Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 Laptop Review: Foiled by lack of AMD option

Name: Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00
Brand: Lenovo

Offside.

This year's T-series ThinkPads have only received minor updates. Nevertheless, the smaller 14-inch models have improved quite a bit in regard to performance thanks to AMD Ryzen 4000. This cannot be said about the larger ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 though as it lacks the Renoir option entirely and has to make do with Intel's Comet Lake. Our extensive review revealed that this can be a major show-stopper for the large T-series ThinkPad.

Benjamin Herzig, 👁 Andreas Osthoff, ✓ T. Hinum (translated by Finn D. Boerne), Published 07/21/2020 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 ...

ThinkPad Thunderbolt Ultrabook Windows Laptop Comet Lake Geforce

With its current 2020 generation of ThinkPad laptops Lenovo does not differentiate model numbers between AMD and Intel SKUs any longer. In other words: The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 and Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 1 are both available with AMD and Intel CPUs. Notice how the largest T-series ThinkPad is suspiciously missing from that list? That’s because unlike its smaller siblings the ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 remains an Intel-exclusive, and AMD-equipped 15-inch ThinkPad models are only available in the ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 or ThinkPad L15 Gen 1 variety.

However, said budget ThinkPads lack the optional 4K UHD display, which is only available on the more expensive ThinkPad T15 that we have in review today. Our review unit comes with an Intel Core i7 CPU, an Nvidia GPU, 1 TB of SSD storage, 16 GB of RAM, and the aforementioned 4K/UHD display. At the time of writing, this particular high-end SKU sold for around 1,600 Euros (~$1,854) without a Windows license exclusively through the Lenovo Campus program. The model available to the general public is limited to just 512 GB of SSD storage but features a 4G/LTE modem in return, and it sold for slightly over 2,000 Euros (~$2,317) at the time of writing.

Competitors include the ThinkPad T590, the ThinkPad E15, and the HP ProBook 455 G7 with AMD Ryzen 4000. Given that the update from last generation’s model is rather minor, this review is an update to last year’s extensive Lenovo ThinkPad T590 review.

Test device courtesy of campuspoint.de

Download your licensed rating image as PNG / SVG

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 (ThinkPad T15 Series)

Processor

Intel Core i7-10510U 4 x 1.8 - 4.9 GHz, Comet Lake-U

Graphics adapter

NVIDIA GeForce MX330 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1594 MHz, RAM: 1752 MHz, 1D16, 442.23, Optimus

Memory

16 GB

, DDR4-2666, 16 GB on-board, 1 SO-DIMM-Slot free

Display

15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 282 PPI, NE156QUM-N66, IPS LED, glossy: no, HDR, 60 Hz

Mainboard

Intel Comet Lake-U PCH-LP Premium

Storage

Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02, 1024 GB

, M.2 2280, PCIe NVMe, 918 GB free

Soundcard

Realtek ALC3287

Connections

3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: audio combo, Card Reader: microSD, 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC

Networking

Intel Comet Lake PCH-LP - I219-V gBE (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.1

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 19.95 x 365.8 x 248 ( = 0.79 x 14.4 x 9.76 in)

Battery

57 Wh Lithium-Polymer

Camera

Webcam: 720p with IR + ThinkShutter

Additional features

Speakers: 2 Watt Stereo, Keyboard: 6-row chiclet with numpad, Keyboard Light: yes, 36 Months Warranty

Weight

1.836 kg ( = 64.76 oz / 4.05 pounds), Power Supply: 354 g ( = 12.49 oz / 0.78 pounds)

Price

1560 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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» Compare devices

Rating	Date	Model	Weight	Height	Size	Resolution
87.2 % v7 ^(old)	07 / 2020	Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 i7-10510U, GeForce MX330	1.8 kg	19.95 mm	15.60"	3840x2160
87.2 % v7 ^(old)	09 / 2019	Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N40009GE i7-8565U, GeForce MX250	1.8 kg	19.95 mm	15.60"	3840x2160
82.1 % v7 ^(old)	03 / 2020	Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE i7-10510U, Radeon RX 640	1.8 kg	18.9 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
82.6 % v7 ^(old)	07 / 2020	HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA R7 4700U, Vega 7	1.8 kg	19 mm	15.60"	1920x1080

