about $913 after taxes

I can't seem to find a lot of reviews on the product or places to purchase it from, so I've come here to see if anyone can help me determine the quality and any potential issues with this laptop.  I've spent a lot of time on this but I want to make sure this is a quality investment as I intend to use it for a long period of time.  Any help is appreciated!

Edited April 9, 2018 by Purphoros
Grammar and some spelling. The usual things. Expect small changes in wording as I work out any flaws in my writing.

[KarathKasun]

Eh, its difficult to give the OK on that when an i5-7300HQ + GTX 1050 Ti laptop can be had for about the same price.

[Purphoros]

Just now, KarathKasun said:

Eh, its difficult to give the OK on that when an i5-7300HQ + GTX 1050 Ti laptop can be had for about the same price.

Yeah I know.  I've been battling the temptation to go for the higher end SKU.  It works out to be ~$1,050 after tax through an Ebay seller.  That price is seriously good for the formfactor you get the hardware in but I was hoping to shave some weight off.  The 1050 Ti variant is a 15.6" laptop and weighs about 5.3 pounds.  The 14" variant weighs about 3.5.  I have to carry this laptop daily so I feel the weight savings are worth the sacrifice.  I don't have much experience with laptops.  My most recent is 8 years old at this point and lugging it around is a hassle but I can't really determine if that's from the bulk or the weight.  The MX150 will fit all of my needs but a 1050 Ti would too.

[KarathKasun]

I carry a Lenovo Y-520 daily in a backpack designed for laptops with no issues.  If you want lightweight i would just get something that uses the integrated graphics and is super lightweight.  Make sure it has a full speed TB3 port and dock it at home.

[Purphoros]

1 minute ago, KarathKasun said:

I carry a Lenovo Y-520 daily in a backpack designed for laptops with no issues.  If you want lightweight i would just get something that uses the integrated graphics and is super lightweight.  Make sure it has a full speed TB3 port and dock it at home.

I have a desktop at home.  My main use for a laptop would be notes but I love having the option of playing stuff like Running With Rifles in the downtime of a car ride or at a hotel.  I don't need much to actually achieve that but I still want some overhead if I get into something like Overwatch.

[Purphoros]

@KarathKasun

I'd also like to add that I already carry my dinosaur daily.  My backpack can already weigh upwards of 40 lbs when I come home so a 2 lbs difference might not matter all that much.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Purphoros
Reformatted comment to fit better into the flow of conversation.

[KarathKasun]

The 1050+ laptops have beefier bricks as well.

[KarathKasun]

maybe something like this?  If going for the MX 150/lighter weight approach Id do so only with cheaper prices.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834316241&ignorebbr=1

[Purphoros]

Just now, KarathKasun said:

The 1050+ laptops have beefier bricks as well.

Yes that is one excellent consideration.  I love the slim-tip charger that Lenovo makes.  My family is basically all Thinkpads from work or as personal laptops that use slim-tip so I have extra ones lying around including a 135w which would solve power throttling that the 15.6" gets in games.  I hate barrel plugs due to how quickly they wear out but it seemed to be a necessary evil.

[Purphoros]

8 minutes ago, KarathKasun said:

maybe something like this?  If going for the MX 150/lighter weight approach Id do so only with cheaper prices.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834316241&ignorebbr=1

That is an excellent laptop.  I looked into those too.  They are around $700 on amazon and while they do provide the same specs but, the screen and build are not up to par with the 720s.  They also lack that sweet, sweet Thunderbolt.  I like the option of being able to get more power out of a capable laptop with an external GPU enclosure.  That being said, the cost savings are substantial.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Purphoros
Fixed some grammar and spelling.

[KarathKasun]

If I already had a desktop and dont plan on lugging around an egpu I would skip on the TB3 port honestly.

 

I got my Y520 with the 1050 Ti because it will likely be able to play games at 1080p (the native res of its display) for a few years with only lowering settings as newer games come out.

[Purphoros]

Just now, KarathKasun said:

If I already had a desktop and dont plan on lugging around an egpu I would skip on the TB3 port honestly.

Fair point.

[genexis_x]

53 minutes ago, Purphoros said:

Lenovo 720s 14". (link)

It's a well built laptop. Just keep in mind that the MX150 is the low power 8W variant which is just slightly faster than 940MX GDDR5.

[Purphoros]

Ok.  I decided on the 15".  The price difference was so minimal I went for it over the 14". I have officially bought a laptop and I'm glad to have that ordeal over and done with.

 

Thanks to user @KarathKasun for helping me make up my mind.

 

Thanks to users:

@ZM Fong, @Streetguru, @Crunchy Dragon, and @MR.weRTLos for their recommendations and advice.  This is the first major product I've bought with the help of the LMG community and you all made it easier to choose what was best for me in the end.  Thanks again and have a nice night.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Purphoros
I really suck at sentence structure.

[genexis_x]

Just to remind you: 7300HQ is generally slower than 8250U. Also the 1050TI in 720s 15 is Max-Q variant which has performance between 1050 mobile and 1050TI mobile.

[Purphoros]

Just now, ZM Fong said:

Just to remind you: 7300HQ is generally slower than 8250U. Also the 1050TI in 720s 15 is Max-Q variant which has performance between 1050 mobile and 1050TI mobile.

Well aware.  The CPU difference is generally negligible for what I do and the MaxQ 1050 Ti while not the best GPU on the market is still excellent for the price and form factor.  I appreciate your concern.

[cragger89]

I use an msi GV62 7RC laptop which has an MX150 and i5 7300HQ, took it to Scotland with me for a week recently and got on very well with it. I tinkered with settings to get 60+ FPS from games like GTA V on it and can game completely fine on it.

 

Not really able to compare it with anything else but I can say as someone who has an i7 desktop machine with a 1050Ti in it, I am very satisfied with this laptop - will recommend similar specs to anyone. Obviously, if better stuff is available for the same price to you and the weight/battery life isn't a concern, I'd say to get the better specified stuff.

[genexis_x]

1 hour ago, cragger89 said:

GV62 7RC

Honestly, I think this laptop makes no sense. You can get a similar spec laptop with better build quality, better battery life and better display for about or less the price. Don't know what's MSI point of making this model.

[cragger89]

To make money.

[cragger89]

I chose it because I wanted to change laptops quickly and so was using a store I have a large credit rating with - this was £700 which was cheaper than Amazon at the time and I liked the fact that it is simple to work on - other laptops I fancied only had easy access to 1 ram slot/storage bay, etc.

 

It made a lot of sense for me. Real life battery life is way more than I require (4 hours when I am browsing), the build quality isn't flimsy like I was expecting after reading reviews, the keyboard is fantastic, the screen is adequate, quick enough to run all the software and games I want, etc. If I was paying with cash obviously I'd be looking at other places, but since it arrived, I can't fault the laptop and am glad I didn't dismiss it when I was looking at the Asus GL503 Hero with a 1060 6GB etc in it.

 

I was more using it as a reference point to say that the MX150 is a capable GPU rather than recommending the laptop itself.