Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 Laptop review: Affordable Tiger Lake laptop

We did not note any grave shortcomings in our verdict on the test of the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 about one year ago. According to our initial impression, this also won't be the case in the ThinkBook 15 Gen2. Since nothing has changed in the external equipment characteristics except for the connections, we will refer to the predecessor model in the corresponding sections of our review.
Our current test configuration is available for about 720 Euros (~$868) and includes an Intel Core i5-1135G7 with its internal Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs graphics unit. This is accompanied by 16 GB of working memory and a 512 GB SSD. In this configuration, the Lenovo laptop is compared with the competing devices listed below. Underneath each section, you can also add more laptops from our database.
Possible Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
82.8 % v7 (old) | 04 / 2021 | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.8 kg | 18.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
81.8 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2020 | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.9 kg | 18.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
81.4 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2021 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.9 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
84.7 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2021 | Honor MagicBook 15 4500U R5 4500U, Vega 6 | 1.5 kg | 17 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 |
Case - A metal display lid
While the design of the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 remains basically unchanged, the dimensions have been reduced minimally. The Lenovo laptop is now 1 cm (~0.4 in) less wide and about 100 grams (~3.5 oz) lighter. You can find a detailed description of our impressions in the review on the first generation of the Lenovo ThinkBook 15.
Equipment - ThinkBook 15 now with Thunderbolt 4
In the second generation of the ThinkBook 15, Lenovo foregoes the USB-A connection that was hidden behind a flap. On the other hand, one of the USB-C ports now supports Thunderbolt 4, allowing for numerous expansions. The separate power connection has also been removed, and it can now be charged using one of the USB-C ports.
SD Card Reader
The performance of the SD card reader remains almost unchanged compared to that of the predecessor.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL (AV Pro V60) | |
Average of class Office (22.7 - 198.5, n=34, last 2 years) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL (AV Pro V60) | |
Average of class Office (25 - 249, n=30, last 2 years) |
Communication
The ThinkBook 15 Gen2 now uses WiFi 6 and achieves an average of 1554 Mb/s when receiving and 1426 Mb/s when sending data using our reference router. This means that the WLAN speeds have more than doubled.
Webcam

Security
Lenovo has equipped the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 with a fingerprint sensor that is integrated into the power button, a mechanical webcam cover, and a TPM 2.0 module.
Maintenance
With a little bit of patience, the ThinkBook 15 can be opened after all the screws on the bottom of the case have been removed. Inside is a replaceable RAM module below a cover. In addition, there are two M.2 slots for SSDs, only one of which is occupied in our test configuration.
Display - Bright enough indoors
In our test unit, the display of the ThinkPad 15 Gen2 is a 15.6-inch IPS panel that offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Even though at 276 cd/m² on average, the maximum brightness is the highest in our test field, it can only be considered rather low overall. At 87%, the brightness distribution turns out slightly better. Our recording in a dark room also shows some quite pronounced screen bleeding at the top and left edge of the display. Lenovo does not use PWM for brightness control.
|
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 287 cd/m²
Contrast: 1108:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.9 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.89, calibrated: 4.9
ΔE Greyscale 3.8 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
60% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
38.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.72% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.36% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.34
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL LG Philips LP156WFC-SPD7, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 LP156WFC-SPD1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A LG Philips LGD065A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Honor MagicBook 15 4500U BOE0872, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -5% | -5% | 8% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 40.36 | 38.38 -5% | 38.32 -5% | 43.51 8% |
sRGB Coverage | 60.4 | 57.7 -4% | 57.5 -5% | 64.5 7% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 41.72 | 39.67 -5% | 39.6 -5% | 44.95 8% |
Response Times | 7% | 8% | -18% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 40 ? | 37.6 ? 6% | 37 ? 7% | |
Response Time Black / White * | 30.4 ? | 28 ? 8% | 28 ? 8% | 36 ? -18% |
PWM Frequency | 5152 | |||
Screen | -2% | 7% | 10% | |
Brightness middle | 288 | 245 -15% | 285 -1% | 272 -6% |
Brightness | 276 | 239 -13% | 255 -8% | 259 -6% |
Brightness Distribution | 87 | 82 -6% | 84 -3% | 85 -2% |
Black Level * | 0.26 | 0.25 4% | 0.325 -25% | 0.17 35% |
Contrast | 1108 | 980 -12% | 877 -21% | 1600 44% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.9 | 5.6 5% | 4.23 28% | 5.3 10% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 18.4 | 15.6 15% | 7.94 57% | 18 2% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.9 | 4.8 2% | 3.75 23% | 3.8 22% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.8 | 3.4 11% | 2.51 34% | 4 -5% |
Gamma | 2.34 94% | 2.3 96% | 2.57 86% | 2.03 108% |
CCT | 6856 95% | 7156 91% | 6626 98% | 7338 89% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 38.1 | 36.5 -4% | 36 -6% | 41.2 8% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 60 | 57.5 -4% | 57 -5% | 64.1 7% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 0% /
-1% | 3% /
5% | 0% /
8% |
* ... smaller is better
Our measurements attest the display of the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 with a good contrast ratio of 1108:1 and an only slightly elevated black value of 0.28 cd/m². At 60% (sRGB) and 38.1% (AdobeRGB), the color space coverage also corresponds to the expectations in this device class.