Size Comparison

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N40009GE HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA DIN A4 ❌

Left: USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, Thunderbolt 3, miniEthernet/docking, USB 3.0 Type-A, HDMI, audio combo, microSD

Right: smart card reader, USB 3.0 Type-A, RJ45 Ethernet, Kensington lock

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)	78.8 MB/s
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	73.7 MB/s -6%
Average of class Office (22.7 - 198.5, n=34, last 2 years)	57.7 MB/s -27%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)	87.2 MB/s
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	87 MB/s 0%
Average of class Office (25 - 249, n=30, last 2 years)	73.1 MB/s -16%

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (49.8 - 1775, n=324)	1161 MBit/s +57%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	739 (671^min - 839^max) MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	680 (373^min - 727^max) MBit/s -8%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1576 (1259^min - 1688^max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (136 - 1743, n=324)	1261 MBit/s -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	951 (932^min - 963^max) MBit/s -40%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	811 (593^min - 853^max) MBit/s -49%

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1576 (1259-1688)

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø739 (671-839)

ColorChecker Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00: 10.19 ∆E min: 1.95 - max: 17.63 ∆E

4K UHD Display: The ThinkPad T15’s Highlight

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 subpixel array

Almost no backlight bleeding (increased exposure for purpose of illustration)

The matte 15.6-inch 4K UHD display running at a native resolution of 3840x2160 is undoubtedly the ThinkPad T15’s highlight. The FHD (1920x1080) display options are virtually identical to those in the ThinkPad E15 and ThinkPad L15. Those lower-resolution displays, available both with and without touch, feature a lower maximum brightness (250 nits) as well as lower color-space coverage (45% NTSC). If you are interested in higher-quality FHD displays in a ThinkPad, your two choices are the ThinkPad X1 Extreme and the ThinkPad P15 Gen 1.

According to Lenovo, the 4K UHD display in the T15 is supposed to be twice as bright, and our review model was able to make good on that promise. The panel, which we already encountered in the T590, managed an average maximum brightness of 501 nits – twice as much as the more affordable ThinkPad E15 or ProBook 455 G7.


520 cd/m²	515 cd/m²	523 cd/m²
507 cd/m²	489 cd/m²	513 cd/m²
485 cd/m²	474 cd/m²	479 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

NE156QUM-N66 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 523 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 500.6 cd/m² Minimum: 11.5 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 494 cd/m²
Contrast: 1397:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91, calibrated: 0.8
ΔE Greyscale 4 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
98.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
84.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
95.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
80.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.24

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 NE156QUM-N66, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.6"	Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N40009GE NE156QUM-N66, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.6"	Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE NV156FHM-N48, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.6"	HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AUO, B156HW02, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6"
Display		-1%	-49%	-51%
Display P3 Coverage	80.7	80.2 -1%	40.25 -50%	37.92 -53%
sRGB Coverage	98.1	97.8 0%	57.7 -41%	57.1 -42%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	95.5	95 -1%	41.59 -56%	39.18 -59%
Response Times		-21%	-43%	-9%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	42 ?(21.2, 20.8)	48.4 ?(24.8, 23.6) -15%	49.6 ?(24.4, 25.2) -18%	41 ?(22, 19) 2%
Response Time Black / White *	21.6 ?(10, 11.6)	27.2 ?(14, 13.2) -26%	36 ?(18.8, 17.2) -67%	26 ?(15, 11) -20%
PWM Frequency			1250 ?(99)
Screen		3%	-126%	-86%
Brightness middle	489	531 9%	283 -42%	282 -42%
Brightness	501	523 4%	258 -49%	264 -47%
Brightness Distribution	91	96 5%	81 -11%	88 -3%
Black Level *	0.35	0.37 -6%	0.22 37%	0.19 46%
Contrast	1397	1435 3%	1286 -8%	1484 6%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	3	2.5 17%	7.9 -163%	5.56 -85%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	5.1	4.4 14%	23.6 -363%	19.07 -274%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *	0.8	1 -25%	5.8 -625%	4.5 -463%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	4	3.5 12%	6.6 -65%	3.57 11%
Gamma	2.24 ^98%	2.31 ^95%	2.18 ^101%	2.61 ^84%
CCT	7400 ^88%	7189 ^90%	5735 ^113%	6895 ^94%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	84.7	84.3 0%	37 -56%	36 -57%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	98.1	97.7 0%	57.1 -42%	57 -42%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		-6% / -1%	-73% / -101%	-49% / -70%

