The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 2022 getting noticed more in 2023 because of its new design that’s supposed to make it better to use. I’ve been using over the past week and testing to see how well it works perform. It comes with Core i9 12950HX processor, a 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and a huge 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD storage, which is really impressive.
Design, Build and keyboard
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 comes in a storm gray finish with red piping, giving it a modern look you don’t often see in workstations. This design touch helps it stand out. The laptop feels well-built and a bit heavy, which is expected for a mobile workstation at 6.5 pounds. While it’s not the lightest, it’s designed to replace a desktop, so it’s portable enough for occasional travel. The keyboard is classic ThinkPad, though it feels slightly shallower than usual, but still solid. It may not be the slimmest, but it feels nice to use.
As far the ports, on the left edge, you have a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, a headphone/microphone jack, and an optional 4G LTE nano SIM card slot. On the right, there’s an optional smart card reader, a full-size SD card slot, a USB-A port, and a Kensington Lock port.
At the back, there’s the power port, two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for data transfer, charging, and display output, plus an HDMI 2.1 port. While it offers a solid selection of ports, it’s missing a LAN or RJ45 Ethernet port.
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When Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 comes to upgrading, it’s easy to access the RAM and SSD because there’s a door at the bottom. If you want to expand further, you might need to remove the bottom and keyboard. It’s likely straightforward – just unscrew and open it up.
You can customize it with up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM. My review unit has 64GB of RAM running in dual-channel mode. It also has a two terabyte PCIe Gen 4 SSD, offering excellent read and write speeds, among the best available in 2023.
For wireless connectivity, it has Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and optional LTE mobile broadband using a Cat 16 modem, specifically the Fibacom L860 GL, which also supports eSIM. As for 5G, it’s unclear if or when it will be available on this model.
Display and Audio Quality
Display is now 16-inches compared to the previous 15-inch models. There are four display options for the ThinkPad P16 Gen 1, an OLED version with UHD Plus resolution, which is glossy. There’s also an IPS display with UHD Plus but non-touch. Additionally, there’s a 2.5K display and a Full HD Plus display. I have the IPS display with a UHD Plus resolution of 3840 by 2400. They say it can get as bright as 600nits, but I measured it at 645 nits, very bright indeed. It’s a matte display with an anti-glare coating, which is great. It’s also Dolby Vision HDR 400 and x-rite Factory calibrated out of the box.
Content creators will love the display, It has deep blacks, good contrast, and accurate colors. The color gamut coverage is excellent, with 100% sRGB, 98% Adobe RGB, 88% DCI P3, and 94% NTSC. It’s perfect for tasks like color grading, video editing, Photoshop, and Lightroom. And also supports HDR400 and Dolby Vision, making HDR content on platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube look fantastic.
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 has two two-watt speakers with Dolby Atmos technology, which makes the audio sound more spatial, giving you a better listening experience. The speakers can get loud and have decent mid and bass tones, so the sound quality is pretty good. They’re positioned at the top, which is nice. If you want, you can also use wired headphones with the 3.5-millimeter jack, or you can use Bluetooth headphones instead.
Webcam & Fingerprint Scanner
The camera on the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1, released in 2023 (though it actually came out last year), has some notable features. It includes an IR webcam, allowing you to log in using face recognition. There’s also a physical shutter switch on the camera for added security and privacy. Additionally, the power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, offering extra privacy and security.
Furthermore, the camera comes with various features like background blurring and different effects. It also has auto-framing and all the modern features you’d expect from a camera in 2023.
Performance, Benchmarks
| 3DMARK Score | 24961 Legendry |
|---|---|
| Graphic Score | 27884 |
| Physics Score | 30796 |
| Combined Score | 12058 |
| Estimated Game Performance | |
| Battlefield V | 1440p Ultra, 100+ FPS |
| Laptop | PCMARK 10 | GEEKBENCH 5 (Single Core) | GEEKBENCH 5 (Multi-Core) | CINEBENCH R15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 | 6,447 | 1,763 | 14,034 | 2664 cb | 320fps |
| Dell Precision 7670 | 6,965 | 1,821 | 13,456 | 2,473 cb | 310fps |
The ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 runs on Intel’s Core i9-12950HX CPU, which is great for both single-thread and multi-thread tasks. Whether you’re an architect, programmer, or work with high-end video editing or medical imaging, this CPU delivers impressive performance. While it can handle gaming well, its main focus is on professional tasks, backed by ISV certifications. It’s built for serious work and productivity, with gaming as a bonus feature.
| Laptop | CPU | GPU | Memory | Storage | Display | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 | Core i9-12950HX | RTX A5500 | 64GB DDR5-4800MHz | 2TB SSD M.2 PCie Gen 4 | 16″ IPS UHD+ | $1,744 |
| Dell Precision 7670 | Core i9-12950HX | RTX A5500 | 32Gb CAMM Memory | 2x 512GB RAID 0 | 16″ OLED UHD+ | $5,650 |
I’ve looked at the Dell Precision 7670, checking out both the performance and thin models. It was a bit pricier than the P16, but each had its strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to performance, they’re pretty similar. Both laptops are powerful and can handle heavy tasks well.
When it comes to keeping cool, they’ve done a pretty good job with the thermals. This model uses vapor chamber cooling, which helps keep surface temperatures low. Even when it’s working hard, it never gets too hot to touch, which is impressive.
As for fan noise, it can get quite loud under heavy use, reaching around 53-54 decibels. You’ll definitely notice it then. But during regular tasks, the fan noise isn’t very noticeable. They’ve made it relatively quiet for everyday use. However, when it’s working hard, you’ll hear the fans running.
Battery Life
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 has a 94 watt-hour battery. It lasted for about 7 hours and 25 minutes on the PC Mark 10 modern office battery life test, which is pretty good considering how much power the CPU and GPU use. When you need to charge it, the included 230-watt power charger can give you 80 percent charge in one hour, and it takes around an hour and 45 minutes to fully charge.
Final Thoughts
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 is a high-end mobile workstation laptop suitable for professionals in video editing, medical imaging, or architecture. Its powerful CPU and GPU deliver excellent performance, and its 16-inch UHD Plus IPS display offers 645nits of brightness and precise color accuracy. The design, featuring red accents and a modern look, is appealing, but lacks an RJ45 Ethernet port and a deeper keyboard for a 16-inch workstation. Despite these drawbacks, the ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 impresses with its unique design, strong performance, and portability.