The CalMAN analysis also shows that the display reproduces colors with low deviations already in the state of delivery. However, a calibration still brings an improvement of the DeltaE 2000 value from 3.8 to 1.2. You can download the corresponding ICC file from the link in the frame to the right of the brightness distribution diagram above.
The relatively low brightness becomes noticeable when working outdoors. This means that on sunny days, you can only easily recognize the display contents when you work in a shady place.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
30.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 17.2 ms rise | |
↘ 13.2 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 81 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21.2 ms rise | |
↘ 18.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 58 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.7 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 8619 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Performance - Tiger Lake with a good constant performance
Lenovo offers the 2nd generation of the ThinkBook 15 with processors of varying powers from Intel's Tiger Lake generation. An AMD model is also available, and for increased demands on the graphics performance there is also an option with Nvidia's GeForce MX450 graphics unit. All the equipment configurations are very well suited for various office applications and also suited for simple image or video processing.
Processor
Our test configuration of the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-1135G7. This processor has four cores, allowing it to operate on up to eight threads simultaneously. However, the available performance depends largely on the configured TDP and the cooling system. Despite not having the maximum TDP, the i5-1135G7 here is able to use its performance very well in our benchmarks, achieving better results than the i5-1135G7 in the Acer Aspire 5 A515.
Compared to the Honor MagicBook 15 with an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 also fares very well. While the multi-core performance of both CPUs is almost at the same level, the Intel Core i5-1135G7 is able to score the better single-core performance.
Our Cinebench R15 constant loop also reveals that the performance of the i5-1135G7 in the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 drops by about 5% right after starting the test. However, it is then able to maintain that value until the end of the test loops. Under constant load, we also determine a PL1 value of 28 watts.
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 (229 - 766, n=85, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (375 - 527, n=62) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
Average of class Office (590 - 5980, n=85, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (979 - 2382, n=62) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
Average of class Office (98 - 284, n=87, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (141.4 - 205, n=61) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average of class Office (246 - 2642, n=88, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (431 - 941, n=65) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (499 - 1044, n=60) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average of class Office (208 - 1956, n=87, last 2 years) |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Average of class Office (2972 - 6687, n=87, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (3924 - 4921, n=62) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
Average of class Office (7532 - 65460, n=88, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (14745 - 24873, n=62) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Average of class Office (510 - 1995, n=87, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (1147 - 1428, n=58) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Average of class Office (1018 - 11980, n=86, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (3475 - 5472, n=58) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Average of class Office (1.72 - 18.7, n=85, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (3.57 - 7.6, n=57) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Average of class Office (31.3 - 129.6, n=85, last 2 years) | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (44.2 - 62.9, n=60) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (0.619 - 0.727, n=59) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Average of class Office (0.4244 - 1.135, n=84, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
In the PCMark 10 test, which evaluates the system performance, the Lenovo laptop also achieves a good result. Although it has to be content with second place behind the Honor MagicBook 15 in the overall evaluation, it achieves first place in our test field in the "Essentials" and "Digital Content Creation" single disciplines. In everyday operation, the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 starts up programs extremely quickly, and data access also occurs without any delays.
Our CPU benchmark list shows how other models fare in comparison.
