Lenovo ThinkPad P70 Workstation Review

You can immediately see that Lenovo takes the mobile workstation very seriously. The chassis is 3.5 centimeters high and tips the scale at 3.6 kg, so it’s certainly not an Ultrabook, even though it fares pretty well compared to other 17-inch devices. Long-term ThinkPad users will also notice that Lenovo switched back to black cases and also included a status LED for the hard drive. As usual, you get plastic surfaces, while the underlying construction is made of an aluminum/magnesium alloy. We did not manage to dent the palm rest and the area above the smart-card reader, which is usually a bit of an issue, is also very sturdy. This impression continues for the keyboard, which only flexes a bit in the area around the TrackPoint, but it is no issue in practice. The "weakest" area of the base is the center area under the display, where the chassis can be pushed in under force. Still, it is not as bad compared to some older ThinkPads.

The black lid is rubberized and is nice to touch but also pretty susceptible to dirt and dust. The lid is also comparatively thin, which is why the stability cannot keep up with the base. It was too easy to twist in our opinion, but there was no creaking. Pressure from behind is not a big problem, either, and it does not result in picture distortions. The two metal hinges are taut and keep the display well in position. They just have problems with the big display at extreme opening angles (more than 180 degrees possible) and could therefore be even firmer. The battery is located in the front area of the base, so you can open the lid with just one hand.

The battery at the bottom is secured by a lever mechanism and can easily be removed. There is also a large maintenance hatch that is just secured by a couple of screws. The notebook was tested according to the military standard MIL-STD 810G and is equipped with a spillwater-resistant keyboard. All in all, the device can convince us with its flawless build quality. You immediately get the impression you are using a robust and durable device.

A Gigabit-Ethernet port is available for wired networks, while the wireless connectivity as well as Bluetooth 4.2 are provided by Intel's 8260 module. This dual-band M.2 module (2x2) supports the standards 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac in 2.4 as well as 5 GHz networks. The device sometimes had issues to connect to our Fritz!Box 7490 after it was in standby. However, there were no problems with the Asus RT AC56U router. Otherwise, we did not have any issues with the signal quality. At a distance of one meter to the router, we managed a steady transfer rate of around 60 MB/s in an ac-network and around 10 MB/s in an n-network.

Our review unit was not equipped with an LTE modem, but the necessary antennas are already integrated and just have to be attached to the optional M.2 module (Sierra Wireless EM7455). The micro-SIM slot is inside the battery tray.

Update 02/25/2016: We now received a statement from Lenovo regarding the optional LTE module:

"The current ThinkPad P50 and ThinkPad P70 models are unfortunately NOT "WWAN (LTE) READY" - even though some models are already equipped with the necessary antennas. From today's perspective, there will probably be no WWAN (LTE) upgrade-option for the ThinkPad P50 and ThinkPad P70, respectively.

Reason: The WWAN (LTE) module runs at a frequency of 2133 MHz - analog to to the Skylake CPU in combination with DDR4-RAM @ 2133 MHz. This creates "interferences", which means superposition when waves come together.

ThinkPad P50|70 with integrated WWAN (ex-works)
- configurable starting in April in CRM | Flex Config
- shipping in April"

A pretty important component in office environments is actually the webcam in combination with the microphones. Lenovo still only uses a 720p HD webcam. It gets the job done, but that's it. It is very unfortunate that such an expensive device is equipped with such a poor camera. The dual-array microphone leaves a much better impression; voices are still recorded very well from some distance (around 1.5 m).

Security features are one topic where many consumer-workstations are usually at a disadvantage. You often just get a slot for a Kensington lock or a Trusted Platform Module at best. The Lenovo P70 on the other hand is perfectly equipped for company environments. The hardware includes a Kensington lock slot, a smart-card reader and a fingerprint scanner. The latter differs from previous models, where you had to swipe the finger across a thin stripe, while the new model just requires you to put your finger on the surface. This works quickly and reliably, and you can even increase the security settings in the BIOS (more precise scanning, but maybe some failed attempts). Other security features are TPM 1.2, Intel V-Pro and Anti-Theft (Computrace). You can set up different passwords in the BIOS (boot, hard drive access, BIOS access), which also work in combination with the fingerprint scanner. Lenovo also equips some configurations with self-encrypting drives (OPAL 2.0).