* ... smaller is better

Colors, which are determined by using an X-Rite i1 Pro 2 Colorimeter in combination with CalMAN, are too cool by default. This, fortunately, can be easily rectified through calibration. Colors pop thanks to the panel’s high brightness but the panel’s black level of 0.37 nits is not quite perfect. Nevertheless, the resulting contrast ratio of 1,397:1 is more than just adequate, and color representation in games and movies can be further improved via HDR.

Color-space coverage is one of this particular display’s strengths. It manages to cover sRGB almost entirely, and AdobeRGB very well overall. The difference between the 84.7% of AdobeRGB coverage we determined and Lenovo’s claims can be explained with different test methods. Using CalMAN in 2D mode results in an AdobeRGB coverage of 96.6%.

Thanks to its matte surface coating and its high brightness the display was very well usable outdoors. However, direct sunlight should still be avoided.

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
21.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 10 ms rise
21.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 11.6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 43 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 21.2 ms rise
42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 20.8 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 64 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 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 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured.

Viewing angles of this 4K/UHD display were impeccable.

CPU performance is decent, but worse than Renoir

The ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 is currently available with four different quad-core CPUs made by Intel: Core i5-10210U, i5-10310U, i7-10510U, and i7-10610U. Hexa-core models featuring the i7-10710U and i7-10810U are expected to become available in the near future. In addition to the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 the T15 can also be equipped with an Nvidia GeForce MX330. Either 8 or 16 GB of DDR4-2666 RAM is soldered onto the motherboard, which can be further expanded via a single SO-DIMM module. Our review unit’s slot was not populated, which means this particular model can take up to 48 GB of RAM. The T15 features a single slot for M.2-2280 or M.2-2242 SSDs.

Processor

The Core i7-10510U is a quad-core processor that runs at clock speeds of between 1.8 and 4.8 GHz. As indicated, this U-class processor has a nominal TDP of 15 W. Find out how this CPU compares to others in our CPU comparison list.

In CineBench, the CPU was at first allowed to consume up to 45 W, which was lowered to 25 W and a resulting clock speed of 3.3 GHz after 30 seconds. The CPU remained at this level throughout our CineBench loop with temperatures slowly rising.

Performance was decent for a current Intel U-class CPU. However, considering the AMD Ryzen 4000’s performance advantage over Intel’s current lineup this does not mean much, as can be seen when comparing the T15’s results to the HP ProBook 455 G7. If you are looking for ultimate CPU performance, the ThinkPad T15 and its lack of AMD option is not the best choice.

We found no performance throttling on battery.