PCMark 10 Score | 4766 points | |
Help |
DPC Latencies
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
Lenovo has equipped our test unit with a 512 GB Samsung SSD. While this doesn't achieve read and write rates that are quite as good as those of the models built into the competitors in our test field, it still contributes significantly to the good system performance.
You can find out what performance to expect from other storage solutions in our HDD/SSD benchmark list.
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A Micron 2210 MTFDHBA1T0QFD | Honor MagicBook 15 4500U WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G | Average Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 37% | 24% | 20% | -1% | |
Write 4K | 148.1 | 176.3 19% | 86.8 -41% | 161.1 9% | 129.5 ? -13% |
Read 4K | 47.72 | 48.98 3% | 66.4 39% | 49.92 5% | 45.1 ? -5% |
Write Seq | 1225 | 1789 46% | 1851 51% | 1799 47% | 1172 ? -4% |
Read Seq | 1498 | 1671 12% | 1707 14% | 1978 32% | 1496 ? 0% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 421.1 | 433.5 3% | 542 29% | 392.5 -7% | 448 ? 6% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 360.9 | 526 46% | 589 63% | 506 40% | 415 ? 15% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 1407 | 2983 112% | 1960 39% | 1806 28% | 1397 ? -1% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 2362 | 3555 51% | 2227 -6% | 2460 4% | 2307 ? -2% |
Write 4K Q8T8 | 1688 | ||||
Read 4K Q8T8 | 1036 | ||||
AS SSD | 48% | 10% | -5% | -9% | |
Seq Read | 1965 | 2564 30% | 2023 3% | 2091 6% | 1917 ? -2% |
Seq Write | 836 | 2268 171% | 1781 113% | 1658 98% | 1061 ? 27% |
4K Read | 50.3 | 57 13% | 61.9 23% | 43.46 -14% | 45.7 ? -9% |
4K Write | 189.1 | 141.4 -25% | 128.7 -32% | 141.9 -25% | 140.2 ? -26% |
4K-64 Read | 870 | 1175 35% | 904 4% | 589 -32% | 854 ? -2% |
4K-64 Write | 871 | 1665 91% | 976 12% | 1028 18% | 780 ? -10% |
Access Time Read * | 0.126 | 0.032 75% | 0.064 49% | 0.1031 ? 18% | |
Access Time Write * | 0.02 | 0.025 -25% | 0.031 -55% | 0.047 -135% | 0.03488 ? -74% |
Score Read | 1117 | 1488 33% | 1168 5% | 842 -25% | 1091 ? -2% |
Score Write | 1144 | 2033 78% | 1283 12% | 1335 17% | 1027 ? -10% |
Score Total | 2787 | 4279 54% | 3053 10% | 2598 -7% | 2643 ? -5% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 43% /
43% | 17% /
16% | 8% /
6% | -5% /
-5% |
* ... smaller is better
Constant Performance Reads: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics Card
The Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs used here is an internal graphics unit that is suited for low to medium demands on the graphics performance. Due to the 16 GB of working memory in dual-channel configuration, the performance should turn out slightly better than that of laptops with single-channel RAM. However, the values achieved in the 3DMark tests are slightly below average.
Our GPU benchmark list shows how other laptops with this graphics unit fared in our tests.
3DMark 11 Performance | 5386 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 15869 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2727 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1167 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance
The ThinkBook 15 Gen2 with integrated graphics unit is only suited for games to a limited extent. Although some older games can be played quite smoothly in Full-HD resolution and at higher detail levels, with modern games this is only possible in much reduced details and lower resolutions.
Our GPU games list shows the performance you can expect in various games.
The Witcher 3 - 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Average of class Office (12 - 106.3, n=52, last 2 years) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (21.8 - 56.9, n=103) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1280x720 Lite Quality | |
Average of class Office (12.1 - 103.1, n=82, last 2 years) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (8.32 - 45.6, n=104) | |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Honor MagicBook 15 4500U |
low | med. | high | ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 40.03 | 20.7 | 10.9 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 78.7 | 62.8 | 37.3 | 34.9 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 29 | 14.7 | ||
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 39.1 | 32.6 | 28.3 | |
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 38 | 18 | 16 |
Emissions - Good speakers and an evenly running fan
Noise Emissions
During everyday office usage, the fan of the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 remains mostly turned off. Even though it is clearly audible at up to 40 dB(A) under load, the even whirring can be easily ignored as background noise. We did not notice any coil whine or other noises in our test unit.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 24.4 / 24.4 / 27.4 dB(A) |
Load |
| 30 / 40.4 dB(A) |
![]() | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Temperature
Our measurements attest the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 with surface temperatures of up to 46 °C (115 °F) under load. The warmest spot is in the center towards the back at the bottom, so the palm rests always remain cool. This means that using the laptop on your lap, for example, is still barely possible.
