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Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 laptop review: Familiar benefits from Intel Tiger Lake

New innards in an old shell. Once again, Lenovo "only" updates its T-series with a new CPU. However, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 boasts a more promising CPU upgrade. After all, Tiger Lake is a much more extensive update than last-gen CPUs. However, the new ThinkPad laptop is not entirely flawless.
Business ThinkPad Thunderbolt Tiger Lake Windows

In Lenovo's current ThinkPad lineup, the T-series without the "s" suffix is like a rock: the ThinkPad T14 and ThinkPad T15, the mainstream business laptops for large corporate customers, have used the same design since 2019. Our review device today, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2, relies on the same basis as the ThinkPad T490. That means fewer new features, but the machine has a proven design. In addition, the standard T-series retains a keyboard with a travel of 1.8 millimeters this year.

Because the T14's design is almost identical, we will refer to the review of the ThinkPad T490 for details about the case, equipment, and input devices.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 (ThinkPad T14 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-1165G7 4 x 2.8 - 4.7 GHz, 40 W PL2 / Short Burst, 20 W PL1 / Sustained, Tiger Lake-UP3
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce MX450 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 930 MHz, Memory: 1250 MHz, 25 W TDP, TU117, 466.11, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-3200, 16 GB on-board, Single-Channel, 1x SO-DIMM
Display
14.00 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 157 PPI, LP140WF9-SPF2, IPS LED, glossy: no, 60 Hz
Mainboard
Intel Tiger Lake-UP3 PCH-LP
Storage
Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, 1024 GB 
, M.2 2280, NVMe PCIe 3.0x4, 917 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Tiger Lake-U/Y PCH-LP - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 4.0 40 Gbps, 2 Thunderbolt, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5mm Audio, Card Reader: microSD, 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC
Networking
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-V (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 17.9 x 329 x 227 ( = 0.7 x 12.95 x 8.94 in)
Battery
50 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Camera
Webcam: 720p w/IR & ThinkShutter
Additional features
Speakers: 2 W Stereo, Keyboard: 6 row Chiclet, 1.8 mm Key travel, full-size, Keyboard Light: yes, 65 W USB C Charger, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
1.48 kg ( = 52.21 oz / 3.26 pounds), Power Supply: 363 g ( = 12.8 oz / 0.8 pounds)
Price
1400 Euro
Links
Lenovo homepage
Lenovo notebook section
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Possible competitors in comparison

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
88.1 %
05/2021
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450		1.5 kg17.9 mm14.00"1920x1080
88 %
07/2020
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620		1.5 kg17.9 mm14.00"1920x1080
88.9 %
11/2020
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6		1.5 kg17.9 mm14.00"1920x1080
87.8 %
11/2020
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6		1.5 kg17.9 mm14.00"1920x1080
82.6 %
02/2021
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
i7-10850H, GeForce MX250		1.5 kg21 mm14.00"1920x1080

