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

Name: Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000
Brand: Lenovo

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.

Benjamin Herzig, 👁 Andreas Osthoff, ✓ Sam Medley (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy), Published 05/08/2021 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 ...

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.

Test device courtesy of campuspoint.de

Download your licensed rating image as PNG / SVG

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.

see all specifications

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Possible competitors in comparison

Rating	Date	Model	Weight	Height	Size	Resolution
88.1 %	05/2021	Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450	1.5 kg	17.9 mm	14.00"	1920x1080
88 %	07/2020	Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620	1.5 kg	17.9 mm	14.00"	1920x1080
88.9 %	11/2020	Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6	1.5 kg	17.9 mm	14.00"	1920x1080
87.8 %	11/2020	HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6	1.5 kg	17.9 mm	14.00"	1920x1080
82.6 %	02/2021	Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N i7-10850H, GeForce MX250	1.5 kg	21 mm	14.00"	1920x1080

Size comparison

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA DIN A4 ❌

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

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 ∼100% +180%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)	78.5 MB/s ∼47% +33%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)	77.8 MB/s ∼47% +31%
Average of class Office (8 - 196.8, n=65, last 2 years)	60.2 MB/s ∼36% +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 (AV Pro V60)	59.2 MB/s ∼36%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)	191 MB/s ∼100% +127%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)	85.2 MB/s ∼45% +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 (AV Pro V60)	84.2 MB/s ∼44%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)	83.7 MB/s ∼44% -1%
Average of class Office (23.6 - 183.3, n=63, last 2 years)	69.5 MB/s ∼36% -17%

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1651 (1423^min - 1787^max) MBit/s ∼100% +29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210	1284 (937^min - 1456^max) MBit/s ∼78%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	1221 (700^min - 1482^max) MBit/s ∼74% -5%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (675 - 1602, n=27)	1166 MBit/s ∼71% -9%
Average of class Office (87 - 1598, n=49, last 2 years)	918 MBit/s ∼56% -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	752 (340^min - 868^max) MBit/s ∼46% -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	695 (447^min - 926^max) MBit/s ∼42% -46%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1584 (1490^min - 1642^max) MBit/s ∼100% +25%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1365 (1218^min - 1406^max) MBit/s ∼86% +7%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (914 - 1716, n=27)	1309 MBit/s ∼83% +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210	1271 (1038^min - 1444^max) MBit/s ∼80%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	1242 (862^min - 1324^max) MBit/s ∼78% -2%
Average of class Office (100 - 1716, n=49, last 2 years)	1005 MBit/s ∼63% -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	970 (498^min - 1057^max) MBit/s ∼61% -24%

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 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

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

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 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 0.9
ΔE Greyscale 5.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
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

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	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

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.

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
26.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 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. » 58 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
57.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 25.2 ms rise
57.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 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 0.25 (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 (35.2 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 18889 (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.

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.

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 5.4: 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 ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (442 - 589, n=81)	552 Points ∼95% -5%
Average of class Office (114 - 764, n=134, last 2 years)	507 Points ∼87% -13%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	494 Points ∼85% -15%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	454 Points ∼78% -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	453 Points ∼78% -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	447 Points ∼77% -23%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	416 Points ∼72% -28%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	2636 Points ∼100% +48%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	2633 Points ∼100% +48%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	2565 Points ∼97% +44%
Average of class Office (323 - 5079, n=134, last 2 years)	2393 Points ∼91% +35%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1060 - 2657, n=81)	1967 Points ∼75% +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	1776 Points ∼67%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	1518 Points ∼58% -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	1441 Points ∼55% -19%

Cinebench R23 / Single Core
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	1506 Points ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1110 - 1539, n=59)	1425 Points ∼95% -5%
Average of class Office (321 - 1995, n=130, last 2 years)	1317 Points ∼87% -13%

Cinebench R23 / Multi Core
Average of class Office (830 - 13159, n=132, last 2 years)	6186 Points ∼100% +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	5302 Points ∼86%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (2525 - 6862, n=64)	5110 Points ∼83% -4%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	220 Points ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (115 - 230, n=78)	212 Points ∼96% -4%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	203 Points ∼92% -8%
Average of class Office (80.1 - 284, n=129, last 2 years)	199 Points ∼90% -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	180 Points ∼82% -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	177 Points ∼80% -20%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	175 Points ∼80% -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	166 Points ∼75% -25%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	1232 (1030.9^min - 1231.53^max) Points ∼100% +31%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	1162 (1115.32^min - 1161.78^max) Points ∼94% +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	1123 (1078.34^min - 1123.14^max) Points ∼91% +19%
Average of class Office (160.8 - 2492, n=133, last 2 years)	1089 Points ∼88% +15%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	943 (837.82^min - 942.73^max) Points ∼77%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (553 - 1027, n=86)	846 Points ∼69% -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	706 (591.33^min - 706.24^max) Points ∼57% -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	680 (592.15^min - 661.89^max) Points ∼55% -28%

Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	823 Seconds * ∼100% -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	707 Seconds * ∼86% -14%
Average of class Office (246 - 3895, n=136, last 2 years)	698 Seconds * ∼85% -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	619 Seconds * ∼75%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (468 - 1138, n=80)	618 Seconds * ∼75% -0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	448 Seconds * ∼54% +28%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	428 Seconds * ∼52% +31%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	425 Seconds * ∼52% +31%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	5364 MIPS ∼100%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	5241 MIPS ∼98% -2%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (4478 - 5507, n=80)	5182 MIPS ∼97% -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	4794 MIPS ∼89% -11%
Average of class Office (2059 - 6687, n=135, last 2 years)	4695 MIPS ∼88% -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	4359 MIPS ∼81% -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	4269 MIPS ∼80% -20%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	4242 MIPS ∼79% -21%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	31898 MIPS ∼100% +49%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	30988 MIPS ∼97% +45%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	30895 MIPS ∼97% +44%
Average of class Office (4226 - 55049, n=134, last 2 years)	27312 MIPS ∼86% +27%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (15347 - 27405, n=80)	22935 MIPS ∼72% +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	21429 MIPS ∼67%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	19178 MIPS ∼60% -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	17699 MIPS ∼55% -17%

Geekbench 5.4 / Single-Core
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1302 - 1595, n=77)	1524 Points ∼100% +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	1482 Points ∼97%
Average of class Office (531 - 1974, n=128, last 2 years)	1348 Points ∼88% -9%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	1305 Points ∼86% -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	1102 Points ∼72% -26%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	1068 Points ∼70% -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	1017 Points ∼67% -31%

Geekbench 5.4 / Multi-Core
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	5753 Points ∼100% +22%
Average of class Office (1150 - 11744, n=128, last 2 years)	5324 Points ∼93% +13%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (3078 - 5926, n=77)	5155 Points ∼90% +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	4699 Points ∼82%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	4681 Points ∼81% 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	4581 Points ∼80% -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	3156 Points ∼55% -33%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	8.37 fps ∼100% +18%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	7.94 fps ∼95% +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	7.82 fps ∼93% +10%
Average of class Office (0.63 - 14.5, n=134, last 2 years)	7.32 fps ∼87% +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	7.09 fps ∼85%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1.39 - 8.47, n=80)	6.3 fps ∼75% -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U	5.1 fps ∼61% -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	4.32 fps ∼52% -39%

LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	88.8 s * ∼100% -111%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	61.5 s * ∼69% -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	59.3 s * ∼67% -41%
Average of class Office (23.6 - 210, n=134, last 2 years)	58.4 s * ∼66% -39%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (21.5 - 88.1, n=78)	49.2 s * ∼55% -17%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	47 s * ∼53% -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	42 s * ∼47%

R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel Core i5-10210U	0.719 sec * ∼100% -24%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	0.652 sec * ∼91% -12%
Average of class Office (0.4244 - 2.07, n=135, last 2 years)	0.646 sec * ∼90% -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	0.643 sec * ∼89% -11%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H	0.608 sec * ∼85% -5%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (0.552 - 1.002, n=80)	0.594 sec * ∼83% -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7	0.581 sec * ∼81%

* ... 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

... in comparison

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 ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (4823 - 5814, n=9)	5347 Points ∼97% -3%
Average of class Office (2325 - 6418, n=109, last 2 years)	4936 Points ∼89% -11%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB	4725 Points ∼86% -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	4473 Points ∼81% -19%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD	4320 Points ∼78% -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512	3932 Points ∼71% -29%
Essentials
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	9955 Points ∼100%
Average of class Office (5095 - 11807, n=109, last 2 years)	9372 Points ∼94% -6%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB	9312 Points ∼94% -6%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (8088 - 9955, n=9)	9146 Points ∼92% -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	8794 Points ∼88% -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512	8400 Points ∼84% -16%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD	8059 Points ∼81% -19%
Productivity
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	8682 Points ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (7826 - 9292, n=9)	8644 Points ∼100% 0%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB	7658 Points ∼88% -12%
Average of class Office (3053 - 9512, n=109, last 2 years)	6957 Points ∼80% -20%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD	6598 Points ∼76% -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512	6479 Points ∼75% -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	6453 Points ∼74% -26%
Digital Content Creation
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	5295 Points ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (4812 - 5878, n=9)	5255 Points ∼99% -1%
Average of class Office (1912 - 7799, n=109, last 2 years)	5076 Points ∼96% -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	4280 Points ∼81% -19%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA Vega 6, R5 PRO 4650U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ256HAJD	4116 Points ∼78% -22%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N GeForce MX250, i7-10850H, SK Hynix PC611 512GB	4016 Points ∼76% -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512	2998 Points ∼57% -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.

