Lenovo V15 Gen 4 2023, Ryzen 5 7520U, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Gray

The Lenovo V Gen 4 offers decent reliability but fails in nearly every other area. Its performance, screen, and port selection are some of the worst we've ever tested. At $680, it's hard to justify when better options exist.

Performance is where the V Gen 4 stumbles hardest. The Ryzen 5 7520U isn't a modern workhorse, it's a low-power chip that chugs under multiple browser tabs or video calls. The integrated Radeon 610M graphics can barely handle 1080p video playback without occasional stutter, and our gaming score of 5.7 out of 100 should tell you everything about trying to play even older titles. We don't know the exact RAM or storage configuration since Lenovo ships variants, but whatever they've put here sits at the very bottom of our database for speed and capacity. The 15.6-inch TN panel is the final blow: washed-out colors and narrow viewing angles that make you feel like you're using a laptop from 2015. On the bright side, reliability is above average, so at least it probably won't die on you.

Pitting this against the competition list is almost cruel. The Apple MacBook Pro M5, ASUS ProArt, Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro, and HP ZBook Ultra are all $1,500+ ultrabooks with screaming performance, gorgeous displays, and all-day battery life. The V Gen 4 is a budget office box that can't even dream of keeping up. The only fair comparison would be against other sub-$700 business laptops like the HP 250 G9 or an Acer Aspire, and even then, this Lenovo often lags in screen quality and port variety. If you're looking at one of those premium models, close this tab and forget this laptop exists.

At $680, this laptop feels overpriced for what you get. You can find refurbished Dell Latitudes or Lenovo ThinkPads with better processors, brighter IPS screens, and faster SSDs for the same money. The only argument here is the warranty and that it's a brand-new machine, but even then, the performance ceiling is so low that it's hard to recommend. If your budget is tight and you just need a basic Windows machine, you're better off hunting for deals on something from the older T-series ThinkPads or even a Chromebook if you can live without Windows.

The Lenovo V Gen 4 15.6" is a no-frills business laptop that puts reliability above everything else. You get an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U, integrated Radeon 610M graphics, and a 15.6-inch FHD TN display in a sturdy chassis with a full numeric keypad. That's about where the good news ends.

We dropped it into our database and the numbers are grim. CPU, GPU, storage, and screen scores all landed near the bottom of the charts. The port selection is genuinely one of the worst we've ever seen. If you just need something to hammer out emails and spreadsheets, it'll technically work, but almost any alternative at this price does it better.

Skip this if you need a laptop for anything beyond the bare-bones basics. If you'll be on video calls, working with large files, or even watching Netflix, don't bother. The screen isn't worth it. Also skip if you rely on a variety of peripherals; the port situation is truly terrible. This is for a single-minded office user and no one else.

You should buy the Lenovo V Gen 4 only if your workflow is extremely simple: typing documents, light spreadsheets, email, and maybe some web browsing, and you really want a new laptop with a warranty. The numeric keypad is a plus for data entry folks. But for students, remote workers, or anyone who might want to watch a video without cringing at the display, this machine just doesn't cut it.