Size comparison

❌
329 mm / 13 inch 227 mm / 8.94 inch 17.9 mm / 0.705 inch 1.5 kg3.26 lbs329 mm / 13 inch 227 mm / 8.94 inch 17.9 mm / 0.705 inch 1.5 kg3.22 lbs329 mm / 13 inch 227 mm / 8.94 inch 17.9 mm / 0.705 inch 1.5 kg3.25 lbs323 mm / 12.7 inch 216 mm / 8.5 inch 21 mm / 0.827 inch 1.5 kg3.4 lbs324 mm / 12.8 inch 215 mm / 8.46 inch 17.9 mm / 0.705 inch 1.5 kg3.27 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs
right: smartcard reader, USB A 3.2 Gen 1, RJ45 Ethernet, Kensington lock
right: smartcard reader, USB A 3.2 Gen 1, RJ45 Ethernet, Kensington lock
left: 2x Thunderbolt 4, miniEthernet, USB A 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm audio, microSD
left: 2x Thunderbolt 4, miniEthernet, USB A 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm audio, microSD
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
166 MB/s +180%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
78.5 MB/s +33%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
77.8 MB/s +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
  (AV Pro V60)
59.2 MB/s
Average of class Office
  (8 - 82.7, n=49, last 2 years)
53 MB/s -10%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
191 MB/s +127%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
85.2 MB/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
  (AV Pro V60)
84.2 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
83.7 MB/s -1%
Average of class Office
  (25 - 90.5, n=43, last 2 years)
64.7 MB/s -23%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1651 (1423min - 1787max) MBit/s +29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210
1284 (937min - 1456max) MBit/s
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1221 (700min - 1482max) MBit/s -5%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210
  (675 - 1602, n=27)
1166 MBit/s -9%
Average of class Office
  (819 - 842, n=2, last 2 years)
831 MBit/s -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
752 (340min - 868max) MBit/s -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
695 (447min - 926max) MBit/s -46%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1584 (1490min - 1642max) MBit/s +25%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1365 (1218min - 1406max) MBit/s +7%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210
  (914 - 1716, n=27)
1309 MBit/s +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210
1271 (1038min - 1444max) MBit/s
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
1242 (862min - 1324max) MBit/s -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
970 (498min - 1057max) MBit/s -24%
Average of class Office
  (883 - 972, n=2, last 2 years)
928 MBit/s -27%
937987103710871137118712371287133713871437Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1271 (1038-1444)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1284 (937-1456)
ColorChecker
26.8 ∆E
26.3 ∆E
25.1 ∆E
25.9 ∆E
25.4 ∆E
20.5 ∆E
22.7 ∆E
25.4 ∆E
22.9 ∆E
19 ∆E
17.1 ∆E
25.4 ∆E
18.3 ∆E
20.8 ∆E
25.5 ∆E
13.9 ∆E
22 ∆E
22.4 ∆E
2.3 ∆E
11.8 ∆E
17 ∆E
15.1 ∆E
14.9 ∆E
7.8 ∆E
ColorChecker Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000: 19.77 ∆E min: 2.33 - max: 26.82 ∆E

Known low-power display in the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G2

Subpixel matrix Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2
Subpixel matrix Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2
Hardly any backlight bleeding (shown intensified here)
Hardly any backlight bleeding (shown intensified here)

The selection of available 14-inch LCDs has not changed much from the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1. Unlike the new X1 or X-series, Lenovo sticks with the 16:9 format for the T-series. The only changes in the LCD area: the TN HD option (1366 x 768) is finally no longer available, and Lenovo also increases the brightness of the cheapest Full HD IPS LCD to 300 cd/m² (up from 250 cd/m²).

Our review unit of the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 contains a low-power LCD from LG that has been used in the last couple of ThinkPad generations. Unfortunately, the T14 Gen 2 doesn't hit the advertised brightness of 400 cd/m². At 367 cd/m², it remains a bit below the results of the previous generation.

345
cd/m²		344
cd/m²		352
cd/m²
378
cd/m²		382
cd/m²		364
cd/m²
392
cd/m²		360
cd/m²		386
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LP140WF9-SPF2 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 392 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 367 cd/m² Minimum: 3.5 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 374 cd/m²
Contrast: 2729:1 (Black: 0.14 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.2 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.9
ΔE Greyscale 5.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
95.4% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
60.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
95.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.31
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
LP140WF9-SPF2, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
B140HAN05.7, LTPS IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
B140HAN05.7, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00		HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
LG Philips LGD064E, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00		Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
AU Optronics AUO463D, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Display
2%
2%
-42%
-41%
Display P3 Coverage
64.3
66
3%
66.1
3%
36.76
-43%
37.43
-42%
sRGB Coverage
95.4
96.8
1%
95.8
0%
55.3
-42%
56.2
-41%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
65.5
67.1
2%
67.2
3%
37.98
-42%
38.67
-41%
Response Times
-1%
-12%
24%
47%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
57.2 ?(25.2, 32)
58.4 ?(28.4, 30)
-2%
64 ?(30.8, 33.2)
-12%
37 ?(20, 17)
35%
31 ?(9, 22)
46%
Response Time Black / White *
26.4 ?(12.4, 14)
26.4 ?(12.4, 14)
-0%
29.6 ?(13.2, 16.4)
-12%
23 ?(13, 10)
13%
14 ?(4, 10)
47%
PWM Frequency
Screen
-2%
-2%
-48%
-45%
Brightness middle
382
397
4%
406
6%
227
-41%
256
-33%
Brightness
367
394
7%
403
10%
220
-40%
236
-36%
Brightness Distribution
88
90
2%
88
0%
82
-7%
86
-2%
Black Level *
0.14
0.2
-43%
0.2
-43%
0.18
-29%
0.23
-64%
Contrast
2729
1985
-27%
2030
-26%
1261
-54%
1113
-59%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.2
3.6
14%
3.3
21%
4.1
2%
5.76
-37%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.9
5.9
25%
4.8
39%
7.06
11%
20.65
-161%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
0.9
1.2
-33%
1.5
-67%
4.04
-349%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.4
3.9
28%
3.6
33%
1.99
63%
4
26%
Gamma
2.31 95%
2.48 89%
2.43 91%
2.48 89%
2.52 87%
CCT
7499 87%
7090 92%
6893 94%
6607 98%
6182 105%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
60.6
61.4
1%
61.5
1%
35
-42%
36
-41%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
95.4
96.6
1%
95.5
0%
55
-42%
56
-41%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-0% / -1%
-4% / -3%
-22% / -38%
-13% / -32%

