Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 2025, Ryzen 5 7535U, 16GB, 256GB SSD

The ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is a solidly built business laptop with a comfortable keyboard and 16GB of RAM, but its Ryzen 5 7535U CPU ranks in the 13th percentile and the 256GB SSD is cramped. At $1,399 USD, it's overpriced for what you get. The 1920x1200 display is a nice touch, but the weak graphics and limited ports hold it back. Wait for a significant discount or look elsewhere.

The Ryzen 5 7535U is a 6-core chip based on AMD's Zen 3+ architecture, and for everyday tasks it's perfectly fine. Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, video calls, all handled without breaking a sweat. The 16GB of RAM helps a lot here, keeping things smooth when you're multitasking. But our benchmarks put this CPU in the 13th percentile for laptops, which means it's near the bottom of the pack compared to newer chips like the M4 Pro in the MacBook Pro or the Ryzen AI processors in newer machines.

The integrated Radeon Graphics is where things get rough. It's in the 14th percentile, so don't expect to do any serious gaming or GPU-accelerated work. Light photo editing? Sure. 4K video editing? Not a chance. The 256GB SSD is also on the small side, landing in the 16th percentile. You'll fill that up faster than you think, especially with Windows 11 Pro and a few apps installed. The screen is about average at the 48th percentile, which means it's fine but nothing to write home about.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro, this ThinkPad looks like it's from a different era. The M4 Pro absolutely demolishes the Ryzen 5 7535U in both CPU and GPU performance, and the MacBook's display is in a completely different league. But the MacBook also costs significantly more, so it's not a fair fight. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is another competitor that outclasses the E14 in every performance metric, though it's aimed at gamers rather than office workers.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is probably the closest real-world competitor. It's also a productivity-focused machine, but it has a newer processor, better display, and more modern design. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and MSI Raider are gaming laptops that trade blows with each other but both leave the ThinkPad in the dust when it comes to raw performance. If you need a business laptop, the ThinkPad's reliability is a point in its favor, but the specs are underwhelming compared to nearly everything else in this price bracket.

At $1,399 USD, this is a tough sell. That's a lot of money for a machine with a CPU in the 13th percentile and a 256GB SSD. For comparison, you can find laptops with newer processors, more storage, and better displays in the same price range. The ThinkPad name carries some weight, and the build quality is generally solid, but the specs here don't justify the price tag.

The bundle does include a laptop bag, which is a nice touch, but it's not enough to move the needle. If you're paying nearly fourteen hundred bucks, you should be getting more than a mid-range processor and a tiny SSD. This feels like a machine that should be priced closer to $800 or $900, not $1,399.

The ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is Lenovo's budget-friendly entry into the business laptop world, and this particular bundle from Newegg throws in a briefcase to sweeten the deal. It's aimed squarely at office workers, students, and anyone who needs a dependable machine for spreadsheets, email, and the occasional video call without breaking the bank. The Ryzen 5 7535U inside is a solid little workhorse, and 16GB of RAM means you won't be cursing at Chrome when you have thirty tabs open.

What's interesting here is the display. Lenovo went with a 1920x1200 panel instead of the usual 1080p, which gives you a bit more vertical space for documents and web pages. That's a nice touch for productivity. And it's a ThinkPad, so you get the legendary keyboard and that no-nonsense black box aesthetic that says "I'm here to work, not to be looked at."

But here's the thing. The specs on paper look decent, but our database puts this machine's CPU and GPU in the 13th and 14th percentile respectively. That's not great. It's not a gaming laptop, and it's not pretending to be one, but it's worth knowing that you're getting a machine that prioritizes reliability and portability over raw horsepower.

If you do any kind of creative work, video editing, or gaming, skip this. The integrated graphics and 13th percentile CPU will have you staring at loading screens and render times that feel like they're from 2015. Content creators should look at the MacBook Pro M4 Pro or a Windows machine with a dedicated GPU. If you need lots of local storage for large files, the 256GB SSD is going to be a constant headache. Look for something with at least 512GB, preferably 1TB.

Also, if you're buying this at the full $1,399 price, skip it. That money can get you a much more capable machine from ASUS, HP, or even Lenovo's own higher-end lines. The ThinkPad E14 only makes sense if you find it heavily discounted and your needs are strictly limited to basic office productivity.

If you're a business user who needs a dependable machine for basic office work and you can find this on sale for well under $1,000, the ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is a reasonable choice. The keyboard is great, the build quality is solid, and the 16GB of RAM means it won't choke on everyday multitasking. The Ethernet port is genuinely useful in corporate environments where Wi-Fi can be spotty.

But at $1,399, I can't recommend it. The CPU and GPU are near the bottom of our rankings, the storage is cramped, and the display is just average. You're paying a premium for the ThinkPad name without getting the performance to back it up. For students or casual users, there are better options out there that give you more bang for your buck.