Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 Laptop Review: Ultraportable workstation with a very bright 4K screen
15.6-inch ThinkPads are not as well liked as their smaller 14-inch counterparts. However, things are different in the workstation segment. Recently, we reviewed the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s, and now we are taking a look at its bigger brother ThinkPad P15s Gen 1.
Just like the smaller P14s, the Lenovo ThinkPad P15s uses the same design as other laptops in the current ThinkPad T series. The ThinkPad T15 is the latest sibling model. Because there were no changes in terms of design, connectivity and input devices, we forewent including the information contained in the pertinent sections in this review. Readers can find all relevant information in our review of the ThinkPad T590.
In addition to the ThinkPad T15 and its direct predecessor Lenovo ThinkPad P53s, we compare the ThinkPad P15s to the ZBook Firefly 15 G7, which is a direct competitor from HP.
Likely Competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
82.5 % | 01/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE i7-10510U, Quadro P520 | 1.8 kg | 19.1 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | |
82.7 % | 10/2020 | HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 i7-10610U, Quadro P520 | 1.8 kg | 19.2 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | |
81.2 % | 11/2019 | Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE i7-8565U, Quadro P520 | 1.9 kg | 19.95 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
87.2 % | 07/2020 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 i7-10510U, GeForce MX330 | 1.8 kg | 19.95 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 |
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Average of class Workstation (54.8 - 200, n=17, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Average of class Workstation (78.6 - 262, n=17, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) |
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Average of class Workstation (last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (49.8 - 1775, n=324) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average of class Workstation (last 2 years) | |
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (136 - 1743, n=324) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE |
Display: ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 features a very bright 4K IPS panel
The P15s Gen 1 and its sibling model ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 come with different 15.6-inch 16:9 screens. The cheaper screen options are identical (a 300-nit touchscreen and a 250-nit display without touch support). However, the Lenovo ThinkPad P15s comes with a 4K panel with an advertised brightness of 600 cd/m², whereas the ThinkPad T15 comes with a UHD panel with a maximum brightness of only
500 cd/m². All display options offer a matte surface and are based on IPS technology.
According to our measurements, the UHD panel of the ThinkPad P15s has an average brightness of 608 cd/m². It is more than 100 cd/m² brighter than the 4K panel in the ThinkPad T15. The 2160p screen of the ThinkPad P15s is also 200 cd/m² brighter than that of the ZBook Firefly 15 G7. This panel, which is known as MNF601EA1-1, is, in all likelihood, the brightest panel in a ThinkPad ever and is also used in other current ThinkPads in the P series and in the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3.
|
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 623 cd/m²
Contrast: 1653:1 (Black: 0.38 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 1.2
ΔE Greyscale 3.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.4% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
85.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
98.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
85.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.22
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE MNF601EA1-1, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60 | HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 LGD064F, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE Lenovo LEN40BA, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 NE156QUM-N66, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -17% | -52% | -3% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 85.8 | 68.8 -20% | 39.58 -54% | 80.7 -6% |
sRGB Coverage | 99.4 | 97.7 -2% | 57.6 -42% | 98.1 -1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 98.7 | 69.8 -29% | 40.89 -59% | 95.5 -3% |
Response Times | -15% | -29% | 7% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 42 ? | 44 ? -5% | 51.2 ? -22% | 42 ? -0% |
Response Time Black / White * | 24.8 ? | 30.8 ? -24% | 33.6 ? -35% | 21.6 ? 13% |
PWM Frequency | ||||
Screen | -9% | -82% | -5% | |
Brightness middle | 628 | 381 -39% | 260 -59% | 489 -22% |
Brightness | 608 | 382 -37% | 243 -60% | 501 -18% |
Brightness Distribution | 90 | 92 2% | 88 -2% | 91 1% |
Black Level * | 0.38 | 0.21 45% | 0.18 53% | 0.35 8% |
Contrast | 1653 | 1814 10% | 1444 -13% | 1397 -15% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.3 | 3 -30% | 6 -161% | 3 -30% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.9 | 5.2 -6% | 19.2 -292% | 5.1 -4% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.2 | 1.5 -25% | 4.3 -258% | 0.8 33% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.8 | 3.5 8% | 4.2 -11% | 4 -5% |
Gamma | 2.22 99% | 2.26 97% | 2.49 88% | 2.24 98% |
CCT | 6914 94% | 7254 90% | 6865 95% | 7400 88% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 85.6 | 64.3 -25% | 37.6 -56% | 84.7 -1% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.4 | 97.5 -2% | 59.2 -40% | 98.1 -1% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -14% /
-11% | -54% /
-69% | -0% /
-3% |
* ... smaller is better
The screen of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 has been calibrated at the factory. This is likely only the case for the UHD panel, which is quite colour-accurate straight out of the box. However, this does not mean that it is perfect: Dark tones appear somewhat greyish, because the black value is quite high. The contrast ratio (1600:1) is very good, though, thanks to a high screen brightness. The panel also supports HDR, which means that the ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 can properly display HDR content.
Thanks to a wide colour gamut, the Lenovo notebook can be used for colour-critical work such as video and image editing. The P15s Gen 1 covers 99.4 % of the sRGB colour space and 85.6 % of AdobeRGB. The wide colour gamut is the main advantage when compared to the cheaper Full HD options. The P15s Gen 1 comes with several pre-configured colour profiles. This is not the case with other ThinkPads.
Thanks to a matte surface and high maximum brightness, the display of the P15s Gen 1 is legible in indirect sunlight. In the shade or under an overcast sky, the screen is easy to read.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
24.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 12.4 ms rise | |
↘ 12.4 ms fall | ||
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 20 ms rise | |
↘ 22 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 63 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 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 18071 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
The Lenovo laptop offers very good viewing angles, because it features an IPS panel.
Performance: Old components hold the Lenovo laptop back
According to the specifications sheet, the P15s Gen 1 offers almost the full array of Intel’s Comet Lake CPUs, from the quad-core i5-10210U to the hexa-core i7-10810U. However, the hexa-core models are nearly impossible to get. Moreover, there are no models with AMD chips, which is why you can only get a ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 with a quad-core CPU. All P15s Gen 1 models come with an Nvidia Quadro P520, which works in tandem with the Intel UHD Graphics 620 through Nvidia’s Optimus GPU-switching technology.
When it comes to RAM, there are two options: 8 or 16 GB of soldered-in DDR4 2666 RAM. There is also a SO-DIMM slot, which supports sticks with a maximum capacity of 32 GB. This means that the maximum amount of RAM for the ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 is 48 GB. There is an M.2-2280 slot for long-term storage devices.
Processor
The Intel Core i7-10510U is a quad-core Comet Lake-based CPU. The four cores can clock up to 4.8 GHz. However, the base clock is 1.8 GHz. To find out how the Intel chip stacks up against other processors, go to our CPU comparison page.
The maximum power draw of the ThinkPad P15s Gen 1’s processor, which has a nominal TDP of 15 watts, amounts to roughly 50 watts. However, the CPU can only draw this much power over a short period of time. When the CPU is not boosting, it is limited to 25 watts, and once the CPU starts to overheat, the power consumption drops to around 17 watts.
This actually explains fluctuations that we saw in our Cinebench loop. Interestingly enough, the identically built ThinkPad T15 with the same CPU performs slightly better in this test. All in all, the difference is marginal and we wish that there were P15s models with AMD's Ryzen CPUs.
The CPU does not throttle when running on battery power.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 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 (Multi Core) | |
Average of class Workstation (1669 - 9329, n=28, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (1015 - 1897, n=38) |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Average of class Workstation (528 - 816, n=28, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (362 - 497, n=37) |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average of class Workstation (706 - 3625, n=27, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (482 - 856, n=45) |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
Average of class Workstation (166.2 - 301, n=27, last 2 years) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (113 - 202, n=42) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE |
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (628 - 1051, n=31) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Average of class Workstation (137 - 684, n=27, last 2 years) |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Average of class Workstation (4777 - 6670, n=27, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (3747 - 4981, n=31) |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
Average of class Workstation (20087 - 99351, n=27, last 2 years) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (12196 - 21298, n=31) |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Average of class Workstation (1474 - 2095, n=27, last 2 years) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (977 - 1287, n=31) |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Average of class Workstation (5022 - 17487, n=27, last 2 years) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (2474 - 4484, n=31) |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Average of class Workstation (5.09 - 26, n=27, last 2 years) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (3.41 - 6.04, n=31) |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (50.7 - 77.8, n=27) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Average of class Workstation (36.5 - 95.2, n=27, last 2 years) |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (0.637 - 0.81, n=28) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average of class Workstation (0.3876 - 0.594, n=27, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
Earlier generations of ultraportable workstations offered subpar levels of system performance when they were paired with a 4K display. This was the case with models that featured dual-core processors. Fortunately, this is not the case with the ThinkPad P15s. Despite its UHD screen, it feels very responsive and performs very well in the PCMark benchmarks.
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA Quadro P520 (3459 - 3805, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA Quadro P520 (4500 - 5356, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3459 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 4281 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4500 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 4623 points | |
Help |
DPC Latencies
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
The ThinkPad P53s was the last ultraportable workstation with a 2.5-inch drive bay. The ThinkPad P15s comes with a single M.2-2280 SSD. The NVMe SSD has a storage capacity of 1 TB, which should be more than enough for most users. Our storage benchmarks reveal that the Samsung PM981a offers superb data transfer rates.
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02 | Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW256G8 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02 | Average Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -2% | 5% | -4% | 1% | |
Write 4K | 142.8 | 133.1 -7% | 195.9 37% | 159.1 11% | 139.7 ? -2% |
Read 4K | 47.51 | 51.6 9% | 74.9 58% | 55.6 17% | 49.9 ? 5% |
Write Seq | 2051 | 1986 -3% | 1194 -42% | 1435 -30% | 2036 ? -1% |
Read Seq | 2219 | 2208 0% | 2309 4% | 1435 -35% | 2014 ? -9% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 470.6 | 462.3 -2% | 507 8% | 512 9% | 461 ? -2% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 419.5 | 400.2 -5% | 624 49% | 541 29% | 499 ? 19% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 3011 | 3074 2% | 1206 -60% | 2682 -11% | 2903 ? -4% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 3563 | 3268 -8% | 3091 -13% | 2902 -19% | 3479 ? -2% |
Continuous read rate: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics Card
The Nvidia Quadro P520 is a Pascal-based GPU. This chip is outdated. Quite recently, it was replaced by the Nvidia Quadro T500. The P520 is the slowest mobile Quadro GPU that is still available on the market.
This is why it is not surprising that the ThinkPad P15s performs only half as well as the average workstation. In the productivity benchmark SPECviewperf 13, the P15s performs even worse than that. When running on battery power, the performance of the Lenovo workstation is 55 % lower.
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Average of class Workstation (7432 - 54334, n=27, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average NVIDIA Quadro P520 (3870 - 4277, n=6) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 |
3DMark | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Average of class Workstation (4816 - 35868, n=28, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average NVIDIA Quadro P520 (3030 - 3410, n=6) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Average of class Workstation (1882 - 16218, n=28, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE | |
Average NVIDIA Quadro P520 (918 - 1043, n=6) | |
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 |
3DMark 11 Performance | 4613 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3015 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1154 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance
The laptop is too anaemic for 4K gaming. However, even at lower resolutions, the P15s Gen 1 struggles to handle AAA titles. The Quadro GPU is simply not meant for gaming.
low | med. | high | ultra | 4K | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 61.9 | 26.3 | 18.7 | ||
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 135 | 118 | 33.4 | 20.9 | 22.6 |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 64.5 | 24.5 | 18.4 | 11.1 | |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 41.5 | 12.9 | |||
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019) | 72.3 | 19.9 | 9.19 |
Emissions: ThinkPad P15s gets very hot
System Noise
In idle operation, the fan stands still. When the fan kicks in, it seems to always operate at a set speed. With the fan on, we measured a sound pressure level of 35.5 dB(a), which is not very loud, but still audible.
Unfortunately, the ThinkPad P15s suffers from coil whine. Susceptible individuals may find it annoying, especially since it is audible even at a normal distance from the laptop.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 29.2 / 29.2 / 29.2 dB(A) |
Load |
| 35.5 / 35.5 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Audix TM-1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.2 dB(A) |
Temperature
The surface temperatures of the Lenovo ThinkPad T15 peaked at about 60 °C (140°F). The Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 gets even hotter with the surface temperatures on the underside reaching almost 65 °C (149°F).
The stress reveals that the cooling system of the ThinkPad P15s is not powerful enough to keep both the CPU and the GPU sufficiently cool at the same time. The GPU can maintain its clocks for more than an hour, but the CPU can maintain the TDP of 25 watts only for a few minutes. Eventually, the GPU clocks settle at about 7 watts.
In the 3DMark 11 benchmark, which we conducted right after the stress test, the ThinkPad P15s scored only roughly 4000 points in the physics section instead of roughly 10000 points. This is a 60-% drop in peformance. This means that users of the Lenovo laptop might experience thermal throttling even in day-to-day use.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.1 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 38.1 °C / 101 F, ranging from 22.2 to 69.8 °C for the class Workstation.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 64.6 °C / 148 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.6 °C / 73 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32 °C / 89.6 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (-4.2 °C / -7.6 F).
Speakers
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 18.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.1% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 82% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 70% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (70.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 51% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 36% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 18%, worst was 35%
Compared to all devices tested
» 34% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 58% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management: UHD screen drives up power consumption
Energy Consumption
The Lenovo laptop draws more power than the HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7. The ThinkPad P15s has a comparable power draw only when idle. In all other cases, the ZBook is about 30 % more energy-efficient. The main reason for this is the UHD panel in the ThinkPad P15s. The ZBook also comes with a 4K screen, but it is significantly less bright.
The peak power draw is higher than the rated output of the AC adapter. However, because the average power consumption is well below 65 watts this should not be a major problem.
Off / Standby | 0.3 / 0.72 Watt |
Idle | 3.5 / 10.8 / 15.1 Watt |
Load |
64.8 / 69.3 Watt |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE i7-10510U, Quadro P520, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60 | HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 i7-10610U, Quadro P520, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE i7-8565U, Quadro P520, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW256G8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 i7-10510U, GeForce MX330, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.60 | Average NVIDIA Quadro P520 | Average of class Workstation | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 16% | 23% | -8% | 16% | -67% | |
Idle Minimum * | 3.5 | 3.5 -0% | 2.74 22% | 4.3 -23% | 3.14 ? 10% | 7.75 ? -121% |
Idle Average * | 10.8 | 6.7 38% | 6.4 41% | 13.8 -28% | 7.3 ? 32% | 12.5 ? -16% |
Idle Maximum * | 15.1 | 9.6 36% | 9.7 36% | 16.2 -7% | 10.4 ? 31% | 18.3 ? -21% |
Load Average * | 64.8 | 60 7% | 55.2 15% | 66 -2% | 60.7 ? 6% | 96.4 ? -49% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 57.2 | 49.3 14% | 53 7% | |||
Load Maximum * | 69.3 | 68.6 1% | 69.4 -0% | 67.4 3% | 68.9 ? 1% | 157.6 ? -127% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
When compared to the smaller ThinkPad P14s, the battery capacity of the P15s is higher (57 watts) and is comparable to that of the HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7. Nevertheless, the HP notebook achieves a 10-% longer battery runtime in our Wi-Fi test, because it has a lower power draw. With the screen brightness maxed out, the Lenovo laptop achieves a very poor battery runtime. However, it has a much brighter screen.
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE i7-10510U, Quadro P520, 57 Wh | HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 i7-10610U, Quadro P520, 53 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad P53s-20N6001NGE i7-8565U, Quadro P520, 57 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 i7-10510U, GeForce MX330, 57 Wh | Average of class Workstation | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 16% | 19% | -21% | 2% | |
H.264 | 500 | 730 46% | 705 41% | 483 -3% | 693 ? 39% |
WiFi v1.3 | 503 | 546 9% | 517 3% | 426 -15% | 533 ? 6% |
Load | 130 | 120 -8% | 148 14% | 72 -45% | 79.6 ? -39% |
Reader / Idle | 1510 | 755 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 is quite interesting, thanks to its 4K screen
We know the Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 well, because we have already reviewed it more than once. However, it went by different names. Having mentioned that, the ThinkPad T590, ThinkPad P53s and the ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 have the same design and offer very similar hardware.
This is why our assessment of most aspects remains unchanged: Thanks to its robust housing and comfortable input devices, the ThinkPad P15s is a good professional notebook. However, we would like to see an AMD option, because the Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs that the P15s offers are outdated. Moreover, the cooling system of the ThinkPad P15s is not powerful enough to keep it from overheating. Moreover, we also have to mention the presence of coil whine.
What separates the ThinkPad P15s from the aforementioned ThinkPad laptops is the 4K screen. There were and are other models with UHD displays, but none can hold a candle to the level of brightness that the 2160p panel in the ThinkPad P15s can achieve. This also applies to the ZBook Firefly 15 G7, its direct competitor from HP.
We can only recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 1 to those who want the following laptop: A low-end workstation with a CAD-capable GPU, which offers the lowest level of performance acceptable in this segment.
There is only a single feature that distinguishes the ThinkPad P15s from the ThinkPad T15 and the ZBook Firefly 15. However, we expect that Lenovo will soon release the ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 with Tiger Lake-based CPUs and the Nvidia Quadro T500. This is why it might be worth it to wait.
Price and Availability
The configuration featured in our review with a 1 TB SSD, 32 GB of RAM and a 4K screen currently retails on Amazon for 2157 Euros (~$2636).
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen1-20T4000JGE
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01/08/2021 v7
Benjamin Herzig