* ... smaller is better

Colors
Colors
Grayscale
Grayscale
Saturation
Saturation
Colors (calibrated)
Colors (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)
Saturation (calibrated)
Saturation (calibrated)

The color reproduction is quite good for an IPS LCD, and the high contrast of 2729:1 is reflected here. This is calculated from the brightness and the low black value of only 0.14 cd/m² - we measured this display with CalMan and the X-Rite i1Pro 2 colorimeter. The color profile, which is available as a free download as usual, was created with the i1Profiler.

With 95.4% sRGB, the small standard color space is not quite covered. However, the color space coverage should suffice for simple image editing.

sRGB: 95.4 %
sRGB: 95.4 %
AdobeRGB: 60.6
AdobeRGB: 60.6
Outdoor (partial shade)
Outdoor (partial shade)

The matte surface helps when using the ThinkPad outdoors, but the screen would have to be brighter to be visible in sunlight. It is reasonably comfortable to work in the shade.

Display Response Times

ℹ
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
   ↔    Response Time Black to White
26.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 12.4 ms rise
↘ 14 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 61 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms).
   ↔    Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
57.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 25.2 ms rise
↘ 32 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. » 93 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
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.

We cannot find fault with the viewing angle stability of the IPS display.

Performance: Tiger Lake & MX450 bring a performance boost

The Intel variant of Lenovo's ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 can be configured with four different Tiger-Lake UP3 processors. Two (Core i5-1145G7, i7-1185G7) are vPro CPUs for business customers. "Normal" variants (i5-1135G7, i7-1165G7) are also available. Accordingly, the integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU with either 80 or 96 EUs is available. The Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU is also an option. Of course, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 will also be available with AMD Ryzen - the corresponding variant should be available in May and will be reviewed separately.

A new feature of the Intel-based T14 is support for DDR4-3200 memory; the predecessor's RAM was limited to DDR4-2666. 8 to 16 GB of memory are soldered. Users can get a maximum of 40 to 48 GB of memory via the second SO-DIMM slot. A single M.2-2280 SSD handles storage.

CPU-Z caches
CPU-Z caches
CPU-Z Mainboard
CPU-Z Mainboard
CPU-Z Memory
CPU-Z Memory
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
HWiNFO
HWiNFO
GPU-Z Intel Iris Xe Graphics
GPU-Z Intel Iris Xe Graphics

Processor

The Intel Core i7-1165G7 is from the Tiger Lake UP3 series. It has four cores (eight threads with Hyperthreading). The UP3 series processors typically have a TDP of 12 to 28 watts, which should allow clock rates of 2.8 to 4.7 GHz. For extensive performance comparisons with other CPUs, refer to our CPU list.

For a short-term boost, the Intel CPU in Lenovo's ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 can consume 40 watts. Within a few minutes, the power limit drops to 20 watts. With this consumption under extended load, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 achieves a significantly better result in the Cinebench R15 multi-core test when compared with the two direct predecessor models: the T14 Gen 1 and the T490. The efficiency of Tiger Lake is clearly visible, even though the T14 Gen 1 with AMD CPU remains unattainable in terms of multi-core performance. In contrast, the Tiger Lake ThinkPad is clearly ahead in single-core performance when under load.

