No doubt! Lenovo has a great series of laptops for every use. But figuring out the differences between popular laptops and their suitability can be a little confusing. Two of the most popular laptops that are often confused with one another are ThinkPad and IdeaPad.
The major difference between an IdeaPad and a ThinkPad is that the former is particularly designed for business purposes, whereas the latter is designed for normal use.
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Key Differences
ThinkPad
- It can be best described as a series of laptops currently owned by Lenovo that is primarily business oriented. If you are a businessman or in a related field, then this laptop is for you.
- It came into existence way before the launch of IdeaPad. The traces of the origin of this laptop can be found as early as 1992. You would be surprised to know that it was not Lenovo that first launched this laptop. Instead, it was then owned and launched by IBM.
- Speaking of its design and look, this laptop looks stylish but is considered less stylish than an IdeaPad as it is only designed for business purposes.
- When it comes to performance, this laptop has greater performance than an IdeaPad because it has more specifications or specs than an IdeaPad.
- These laptops typically cost more than what IdeaPad costs as these laptops are concerned with more specifications than an IdeaPad.
IdeaPad
- It can be best described as a series of laptops currently owned by Lenovo, which is customer oriented. It is specifically designed for normal daily use and can be used by everyone.
- It came into existence after the launch of ThinkPads. The roots of origin of this laptop take us back to 2008. Unlike ThinkPads, this series was never owned by IBM and was launched and owned by Lenovo only.
- Compared to a ThinkPad, this laptop is associated with a more stylish look and design to attract more customers who specifically are not business users.
- However, when it comes to performance, this laptop is concerned with average performance in comparison to a ThinkPad because it has fewer specs or specifications than a ThinkPad.
- These laptops usually cost less than a ThinkPad because, despite a stylish look, these laptops have fewer specs, which is why they cost less than ThinkPads.
Comparison Between a Think Pad and An Idea Pad
| Parameter | ThinkPad | IdeaPad |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | It came into existence before the launch of IdeaPads. It is believed to have been invented in April 1992 by IBM. IBM originally was the launcher and owner of these laptops, however. Currently, Lenovo is the sole owner of these laptops. | It was invented way after the launch of ThinkPads. It is estimated to have been invented in December 2008 by Lenovo. To date, Lenovo continues to be its sole owner. |
| Meaning | It refers to a series of laptops launched by IBM but owned by Lenovo. This series of laptops is specifically designed for business use, or it can be said that they are business oriented. | It refers to a series of laptops launched and owned by Lenovo. This series of laptops is considered customer-oriented, meaning anyone can use them as per their needs. It is not specifically designed for a particular field like ThinkPads. |
| Appearance | Speaking of appearance, this series of laptops come with a very formal and durable design, as these are meant to be used by business professionals. | When it comes to appearance, these laptops have the edge over ThinkPads. These laptops come with a very attractive look and design. |
| Specifications | This laptop series comes with higher quality specifications compared to IdeaPads. | This series of laptops come with average to moderate specifications compared to IdeaPads. |
| Performance | Since these laptops are associated with more and better specifications, these laptops tend to be better in performance in comparison to IdeaPads. | Since these laptops are associated with less and average specifications, these laptops typically show good to moderate high performance. |
| Price | There is no doubt that these laptops would be expensive or budget-friendly, considering their specs and performance. Due to better specs and performance, these laptops tend to be expensive. | Despite their attractive design, these laptops tend to be budget-friendly as they are customer oriented, meaning they are fit for any use. Secondly, they have moderate specifications and performance. |
| Suitability | These laptops are considered suitable for those individuals who are indulged in business-related fields and need a laptop for their use in the same field. Anyone looking to buy a laptop for their normal use should not buy this series. | These laptops are considered suitable for individuals looking to buy a laptop for their daily use and not for specific fields that would require an altogether different laptop. |
Difference between a ThinkPad and an IdeaPad
What exactly is a ThinkPad?
Launched in April 1992 by IBM and currently owned by Lenovo, ThinkPad is a series of laptops that is particularly meant for business use. This laptop series is associated with an average but durable design and a higher performance accompanied by more specs.
Due to its specifications, its price is also certainly high compared to other laptop series by Lenovo, such as IdeaPads. Some of the major specs that the latest ThinkPad include a display of 14 inches, a display resolution of 1920*1080 pixels, RAM of 12GB, Windows 10 as an OS, and a processor of Corei7 with a 256GB SSD.
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Key Features of A Think Pad
- It refers to a series of laptops specifically designed for business-oriented users. IBM originally owned it, but as of now, Lenovo is the sole owner of these laptops.
- It is believed that these laptops were invented in April 1992 through IBM. The first ever ThinkPad was referred to as the 700T.
- In appearance, this laptop series is associated with average styling but is highly durable.
- Speaking of the display, most commonly nowadays, these laptops can be found in IPS displays with a screen ranging from 13.3 inches to 15.6 inches.
- These laptops typically come with better specs (also known as specifications), making their CPU and RAM perform better than other series of laptops. Due to better specs, these laptops are more pricey than others.
What Exactly Is an Idea Pad?
Launched in December 2008 by Lenovo, it is a series of laptops that is customer oriented and can be used by everyone for every kind of use.
This series of laptops is associated with a very attractive design but has a moderate performance accompanied by moderate specifications or specs. And hence, this series is also considered very budget-friendly.
Some of the major specs that the latest version of an IdeaPad has included are a display of 15.6 inches, a display resolution of 1920*1080 inches, 12GB RAM, Windows 10 as its OS, processor of Core i5 with no SSD.
