The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 offers sleek functionality for the prosumer market where portability and reliable performance are sought after. It boasts a few upgrades in its design, but it also promises improved performance across the board. Its pricey in this portable display-saturated market, but let’s see if it’s a great investment.
Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 Specifications
- Screen Size: 14 Inches
- Resolution:2240 x 1400
- Aspect Ratio: 16:10
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 6ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1500:1
- Brightness: 300 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: No
- Connectivity: USB-C 3.2 x 2
- Dimensions With Stand(WxHxD): 12.39″ x 9.26″ x 3.81″
- Weight: 1.54 lbs
Design and Features
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 doesn’t look too different from its predecessor, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The monitor has a nice rubberized matte black finish, so it looks clean and sophisticated no matter where its placed. The screen has minimal bezels, so the screen doesn’t look too cramped even if its smaller than most portables.
The monitor is neatly packed into a box that resembles what premium laptops and tablets often use. It doesn’t have a lot of accessories, but its neatly laid out enough to make the process less jaunting and straightforward. The display isn’t held down by anything, so make sure that you open it flat and upright to avoid accidents.
As mentioned, there aren’t a lot of inclusions in the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 it’s packaging. You get a stylus pen, two clips, a USB-C cable, and an angle adapter for it so you can neatly direct and tuck it out of the way. You also get a soft-surfaced sleeve that can sufficiently protect the monitor from cracking and scratches.
The stylus pen isn’t an active type, but its nicely built so it won’t seem like those cheap ones you can get from bookstores. The rubber tip is supple, but it won’t deteriorate like the cheap ones out there. Its not as useful as something like the Apple Pencil for art, but it can be handy for lengthy tasks like reading or document processing.
It’s interesting to note that this monitor is very compact, and it’s slightly smaller than the original M14 T. It’s only 4.6mm thick and weighs 1.54 pounds, so most won’t even feel the added weight when it’s included in a laptop bag. It also takes up less space on your desk since it doesn’t need a flimsy folio cover to prop it up.
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 has a built-in kick stand that acts as its control and connectivity hub. It gives you tilting adjustments all the way to making the screen lie flat, but it can also be used to prop the screen up in portrait mode. Its snappy and firm, so the display won’t suddenly sag downward unless its at an obscure angle.
We love the M14t Gen 2’s control layout, even if its buttons are a bit deep-set and squishy. The up and down buttons are meant for adjusting the brightness and contrast only, while the rest of the OSD is accessible via the segregated button. What’s great about it is it works with the touchscreen, so you don’t have to keep pressing the buttons while adjusting the screen.
This monitor only has USB-C slots for connectivity that are each located on the left and right side of the kick stand. Both support PD2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 Alt Mode, so you don’t really need HDMI. However, adding the latter would be beneficial for functionality, but we understand that its going to offset the sleek dimensions of the design.
It doesn’t have speakers, but that’s okay since its too thin to include something that can be of use. Most portable monitors only include tiny cans anyway, so they won’t sound better than what your laptop can offer. We recommend using that or earphones instead if you want some tunes while working on the go.
Display and Performance
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 sports a 14-inch IPS panel with a 2240 x 1400 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 6ms response time. The backlight has a 300 cd/m2 max output, while the contrast is listed at 1500:1. This model doesn’t have HDR certification, but that’s understandable since it’s not meant for entertainment.
The higher resolution on the Gen 2 is probably its biggest upgrade over its 1080p predecessor. The latter is already sharper than most portables because of its smaller screen, but this model expands that advantage further. It can be a pain if you are trying to read a wall of text, but its beneficial for any type of imaging.
Its also 10-point touch capable, and it has modes for Windows and Android compatibility built into the OSD. Its not sluggish or innacurate as well, so it feels more like built-in laptop screen than a separate. Another notable characteristic is its glossy finish on the panel which provides better color vibrance all around than matte-coated alternatives.
The monitor runs flawlessly, but we did run into an issue while using a different USB-C cable. The monitor detects a signal, but it actually doesn’t display anything. We tried all sorts of USB-C wires, including the one for a Meta Quest 2 and a DP to USB-C cable, but only the original that came with the package worked.
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 covers 96% of sRGB, 75% of Adobe RGB, and 76% of DCI-P3. That’s quite good for a portable monitor, which often has minimal coverage. Its default accuracy is also excellent since the deltaE average is only at 1.41.
There is nothing much you can do for this model since its OSD isn’t equipped with color temperature adjustments and the like. Using a colorimeter to create an ICC profile for it reduced the dE average to 0.4 which is substantially better. However, you will need the gadget to get it to that if you need it for work or business.
The panel’s brightness reached 293 cd/m2 at 100%, while its contrast reached 1438:1 at 40% brightness. That’s completely amazing for a portable, since most of them barely breach 700:1. The screen show great dark scenes and black backgrounds, although VA and OLED portables are still considerably better in this regard.
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2’s panel uniformity is its worst characteristic since there were major variances on all of the edges from the center. The top left corner was the most noticeable, although all of them became invisible on light backgrounds. Note that this varies with every unit made due to tolerances, so there are better units out there.
Its response time isn’t gaming grade, but at least it includes a functional overdrive in its limited OSD. Using the latter’s Extreme level helped in fast-paced scenes, although there is a tiny bit of persistence in contrasting transitions. We don’t count this is a deal-breaker since the monitor was not meant for gaming anyway.
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 is not compatible with FreeSync or G-Sync, but that’s okay since its not designed for gaming. Games can be a bit jittery if you are using a less capable system, but casual titles should be okay. Its input lag sits at 9ms at 60Hz, so its still very snappy unlike the older portables which had twice the lag timing.
Thoughts on the Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 is an excellent specimen for business users who want the most out of their money. Its twice as expensive as its generic counterparts, but it offers a beautiful IPS panel with fantastic colors and contrast in exchange. Its not the most heavily-equipped portable out there, but we love the simplicity and functionality of the design.
What we disliked about it is it’s the USB-C cable compatibility issue and of course, the higher price point. Its also very limited when it comes to calibration, but that’s quite common with portable monitor. However, we still think that its one of the best performers out there, so it can be considered a good investment for professionals.
Pros:
- Fantastic Colors and Contrast
- Very Slim and Lightweight
- Stable Stand Design
- USB-C Connectivity
Cons:
- Only Works with Included USB-C Cable
- Pricey
About the Author: 
Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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