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MagyarLenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 Review: Tiger Lake laptop with an Nvidia GeForce MX450
Despite a small number of changes, the AMD version of the Lenovo Thinkpad E15 Gen 2 was able to make a good impression in our review. Because the Intel version with Tiger Lake chips features the same design as the recently released AMD model, it comes with the same set of weaknesses and strengths.
The only interesting thing here is how the Core i7-1165G7 in the Intel model compares against the Ryzen 7 4700U in the AMD variant. Instead of the integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 GPU, the Tiger Lake version comes with an Nvidia GeForce MX450. Both versions offer the same amount of RAM (16 GB) and storage space (512 GB).
We compare the Intel model of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 not only against the AMD version but also against other competitors. Below each section, users can also add other notebooks from our database to the comparison chart.
Likely Competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.8 % | 02/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450 | 1.8 kg | 18.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 87.7 % | 12/2020 | SCHENKER Vision 15 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.7 kg | 15 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 83.9 % | 11/2020 | Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 R7 4700U, Vega 7 | 1.8 kg | 18.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.1 % | 01/2021 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450 | 1.3 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 82.4 % | 01/2021 | Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition i7-1165G7, Xe MAX | 1.9 kg | 17.94 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 |
Case - Compact and rigid
Because the Intel and AMD versions of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 are identically built, we forewent providing information normally contained in this section. You can find all the relevant information in our review of the AMD variant of the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2.
Connectivity - ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 with a Thunderbolt 4 port
You can find detailed information concerning input and output devices of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 in our comprehensive review. The main difference here is the Thunderbolt 4 port, which the Intel model has. The Thunderbolt 4 port can be used for charging. The Intel-based ThinkPad also does better in our Wi-Fi test.
Communication
Webcam
Maintenance
Inside the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2, users have access to the SSD and RAM. There is only one RAM slot. However, the Lenovo laptop offers M.2 slots.
Input Devices - Lenovo laptop with a TrackPoint and ClickPad
Go to our review of the AMD version of the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 to learn about the input devices.
Display - More colour-accurate than the AMD model
The Intel version of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 features a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. When compared to the AMD model, both the brightness (244 cd/m²) and the black value (0.27 cd/m²) are nearly identical. However, the panel in the Intel variant has significantly better response times.
The manufacturer does not rely on pulse width modulation for brightness control, which is why users with susceptible eyes should not experience any issues when using the device. In addition to a TN panel, Lenovo also offers brighter, more colour-accurate and touch-enabled IPS panels.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 248 cd/m²
Contrast: 919:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.07 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 1.91 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
58% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
37% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39.99% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
58.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
38.71% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.39
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE Lenovo LEN40BA, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | SCHENKER Vision 15 BOE08F5, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 B156HAN02.1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG Au Optronics B140HAN03.2, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition AU Optronics B156ZAN, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 73% | -1% | 56% | 83% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 38.71 | 69.3 79% | 38.42 -1% | 60.9 57% | 74.3 92% |
| sRGB Coverage | 58.2 | 94 62% | 57.8 -1% | 90.4 55% | 99 70% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 39.99 | 70.8 77% | 39.69 -1% | 62.3 56% | 74.6 87% |
| Response Times | -251% | -179% | -145% | -211% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 28 ? | 60 ? -114% | 46.8 ? -67% | 39 ? -39% | 55.2 ? -97% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 8 ? | 39 ? -388% | 31.2 ? -290% | 28 ? -250% | 34 ? -325% |
| PWM Frequency | |||||
| Screen | 37% | -17% | 3% | 7% | |
| Brightness middle | 248 | 478 93% | 249 0% | 323 30% | 303.8 23% |
| Brightness | 244 | 462 89% | 239 -2% | 313 28% | 296 21% |
| Brightness Distribution | 87 | 94 8% | 87 0% | 80 -8% | 93 7% |
| Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.27 -0% | 0.22 19% | 0.36 -33% | 0.24 11% |
| Contrast | 919 | 1770 93% | 1132 23% | 897 -2% | 1266 38% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.07 | 3.2 37% | 6.7 -32% | 4.86 4% | 4.58 10% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 17.47 | 8.4 52% | 19.7 -13% | 7.52 57% | 9.4 46% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.91 | 4.5 -136% | 5.1 -167% | 4.83 -153% | 6.4 -235% |
| Gamma | 2.39 92% | 2.16 102% | 2.48 89% | 2.64 83% | 2.3 96% |
| CCT | 6697 97% | 6788 96% | 7277 89% | 7405 88% | 7414 88% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 37 | 63.1 71% | 36.6 -1% | 57.5 55% | 66.7 80% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 58 | 93.6 61% | 57.7 -1% | 90.3 56% | 99 71% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2 | 4.4 | 3.64 | 2.17 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -47% /
6% | -66% /
-36% | -29% /
-6% | -40% /
-7% |
* ... smaller is better
Our measurements show that the Intel model offers a significantly lower contrast ratio (919:1) than the AMD variant. The E15 Gen 2 with the Tiger Lake CPU covers 58 % of the sRGB colour space and 37 % of the AdobeRGB colour space, which means that it is very similar in this regard to the AMD model.
