Lenovo ThinkPad T470s review

Where the ThinkPad T470s stands

The Lenovo ThinkPad T470s is a 2016 business ultrabook positioned in the ultra-budget tier at roughly $137 — one of the lowest prices in its category. As with the Dell Latitude 7480 from the same year, it carries an exceptional GPU outlier that defies the typical office-laptop profile. The GPU score of 45.9 is nearly twelve times the category median of 3.8 — placing it in mainstream graphics territory. The CPU score of 23.3, however, is 56% below the median of 53.

Graphics: an exceptional outlier

The T470s's GPU score of 45.9 is exceptional for an ultra-budget business laptop. For context, this places it alongside laptops with entry-level dedicated graphics — hardware rarely seen in the ThinkPad T-series's mainstream configurations. In practical terms, the machine handles casual gaming at moderate-to-high settings, GPU-accelerated creative work, and video editing without difficulty. For a $137 business laptop, this graphics headroom is exceptional value.

CPU: the binding constraint

The trade-off for that graphics outlier is CPU performance. The CPU score of 23.3 is 56% below the category median of 53 — the T470s has the GPU of a much more expensive laptop and the CPU of a much cheaper one. Single-threaded workloads, heavy compilation, and other CPU-bound tasks will feel the limitation. The mismatch is genuine: this machine is built for graphics work, not compute work.

Price trajectory

From its launch price to $137 today, the T470s has shed nearly all of its original value. As a 2016 machine, the depreciation is essentially complete; the remaining tail is a slow drift toward the price floor. There is little residual value left to erode.

How it compares

In the $130-$160 refurbished business range, the T470s has few peers on the GPU axis. The HP ProBook 440 G4 at $146 and the Lenovo ThinkPad T450 at $142 are typical office configurations with weaker graphics. None of them match the T470s's GPU surplus — its defining advantage in this price tier. For buyers who need a cheap secondary laptop for GPU-accelerated tasks or casual gaming, the value proposition is exceptional.

Bottom line

The ThinkPad T470s is an unusual machine: a $137 business ultrabook with a mainstream-tier GPU. Its trade-off is equally unusual — a CPU well below the category median, making it unsuitable for compute-heavy work. But for buyers who need a cheap secondary laptop for GPU-accelerated tasks, casual gaming, or media work, the value proposition is exceptional. At this price, the GPU alone justifies the purchase.