CPU performance took a 30% hit on battery.

591.3656.3721.3786.3851.3916.3981.31046.31111.31176.3Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7: Ø859 (837.82-942.73)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U: Ø618 (591.33-706.24)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U: Ø1089 (1078.34-1123.14)
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U: Ø1126 (1115.32-1161.78)
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H: Ø1055 (1030.9-1231.53)
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U: Ø639 (632-673)
Cinebench R20: CPU (Single Core) | CPU (Multi Core)
Cinebench R23: Single Core | Multi Core
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)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
580 Points
Average of class Office
  (181.3 - 764, n=120, last 2 years)
562 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (442 - 589, n=81)
552 Points -5%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
494 Points -15%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
454 Points -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
453 Points -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
447 Points -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
416 Points -28%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Office
  (356 - 5904, n=120, last 2 years)
3121 Points +76%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
2636 Points +48%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
2633 Points +48%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
2565 Points +44%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1060 - 2657, n=81)
1967 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1776 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
1518 Points -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
1441 Points -19%
Cinebench R23 / Single Core
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1506 Points
Average of class Office
  (529 - 1995, n=121, last 2 years)
1462 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1110 - 1539, n=59)
1425 Points -5%
Cinebench R23 / Multi Core
Average of class Office
  (1056 - 15743, n=122, last 2 years)
8116 Points +53%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
5302 Points
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (2525 - 6862, n=64)
5110 Points -4%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
220 Points
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
218 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (115 - 230, n=78)
212 Points -4%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
203 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
180 Points -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
177 Points -20%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
175 Points -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
166 Points -25%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1405 Points +49%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
1232 (1030.9min - 1231.53max) Points +31%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
1162 (1115.32min - 1161.78max) Points +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
1123 (1078.34min - 1123.14max) Points +19%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
943 (837.82min - 942.73max) Points
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (553 - 1027, n=86)
846 Points -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
706 (591.33min - 706.24max) Points -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
680 (592.15min - 661.89max) Points -28%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
823 Seconds * -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
707 Seconds * -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
619 Seconds *
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (468 - 1138, n=80)
618 Seconds * -0%
Average of class Office
  (214 - 2844, n=121, last 2 years)
534 Seconds * +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
448 Seconds * +28%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
428 Seconds * +31%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
425 Seconds * +31%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
5364 MIPS
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
5241 MIPS -2%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (4478 - 5507, n=80)
5182 MIPS -3%
Average of class Office
  (2233 - 6687, n=121, last 2 years)
5026 MIPS -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
4794 MIPS -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
4359 MIPS -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
4269 MIPS -20%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
4242 MIPS -21%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Average of class Office
  (4226 - 62349, n=121, last 2 years)
34839 MIPS +63%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
31898 MIPS +49%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
30988 MIPS +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
30895 MIPS +44%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (15347 - 27405, n=80)
22935 MIPS +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
21429 MIPS
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
19178 MIPS -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
17699 MIPS -17%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1302 - 1595, n=77)
1524 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
1482 Points
Average of class Office
  (510 - 1974, n=122, last 2 years)
1480 Points 0%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
1305 Points -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
1102 Points -26%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
1068 Points -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
1017 Points -31%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Average of class Office
  (1018 - 11980, n=122, last 2 years)
6683 Points +42%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
5753 Points +22%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (3078 - 5926, n=77)
5155 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
4699 Points
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
4681 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
4581 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
3156 Points -33%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Average of class Office
  (1.55 - 17.4, n=120, last 2 years)
9.27 fps +31%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
8.37 fps +18%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
7.94 fps +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
7.82 fps +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
7.09 fps
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (1.39 - 8.47, n=80)
6.3 fps -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
5.1 fps -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
4.32 fps -39%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
88.8 s * -111%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
61.5 s * -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
59.3 s * -41%
Average of class Office
  (31.3 - 117.5, n=120, last 2 years)
56.4 s * -34%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (21.5 - 88.1, n=78)
49.2 s * -17%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
47 s * -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
42 s *
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel Core i5-10210U
0.719 sec * -24%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
0.652 sec * -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
0.643 sec * -11%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H
0.608 sec * -5%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7
  (0.552 - 1.002, n=80)
0.594 sec * -2%
Average of class Office
  (0.4244 - 1.397, n=119, last 2 years)
0.586 sec * -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7
0.581 sec *

