Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2 laptop in review: Business combined with media GPU and Tiger Lake

Lenovo leaves the case of the ThinkPad T15 Gen2 unchanged. Thus, it is still compact and robust at the same time, but its slightly wider display bezel makes it larger than many competitors. However, the Thunderbolt 4 ports are new, both of which can also be used to charge the T15 Gen 2.

A microSD card reader is also available again. This was unfortunately defective in our test device and would be repaired as a warranty case. However, we assume that the good write and read rates compared to the Predecessor model have not changed significantly compared to the predecessor.

Connections to wireless networks can be established by Lenovo's notebook via WiFi 6E. In combination with our reference router Netgear Nighthawk AX12, very good speeds are achieved with 1,386 MBit/s when receiving data and 1,464 MBit/s when transmitting data, which are on par with the predecessor.

The quality of the 0.9 MP webcam remains mediocre.

Lenovo uses an Intel Core i7-1165G7 in our test configuration. This processor belongs to the Tiger Lake generation and can process up to eight tasks simultaneously with its four cores. The clock rates are between 2.8 and 4.7 GHz, whereby the performance under longer load depends on the set TDP and the cooling system.

With a PL1 of 35 watts and a PL2 of 64 watts, Lenovo is at the upper end of the configuration options. The performance is correspondingly good, which ensures one of the upper places in our test field depending on the discipline. The T15 Gen2 can also keep up with the competition under permanent load. The performance drop of approximately 6% in our Cinebench R15 endurance test is only slight.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 2 can only secure a place in the midfield in the PCMark 10 test for assessing the system performance. While the single score of the "Productivity" discipline is still very good, the other scores are a bit below expectations. Nevertheless, the notebook can be used smoothly in everyday use. The operating system and applications start quickly and we couldn't determine any micro-stutters or similar.

Which performance other notebooks achieve in comparison can be seen in our CPU benchmark list.

Lenovo installed a 1 TB Samsung PM981a SSD in our test configuration. This offers very good write and read rates and reached second place in our test field.

What performance can be expected from other mass storage devices can be seen in our HDD/SSD benchmark list.

Besides the internal Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 Lenovo also installs an Nvidia GeForce MX450 in the ThinkPad T15 Gen2. However, it delivers sobering results in the 3DMark benchmarks that are only slightly above the level of the internal graphics unit.

This is due to the fact that the MX450 is operated with a base clock of only 750 MHz in its lowest configuration. For comparison, we use the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen2 whose MX450 operates with a base clock of 1,395 MHz and leads our test field in most disciplines.

How other graphics units performed in our test can be seen in our GPU benchmark list.

The MX450's performance varies a lot in games. Depending on the title, smooth frame rates in FullHD with reduced detail levels are possible, but it strongly depends on the respective game. In comparison, the possible frame rates vary between below average and good depending on the game.

We have listed what gaming performance can be expected in other titles in our GPU games list.

The cooling system of the T15 Gen2 can compensate for fluctuations when games are played over a longer period of time. Therefore, performance drops during long gaming times are not to be expected.

The fan of the Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2 is audible with a volume of up to 37.6 dB(A), but it does not push itself to the fore with its even noise. We could not determine any other noises in our test device.

During our approximately one-hour endurance stress test, the temperatures inside rose up to 97 °C (206.6 °F). The clock rates drop to an average of 1.5 GHz, which is below the base clock. However, the system remained operable and quickly stabilized again after the end of the test. Users will therefore not have to deal with restrictions due to excessive temperatures.