Lenovo implements a six-row chiclet keyboard with a white two-stage background illumination. The keys are slightly rounded and concave and there is also an additional numeric keypad. As usual, the layout slightly deviates from the standard; the most noticeable aspect is certainly the switched position of the Fn and Ctrl keys. ThinkPad newcomers will have to get used to it first, or just switch the allocation in the BIOS. The top row of the function keys is a bit smaller and the secondary functions like the brightness control are activated by default. This is a bit odd for a workstation but can be switched via the Fn-Lock (Fn + Esc). The keys above the keypad can, similar to the keys F1-F4, be used for the volume and microphone control. The manufacturer could have certainly implemented other functions or given the user four programmable macro keys, for example. Another problem is the background illumination of the keyboard. For starters, it could be more powerful for our taste, and similar to the predecessors, it can be a bit dazzling depending on your position (see picture). The keyboard is now equipped with more status LEDs compared to the previous generations (like the ThinkPad W550s).

However, much more important is obviously the typing experience. ThinkPad keyboards are traditionally among the best you can get in the mobile segment, so the expectations for the keyboard of the ThinkPad P70 are very high. We are not disappointed. Just like the palm rest, the keyboard is extremely stable, and it does not even flex under a lot of pressure. The only exception is the small area around the TrackPoint, but this does not matter in practice. All keys are very well integrated and there is no wobbling, which is also the case for large keys like the space bar. In combination with the firm stroke, the sufficient key travel and the good feedback, it results in a really comfortable typing experience. Another positive aspect is the low noise development, even during more energetic inputs.

Lenovo offers the ThinkPad P70 with three different 17.3-inch displays: two FHD panels and a 4K panel. All versions are based on IPS technology and have a matte surface. The standard FHD screen is advertised with a luminance of 300 nits, while the multi-touch FHD panel manages 270 nits. The color-space coverage is supposed to be at 72% (NTSC) for both versions. The third option is a matte 4K panel with 3840x2160 pixels, which is also the panel of our review unit. The brightness is supposed to be at 300 nits and the color-space coverage even at 90% (NTSC). It is one of the first 4K panels with a 17.3-inch diagonal size, which also has a matte surface. The panel has the designation LEN 4123 and is provided by Panasonic.

Our review unit manages an average brightness of 341 nits and therefore clearly surpasses the advertised 300 nits. The maximum value is even 379 nits, but the brightness distribution is just 85%. The black value of 0.4 cd/m² results in a contrast ratio of 913:1. The subjective picture impression is excellent. Fonts and pictures are razor-sharp and you cannot see individual pixels from a normal viewing distance thanks to a pixel density of 255 PPI. 

Our screen unfortunately suffers from two clearly visible areas with screen bleeding and there is also a slight blue hue in the peripheral areas. The screen bleeding is particularly annoying, because it is clearly visible on a dark picture.

Another problem is the scaling of Windows 7. Contrary to Windows 8.1 and certainly Windows 10, this operating system was not optimized for such high resolutions. The scaling is set to 150% by default, which is a good compromise. You can still recognize the contents on 100% if necessary due to the large screen, but it is very tiring for the eyes. However, we only had problems with some applications (including Origin and Steam) during the review, but Windows menus had issues with fonts as well. So if you decide to get the 4K panel, you should also switch to Windows 10. It is also possible to reduce the screen resolution to Full HD (1920x1080 pixels), but this will slightly affect the extremely sharp presentation.

A special feature is the integrated X-Rite Pantone color calibrator, which can be used to calibrate the display. The procedure is very simple: launch the software, choose the profile and close the lid. It is an implemented feature, so we use the profiled results for our database and the rating. The comparison with our X-Rite i1 Pro 2 on the other hand shows that the results of the integrated solution are not ideal.

We already mentioned that the Core i7-6820HQ (TDP 45 Watts, Hyper-Threading) is a quad-core chip from Intel's current Skylake generation, with a maximum Turbo clock of 3.6 GHz (four cores 3.2 GHz). The performance is, as expected, very good and the processor can utilize its full performance potential. Even stress for all four cores results in a steady 3.2 GHz, which is also the case on battery power. More technical information and benchmarks of the Core i7-6820HQ are available in our Tech-section.

The comparison with the other two processors that are available for the P70 is interesting. The slower Core i7-6700HQ has a 2 MB smaller L3 cache and a slightly lower clock (-100 MHz). It only falls behind our chip by 5-8% in Cinebench R15. We only reviewed the Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 in the 15-inch Dell Precision 510 so far. The chip also has an 8 MB L3 cache but is 100 MHz faster. It could not utilize its full potential (particularly in single-core scenarios) inside the Dell, which is why it even falls behind our review unit in some tests. The advantage in the Multi test (CB 15) is not very big at 5%, either.

