Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 evaluate: Highly effective, however onerous to advocate

Finest Costs As we speak: Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is a brand new workstation geared toward being a extra reasonably priced possibility amongst Lenovo’s wide array. It nonetheless comes with pretty high-performance internals, although not the very highest efficiency, and it has the everyday prosumer markups you may anticipate. This places it at odds in opposition to consumer-aimed techniques just like the Dell Premium 16 or Lenovo Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10, which give extra {hardware} for the cash however miss out on some skilled bonafides like ISV certification. 

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Specs and options

• Mannequin quantity: 21RS001XUS
• CPU: Intel Core Extremely 9 285H
• Reminiscence: 32GB DDR5-6400
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX Professional 2000 8GB
• Show: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS, Matte, 60Hz
• Storage: 1TB PCIe 5.0 SSD – Samsung MZVLC1T0HFLU-00BLL
• Webcam: 5MP + IR
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Energy Supply and DisplayPort 2.1, 2x USB-A 5Gbps, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SDcard reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x GbE
• Networking: WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Home windows Hiya fingerprint, facial recognition
• Battery capability: 90 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.23 x 9.79 x 1.04 inches
• Weight: 4.99 kilos
• MSRP: $3,997 as-tested ($2,329 base)

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is a efficiency workstation boasting ISV certifications and navy sturdiness requirements geared toward skilled customers, and subsequently there’s actually no low-cost possibility.

The bottom mannequin has a beginning worth of $2,329 (although was discounted to $1,816 on the time of writing — nebulous pricing being a typical Lenovo transfer). The bottom configuration begins out with an Intel Core Extremely 7 255H, 16GB of DDR5-5600, a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, a fundamental show, an Nvidia RTX Professional 500 GPU, and Home windows 11 Residence. 

Lenovo affords an Intel Core Extremely 7 265H or Intel Core Extremely 9 285H as upgrades in addition to an Nvidia RTX Professional 1000 or 2000, although not all CPU and GPU combos are attainable. It additionally affords a brighter 100% sRGB show and a 3840×2400 touchscreen OLED possibility. Whereas all configurations can assist an IR sensor for facial recognition, the mid-tier show makes it optionally available quite than commonplace. The largest space for personalisation is in storage and reminiscence.

The system has two M.2 slots that may be fitted with PCIe Gen 4 or Gen 5 drives ranging in dimension from 512GB to 2TB. Reminiscence is available in 16GB, 32GB, 48GB, or 96GB capacities.

Our check configuration has the specs listed above and tells a complicated worth story. We had been shared a gross sales hyperlink to CDW for our configuration that has the value at $3,997. However in Lenovo’s personal customized configurator, which tends to fall on the dearer aspect than pre-configured techniques, our configuration exhibits a $3,874 “Est Worth” worth and was on sale for $3,021 on the time of writing.

The one actual distinction is that the CDW model makes use of a single 32GB CSODIMM reminiscence stick whereas the Lenovo model makes use of two 16GB CSODIMM sticks. No matter that distinction, whereas it’s very attainable you’ll have the ability to get it for about $3,000, the one positive worth is nearer to $1,000 extra. 

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Design and construct high quality

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is a cumbersome however in any other case fairly typical ThinkPad. It has the stylings of different fashions with its blacked-out design, with a small lip on the show lid that assists in one-handed opening, and the keyboard and trackpad fashion. 

Whereas some extra premium ThinkPad fashions have a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer that’s sturdy and light-weight, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 opts for extra commonplace supplies. Its show lid is made with aluminum, however its backside is a PC-ABS plastic. The keyboard deck has a pleasant coating that feels a bit higher than PC-ABS plastic would usually. Even with out the premium supplies, it feels loads sturdy and checks bins for a number of navy sturdiness exams. The show hinge wiggles for a number of seconds after changes, although.

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is a bit cumbersome at 14.23 x 9.79 x 1.04 inches. Lenovo stored the bezels across the 16-inch show pretty slender, so a few of the dimensions are just about by necessity. However the thickness is appreciable. A portion of that’s coming from the rubber toes on the underside, however it does get in the way in which of sliding simply into laptop computer baggage. At simply shy of 5 kilos, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is fairly hefty, too. A minimum of its 140W charger is sort of mild and compact. 

The underside of the laptop computer has two well-filtered consumption grilles beneath the 2 system followers. Exhaust heads out the again, the place the show hinge is. Whereas a few of that exhaust will head up towards the show, most ought to go down and behind the laptop computer. The broad rubber foot on the again also needs to keep away from letting the exhaust recirculate into the laptop computer. 

