As we wait for the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2018 exposition, Lenovo is right in line by releasing a new ThinkPad device, something the company has made a tradition in the past years. Starting under $1,000, the ThinkPad T470p is a business-friendly notebook at a moderate price. Not only does it provide stable and smooth processing power, plus all the graphics you would hope for, it even comes equipped with an all-day battery life.

Design on the ThinkPad T470p is tough enough to be labeled as rugged. Actually, all ThinkPad laptops feature stringent military testing to help provide laptop protection for all lifestyles. At first glance, this model clearly resembles last year's ThinkPad T460p, its predecessor that needed and upgrade in few areas. Made from plastic and magnesium, the external color is a base of black, mixed with dark grey, and although a bit boring, we all know black contributes to a more high-quality impression upon consumers. As mentioned, it's external build is high-quality enough to withstand twisting without much creaking noises, and pressure that won't cause discoloration on the LCD screen display. If trying to compare the design quality between the previous generation and this new model, improvements are slim to none. Lenovo states that all the advantages and disadvantages were carried over to this generation 100%.

The 14-inch display features a 2560 x 1440 resolution, resulting in a 210 ppi (pixels per inch) density. That is quite high-quality, however know that the T470p is quite easy to configure to your liking, meaning higher or lower definition. When analyzing this model’s particular LCD screen display, brightness distribution results in 87%, and that isn't the best (an obvious 100% would be the winner here). This basically means the display isn't particularly bright or vibrant, in some cases. As far as the contrast ratio of 1084:1, that happens to be a slight upgrade from its predecessor; and during daily use, there should be no problem with backlight-bleeding (slight clouding at the edges), but when in the dark, it is said that WHQD panel struggles a bit.

Onward, hardware is strong overall, and highly configurable to anyone from the average consumer to the business professional. Comparing to the Lenovo ThinkPad T470, the T470p has increased performance opportunities, by offering quad-core Intel CPUs, particularly the Intel Core-i5 for the base model, or the Core-i7, for a higher priced model. Although you can go lighter, as far as Intel HD graphics 630 GPU, the advised graphic options include an integrated Nvidia GeForce 940MX, responsible for 3D acceleration, and optional video and photo editing. Another direct comparison to the Lenovo ThinkPad T470p is the frame, which is noticeably thicker, at 3.6 pounds, and 13.3 x 9.24 x .94 inches, as the regular T470 is 0.79 inches thick, and 3.48 pounds. However this is thinner than the Dell Latitude 5480, at 4 pounds, and 0.9 inches thick, and heavier than the AsusPro B9440, at 4.0 pounds and 0.6-inches thick. Much of these comparisons have to do with the internal battery. The Lenovo ThinkPad T470p features a 3-cell battery within its original weight, but upgrading to a 6-cell will cause double the battery life, and increase it to 4.0 pounds. Not much of a difference for that all-day battery life, isn't it? This will probably be a critical upgrade if I were to preemptively guess.

Sure, the display doesn't reach the average capacity of notebooks within its range, not maintaining as much brightness, causing fading, and not having the widest viewing angles possible. However, that Intel Core i5-7440HQ CPU (base model) is accompanied by 8GB of RAM (up to 32GB), and 256GB of PCIe SSD. Productive and powerful enough for some serious multitasking, and a battery that will run perfectly throughout your workday, this particular upgraded model will need your assistance to configure it just the right way. The big “however”, here, is that you’ve pretty much have to upgrade to the 6-cell battery in order to enjoy adequate juice running your computer all day. The given 3-cell battery gives the machine a mere 3 hours and 7 minutes, which is less than the category average (funny how this competes with the ThinkPad T470 predecessor, which regularly provided 8 hours and 39 minutes on it's own 3-cell battery). Finally, the ThinkPad T470p will run Windows 10 Pro Signature Edition as its OS, and if you do go with that 6-cell battery, the T470p will provide more flexibility, with up to 12.5 hours of power. That's a full day of work, whether at home, or at the office. It's lightweight body helps make it a more productive machine. Entertainment is nothing to be disqualified for, as it's 14-inch WQHD display will allow for consistent media streaming and movie watching. As discussed, there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to configuring your machine. There is even an optional touchscreen, and of course accessories via I/O and connectivity, which will help you interact more with your work, and have more fun with whatever down time media you are playing with. As far as pricing and final verdict, this is a mid-to-high range notebook that has little to no disappointments.