Our CalMAN analysis reveals that the screen is very well-calibrated straight out of the box. This is why there is no need to calibrate it any further.
Outdoors, the display of the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 is easy to read as long as you are located in a shaded place. Moreover, the matte screen surface greatly reduces the intensity of reflections.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 17 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 19 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 32 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The IPS panel in the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 has very stable viewing angles. The screen content can be read from any angle without any distortions.
Performance - More 3D power with MX450
Lenovo offers the Thinkpad E15 Gen 2 with various AMD and Intel CPUs. Each configuration is intended for business users, who need a more or less powerful notebook with a reasonable price tag.
Processor
The Core i7-1165G7 is the most powerful Intel CPU that Lenovo offers for the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2. Intel’s quad-core chip offers eight threads and has a base clock of 2.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.7 GHz. The Tiger Lake processor in the Lenovo laptop achieves great results in our CPU benchmark suite, which are considerably better than what most other notebooks with the same CPU can achieve. The Schenker Vision 15 with Intel’s reference design performs somewhat better, though.
When it comes to multi-core performance, the E15 Gen 2 with the Tiger Lake CPU does worse than the AMD variant. Howbeit, the Core i7-1165G7 is faster when it comes to single-core performance. In the rest of the benchmarks, the Thinkpad E15 Gen 2 performs about as well as other laptops with similar hardware.
Cinebench R15: CPU Single 64Bit | CPU Multi 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Average of class Office (181.3 - 764, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (442 - 589, n=81) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average of class Office (356 - 5904, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1060 - 2657, n=81) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Average of class Office (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (115 - 230, n=78) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Average of class Office (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (553 - 1027, n=86) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (468 - 1138, n=80) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average of class Office (214 - 2844, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (4478 - 5507, n=80) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Average of class Office (2233 - 6687, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Average of class Office (4226 - 62349, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (15347 - 27405, n=80) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1302 - 1595, n=77) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average of class Office (510 - 1974, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Average of class Office (1018 - 11980, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (3078 - 5926, n=77) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Average of class Office (1.55 - 17.4, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1.39 - 8.47, n=80) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Average of class Office (31.3 - 117.5, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (21.5 - 88.1, n=78) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (0.552 - 1.002, n=80) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Average of class Office (0.4244 - 1.397, n=119, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
In the PCMark 10 benchmark, the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 achieves a very high result, which is why it tops our comparison chart. However, the CPU did quite poorly in the "Essentials" section of the benchmark, achieving only a mediocre result. In day-to-day use, the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 feels very responsive. There are no freezes or micro-stutters to speak of.
You can find out how the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 stacks up against other laptops on our CPU Benchmarks page.
| PCMark 10 Score | 5606 points | |
Help | ||
DPC Latencies
Our LatencyMon test reveals that the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 has slight problems with latency spikes. This is why it is not really suited for work with realtime audio or video.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Both Intel and AMD versions of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 come with the same SSD, and, therefore, offer very similar read and write speeds, which are considerably slower than what the rest of the competition has to offer.
You can find out how the SSD in the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 stacks up against other storage devices on our HDD/SSD Benchmarks page.