One factor the majority of the laptop computer affords you is further house inside. As an alternative of utilizing the soldered-on reminiscence many current laptops have used, it will get CSODIMM sticks which might be user-upgradeable. It additionally has two M.2 slots for double the storage capability. The 90Wh battery can be a great get, although giant batteries aren’t exceptional in smaller laptops. 

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Keyboard, trackpad

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The keyboard is nice. It has a 1.5mm journey, and a tender however poppy really feel with well-stabilized keys. This makes for a snug and fast typing really feel. I used to be capable of stand up to a typing velocity of 117 phrases per minute with 99 % accuracy in Monkeytype, however it took discovering a great, snug typing angle. The excessive keyboard deck could make this a bit tough, however it is going to largely come down to private desire.

The usage of small arrow keys crammed along with Web page Up and Web page Down keys is a bit annoying, particularly since Lenovo already offset them and might need simply additional offset them to permit for greater keys. Alternatively, the massive quantity pad is nice to see and handy for knowledge entry, even when it’s a bit narrower than full-size. For accident-prone customers, the keyboard is proof against spills, stopping small quantities of liquid from reaching key parts if spilled onto the keyboard. 

Lenovo’s trackpad is okay right here. It’s small and virtually totally left of the system’s centerline. For left-handed customers which may be extra ideally suited, however for right-handed customers, it turns into a crossbody attain that’s not tremendous ergonomic. The scale of the trackpad isn’t unhealthy, however it feels small on such a big machine.

It’s a basic ThinkPad trackpad with three buttons on the prime that work in unison with the trackpoint nib within the middle of the keyboard. The nib is an honest software for mousing round with out having to maneuver away from the keyboard, however it might take new customers a bit getting used to its nuance. 

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Show, audio

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3’s show is a really utilitarian one. At 1920×1200, it’s not terribly sharp, however it’s workable. It doesn’t carry any good extras like a quick refresh price for smoother visuals. And it doesn’t even provide full protection of the sRGB coloration house, as an alternative sitting at simply 67 % protection. In case your work entails particular colours and even if you happen to simply need YouTube movies to look first rate, this merely gained’t do. What the show does ship is a strong 459-nit brightness alongside a matte end that helps guarantee clear visibility even in subpar lighting. 

The audio system on the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 are a bit bit stunning. The aspect positioning of them paired with Dolby’s processing offers them a surprisingly broad soundstage that makes stereo results extra pronounced. That’s excellent news for music, which additionally enjoys an honest readability that avoids sounding boxed in. There’s not numerous bass depth, which makes for a mid-heavy presentation that may get tiring and might take the meat out of numerous music. However for speech, the audio system work fairly nicely. They put out loads of quantity as nicely.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 has an honest webcam and microphone pairing. The webcam captures video with good readability, significantly for a small laptop computer webcam, and pure publicity. It nonetheless reveals some grain and softness, however it’s removed from wanting unhealthy. It has a large viewing angle that may readily get a second individual into the shot, too. 

The microphones mix with Dolby Voice processing that runs mechanically, and it really works impressively nicely. Whereas talking and snapping my fingers and clapping my fingers, the mics picked up my voice fairly nicely with out an excessive amount of room echo and virtually fully eradicated the entire further noise I used to be making. The mics don’t choose up my voice fairly as totally as a standalone mic may, however they get nice readability for what they’re.

The laptop computer additionally contains facial recognition and fingerprint scanning for fast logins. Each labored persistently after coaching, although I have a tendency to search out fingerprint scanners like this wrestle after a while attributable to put on on the pores and skin of the fingertips. 

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Connectivity

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 advantages from strong connectivity. There’s room for enchancment, however it’s not disappointing. A lot of its wired connectivity is dealt with by two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which may deal with hub connection, high-speed knowledge, DisplayPort output, and charging enter. These are located on the left aspect together with an HDMI 2.1 port and a USB-A port. The best aspect features a second USB-A port, however each prime out at 5Gbps as an alternative of the 10Gbps they may have supplied. The best aspect additional contains an Ethernet port, a headset jack, and a full-size SD card slot. 

Wi-fi connectivity can be a robust level due to Wi-Fi 7 assist. It has confirmed quick and secure in testing. Bluetooth 5.4 is a small letdown as Bluetooth 6.0 is obtainable now, however it’s not the top of the world. It labored reliably and supported LE Audio, which offers respectable audio high quality over Bluetooth.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Efficiency

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 is made to be a high-performance machine, and you must anticipate no much less from one thing bearing an almost $4,000 price ticket. One space it surprisingly falls quick is in storage velocity. It affords the quick learn and write speeds of a PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD (measured in CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 at 7117MB/s and 6717MB/s, respectively), however it’s meant to incorporate a PCIe 5.0 x4 SSD, which ought to have double the bandwidth.