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U, Intel Core i7-10510U: Ø689 (632.32-756.56)

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U, Intel Core i7-10510U: Ø537 (533-579)

HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U: Ø905 (890.95-1068.26)

Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U, Intel Core i7-8565U: Ø620 (499-711)

Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
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 R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office (246 - 2642, n=95, last 2 years)	1559 Points +106%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	1050 Points +39%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	757 (632.32^min - 756.56^max) Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	711 (499^min - 719^max) Points -6%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (482 - 856, n=45)	666 Points -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	586 Points -23%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office (98 - 284, n=94, last 2 years)	230 Points +22%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	193 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	188.3 Points
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	181 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (113 - 202, n=42)	178.4 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	174 Points -8%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Office (590 - 5980, n=92, last 2 years)	3605 Points +120%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	2601 Points +59%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	1636 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	1571 Points -4%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (1015 - 1897, n=38)	1412 Points -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	1290 Points -21%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Office (229 - 766, n=92, last 2 years)	603 Points +27%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	474 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	472 Points 0%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	462 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	438 Points -8%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (362 - 497, n=37)	437 Points -8%

Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	810 Seconds * -19%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (628 - 1051, n=31)	796 Seconds * -17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	687 Seconds * -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	680 Seconds *
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	537 Seconds * +21%
Average of class Office (208 - 1956, n=94, last 2 years)	425 Seconds * +37%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Average of class Office (2972 - 6687, n=94, last 2 years)	5253 MIPS +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	4814 MIPS +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	4788 MIPS
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	4611 MIPS -4%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (3747 - 4981, n=31)	4591 MIPS -4%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	4208 MIPS -12%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Average of class Office (7532 - 65460, n=95, last 2 years)	38697 MIPS +113%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	27219 MIPS +50%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	20861 MIPS +15%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	18137 MIPS
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (12196 - 21298, n=31)	17704 MIPS -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	17312 MIPS -5%

Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Average of class Office (510 - 1995, n=94, last 2 years)	1588 Points +29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	1232 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	1225 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (977 - 1287, n=31)	1197 Points -3%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	1109 Points -10%

Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Average of class Office (1018 - 11980, n=93, last 2 years)	7572 Points +97%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	4853 Points +26%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	3850 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (2474 - 4484, n=31)	3687 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	3408 Points -11%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Average of class Office (1.72 - 18.7, n=92, last 2 years)	10.5 fps +100%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	6.79 fps +30%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U	5.5 fps +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	5.24 fps
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (3.41 - 6.04, n=31)	4.65 fps -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	4.6 fps -12%

LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	115.7 s * -112%
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (50.7 - 77.8, n=27)	59.9 s * -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	54.5 s *
Average of class Office (31.3 - 129.6, n=92, last 2 years)	53.6 s * +2%

R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (0.637 - 0.81, n=28)	0.68 sec * -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U	0.666 sec * -3%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	0.651 sec * -0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U	0.648 sec *
Average of class Office (0.4244 - 1.135, n=91, last 2 years)	0.548 sec * +15%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

757 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

93.4 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

188.3 Points

Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)

1636 Points

Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)

474 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

The 4K/UHD display had a noticeable detrimental effect on our PCMark benchmark results. Nevertheless, the T15 felt smooth and snappy in everyday use.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Office (2463 - 7344, n=86, last 2 years)	5624 Points +46%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Radeon RX 640, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	5023 Points +30%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	4547 Points +18%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Vega 7, R7 4700U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	4527 Points +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	3861 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330 ()	3861 Points 0%
Essentials
Average of class Office (5575 - 20841, n=86, last 2 years)	10106 Points +27%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Radeon RX 640, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	9601 Points +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	8929 Points +13%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Vega 7, R7 4700U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	8303 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	7935 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330 ()	7935 Points 0%
Productivity
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Radeon RX 640, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	8567 Points +34%
Average of class Office (3041 - 10415, n=86, last 2 years)	7735 Points +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	7443 Points +17%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Vega 7, R7 4700U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	6805 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	6379 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330 ()	6379 Points 0%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Office (2049 - 9773, n=86, last 2 years)	6345 Points +105%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Vega 7, R7 4700U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	4459 Points +44%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Radeon RX 640, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	4181 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	3841 Points +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	3088 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330 ()	3088 Points 0%