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
943 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
98.1 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
220 Points
Help

System performance

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 is clearly at the top in the PCMark 10 benchmarks. The Lenovo PC also ran very fast in everyday use.

PCMark 10
Score
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
5525 Points
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years)
5348 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (4823 - 5814, n=9)
5347 Points -3%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB
4725 Points -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ
4473 Points -19%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD
4320 Points -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512
3932 Points -29%
Essentials
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
9955 Points
Average of class Office
  (5095 - 20841, n=105, last 2 years)
9832 Points -1%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB
9312 Points -6%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (8088 - 9955, n=9)
9146 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ
8794 Points -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512
8400 Points -16%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD
8059 Points -19%
Productivity
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
8682 Points
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (7826 - 9292, n=9)
8644 Points 0%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB
7658 Points -12%
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years)
7449 Points -14%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD
6598 Points -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512
6479 Points -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ
6453 Points -26%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Office
  (1912 - 9056, n=105, last 2 years)
5810 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
5295 Points
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (4812 - 5878, n=9)
5255 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ
4280 Points -19%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD
4116 Points -22%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB
4016 Points -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512
2998 Points -43%
PCMark 10 Score
5525 points
Help

DPC latencies

Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 has to deal with DPC latency issues, which were not nearly as pronounced in the predecessor. There can be dropouts when working with audio.

LatencyMon
LatencyMon
LatencyMon Drivers
LatencyMon Drivers
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
8128 μs *
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512
1080 μs * +87%

* ... smaller is better

Mass storage

Lenovo offers NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSDs for the first time in the ThinkPad T14 Gen 2. However, our review sample still includes a PCIe 3.0 SSD with a capacity of 1 TB in the form of the Samsung PM981a. This SSD is by no means slow, which is also evident in the very good everyday performance. PCIe 4.0 should have advantages, especially when you move large amounts of data.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Lite-On CA5-8D512		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ		HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD		Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
SK Hynix PC611 512GB		Average Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
 
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
-28%
-25%
-53%
-26%
-18%
Write 4K
228.9
114.1
-50%
88.1
-62%
80.6
-65%
125.9
-45%
139.7 ?(76.2 - 229, n=36)
-39%
Read 4K
74.8
53.6
-28%
38.28
-49%
31.2
-58%
42.45
-43%
49.9 ?(34.3 - 75.5, n=36)
-33%
Write Seq
2186
1743
-20%
2002
-8%
883
-60%
2064
-6%
2036 ?(776 - 2975, n=35)
-7%
Read Seq
2050
2092
2%
2153
5%
1352
-34%
1627
-21%
2014 ?(973 - 2639, n=35)
-2%
Write 4K Q32T1
652
394.8
-39%
423.7
-35%
361
-45%
419.8
-36%
461 ?(268 - 656, n=36)
-29%
Read 4K Q32T1
730
372.6
-49%
393.2
-46%
272
-63%
382.1
-48%
499 ?(289 - 730, n=36)
-32%
Write Seq Q32T1
2973
2176
-27%
2889
-3%
979
-67%
2729
-8%
2903 ?(788 - 3033, n=36)
-2%
Read Seq Q32T1
3539
3204
-9%
3566
1%
2286
-35%
3441
-3%
3479 ?(2853 - 3568, n=36)
-2%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
AS SSD
DiskSpd
hddimg
Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3539 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2973 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 730 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 652 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 2050 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 2186 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 74.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 228.9 MB/s

Continuous power read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

Graphics card

GPU-Z Nvidia GeForce MX450
GPU-Z Nvidia GeForce MX450

For the first time since the ThinkPad T480 from 2018, users can opt for a dedicated GPU. The Nvidia GeForce MX450 is, in contrast to the Pascal-based MX150, MX250 and MX330, built on the Nvidia Turing architecture and the TU117 GPU. This is the same architecture used for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. The MX450 is clocked much lower in the ThinkPad laptop, however.