So, if you want to save some money and do not need the last bit of performance, you can get the Core i7-6700HQ and not worry about the performance. The mobile Xeon is particularly interesting if you also want to use ECC-RAM (improved error correction). You have to get a desktop processor if you want even more performance, which are available in several barebones (like the Bullman E-Klasse 5).

The ThinkPad P70 uses two fans that work very restrained in general. They are completely deactivated while idling or when you perform simple tasks, so the system is silent. We could not notice other annoying noises like coil whining, either. But the fans can also convince with a low noise development under load, where you can hardly hear more than a quiet and deep murmur at 36.5 dB(A). The only slightly annoying thing is the fact that the fans start at a high rpm-level and then settle down. You will therefore always notice when the fans start spinning. It does not get very loud under maximum load at up to 40.8 dB(A), either.

Simultaneous load via Prime95 and FurMark will result in the maximum clocks of the processor and the graphics card at first, until the CPU reaches a temperature of 85 °C. After that, the clock of the four cores will vary between 2.9 and 3 GHz, which does not change over the course of the test. There are also fluctuations for the graphics card (core/memory) depending on the load and the current temperature, but there is no throttling in general. The total consumption of the system is at around 110 Watts in this case, so Lenovo acts pretty conservatively, even though the processor could handle higher temperatures. A 3DMark 11 run immediately after the stress test did not result in a lower score, which was to be expected.

There is a consumption limit at 90 Watts on battery power according to HWInfo. The processor can use around 25 Watts, which is usually sufficient for a clock between 2.7-2.8 GHz. The graphics card on the other hand varies between 800-1000 MHz (core/memory 800 MHz). This limitation prevents the battery discharging too quickly, which would result in high temperatures. This could result in hardware problems or at least a reduced lifespan of the battery.

All in all, the cooling solution performs very well and should also have enough headroom for the faster components.

Above the keyboard are two stereo speakers with a rated output of 2 Watts each. The ThinkPad P70 is not a multimedia notebook, but we are still slightly disappointed by the performance. The maximum volume is not very high at 68 dB(A), but it can be slightly raised with the preloaded Dolby software. The software also provides different presets as well as an equalizer, but it cannot really change the sound that puts too much emphasis on the high tones. Bass is completely missing due to the lack of a subwoofer. They get the job done for conferences or Live-Meetings, but you should either use headphones or external speakers if you want to listen to music or watch a movie on the 4K panel when you are sitting in a hotel room. The playback via stereo jack was inconspicuous and we had no problems using a Bluetooth speaker (Denon Envaya Mini) with the P70.

Our test model had a pretty curious problem with the speakers. We noticed cracking noises in different situations (system sounds, for example), and it did not matter if the speakers were on or muted. A new installation of the driver did not help, so we assume a driver problem in combination with Windows 7.

Lenovo's ThinkPad P70 is an excellent re-entry into the segment of 17-inch workstations. We especially like that Lenovo supposedly listened to the feedback of customers and reversed some controversial design decisions of previous generations and even improved them. We are talking about the touchpad and the TrackPoint in particular, which are once again equipped with dedicated buttons.

The chassis of the workstation, which is now black again, is perfectly built and the base unit as well as the keyboard in particular are extremely sturdy. The thin lid cannot quite keep up and the hinges also have problems with the heavy screen at extreme angles. Another advantage of the chassis is the large maintenance hatch and the good maintainability.

A very important aspect of a workstation is obviously the performance, and the ThinkPad P70 can convince with very good results. Thanks to the good (and also quiet) cooling solution, the components can also use a big part of their performance under extreme loads. The situation could have been even better if Lenovo wasn't so conservative in respect of the temperatures. Only the GPU performance is slightly reduced on battery power. 

Welcome back, Lenovo! The ThinkPad P70 is once again an excellent workstation from the Chinese manufacturer after 5 years. Lenovo listened to the feedback from customers and avoided some problems of the previous generations.

We listed quite a few cons on the right side, but none of those is really serious and some of the points only apply for our review unit in combination with Windows 7. The P70 does not have any big problems, so you will notice the smaller issues. The most annoying problem is certainly the screen bleeding, which should not happen in this price range. Lenovo also saved some money in respect of the webcam and the speakers.

You should also use Windows 10 if you order a configuration with a 4K screen, because we noticed some scaling issues with Windows 7. If you still want to use the old operating system, you might want to consider the FHD model, which should also have a significant consumption advantage, especially in scenarios with light workloads.