Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 laptop in review: Big screen, big battery, but not big on performance
Productivity monster.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G3 is the big guy among in the office: With a 16-inch screen, numpad and large 86 Wh battery, it is made to make people more productive. Sadly, the performance of this Lenovo laptop does not quite live up to our expectations.Benjamin Herzig 👁 Published 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...
Verdict: T16 is not as good as the smaller T14
While the smaller ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 is a great small-size business laptop, the bigger Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 leaves us more somber. For a 16-inch laptop, the performance is frankly disappointing and despite the very big battery, the battery life is only good and not great. The T16 just lacks in standout features. The only things that really make is special are the user-replaceable keyboard and the RJ45-Ethernet port. The lack of AMD CPU options is especially frustrating here.
That does not mean that the ThinkPad T16 G3 is a bad office laptop, to the contrary - with its ample security features, numpad and cool chassis, it is a great choice for any businesses who do not have great performance demands. Still, this laptop could be much better with a different processor, as the Intel Core Ultra Series 1 frankly just underdelivers both in terms of performance and efficiency here.
Pros
Cons
Price and Availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 configured as we tested it costs roughly $1,845 over at Lenovo.com. Amazon offers the entry level version with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD for $1,269.
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 85.6%  | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Intel Core Ultra 5 125U ⎘ Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1000 GB SSD | Amazon: $859.00 List Price: 1800 Euro | 2 kg | 23.7 mm | 16.00" 1920x1200 142 PPI IPS LED |
2. 90% v7 (old)  | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE Intel Core i7-1355U ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 1799 Euro | 1.8 kg | 20.5 mm | 16.00" 1920x1200 142 PPI IPS |
3. 85.8% v7 (old)  | HP EliteBook 865 G10 AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 7940HS ