The ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 begins at $2,359 for an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. Increase to a Ryzen 7 5800H, and also you’ll spend $2,619. My overview unit with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD hasn’t been launched or priced but, however will doubtless method $3,000.

The ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 enjoys what’s change into an identifiable ThinkBook aesthetic, significantly on the is two-toned lid that has a daring ThinkBook brand. That differentiates it from the remainder of Lenovo’s lineup and provides the laptop computer a little bit of panache. Otherwise, the look is a typical enterprise laptop computer with a darkish gray colorway and a regular Lenovo chassis. The lid does join at a spot that’s set in about half an inch from the rear, which is totally different, and the keyboard is darker as properly. The result’s a laptop computer that appears good and stands out simply sufficient, with out being unnecessarily glitzy for a enterprise skilled.

Just since you’re a businessperson doesn’t imply you don’t need to play some video games. The ThinkPad 16p, with its Ryzen CPU and RTX 3060 GPU, is more proficient at play than at work. I’ll begin with its productiveness and inventive efficiency, due to course, that’s what you’re paying for, however I’ll make sure you cowl gaming as properly. The ThinkPad’s thermal design was high-quality, with restricted throttling however fairly a little bit of fan noise when the CPU and GPU spun up. Lenovo’s thermal utility didn’t make an enormous distinction in any of our typical benchmarks, however I’ve reported these scores the place applicable.

My overview unit packed in an eight-core/16-thread 45-watt AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU. That’s top-of-the-line till AMD’s 7000 sequence comes out, and it’s a quick CPU for positive. Even so, it fell behind our comparability group in Geekbench 5, together with machines operating Intel’s 45-watt Twelfth-gen CPUs. As typical, AMD’s single-core scores lagged essentially the most. The ThinkPad 16 was quick in Cinebench R23 multi-core, although, and it did properly in our Handbrake check that encodes a 420MB video as H.265.

The ThinkPad 16p was a stable performer, but it surely didn’t fairly sustain with some newer Intel-based laptops. In the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark that runs in a dwell model of Adobe’s Premiere Pro, the ThinkPad 16p was behind laptops just like the HP Envy 16 that utilized the RTX 3060 CPU. This benchmark advantages from some Intel optimizations in Adobe apps that will or might not apply to a given workflow.

It’s unusual to ding a laptop computer show that’s so brilliant at 525 nits and enjoys a distinction ratio of 1,160:1 — each are stable scores for a contemporary IPS show. An accuracy of DeltaE 1.21 can also be sturdy. However, the ThinkPad 16p’s show may solely muster 98% of sRGB and 75% of AdobeRGB. Those are high-quality scores for productiveness duties, however demanding creators need wider colours. Given that that is the laptop computer’s solely accessible show, it limits this laptop computer’s attraction to that group.

I’ll be aware that it is a 165Hz show, which supplies for a smoother Windows 11 and gaming expertise, though you’ll have to show graphics all the way down to hit these sorts of body charges. The increased refresh fee is definitely a perk, although, and it elevates every thing you do with the system. The audio system had been loud however sounded a bit tinny on account of an absence of bass, making them a step under these on another bigger machines.

Battery life is respectable, not that super longevity ought to ever be anticipated from a laptop computer with a 16.0-inch 16:10 WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) show and power-hungry parts. The ThinkPad 16p hit about 6.75 hours in our internet shopping check and 9 hours in our video check. Both scores are lower than common in comparison with most laptops I’ve reviewed in 2022, though that’s stable sufficient for the category.

If you need to take the laptop computer on the street, then you definitely’ll need to carry that enormous and heavy energy brick with you if you happen to want a full workday’s longevity.

Some laptops are more durable than others to categorize and fee. The ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 is such a machine. While Lenovo stresses its suitability for small and medium-sized companies, I didn’t discover a lot that makes the laptop computer actually stand out for this crowd. Things like webcam privateness options and person presence sensing exist on mainstream shopper laptops, as do engaging aesthetics and stable efficiency. The ThinkPad 16p even comes with a one-year guarantee, which is trade normal and fewer than many true enterprise machines provide.

At the identical time, whereas efficiency was stable and battery life was higher than you’ll discover in another 16-inch laptops, construct high quality wasn’t as much as par given the excessive beginning worth of $2,359. Spend this a lot cash, and you will get a Dell XPS 15 that’s roughly as quick, constructed significantly better, and has a considerably higher show.

In evaluating the ThinkPad 16p as an appropriate machine for SMB customers, I find yourself being unconvinced this has any severe benefits. There actually isn’t that a lot there that you just received’t discover on another mainstream laptops aimed toward shoppers, and the construct doesn’t dwell as much as the worth tag.

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