During the hour-long stress test, the temperatures inside the laptop rose up to 89 °C (192 °F). The clock speeds of the CPU could be maintained at about 2.4 GHz on average, meaning that they didn't go lower than the basic clock speed, so users don't need to expect any limitations in everyday operation due to temperatures being too high.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.9 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.5 °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 30.4 °C / 87 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 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (+0.9 °C / 1.6 F).
Speakers
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 13% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 84% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (68.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 38% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 51% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 48% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Power Management - Disappointing battery life of the ThinkBook
Power Consumption
The ThinkBook 15 Gen2 demonstrates a higher power consumption than the rest of the laptops in our test field. Only the average value under load is exceeded by the predecessor model. In the stress test, the maximum power consumption quickly levels out at ~52 watts, so the included 65-Watt charger is sufficiently sized.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA1T0QFD, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Honor MagicBook 15 4500U R5 4500U, Vega 6, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Average of class Office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 15% | 22% | 19% | 11% | 8% | |
Idle Minimum * | 5.1 | 3.5 31% | 3.3 35% | 3.9 24% | 4.48 ? 12% | 4.48 ? 12% |
Idle Average * | 9.1 | 7.1 22% | 8.4 8% | 7.4 19% | 7.37 ? 19% | 7.46 ? 18% |
Idle Maximum * | 11.7 | 7.8 33% | 8.9 24% | 8.2 30% | 9.24 ? 21% | 8.96 ? 23% |
Load Average * | 33.3 | 38.9 -17% | 30.1 10% | 34.6 -4% | 36.4 ? -9% | 41.7 ? -25% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 39.2 | 35.2 10% | ||||
Load Maximum * | 69.3 | 65.4 6% | 45.4 34% | 43.6 37% | 61.7 ? 11% | 61.7 ? 11% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our realistic WLAN test, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 achieves a battery life of about 5.5 hours. With this, it does not last as long as the rest of the devices in our test field. The predecessor model also ran more than an hour longer with the same battery capacity.
In addition to the 45-Wh battery used here, the ThinkBook 15 Gen2 is also available with a 60-Wh battery.
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 45 Wh | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 48.85 Wh | Honor MagicBook 15 4500U R5 4500U, Vega 6, 42 Wh | Average of class Office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 40% | 73% | 65% | 98% | |
WiFi v1.3 | 335 | 406 21% | 416 24% | 570 70% | 631 ? 88% |
Load | 55 | 87 58% | 122 122% | 88 60% | 114.4 ? 108% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - More performance but a shorter battery life
Lenovo continues to develop the ThinkBook discretely, mainly using more modern hardware inside. Corresponding to the configuration, it is able to use its performance well, mastering various office tasks without any problem. And if the storage or working memory become too tight at some point, both of these components can be expanded or replaced. In terms of the connections, the manufacturer has left out some of the options, replacing them with a Thunderbolt 4 port. This allows you to expand it in various ways using the corresponding adapters or docking stations.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 offers a good performance for various office applications, but the battery life turns out a bit tight.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 gives only few reasons for complaint. Webcams that generally have a resolution that is too low are not a problem that is particular to this device. So there is really only the short battery life that turns out significantly shorter than that of the predecessor model and our selected competitors. If the ThinkBook Gen2 sometimes has to last for a whole day without charging it, you should definitely pick a version with the 60-Wh battery.
Price and Availability
The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 can be purchased in this or other configurations from Campuspoint in Germany, for example. In the US, it is available from Lenovo directly, with the Intel version starting from $948 (some more affordable configurations are currently unavailable) and the AMD version from ~$630, among other places.
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL
- 04/19/2021 v7 (old)
Mike Wobker