Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7 laptop review: Quiet at the cost of performance

The ThinkPad T16 G1 is Lenovo's second 16-inch ThinkPad designed to be a step up from the existing prosumer ThinkBook 16 series. It carries both 12th gen Core U and Core P CPU options alongside the discrete GeForce MX550 GPU on select SKUs.
We recently reviewed the Core i5-1240P and Ryzen 5 Pro 6650U configurations and so this review will focus on the Core i7-1270P configuration. We recommend checking out our existing review on the Core i5 version to learn more about the chassis and other physical features of the ThinkPad T16 G1. How much of a performance difference can users expect when upgrading to the costlier Core i7 option?
Competitors to the ThinkPad T16 G1 include the 16-inch LG Gram 16, MSI Summit E16, or HP EliteBook 860/865 G9. Dell has yet to launch a direct 16-inch Latitude competitor at the time of writing. Our configuration as reviewed retails for approximately $1800 USD.
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Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
88.6 % | 01/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P i7-1270P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 2 kg | 20.5 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | |
90.2 % | 02/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE R5 PRO 6650U, Radeon 660M | 1.8 kg | 20.5 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
86.6 % | 01/2023 | LG Gram 16Z90Q i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 16.8 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
87.2 % | 12/2022 | HP EliteBook 865 G9 R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M | 1.9 kg | 19 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | |
86.4 % | 07/2022 | Huawei MateBook 16s i7 i7-12700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 2 kg | 17.8 mm | 16.00" | 2520x1680 | |
93.2 % | 11/2021 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro M1 Pro, M1 Pro 16-Core GPU | 2.2 kg | 16.8 mm | 16.20" | 3456x2234 |
Case — A Little Big
Though the model is just a few months old, its chassis design is slightly larger in all dimensions when compared to competing 16-inch laptops like the HP EliteBook 865 G9 or Apple MacBook Pro 16. The LG Gram 16 in particular is especially lighter by 800 grams.
Expect grease and fingerprints to accumulate very quickly on the matte black surfaces. The dark carbon fiber, fiberglass and plastic approach here contrasts the bright gray metal alloy approach of the competing HP EliteBook.
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
Communication
An Intel AX211 comes standard for Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Transfer rates are steady when paired to our Asus AXE11000 test router.
The M.2 WWAN slot is empty in our specific configuration as shown by the picture below. Unfortunately, Lenovo does not include the antenna if configuring without WWAN.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P |
Webcam
The 2 MP webcam pales in comparison to the 5 MP webcams that are now shipping on many HP EliteBook models. Both IR and a physical shutter are included on the ThinkPad T16.

Maintenance
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the retail box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. A one-year limited manufacturer applies if purchased in the US.
Display — Low-End to High-End
Lenovo currently offers five different matte IPS display options as follows:
- 1920 x 1200, 300 nits, 45% NTSC
- 1920 x 1200, 300 nits, touchscreen, 45% NTSC
- 1920 x 1200, low power, 400 nits, 100% sRGB, low blue light
- 1920 x 1200, touchscreen with Privacy Guard, 500-nit, 100% sRGB, low blue light
- 2560 x 1600, 400 nits, low blue light, International Color Consortium calibrated
Our configuration comes with the bolded B160UAN03.2 panel above which is the least expensive option. When compared to the higher-end 1600p panel, our 1200p one has both inferior colors and sharpness by noticeable margins. It's still a decent display, however, especially when compared to other panels with a similar 60 percent sRGB gamut, but you'll want to choose full sRGB coverage for any sort of video or graphics editing.