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Office (4252 - 4830, n=7, last 2 years)	4559 Points +53%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Radeon RX 640, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	4045 Points +36%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Vega 7, R7 4700U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	4015 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	3885 Points +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	2971 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330 ()	2971 Points 0%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	5225 Points +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Radeon RX 640, i7-10510U, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	5142 Points +15%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Vega 7, R7 4700U, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	5101 Points +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	4456 Points
Average Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330 ()	4456 Points 0%
Average of class Office (2900 - 5526, n=7, last 2 years)	3761 Points -16%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		2971 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		4456 points
PCMark 10 Score		3861 points
Help

DPC Latencies

Unfortunately, the ThinkPad T15 suffers from DPC latencies, which are caused by the network driver according to LatencyMon. Our YouTube test proved that this can be a real issue as it dropped frames consistently throughout the test.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	1810 μs *

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

Our ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 review unit featured a 1 TB large M.2 SSD made by Toshiba. The XG6 PCIe NVMe SSD performed faster than all of our 512-GB comparison SSDs across the board.

	Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02	Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU	HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU	Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	Average Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		-15%	-26%	-8%	9%
Write 4K	159.1	144.4 -9%	141.9 -11%	126.2 -21%	162.2 ?(114.8 - 216, n=4) 2%
Read 4K	55.6	52.3 -6%	37.25 -33%	48.93 -12%	54.8 ?(49.5 - 60.8, n=4) -1%
Write Seq	1435	946 -34%	998 -30%	1345 -6%	1745 ?(1435 - 1988, n=4) 22%
Read Seq	1435	1608 12%	1233 -14%	1373 -4%	1941 ?(1435 - 2260, n=4) 35%
Write 4K Q32T1	512	592 16%	338.4 -34%	383.8 -25%	493 ?(324 - 666, n=4) -4%
Read 4K Q32T1	541	397.7 -26%	431.1 -20%	434.8 -20%	542 ?(341 - 745, n=4) 0%
Write Seq Q32T1	2682	1364 -49%	1367 -49%	2966 11%	2961 ?(2682 - 3057, n=4) 10%
Read Seq Q32T1	2902	2301 -21%	2355 -19%	3230 11%	3190 ?(2902 - 3296, n=4) 10%

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2902 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2682 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 541 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 512 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 1435 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 1435 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 55.6 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 159.1 MB/s

Sustained Read Performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

GPU Performance

The Nvidia GeForce MX330 is Nvidia’s current low-end GPU based on the older Pascal architecture, and it is practically identical to the Nvidia GeForce MX250 found in the ThinkPad T590. It features the same number of shaders (384), the same 64-bit memory interface, the same 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, and virtually the same clock speeds.

The T15 performed slightly better in the older 3DMark 11 benchmarks but worse in more recent versions of 3DMark. While it performed faster than AMD’s integrated RX Vega 7 GPU the difference was only really worth mentioning when compared to the single-channel RAM model of HP’s ProBook 455 G7. In dual-channel configurations, such as Acer’s Swift 3, AMD’s Renoir GPU is practically just as fast.

We found no performance throttling on battery.

3DMark 11 | 3DMark

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office (1468 - 13132, n=89, last 2 years)	6812 Points +48%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE AMD Radeon RX 640, Intel Core i7-10510U	4998 Points +8%
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R4XJ AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	4990 Points +8%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (4616 - 4863, n=4)	4787 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 NVIDIA GeForce MX330, Intel Core i7-10510U	4616 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U	4126 Points -11%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	4019 Points -13%

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Office (7982 - 58068, n=63, last 2 years)	26873 Points +72%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U	23748 Points +52%
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R4XJ AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	22895 Points +47%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (15595 - 23580, n=3)	19968 Points +28%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE AMD Radeon RX 640, Intel Core i7-10510U	19479 Points +25%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	16972 Points +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 NVIDIA GeForce MX330, Intel Core i7-10510U	15595 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office (736 - 9375, n=91, last 2 years)	4867 Points +36%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U	3858 Points +8%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (3581 - 3838, n=3)	3727 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 NVIDIA GeForce MX330, Intel Core i7-10510U	3581 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE AMD Radeon RX 640, Intel Core i7-10510U	3279 Points -8%
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R4XJ AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	3134 Points -12%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	2425 Points -32%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Office (313 - 4109, n=90, last 2 years)	1603 Points +51%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (1059 - 1190, n=3)	1136 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 NVIDIA GeForce MX330, Intel Core i7-10510U	1059 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE AMD Radeon RX 640, Intel Core i7-10510U	990 Points -7%
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R4XJ AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	973 Points -8%
HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	742 Points -30%