Depending on the 3DMark test, the MX450 runs 12-44% faster than the MX250 in the T490. The MX450 can't reach the older GeForce GTX 1050 of the ThinkPad T15p Gen 1. However, the most important comparison is probably the integrated GPUs in the ThinkPad T14 AMD - here the MX450 offers a good performance advantage. You can compare the MX450 to other graphics cards through our GPU list.

The Nvidia GPU runs at full performance on battery.

3DMark 11 | 3DMark
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (6341 - 9580, n=16)
8129 Points +28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H
7420 Points +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
6341 Points
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 13132, n=113, last 2 years)
6062 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
4748 Points -25%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-10850H
4641 Points -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
3608 Points -43%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
3517 Points -45%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
1757 Points -72%
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H
5970 Points +38%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (4336 - 5753, n=17)
4869 Points +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
4336 Points
Average of class Office
  (712 - 9228, n=114, last 2 years)
4191 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
3863 Points -11%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-10850H
3824 Points -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
2228 Points -49%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
2131 Points -51%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
1033 Points -76%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H
1871 Points +15%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (1086 - 2300, n=16)
1796 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7
1633 Points
Average of class Office
  (242 - 3242, n=110, last 2 years)
1372 Points -16%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-10850H
1165 Points -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
1134 Points -31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
661 Points -60%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
650 Points -60%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
358 Points -78%
3DMark 11 Performance
6745 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
4134 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1808 points
Help

Gaming performance

Despite the MX450 GPU, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 is not a gaming laptop. However, it is at least possible to play current games at medium details and the native Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080).

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE
Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
39.2 (29min - 44max) fps +22%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  (21 - 46, n=16)
34.8 fps +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450
32.1 (25min - 37max) fps
Average of class Office
  (3.49 - 59.1, n=104, last 2 years)
25.2 fps -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
21.2 fps -34%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
Intel Core i7-10850H, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
21 fps -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
12.5 fps -61%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
10.9 fps -66%
161718Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR: Ø17.2 (16-19)
low med. high ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015) 98.1 55.3 32.1 18.6
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 126 110 82.5 75.2
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 70.4 41.4 59.3
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 74.4 31.9 23.8
F1 2020 (2020) 79.7 53 38.1 22.3

Emissions: Fan in the ThinkPad T14 2021 is louder than in the predecessor

Noise emissions

When the ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 is idle, the fan stays off. We measured an average of 35.4 dB(a) in our load test and a maximum of 40.1 dB(a). That corresponds to an audible but not extremely loud fan. However, the newer model is louder than the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1.

We could not detect coil whine from the T14 Gen 2.

Noise Level

Idle
24.2 / 24.2 / 24.2 dB(A)
Load
35.4 / 40.1 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
  
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 24.2 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203130.327.426.32524.827.623.821.93129.931.332.130.34026.727.329.8265028.129.126.721.86323.524.521.121.18018.922.621.52010022.822.724.72312519.120.920.817.916021.222.51919.120021.226.719.519.125018.521.317.617.631518.220.717.117.740019.521.313.61450020.523.614.312.363022.125.712.111.88002426.611.511100024.32810.811.4125025.429.210.811.2160028.532.410.510.6200025.330.210.511.3250023.630.510.911.2315024.129.411.411.6400020.928.111.712.1500017.124.211.912.2630015.120.812.112.4800012.915.112.212.51000012.713.312.112.51250012.612.91212.41600011.912.211.311.6SPL35.440.124.224.3N230.60.6median 20.9median 23.6median 12.1median 12.3Delta453.12.8hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseLenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000

Temperature

Stress test (Prime95 + FurMark)
Stress test (Prime95 + FurMark)

A compact, relatively thin case, a processor with 20 watts of continuous consumption under load, and a graphics chip that can consume around 25 watts - that sounds like a recipe for high chassis temperatures. It is no wonder that the ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 just misses the 60 degree mark with 58.4 degrees Celsius on the bottom. The palm rest remains relatively cool, but you should rather not use the ThinkPad on your lap under extended load.