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 * ∼100%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lite-On CA5-8D512	1080 μs * ∼13% +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

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

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 ∼100% +28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	7420 Points ∼91% +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7	6341 Points ∼78%
Average of class Office (599 - 11538, n=124, last 2 years)	5074 Points ∼62% -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U	4748 Points ∼58% -25%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-10850H	4641 Points ∼57% -27%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	3608 Points ∼44% -43%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	3517 Points ∼43% -45%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U	1757 Points ∼22% -72%

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	5970 Points ∼100% +38%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (4336 - 5753, n=17)	4869 Points ∼82% +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7	4336 Points ∼73%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U	3863 Points ∼65% -11%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-10850H	3824 Points ∼64% -12%
Average of class Office (712 - 8114, n=123, last 2 years)	3564 Points ∼60% -18%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	2228 Points ∼37% -49%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	2131 Points ∼36% -51%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U	1033 Points ∼17% -76%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Lenovo ThinkPad T15p-20TN0006GE NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	1871 Points ∼100% +15%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (1086 - 2300, n=16)	1796 Points ∼96% +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 NVIDIA GeForce MX450, Intel Core i7-1165G7	1633 Points ∼87%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-10850H	1165 Points ∼62% -29%
Average of class Office (242 - 2886, n=121, last 2 years)	1156 Points ∼62% -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U	1134 Points ∼61% -31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	661 Points ∼35% -60%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U	650 Points ∼35% -60%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20S1S06B00 Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U	358 Points ∼19% -78%

3DMark 11 Performance		6745 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		4134 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		1808 points
Help

... in comparison

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 (29^min - 44^max) fps ∼100% +22%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (21 - 46, n=16)	34.8 fps ∼89% +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen2-20W1S00000 Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA GeForce MX450	32.1 (25^min - 37^max) fps ∼82%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250	21.2 fps ∼54% -34%
Dell Latitude 14 5411-WJ40N Intel Core i7-10850H, NVIDIA GeForce MX250	21 fps ∼54% -35%
Average of class Office (3.49 - 48, n=107, last 2 years)	20.9 fps ∼53% -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T14-20UES00H00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)	12.5 fps ∼32% -61%
HP EliteBook 845 G7-23Y60EA AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)	10.9 fps ∼28% -66%

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)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24.2 dB(A)

Temperature

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

Idle

Witcher 3


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

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


25.1 °C 77 F	25.2 °C 77 F	24.9 °C 77 F
25.3 °C 78 F	25.2 °C 77 F	25 °C 77 F
24.3 °C 76 F	24 °C 75 F	23.9 °C 75 F

Maximum: 25.3 °C = 78 F
Average: 24.8 °C = 77 F


27.6 °C 82 F	26.9 °C 80 F	27.7 °C 82 F
26.2 °C 79 F	26.6 °C 80 F	27.4 °C 81 F
23.6 °C 74 F	24.5 °C 76 F	24.8 °C 77 F

Maximum: 27.7 °C = 82 F
Average: 26.1 °C = 79 F

Power Supply (max.) 25.2 °C = 77 F | Room Temperature 20.3 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-900

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


37.5 °C 100 F	41 °C 106 F	44.2 °C 112 F
37.1 °C 99 F	38.8 °C 102 F	44.6 °C 112 F
30.4 °C 87 F	30.8 °C 87 F	33.3 °C 92 F

Maximum: 44.6 °C = 112 F
Average: 37.5 °C = 100 F


53.7 °C 129 F	53.3 °C 128 F	49.6 °C 121 F
46.4 °C 116 F	47 °C 117 F	42.3 °C 108 F
26.9 °C 80 F	29.9 °C 86 F	31.6 °C 89 F

Maximum: 53.7 °C = 129 F
Average: 42.3 °C = 108 F

Power Supply (max.) 39.1 °C = 102 F | Room Temperature 20.4 °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 27.8 °C / 82 F (-7.2 °C / -13 F).

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.

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 (11.8% 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 6%, average was 20%, worst was 51%
Compared to all devices tested
» 9% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 89% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%

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
(+) | overall sound is linear (14% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 27% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 66% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 50%
Compared to all devices tested
» 16% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 80% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%

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 / Standby	0.27 / 0.73 Watt
Idle	3.8 / 7.3 / 11.2 Watt
Load	61.2 / 67.5 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: 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%	11%
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%	4.22 ?(1.9 - 9.9, n=112, last 2 years) -11%
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%	7.44 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=112, last 2 years) -2%
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%	9.26 ?(4.7 - 23.9, n=112, last 2 years) 17%
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%	38.1 ?(8.2 - 85.6, n=112, last 2 years) 38%
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%	57.3 ?(8.7 - 118, n=112, last 2 years) 15%

* ... smaller is better

Battery life

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%	692 ?(356 - 1112, n=33, last 2 years) -18%
WiFi v1.3	538	661 23%	502 -7%	734 36%	510 -5%	543 1%	572 ?(271 - 1715, n=111, last 2 years) 6%
Load	78	76 -3%	71 -9%	137 76%		75 -4%	122.9 ?(56 - 359, n=57, last 2 years) 58%

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

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 - 2021-05-01 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%