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Key Features of An Idea Pad
- It refers to a customer-oriented series of laptops, meaning anyone can use it as per their needs instead of this series being specific field oriented.
- This series of laptops have come recently. The first ever IdeaPad was launched in December 2008 by Lenovo. To date, Lenovo continues to be its sole owner.
- When it comes to appearance, it has a very stylish and attractive display.
- Just like a ThinkPad, it also comes with a great IPS display with a size of it ranging from 13.3 inches to 15.6 inches.
- These laptops generally come with moderate amounts of specs which generally is the reason behind these laptops being very budget-friendly.
The Contrast Between a Think Pad and An Idea Pad
Launch
- ThinkPad – It came into existence way before the invention of the IdeaPad. The traces of the origin of these laptops take us back to April 1992. It was primarily launched by IBM, but currently, it is solely owned by Lenovo. The first ever ThinkPad was referred to as the 700T.
- IdeaPad – It was invented way after the invention of the Thinkpad. These laptops were invented not long ago. The first ever version of these laptops was invented in December 2008 by Lenovo. Just like ThinkPads, Lenovo is the sole owner of these laptops.
Meaning
- ThinkPad – It can be best defined as a series of laptops launched by IBM but owned by Lenovo, which is specifically designed for business-oriented users. These laptops are designed to work as per the business needs and, thus, are associated with a higher number of specs.
- IdeaPad – It can be best defined as a series of laptops launched and owned by Lenovo, which are customer oriented, meaning these laptops are not specifically designed for a particular field; instead, these laptops can be used by anyone as per their needs.
Appearance
- ThinkPad – When it comes to appearance, these laptops are associated with average but durable styles. These laptops have not been made so attractive as these have to be used by only business professionals.
- IdeaPad – Unlike ThinkPads, these laptops come with an attractive design as these laptops happen to be customer oriented and, thus, come with attractive designs to attract more customers.
Performance
- ThinkPad – There is no doubt that this series of laptops is associated with better performance as these laptops have been specially designed for business purposes, thereby having more and better specs or specifications than an IdeaPad.
- IdeaPad – This series of laptops is associated with moderate performance as these laptops have been designed for normal daily use and thereby have moderate specs or specifications compared to a ThinkPad.
Specifications
- ThinkPad – This series of laptops come with better and higher specifications, and this is evident from the specifications of the latest ThinkPad. The 2022 version of this laptop series comes with a display size of 14 inches, display resolutions of 1920*1080, a weight of approximately 1.3 Kgs, Windows 10 as its Operating System, a processor of intel core i7 6600U, a base clock speed of 3.4GHz, a RAM of 12GB, a dedicated graphic memory type of DDR4, SSD of 256GB with no hard disk and 3 number of USB ports.
- IdeaPad – This version of laptops comes with lower and average specifications, and this can be understood by taking a look at the specs of the latest version of these laptops. The 2022 version of this laptop series comes with a display size of 15.6 inches, a display resolution of 1920*1080, a weight of approximately 1.8 Kgs, Windows 10 as its operating system, a processor of intel core i5 8th generation, a base clock of the speed of 2.2GHz, a RAM of 12GB, a dedicated graphic memory type of DDR4, no SSD, hard disk of 2TB and 2 number of USB ports.
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Comparison of the latest ThinkPad and IdeaPad (2022):
| Basis | ThinkPad | IdeaPad |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.36 | 1.86 |
| Display size | 14 inch | 15.6 inch |
| Display resolution | 1920*1020 | 1920*1020 |
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel core i7 6600U | Intel core i5 8th generation |
| Base clock speed | 3.4GHz | 2.2GHz |
| Memory | 12GB | 12GB |
| Dedicated graphics memory type | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Hard disk | No | 2TB |
| SSD | 256GB | No |
| Wifi Supported | 802.11 ac | 802.11a/b/g/n.ac |
| Bluetooth version | 4 | 4.1 |
| USB port | 3 | 2 |
Price
- ThinkPad – Since this series of laptops is associated with more and better specs; hence these laptops tend to be more expensive than other series, such as IdeaPads.
- IdeaPad – Despite being very attractive, these laptops tend to be budget-friendly compared to ThinkPads as these laptops are associated with less number of specifications.
Conclusion
People often get confused when they hear IdeaPads and ThinkPads and use them interchangeably.
The major difference between a ThinkPad and an IdeaPad is that the former is more business-oriented and expensive. In contrast, the latter is customer-oriented, meaning anyone can use it as per their needs, and it is considered budget-friendly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FaQs)
Q1. When were ThinkPads and IdeaPads launched?
The former was invented way before the invention of the latter. The former is estimated to have been invented in April 1992, while the latter is estimated to have been invented in December 2008.
Q2. Why do ThinkPads tend to be more expensive than IdeaPads?
The former is associated with a higher price. In contrast, the latter is associated with a moderate price because the former has more numbers and better specs while the latter has less number of specs.
Q3. Who should buy ThinkPads?
ThinkPads are considered ideal for those individuals who need a laptop for business use or are in a related field. These laptops are generally not considered suitable for only daily use.
Q4. Who should buy IdeaPads?
Individuals looking to buy a laptop for their normal and daily use should buy this series of laptops. Individuals looking for a laptop for a particular field, such as business or gaming, should consider researching other laptops.
Q5. What are the major differences between ThinkPads and IdeaPads?
The major differences between ThinkPads and IdeaPads are that the former came earlier, is business-oriented, has higher specs, and is costly. In contrast, the latter is customer oriented, has average specs, and is budget-friendly.
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