3DMark 11 Performance		4898 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		12137 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		3308 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		1178 points
Help

... in comparison

Gaming Performance

Older games will run decently well on Nvidia’s GeForce MX300 in reduced details. Even current games can be enjoyed smoothly in minimum details and low resolutions. 4K/UHD gaming is definitely a no-go. GPU performance was consistent under load.

The Witcher 3 - 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing
Average of class Office (12 - 106.3, n=65, last 2 years)	49.1 fps +44%
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE Intel Core i7-10510U, AMD Radeon RX 640	38.4 fps +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250	35.8 fps +5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (34.2 - 37, n=2)	35.6 fps +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 Intel Core i7-10510U, NVIDIA GeForce MX330	34.2 (27^min - 42^max) fps

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 GeForce MX330, i7-10510U, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02: Ø12 (11-13)

	low	med.	high	ultra	4K
The Witcher 3 (2015)	64.7	34.2	19.9	12
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	116	107	53.9	38.2	21.9
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	33.4	47.3	35.9		18.1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)	52.4	17.1
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019)	52.9	16.1

Emissions: Lenovo’s laptop gets hot but remains quiet

Noise Emissions

The fan was quieter than on its predecessor, just like on the smaller ThinkPad T14. When idle it was completely off, and if it ever does turn on it only knows a single level of noise.

We experienced coil whine during some of our benchmarks and suspect the SSD to be the culprit.

Noise Level

Idle		29.4 / 29.4 / 29.4 dB(A)
Load		34.2 / 34.2 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.4 dB(A)

Temperature

Temperatures remained below 60 °C, unlike on the smaller ThinkPad T14. However, we found a single hotspot of up to 59 °C under load at the bottom, which is definitely beyond comfortable. All things considered, surface temperatures were less of an issue than on the smaller T14, most likely due to the T15’s better cooling solution.

Running our stress test with Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously proved that the ThinkPad T15’s cooler was capable of handling high and consistent simultaneous CPU and GPU load without any issues. The CPU was allowed to consume up to 25 W throughout the test, resulting in temperatures of up to 90 °C. The GPU had to throttle at the same time. This throttling under extreme circumstances should have absolutely no effect on everyday use. Running 3DMark 11 immediately following our stress test produced identical results.

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


37.6 °C 100 F	42.6 °C 109 F	42.3 °C 108 F
33.3 °C 92 F	38.3 °C 101 F	42.1 °C 108 F
27.4 °C 81 F	30.4 °C 87 F	29.6 °C 85 F

Maximum: 42.6 °C = 109 F
Average: 36 °C = 97 F


50.3 °C 123 F	59.2 °C 139 F	42.7 °C 109 F
44.2 °C 112 F	51.4 °C 125 F	40.1 °C 104 F
27.3 °C 81 F	27.5 °C 82 F	27.2 °C 81 F

Maximum: 59.2 °C = 139 F
Average: 41.1 °C = 106 F

Power Supply (max.) 40.1 °C = 104 F | Room Temperature 22.3 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-900

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


24.4 °C 76 F	24 °C 75 F	23.6 °C 74 F
24.3 °C 76 F	23.8 °C 75 F	23.4 °C 74 F
23.7 °C 75 F	23.4 °C 74 F	23.1 °C 74 F

Maximum: 24.4 °C = 76 F
Average: 23.7 °C = 75 F


24.2 °C 76 F	24.6 °C 76 F	25.8 °C 78 F
23.6 °C 74 F	24.9 °C 77 F	25.9 °C 79 F
23.4 °C 74 F	23.2 °C 74 F	23.4 °C 74 F

Maximum: 25.9 °C = 79 F
Average: 24.3 °C = 76 F

Power Supply (max.) 25.6 °C = 78 F | Room Temperature 21.4 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-900