It is also not surprising that the ThinkPad throttles in the stress test. The processor is limited to 10 watts, and the graphics chip has to lower its clock rates. Throttling should not impact the GPU in everyday use at least. The CPU, on the other hand, suffered a 60% worse result directly after the stress test.

Max. Load
 38.8 °C
102 F		42.6 °C
109 F		46.6 °C
116 F		 
 37.9 °C
100 F		40.5 °C
105 F		47 °C
117 F		 
 30.8 °C
87 F		32 °C
90 F		35 °C
95 F		 
Maximum: 47 °C = 117 F
Average: 39 °C = 102 F
58.4 °C
137 F		57.6 °C
136 F		53 °C
127 F
49.2 °C
121 F		50.2 °C
122 F		42.5 °C
109 F
29.1 °C
84 F		30.9 °C
88 F		32.1 °C
90 F
Maximum: 58.4 °C = 137 F
Average: 44.8 °C = 113 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.3 °C = 103 F | Room Temperature 20.3 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 39 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47 °C / 117 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 58.4 °C / 137 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.5 °C / 100 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (35 °C / 95 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-7.3 °C / -13.1 F).
Stress test (top side)
Stress test (top side)
Stress test (bottom)
Stress test (bottom)

Loudspeaker

The speakers of the Lenovo laptop emit an overall good sound, which at least means that they are not completely underwhelming. The volume hits a decent level, but bass is almost completely missing.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2025.525.524.22525.125.119.73121.221.222.24031.531.5295038.938.936.963222219.78025.325.318.610036.636.624.912542.142.124.716046.846.819.2200575720.225060.960.921.131566.966.92640069.169.120.950065.565.521.163068.868.824.480074.374.325.51000727218.11250656513.5160068.768.712.5200070.270.213.4250068.768.713.1315064.864.813.1400067.367.312.4500066.766.712.3630064.564.512.3800061.561.512.11000061.961.9121250062.262.2121600060.260.211.4SPL80.480.430N50.150.11.2median 65median 65median 13.5Delta5.75.74.729.233.529.233403331.436.131.427.730.627.728.328.528.322.925.922.923.324.223.327.720.627.737.518.937.540.516.140.54016.64045.313.645.355.413.155.460.812.160.859.511.459.560.811.660.859.611.759.661.111.461.159.41259.463.31263.364.812.664.866.213.166.267.813.267.863.81463.862.914.162.961.114.161.163.21563.260.315.260.361.71561.759.715.459.775.625.475.635.80.735.8median 60.8median 13.6median 60.86.21.96.2hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (77.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.2% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 94% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 87% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (67.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 34% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 21% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 74% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power management: T14 Gen 2 suffers from higher consumption

Power consumption

The increased power consumption rates compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 tell us that Lenovo has not yet sufficiently optimized the T14 Gen 2. Although the increased load rates can be explained by the additional Nvidia GPU, the higher idle power consumption cannot.

The peak draw of 67.5 watts is above the power supply capacity (65 W), but the average load consumption of 61.2 watts is within limits. Therefore, the battery should not discharge during use.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.27 / 0.73 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.8 / 7.3 / 11.2 Watt
Load midlight 61.2 / 67.5 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, Lite-On CA5-8D512, LTPS IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00		HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00		Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
i7-10850H, GeForce MX250, SK Hynix PC611 512GB, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00		Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G, IGZO IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00		Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450
 		Average of class Office
 