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU | SCHENKER Vision 15 Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW | Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV | Average Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 159% | 8% | 82% | 63% | 6% | |
| Write 4K | 118.8 | 238.1 100% | 104.9 -12% | 211.8 78% | 111.4 -6% | 129.5 ? 9% |
| Read 4K | 37.55 | 79.2 111% | 46.54 24% | 50.1 33% | 53.4 42% | 45.1 ? 20% |
| Write Seq | 1224 | 4139 238% | 1333 9% | 2938 140% | 2598 112% | 1172 ? -4% |
| Read Seq | 1589 | 4133 160% | 1565 -2% | 2639 66% | 2308 45% | 1496 ? -6% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 409.5 | 697 70% | 437.2 7% | 656 60% | 644 57% | 448 ? 9% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 335.5 | 758 126% | 498.9 49% | 723 115% | 665 98% | 415 ? 24% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 1427 | 5187 263% | 1315 -8% | 3022 112% | 3147 121% | 1397 ? -2% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 2353 | 7117 202% | 2340 -1% | 3561 51% | 3242 38% | 2307 ? -2% |
| AS SSD | 179% | 23% | 103% | 28% | 18% | |
| Seq Read | 1886 | 5427 188% | 1934 3% | 2861 52% | 1910 1% | 1917 ? 2% |
| Seq Write | 1226 | 3886 217% | 1198 -2% | 2837 131% | 2795 128% | 1061 ? -13% |
| 4K Read | 32.37 | 72.9 125% | 47.08 45% | 60.3 86% | 50.5 56% | 45.7 ? 41% |
| 4K Write | 100.8 | 219.3 118% | 132.8 32% | 164.2 63% | 103.8 3% | 140.2 ? 39% |
| 4K-64 Read | 842 | 2209 162% | 866 3% | 1598 90% | 1485 76% | 854 ? 1% |
| 4K-64 Write | 485 | 2265 367% | 872 80% | 1572 224% | 1820 275% | 780 ? 61% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.102 | 0.033 68% | 0.116 -14% | 0.046 55% | 0.056 45% | 0.1031 ? -1% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.037 | 0.02 46% | 0.03 19% | 0.021 43% | 0.282 -662% | 0.03488 ? 6% |
| Score Read | 1063 | 2825 166% | 1106 4% | 1945 83% | 1727 62% | 1091 ? 3% |
| Score Write | 708 | 2873 306% | 1125 59% | 2020 185% | 2203 211% | 1027 ? 45% |
| Score Total | 2286 | 7069 209% | 2771 21% | 4966 117% | 4863 113% | 2643 ? 16% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 169% /
171% | 16% /
17% | 93% /
94% | 46% /
43% | 12% /
13% |
* ... smaller is better
Continuous read speed: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphic Card
Our review configuration features an Nvidia GeForce MX450. This graphics chip offers more performance than the iGPU in the AMD or Intel processors. It is suited for moderately demanding 3D applications. In the 3DMark benchmarks, the E15 Gen 2 offers the same level of performance as other laptops with this GPU.
You can learn how the Nvidia GeForce MX450 compares with other graphics cards on our GPU Benchmarks page.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 8228 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 18399 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4254 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 2164 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The Nvidia GeForce MX450 can run moderately demanding titles smoothly. Older games are, actually, playable at 1080p on high settings.
To learn what kind of gaming experience you can expect from Nvidia’s GeForce MX450, go to our Gaming Benchmarks page.
| The Witcher 3 | |
| 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (34 - 81.4, n=14) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Average of class Office (7.82 - 106.3, n=96, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
| SCHENKER Vision 15 | |
| Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (21 - 46, n=16) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Average of class Office (3.49 - 59.1, n=104, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE | |
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 34 | 21 | ||
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 137 | 121 | 88.6 | 81.6 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 51.5 | 26 | 15 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 86.5 | 73.5 | 62.8 | |
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 47 | 24 |
Emissions - High-frequency noise under load
System Noise
In everyday use, the Thinkpad E15 Gen 2 remains silent most of the time. The fans kicks in very rarely. When they do they produce a very uniform sound. However, the faster the fans spin, the more high-frequency the noise they produce becomes. Under high load, this noise is barely audible, but it is still annoying. Moreover, the power adapter of our review device suffers from coil whine.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 25 / 25 / 25.2 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 30.4 / 30.6 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
According to our measurements, the surface temperatures of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 reach up to 47 °C (116.6 °F) under load. The underside of the notebook becomes quite warm, but it never gets so hot that you cannot place the device in your lap.