Max. Load

Idle

Witcher 3


36.6 °C 98 F	43.3 °C 110 F	42.2 °C 108 F
33.7 °C 93 F	39 °C 102 F	42.4 °C 108 F
28.5 °C 83 F	30.3 °C 87 F	31.2 °C 88 F

Maximum: 43.3 °C = 110 F
Average: 36.4 °C = 98 F


50.8 °C 123 F	58.8 °C 138 F	39.2 °C 103 F
45.6 °C 114 F	48.2 °C 119 F	40 °C 104 F
27.6 °C 82 F	28 °C 82 F	27.5 °C 82 F

Maximum: 58.8 °C = 138 F
Average: 40.6 °C = 105 F

Power Supply (max.) 40 °C = 104 F | Room Temperature 21.6 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-900

(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36 °C / 97 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 42.6 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 59.2 °C / 139 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 36.4 °C / 98 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.2 °C / 88.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-3.6 °C / -6.5 F).

Speakers

The speakers remained unchanged from last year’s ThinkPad T590. This means that they still lack bass and volume. The audio combo port worked flawlessly and is much better suited for listening to music.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (71.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 71% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 73% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N4002VGE audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (70.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 76% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 17% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 76% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management: Inefficient ThinkPad due to 4K Display

Power Consumption

Power consumption remained identical to last year’s ThinkPad T590, which is not particularly surprising considering the overall almost identical hardware. Power consumption remained very high due to the 4K/UHD display.

Despite its high average power consumption of 66 W under load the 65 W power supply should be sufficient for powering the device. At the end of our stress test, our power meter read just 54 W.

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.3 / 5.9 Watt
Idle	4.3 / 13.8 / 16.2 Watt
Load	66 / 67.4 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy

	Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 i7-10510U, GeForce MX330, Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV1T02, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 15.6"	Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N40009GE i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.6"	Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE i7-10510U, Radeon RX 640, Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.6"	HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA R7 4700U, Vega 7, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HALU, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6"	Average NVIDIA GeForce MX330	Average of class Office
Power Consumption		2%	30%	35%	-7%	26%
Idle Minimum *	4.3	4.3 -0%	3.2 26%	3.8 12%	5.2 ?(4.3 - 6.1, n=2) -21%	4.52 ?(2.2 - 13.8, n=90, last 2 years) -5%
Idle Average *	13.8	12.4 10%	6.8 51%	7.7 44%	13.4 ?(13 - 13.8, n=2) 3%	7.45 ?(3.8 - 14.9, n=90, last 2 years) 46%
Idle Maximum *	16.2	16.2 -0%	9.5 41%	10.5 35%	14.9 ?(13.5 - 16.2, n=2) 8%	9.03 ?(4.89 - 18.6, n=90, last 2 years) 44%
Load Average *	66	65.6 1%	44 33%	32 52%	69.4 ?(66 - 72.7, n=2) -5%	42.3 ?(8.7 - 77.9, n=86, last 2 years) 36%
Witcher 3 ultra *	53
Load Maximum *	67.4	69.5 -3%	66.4 1%	45.4 33%	82.3 ?(67.4 - 97.1, n=2) -22%	61.9 ?(11.1 - 107, n=90, last 2 years) 8%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Despite its identical 57 Wh battery when compared to the ThinkPad T590 the ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 managed to run longer in our Wi-Fi test. We suspect this may be due to the newer version of the Edge browser. Overall, battery life remains a sore point at less than 7 hours due to the 4K/UHD display. Running this particular display on full brightness will slice battery life in half.