Power Consumption
12%
2%
33%
-13%
12%
-10%
10%
Idle Minimum *
3.8
3.2
16%
5.8
-53%
3.1
18%
3.1
18%
2.16
43%
4.91 ?(3 - 9.5, n=16)
-29%
4.3 ?(2.2 - 9.6, n=107, last 2 years)
-13%
Idle Average *
7.3
6.1
16%
8.3
-14%
5.6
23%
5.4
26%
5.04
31%
8.36 ?(4.9 - 14.1, n=16)
-15%
7.35 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=107, last 2 years)
-1%
Idle Maximum *
11.2
10.4
7%
11
2%
8.6
23%
9
20%
8.64
23%
11.1 ?(5.7 - 14.9, n=16)
1%
9.15 ?(5.1 - 23.9, n=107, last 2 years)
18%
Load Average *
61.2
45.6
25%
39.5
35%
28.4
54%
84
-37%
63.2
-3%
58.4 ?(25 - 79.5, n=16)
5%
41.1 ?(8.7 - 77.9, n=106, last 2 years)
33%
Witcher 3 ultra *
41.2
50
-21%
Load Maximum *
67.5
68.6
-2%
40.8
40%
35.4
48%
131
-94%
67.5
-0%
76.2 ?(50.4 - 104, n=16)
-13%
58.1 ?(11.1 - 101.4, n=107, last 2 years)
14%

* ... smaller is better

Battery life

Charging time: 128 minutes
Charging time: 128 minutes

Although the battery capacity has not changed, the internal 50 watt-hour battery is burdened by a higher power consumption in the newer model. As a result, the battery runtime in the Wi-Fi test (at 150 cd/m²) is two hours shorter. Nine hours is not a bad value in absolute terms, but it is still a disappointment. At least the T14 Gen 1 AMD can be beaten.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Edge Chromium)
8h 58min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness (Edge Chromium)
6h 54min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
13h 59min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 18min
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 50 Wh		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00
i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, 50 Wh		Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, 50 Wh		HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA
R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, 56 Wh		Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N
i7-10850H, GeForce MX250, 68 Wh		Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, 50 Wh		Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
-2%
-11%
27%
-5%
-14%
15%
H.264
839
624
-26%
697
-17%
571
-32%
523
-38%
705 ?(348 - 1112, n=40, last 2 years)
-16%
WiFi v1.3
538
661
23%
502
-7%
734
36%
510
-5%
543
1%
594 ?(300 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
10%
Load
78
76
-3%
71
-9%
137
76%
75
-4%
117.7 ?(56 - 218, n=67, last 2 years)
51%

Pros

+ robust case
+ versatile port selection incl. 2x Thunderbolt 4
+ very comfortable input devices
+ bright & colorful low-power Full-HD-LCD
+ improved performance
+ 3-year warranty

Cons

- no full-size SD card slot anymore
- case is difficult to open
- thermal problems under load
- worse battery life than predecessor
- throttling in stress test
- lower CPU performance in battery mode
- DPC latency problems

Verdict: Tiger-Lake in the T14 G2 is an overall step forward

In review: Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2, test device provided by
In review: Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2, test device provided by

A last hurrah of the old design - that could be the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2, because we do not think that Lenovo will rely on the 2019 design next year. However, the fact that it is a small update in the same case is quite good. For example, the wide connectivity remains, and the keyboard with the comparatively generous travel of 1.8 millimeters is still here - all other current ThinkPad laptops have moved to 1.5 millimeters.

New features include the Tiger Lake CPUs and the Nvidia GeForce MX450. There are significant performance leaps in both areas, making the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 Intel much more attractive than the T14 Gen 1 Intel. However, the newer ThinkPad notebook is not perfect: The fan runs louder under load, the battery life is shorter, and there is CPU throttling in the stress test. In addition, the processor does not deliver the full performance on battery power.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 Intel is significantly more powerful than its predecessor. However, there is still room for optimization in some areas, especially the energy consumption.

However, we definitely recommend the ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 Intel in view of the other qualities. Hopefully, Lenovo can reduce the energy consumption a bit more with updates to make the package even more well-rounded.

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Price and availability

In the tested configuration, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 is currently only available in Lenovo's Campus Program, for example at Campuspoint.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 - 05/01/2021 v7
Benjamin Herzig

Chassis
84 / 98 → 86%
Keyboard
93%
Pointing Device
91%
Connectivity
71 / 80 → 88%
Weight
69 / 20-75 → 89%
Battery
85%
Display
88%
Games Performance
70 / 78 → 90%
Application Performance
91 / 95 → 96%
Temperature
83%
Noise
95%
Audio
70%
Camera
23 / 85 → 27%
Average
78%
88%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 laptop review: Familiar benefits from Intel Tiger Lake
Benjamin Herzig, 2021-05- 8 (Update: 2021-05- 8)