During our stress test, the temperatures inside the device hit 97 °C (206.6 °F). Shortly after the beginning of the stress test, the clock rates dropped to 1.1 GHz but later managed to stabilise at 2.4 GHz. Because such utilisation levels are very unlikely to occur in real life, users should not experience any problems related to thermal throttling in day-to-day use.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.7 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 47 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.7 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.4 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.7 °C / 80.1 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+1 °C / 1.8 F).
Speakers
The speakers of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 offer a mediocre volume and very little base. The medium and high frequencies are overrepresented. The speakers can be used in quiet environments. We recommend you get a pair of headphones or external speakers if you want to use the E15 Gen 2 for media consumption on a regular basis.
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 46% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 54% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 39% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management - Tiger Lake chip lasts longer
Energy Consumption
According to our measurements, the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 has an average power draw of 8.2 watts when idle. Under load, the system draws 25 watts on average. The energy consumption peaks at 64 watts. This means that the included 65-watt power adapter will not able to charge the device under full load. As a matter of fact, during our stress test the battery was actually discharging even though the laptop was plugged in.
| Off / Standby | 0.33 / 3.6 Watt |
| Idle | 4.4 / 8.2 / 10.3 Watt |
| Load |
25 / 64 Watt |
   
| |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | SCHENKER Vision 15 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 R7 4700U, Vega 7, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition i7-1165G7, Xe MAX, Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60 | Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -0% | -11% | -22% | -56% | -35% | -6% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.4 | 3.5 20% | 4.2 5% | 3.4 23% | 4 9% | 4.91 ? -12% | 4.3 ? 2% |
| Idle Average * | 8.2 | 6.3 23% | 7.8 5% | 7.6 7% | 15.5 -89% | 8.36 ? -2% | 7.35 ? 10% |
| Idle Maximum * | 10.3 | 6.8 34% | 10.7 -4% | 14.2 -38% | 16.2 -57% | 11.1 ? -8% | 9.15 ? 11% |
| Load Average * | 25 | 43.2 -73% | 45.6 -82% | 56 -124% | 49.7 -99% | 58.4 ? -134% | 41.1 ? -64% |
| Load Maximum * | 64 | 67.7 -6% | 51.5 20% | 50.4 21% | 92.7 -45% | 76.2 ? -19% | 58.1 ? 9% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 52 | 41.2 | 41 | 52.2 |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our practically oriented Wi-Fi test, the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 lasted for about 8 hours. The AMD model with the same 45-Wh battery did not last as long. All in all, this is a good result when compared to the rest of the competition, since most of the competing devices are only able to achieve longer battery runtimes because they feature bigger batteries.
| Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 45 Wh | SCHENKER Vision 15 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 73 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20T9S00K00 R7 4700U, Vega 7, 45 Wh | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 63 Wh | Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7506 2-in-1 Black Edition i7-1165G7, Xe MAX, 68 Wh | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 23% | -37% | -21% | -4% | 4% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 481 | 912 90% | 411 -15% | 507 5% | 583 21% | 594 ? 23% |
| Load | 139 | 78 -44% | 59 -58% | 73 -47% | 98 -29% | 117.7 ? -15% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Decision to buy comes down to details
With the introduction of Tiger Lake CPUs, AMD chips are no longer the obvious better choice. The model with the Ryzen 7 4700U achieves higher scores in the multi-core benchmarks. However, the Intel variant does better in the single-core benchmarks and offers longer battery runtimes. Moreover, users who need a Thunderbolt port should go with the Intel version of the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2.
The Tiger Lake chip gives the ThinkPad Gen 2 several advantages that the AMD processor cannot provide.
Whether you get an Intel or an AMD model does not really matter, because both versions of the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 offer what users expect: a reasonably priced, solid office notebook with good input devices. The Nvidia GeForce MX450 in our hardware configuration can handle more demanding 3D applications. Prospective buyers who were holding off on getting the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 because of a missing Thunderbolt 4 port can now get the Intel model without any second thoughts.
Price and Availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 is available in various hardware configurations in Lenovo’s online store. Prices start at $699.99.
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2-20TD002MGE
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02/14/2021 v7
Mike Wobker
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