Battery Runtime

WiFi Websurfing (Edge Chromium)		7h 06min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness (Edge Chromium)		3h 49min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p		8h 03min
Load (maximum brightness)		1h 12min

	Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 i7-10510U, GeForce MX330, 57 Wh	Lenovo ThinkPad T590-20N40009GE i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, 57 Wh	Lenovo ThinkPad E15 20RD0011GE i7-10510U, Radeon RX 640, 45 Wh	HP ProBook 455 G7-175W8EA R7 4700U, Vega 7, 45 Wh	Average of class Office
Battery Runtime		13%	30%	12%	52%
H.264	483		625 29%	402 -17%	716 ?(348 - 1501, n=32, last 2 years) 48%
WiFi v1.3	426	363 -15%	447 5%	455 7%	612 ?(230 - 1349, n=92, last 2 years) 44%
Load	72	101 40%	112 56%	106 47%	117.4 ?(56 - 218, n=56, last 2 years) 63%

Pros

+ robust case

+ plentiful connectivity

+ very comfortable input devices, keyboard with numpad

+ fan off most of the time

+ extensive warranty packages

+ colorful and bright 4K UHD display

+ Wi-Fi 6

Cons

- no full-size SD slot

- Thunderbolt 3 only connected to two PCIe lanes

- case is hard to open

- high surface temperatures

- less versatile due to lack of PowerBridge

- DPC latency problem

- below average battery life

- no AMD Ryzen 4000 option

Verdict

In review: Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 1. Test unit courtesy of campuspoint

The Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 is the only 2020-generation ThinkPad that cannot be equipped with AMD’s Ryzen 4000-series CPU. Accordingly, we have a very hard time recommending this particular model considering that the more affordable ThinkPad E15 and ThinkPad L15 with AMD Renoir perform so much better.

True, the ThinkPad T15 features excellent input devices and a wide variety of ports, but so do its more affordable siblings. Except for of course Thunderbolt 3, which is not available on those models. Another T15 exclusive is the 4K/UHD display, a high-end panel in almost every single way.

Its only downside, if you will, is its high power consumption resulting in below average battery life. In addition, temperatures were fairly high on this particular SKU but the fan was very quiet in return. Wi-Fi 6 support is foiled by high DPC latencies. Otherwise, the T15’s strengths and weaknesses are identical to the ThinkPad T590.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 is somewhat lost in the undefined space between price-performance ratio and quality. The lack of AMD option will make this a much less desirable alternative.

In and of itself the T15 is a great business laptop, no doubt about it. However, more affordable laptops equipped with Ryzen 4000 will offer a much higher level of performance. If you insist on a 4K/UHD panel and Thunderbolt 3 you may want to take a look at the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 instead.

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen1-20S7S02U00 - 07/16/2020 v7 ^(old)
Benjamin Herzig

Chassis

84 / 98 → 86%

Keyboard

91%

Pointing Device

91%

Connectivity

73 / 80 → 91%

Weight

65 / 20-75 → 82%

Battery

75%

Display

92%

Games Performance

64 / 78 → 82%

Application Performance

84 / 95 → 88%

Temperature

85%

Noise

97%

Audio

58%

Camera

25 / 85 → 30%

Average

76%

87%

Office - Weighted Average

Price comparison

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Editor of the original article: Benjamin Herzig - Managing Editor - 1230 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2016

I was an ardent reader of Notebookcheck’s laptop reviews even back in school. After writing reviews as a hobby, I then joined Notebookcheck in 2016 and have worked on device reviews and news articles ever since then. My personal interest lies more with laptops than smartphones, with business laptops being the most interesting category for me. Technology should make our lives and work easier and good laptops are an essential tool for that to happen. This is why laptop reviews are not just my work but are also my passion.

contact me via: LinkedIn

Translator: Finn D Boerne - Translator - 450 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

Born in the United States and raised in Germany I became acquainted with both languages from an early age and turned this into my profession later in life. Computers have always played an important role in my life, and my love for all things digital is a huge part of my daily routine. Virtual Reality has captured my imagination and interest in particular, and I cannot wait to see what the (near) future will bring.

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