Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 ARH laptop review: The Dell XPS 15 challenger

The 16-inch ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 is the successor to last year’s ThinkBook 16p Gen 2. It comes with upgraded AMD Zen 3+ CPU options to replace the Zen 3 series in the 2021 model. There are other minor differences as well as explained in this review, but the 2022 model is otherwise visually identical to the 2021 model.

We therefore recommend checking out our review on the ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 to learn more about the physical features of the Gen 3. Our specific test unit comes equipped with the Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU, 90 W GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 165 Hz 2560 x 1600 resolution IPS display for approximately $2600 USD retail. Lesser SKUs with a 60 Hz display and a Ryzen 5 6600H or Ryzen 7 6800H CPU are also available.

Direct competitors include other high-end 16-inch multimedia or Nvidia Studio laptops like the HP Envy 16 , Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 , Acer Swift X 16 , or the MSI Creator Z16 . More Lenovo reviews: Though the chassis is visually identical to last year’s Gen 2 model, there is one easy way to distinguish the Gen 3 model from Gen 2: the presence of an HDMI port along the rear. The Gen 2 model carries no HDMI port in comparison.

The Gen 3 model utilizes soldered RAM whereas the Gen 2 model has a removable SODIMM slot. Our 165 Hz display is an upgrade from the 60 Hz panel on our Gen 2 test unit. It also offers faster response times, brighter backlight, and the same full sRGB coverage.

There are unfortunately no OLED or P3 panel options at the moment. The display comes pre-calibrated against the sRGB standard. Average grayscale and color deltaE values are only 1.

8 and 1. 32, respectively, and so an end-user calibration is not necessary. Outdoor visibility is decent if under shade.

The matte overlay and relatively bright 500-nit backlight help to minimize glare more so than with a glossy alternative. We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows and Extreme Performance mode via the Lenovo Vantage software prior to running any benchmarks below. It’s recommended to become familiar with Lenovo Vantage as it is the control center for updates and settings as shown by the screenshots below.

CPU performance is a mixed bag. Though the Ryzen 9 6900HX is certainly one of the fastest mobile CPUs from AMD, performance is essentially identical to the Ryzen 9 5900HX . In fact, it’s barely any faster than the Ryzen 7 6800H .

Downgrading to the Ryzen 5 6600H configuration will reduce single-thread and multi-thread performance by about 5 percent and 20 percent, respectively. PCMark results are nearly identical to the ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 since CPU performance is barely any better as mentioned above. LatencyMon reveals slight DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage.

4K video playback at 60 FPS is imperfect as well with 5 dropped frames during our minute-long test video. The included PCIe4 x4 SSD comes with its own heat spreader and thermal pad to aid in heat dissipation. Our drive would exhibit no throttling issues when running DiskSpd in a loop as shown by the graph below.

Lenovo has upped the GeForce RTX 3060 TGP from 75 W on the ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 to 90 W on the ThinkBook 16p Gen 3. Even so, performance is only about 10 percent faster at best. Fan noise when running high loads is comparable to the Acer Swift X SFX16 but quieter than the HP Envy 16 .

The internal fans don’t pulse very often for a generally quiet experience when web browsing, video streaming, or running other undemanding loads. Surface hot spots can reach almost 50 C on the top and bottom similar to what we observed on the Gen 2 model or Dell Inspiron 16 Plus . CPU clock rates, temperature, and board power draw would spike to 4.

1 GHz, 77 C, and 65 W, respectively, when initiating Prime95 stress. The processor would eventually stabilize at 3. 7 GHz, 82 C, and 54 W shortly thereafter.

In comparison, the thicker Legion 7 16ARHA with the same Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU would stabilize at 4. 2 GHz, 89 C, and 99 W when running the same Prime95 test. GPU clock rates, temperature, and board power draw would stabilize at 1582 MHz, 69 C, and 69 W when running Witcher 3.

We’re unable to reach close to the 90 W TGP target that the system is aiming for even when on Extreme Performance mode. Running on battery reduces performance. A Fire Strike test on battery power would return Physics and Graphics scores of 17799 and 10557 points, respectively, compared to 25683 and 19597 points when on mains.

Consumption when idling on desktop would range from 10 W to 24 W depending on the power profile and brightness compared to only 10 W to 19 W on the Gen 2 model. Overall consumption is significantly lower than the Legion 5 Pro 16 which comes with the same GeForce RTX 3060 GPU but a faster Intel 12th gen Core i7 CPU. We’re able to reach a maximum of 182 W from the medium-sized (~16 x 8.

8 x 2. 8 cm) 230 W AC adapter when the CPU and GPU are each at 100 percent utilization. WLAN runtime is about 2 hours shorter than what we recorded on the Gen 2 model even though they have the same 71 Wh batteries.

The higher refresh rate of our display (165 Hz vs. 60 Hz) may be partly responsible for the shorter battery life. Charging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.

5 to 2 hours. The system cannot be recharged via USB-C. Unlike the performance jump from 11th gen Intel to 12th gen Intel, the jump from AMD Zen 3 to Zen 3+ brings just minor benefits at best.

The fact that the Ryzen 9 5900HX in the 2021 ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 can perform within 5 percent on the Ryzen 9 6900HX in the 2022 ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 makes this latest model a tougher recommendation if processor performance is what you’re after. The changes elsewhere on the 2022 model, however, are well worth mentioning. The new 165 Hz G-Sync panel in particular is a significant upgrade over the 60 Hz panel for a much smoother gaming experience.

We also appreciate the added HDMI port, but the move to soldered RAM might ultimately upset some users. We suspect that Lenovo opted for non-removable RAM in order to support a slightly larger cooling solution for the faster 90 W TGP GPU. The year-over-year performance update from the ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 is too small to be noticeable in most circumstances.

However, the new and more impressive 165 Hz display option helps to distinguish the ThinkBook 16p Gen 3 from most other 16-inch laptops currently in the market. Users can save a bit of money and get nearly the same level of performance as the Gen 3 model by purchasing an older but visually identical Gen 2 version. Keep in mind that Lenovo is charging a premium for the ThinkBook 15p Gen 3 at the moment when compared to the competing Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 or HP Envy 16 .

The Lenovo model includes the 165 Hz panel option that’s currently not available on the aforementioned Dell or HP alternatives. The ThinkBook 16p is not yet widely available through third-party channels like Amazon, Best Buy, or Newegg. We recommend purchasing directly from Lenovo who is currently shipping Ryzen 5 6600H and Ryzen 7 6800H configurations starting at $2460 USD.

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