I'm again looking for a new notebook as the battery of my current one is dead and the keyboard is broken.
My Requirements
- Display: At least 1920x1080 (FHD) resolution, 300 cd/m² brightness, 700:1 contrast
- RAM: Hast to be upgradeable to at least 24 GB
- Storage: At least 512 GB SSD
- Weight: With power supply less than 2 kg
How to get your specs
On Ubuntu / Linux:
# CPU
lscpu
# Display
xrandr --verbose
# Storage
sudo lshw -class disk
# Memory
sudo dmidecode --type memory
# Bluetooth
hciconfig -a
Wi-Fi
| Wi-Fi Version | IEEE Standard | RF Band (GHz) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi 1 | IEEE 802.11b | 2.4 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 2 | IEEE 802.11a | 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 3 | IEEE 802.11g | 2.4 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 4 | IEEE 802.11n | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 5 | IEEE 802.11ac | 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 6 | IEEE 802.11ax | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 6E | IEEE 802.11ax (Extended) | 6 GHz |
| Wi-Fi 7 | IEEE 802.11be | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz |
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is typically part of the Wi-Fi chip. The higher the version, the more features are supported. The most important ones are:
- Bluetooth 4.0: Low Energy (LE) support, also called BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
- Bluetooth 4.1: Improved data transfer rates and connection stability
- Bluetooth 4.2: Improved privacy and security features
- Bluetooth 5.0: Increased range and speed; Indoor positioning and navigation
- Bluetooth 5.1: Direction finding and improved location services
- Bluetooth 5.2: Enhanced audio quality and support for multiple audio streams via Auracast; Enhanced Attribute Protocol improves BLE
- Bluetooth 5.3: Improved power efficiency and security features
- Bluetooth 5.4: Enhanced data transfer rates and support for new use cases
More on mokosmart.com
SSD Interfaces
- SATA: maximum throughput of 550MB/s
- PCIe 5.0: maximum throughput of 14,000MB/s
Both interface types are available in M.2 form factor.
See: Confusion: What's the difference between SATA, NVMe, M.2, and PCIe?
Notebooks
| Model | T460p | T480s | T490 | T14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-6700HQ (4 cores, 8 threads, 2.6GHz base frequency, 3.5GHz max frequency, 6MB L3 cache) | Intel Core i7 8650U (4 cores, 8 threads, 1.9GHz base frequency, 4.2GHz max frequency, 8MB L3 cache) | Intel Core i5 8265U (4 cores, 8 threads, 1.6GHz base frequency, 3.9GHz max frequency, 6MB L3 cache) | Intel Core i5 10310U (4 cores, 8 threads, 1.7GHz base frequency, 4.4GHz max frequency, 6MB L3 Cache) |
| RAM | 8 GB + 16GB (DDR4, SODIMM, 2133 MT/s) | 16 GB (DDR4) + 1 free SODIMM slot up to 24 GB | 16 GB (DDR4-2400) + 1 free SODIMM slot up to 32 GB | 16 GB (DDR4-2666) + 1 free SODIMM slot up to 32 GB |
| Storage | 512 GB (SAMSUNG MZ7LN512, SATA 6 via M.2) | 512 GB SSD (Samsung PM981, PCIe-NVMe via M.2) | 256 GB SSD (Toshiba KXG5AZNV256G, PCIe-NVMe via M.2) | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery | 5h web surfing | 9h web surfing | 9.5h web surfing | 11h web surfing |
| Graphics | ||||
| Resolution | 2560x1440 (WQHD) | 2560x1440 (WQHD) | 1920x1080 (FHD) | 1920x1080 (FHD) |
| Average Brightness | 300 cd/m² | 343 cd/m² | 409 cd/m² | 394 cd/m² |
| Contrast | 700:1 | 765:1 | 1476:1 | 1985:1 |
| Wireless Connectivity | ||||
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 via Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 8260 | Wi-Fi 5 via Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 8265 | Wi-Fi 5 via Intel Wireless-AC 9560 | Wi-Fi 6 via Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.2 |
| Wired Connectivity | ||||
| Type-A USB Ports | 1x powered USB 3.0, 2x USB 3.0 | 2x USB 3.0 | 2x USB 3.0 | 1x always-on USB 3.2 (Gen 1), USB 3.2 (Gen 1) |
| Type-C USB Ports | - | 1x USB 3.1 (Gen1) | 2x USB 3.1 (Gen 1) | 1x USB 3.2 (Gen 1), 1x USB 3.2 (Gen 2) |
| RJ45 Ports for Gigabit Ethernet | 1x | 1x Intel I219-V | 1x | 1x I219-LM |
| HDMI Ports | 1x HDMI 1.4b | 1x HDMI 1.4b | 1x | 1x HDMI 1.4b |
| 3.5mm port | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Weight | 1.856 kg + 550 g power supply | 1.367 kg + 356 g power supply | 1.443 kg + 345 g power supply | 1.459 kg + 345 g power supply |
| Price | 300€ (refurbished) | 180€ (refurbished) | 400€ (refurbished) | |