Hi there
@Origin Saint sorry I haven't replied earlier, I've only just seen this.
Firstly, sorry for the detailed reply!
No, it's not worth getting the i7 over the i5 if all it offers is the slightly higher clockspeed and 1MB extra cache, save your money and stick to the i5. I haven't seen the T460 in person but if it's like just about any other ThinkPad you can be assured that it will be very well-built and reliable too. I've always gone with ThinkPads because I grew up using them and so the TrackPoint is quite natural for me to use (my first laptop was a ThinkPad A31 which only had the TrackPoint, no TrackPad/touchpad at all) and I really like the style and the design. The pictures I've seen of the new T460 look really nice.
There are two other models of the T460 which may be worth looking at too: there's the T460s which will be thinner than the normal T460 and is really more of an ultrabook (it's like an X-series but 14"), so if you want something slimmer and lighter then the T460s could be worth looking at. Or, if you want more power then you can get the T460p with either a quad-core i5 6300HQ (4 cores, 4 threads) or a quad-core i7 6600HQ (4 cores, 8 threads just like the desktop versions). These new 'HQ' CPUs from Intel are quite nice because both the i5 and the i7 models are actually proper quad-cores (in the past you couldn't get a quad-core mobile i5, they were all dual-cores with HT, only the mobile i7s were available as proper quad-cores and even then some of them didn't have HT) and as ever the U CPUs are dual-cores with HT and are designed for thin laptops and ultrabooks therefore running slightly cooler, consuming less power and thus providing a little less performance but improved battery life. The T460p will be more powerful but it will also be more expensive and probably slightly thicker and heavier too and the quad-core CPUs will consume more power meaning that the battery life isn't as good as that of the T460 or T460s models.
Since the T440 which was released a few years ago I think the T4xx series have actually had two batteries: one removable one and one non-removable internal one to allow hot-swapping of removable batteries and also to increase battery life. I remember when the T440 came out Lenovo was claiming its battery life was something like 17 hours which sounds incredible, but just be aware that I bought my ThinkPad L540 with the uprated 57Wh battery (up from 48Wh on the standard configuration) which Lenovo claimed would last around 11 hours but in reality, even when it was brand new, I was struggling to get 6 or 7 hours out of it. Most of the time these days it's dead in 3 or 4. So unless you have the screen really dim and everything turned off then I wouldn't pay too much attention to the battery claims as they will have been measured in 'perfect conditions'. You should have a good battery life with the 72Wh battery and the internal battery inside the T460 (if they still do that with the newer T4xx models) and if it's not good enough then you can always upgrade to the 99Wh battery in the future, but just be aware that the 99Wh battery does stick out of the back a little.
Your specification looks pretty good, just have a look at the T460s and the T460p as well and see if either of those fit your bill better. The T460 comes between the two models as being a 14" machine which is fairly thin and light but not as thin and as light as an ultrabook and also doesn't offer the same quad-core CPUs that the T460p does. A T460p configured with an i5 HQ will be faster than a T460 or a T460s configured with an i5 U or an i7 U I reckon.
I know my ThinkPad is completely different to what you were looking at, but you can take a read of my L540 review if you want (L-series being the series below T):
http://www.computerforum.com/threads/lenovo-thinkpad-l540-notebook-review-part-no-20avcto1ww.229171/ I believe there are some general thoughts on ThinkPads in there too.
You can get the 3 year warranty if you want. It's a shame that doesn't come standard on all models. I remember when I was looking to buy my last ThinkPad I had the T540p in mind and I remember that coming with a 3 year warranty as standard. In the UK at least, all three of the T460 models seem to come with the 3 year on-site warranty as standard at no extra cost. I thought all of the T-series models came with a 3 year warranty? Anyway, if you can afford it then get it I guess but you could put money towards a higher spec. In the end I bought an L540 because one day Lenovo had a cracking deal on it so I went for it and I just got the standard 1 year warranty with that which ended a year ago. I've not had any problems whatsoever with my L540 and it's nearly 2 years old now. It goes to and from school a lot and whilst it has a few very slight marks on the lid, that's about the only cosmetic damage there is. That's an L-series model which is a more mid-range, cost-saving option and it's built like a tank and feels very solid despite being made from 'recycled materials', so I'm sure a T-series will be even better. I think there are other members here who have used and owned T-series models before and they've generally spoken highly of them (though the old T410 did get a bit hot). Everything on my L540 is working fine, no problems whatsoever. This could be a bit of a marketing ploy from Lenovo featuring some camera trickery and advertising magic, but check this video out:
Even if you plan to spill wine and ice-cold water with ice cubes in it over your keyboard whilst the laptop is on, it should be OK - apparently! (that's a T440 in the video btw)
My old ThinkPads were about 8 or 9 years old when they bit the bullet. I think even without the 3 year warranty (which should be standard on all T-series models anyway) you'll be fine. Like all things, look after it and it will last. Throw it around and try to break it and it will eventually give.
They're very nice laptops indeed. I can't really see myself owning any other brand of laptop (but that's just me, I like them a lot!) and I think once you've owned one you'll probably feel the same. A know a lot of people who own ThinkPads and they always love them and they also usually end up owning more than one. I've had 3.
The keyboard on all the ThinkPads I have used are better than those on pretty much any other laptop I've used, so if you do a lot of typing or care about the keyboard then a ThinkPad is an excellent choice.
Good luck, any questions just ask! I'm not a Lenovo sales rep or affiliated with them in any way (hahaha
) so all opinions are of course my own and I don't know the answer to all questions regarding the newer models.