|
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 321.3 cd/m²
Contrast: 1036:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.16 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 2.76
ΔE Greyscale 4.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
41% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
59% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
39.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.28
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P B160UAN3.2, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE MNG007DA1-C, IPS-LED, 2560x1600, 16.00 | LG Gram 16Z90Q LG LP160WQ1-SPB2 (LGD06EB), IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | HP EliteBook 865 G9 X160NV42, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Huawei MateBook 16s i7 BOE XS TV160DKT-NH0, IPS, 2520x1680, 16.00 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro Liquid Retina XDR, Mini-LED, 3456x2234, 16.20 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 66% | 106% | 76% | 63% | 111% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 39.7 | 66.7 68% | 96.8 144% | 71.4 80% | 64.5 62% | 99.1 150% |
sRGB Coverage | 59 | 95.7 62% | 99.9 69% | 99.3 68% | 96.7 64% | 100 69% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 41 | 69.1 69% | 84.6 106% | 73.2 79% | 66.6 62% | 88 115% |
Response Times | 7% | -19% | -9% | -9% | -161% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 29.2 ? | 32.1 ? -10% | 45.7 ? -57% | 35.5 ? -22% | 35.7 ? -22% | 42.8 ? -47% |
Response Time Black / White * | 24.4 ? | 18.9 ? 23% | 19.7 ? 19% | 23.5 ? 4% | 23.2 ? 5% | 91.6 ? -275% |
PWM Frequency | 56.7 | 14880 | ||||
Screen | 43% | 23% | 73% | 49% | 352% | |
Brightness middle | 321.3 | 417 30% | 366 14% | 865 169% | 311 -3% | 514 60% |
Brightness | 315 | 388 23% | 347 10% | 771 145% | 319 1% | 497 58% |
Brightness Distribution | 82 | 81 -1% | 89 9% | 72 -12% | 91 11% | 95 16% |
Black Level * | 0.31 | 0.24 23% | 0.32 -3% | 0.3 3% | 0.17 45% | 0.02 94% |
Contrast | 1036 | 1738 68% | 1144 10% | 2883 178% | 1829 77% | 25700 2381% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.16 | 1.7 67% | 2.82 45% | 2.4 53% | 1 81% | 1.4 73% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 18.75 | 3.5 81% | 4.65 75% | 5.8 69% | 1.7 91% | 2.8 85% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.76 | 1.4 49% | 2.69 3% | 1.5 46% | 0.8 71% | |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.2 | 2.4 43% | 2.3 45% | 3.8 10% | 1.5 64% | 2.3 45% |
Gamma | 2.28 96% | 2.16 102% | 1.971 112% | 2.36 93% | 2.15 102% | 2.27 97% |
CCT | 6163 105% | 6924 94% | 6796 96% | 6922 94% | 6432 101% | 6792 96% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 39% /
43% | 37% /
35% | 47% /
62% | 34% /
44% | 101% /
217% |
* ... smaller is better
Color temperature is too warm out of the box which can fortunately be addressed with a proper calibration. Average color DeltaE would improve from 5.05 to 2.23, but colors are still inaccurate at high saturation levels due to the limited color coverage of the panel. We recommend applying our calibrated ICM profile above as the display is not calibrated at factory.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
24.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise | |
↘ 10.4 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 0.4 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 48 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (22.5 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
29.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15.6 ms rise | |
↘ 13.6 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 29 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.5 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19232 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Outdoor visibility is average at best on our 300-nit panel. Users may want to consider the 500-nit options to reduce the effects of glare. If visibility is a concern, then we recommend taking a look at the HP EliteBook 860/865 G9 and its much brighter 1000-nit panel options.
Performance — 12th gen Intel Options
Testing Conditions
Processor — Turbo Boost Could Be Better
Our Core i7-1270P unit would exhibit similar throttling behavior to what we observed on the Core i5-1240P SKU. When running CineBench R15 xT in a loop, for example, the initial score of 1782 points would drop by as much as 44 percent over time which is significantly more than on most other laptops. In contrast, the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U SKU would be slower during the few minutes of the loop test, but it is able to sustain faster clock rates and performance over longer periods as shown by our graph below. The Turbo Boost benefits of the Core i7-1270P are therefore very short-lived on the ThinkPad T16 G1.
Users can install ThrottleStop to minimize the performance throttling by about 20 percent if desired. Even so, it's disappointing that Lenovo doesn't offer such a performance option without resorting to third party software.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
Blender | |
v3.3 Classroom HIP/AMD | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (444 - 1156, n=44) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (4789 - 6722, n=2) |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (22017 - 37567, n=2) | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (1543 - 1853, n=2) | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (61703 - 76671, n=2) |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (5059 - 5210, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (12876 - 17891, n=2) | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (33137 - 39956, n=2) | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (553 - 579, n=2) | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (2603 - 3521, n=2) |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (21056 - 34745, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 |
System Performance
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (6094 - 6398, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21BWS00200 |
PCMark 10 Score | 5382 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (39471 - 62300, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (42289 - 72572, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (43051 - 61340, n=2) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Average Intel Core i7-1270P (89.3 - 89.3, n=2) |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Our unit ships with a 512 GB Samsung PM9B1 PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD instead of the more common Samsung PM9A1. The PM9B1 series offers slower transfer rates by almost half; sequential read rates top out at ~3600 MB/s on our unit compared to ~6300 MB/s on the LG Gram 16 with the Samsung PM9A1.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Huawei MateBook 16s i7 | |
LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G1 21CH004MGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 Core i7-1270P | |
HP EliteBook 865 G9 |