Within the holistic PCMark 10 benchmark, it exhibits very respectable total efficiency. Towards different equally outfitted {hardware}, it manages to drag off a modest lead even. That comes largely all the way down to a lead it held within the productiveness portion of the check, which covers spreadsheet and writing work. With that in thoughts, although its total rating is forward, it gained’t show advantageous if these aren’t key components of your workload. In any case, these are all very succesful machines for basic workplace duties and even mild digital content material creation. 

When focusing in on the uncooked efficiency of its components, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 begins to return below extra stress. Throughout Cinebench CPU benchmarking, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 affords robust efficiency however isn’t far and away the chief by any means.

It persistently lags behind the Lenovo Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10 (which has the identical CPU) and Dell 16 Premium (which has a lower-tier CPU) in multicore efficiency, although single-core efficiency tends to line up nearer. It even fails to get out very far forward of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16s Gen 4, which is a really comparable laptop computer operating a lower-tier processor.

It does present some promise in opposition to incoming {hardware} with Panther Lake CPUs because the MSI Status Flip 14 AI+ couldn’t fairly sustain even when set to Efficiency Mode in Home windows’ settings. MSI’s is a skinny and light-weight machine although, so we’ll nonetheless should see how Intel’s new Panther Lake {hardware} fares in a bigger chassis with extra cooling.

Our Handbrake video encoding check hints on the cause the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 couldn’t fairly stack up in opposition to the competitors even with its high-end CPU. As with Cinebench R24, our Handbrake encode check offers the system a heavy, sustained load. That may see it construct up warmth, and if it will possibly’t correctly handle the warmth, it is going to decelerate and result in an extended runtime for the check.

And right here we see that the additional velocity of the Intel Core Extremely 9 285H is simply not out there for the long-haul on the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3, letting it fall behind its competitors, together with the ThinkPad P16s Gen 4 if solely by a number of seconds. Lenovo’s cooling plan appears to stay a bit tame, balancing precise cooling with noise ranges. Underneath load, the followers don’t get terribly loud.

The inclusion of discrete graphics helps the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3, however nonetheless doesn’t push it forward. Its RTX Professional 2000 GPU doesn’t stack up in opposition to even the buyer RTX 5050 within the Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10, which overtook it in 3DMark’s Time Spy and Evening Raid exams, together with within the GPU-specific subtests.

It is a bonus over the RTX Professional 500 within the ThinkPad P16s Gen 4, which struggled to even come forward of the brand new Intel Arc B390 built-in graphics within the MSI Status when that system was switched to its Efficiency mode. And it’s not as if the RTX Professional 2000 is simply higher suited to productiveness graphics duties, because the Yoga and Dell 16 Premium each got here out forward in PCMark 10’s Digital Content material Creation subtests for picture enhancing, video enhancing, and rendering and visualization. 

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Battery life

The place the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 managed to truly impress was in its battery life. Even with discrete graphics, it proved able to a strong runtime of over 12 hours in our offline video playback check. It had an honest benefit over the ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 due to its decrease decision IPS show. That mentioned, Lenovo’s Yoga system and the Dell 16 Premium managed a good higher exhibiting with the previous nearer to 14 hours and the latter simply over that line. In fact, it’s price highlighting the massive leap Panther Lake chips can allow as seen from the MSI Status Flip 14 AI+’s staggering runtime over 34 hours on this check. 

Offline video playback isn’t essentially the most important consideration for a workstation like this, although. It’s the precise use that maybe issues most, and that’s the place the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 shines.

In common use with some breaks and a mixture of larger and decrease brightness settings, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 has strong battery life. It had solely drained by 50 % after virtually six hours of runtime. This included writing, looking the net, watching movies, taking part in music, and a while with the laptop computer simply sitting idle.

Most of that point was with the laptop computer at 250 nits of brightness, too, which was brighter than needed on account of the matte show. Seeing the system on monitor to run practically as lengthy whereas working because it did in offline video playback is pretty spectacular, even when it’s not precisely operating all week.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3: Conclusion

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16v Gen 3 has some good points and a few so-so. It’s not providing a shocking design or best-in-class efficiency, nor does it carry an incredible show. Its capacity to preserve energy in energetic use is a brilliant spot, although it’s nonetheless not breaking any information. Contemplating the roughly $4,000 price ticket, it’s a steep possibility for most folk.

Until ISV certifications are completely important, most individuals will discover a much more becoming and succesful machine for much less. As an illustration, the Lenovo Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10 is half the value, lighter, has a sublime show, and performs higher at nearly each flip. And new Panther Lake techniques are wanting very promising the place graphical and AI workloads aren’t fairly as necessary.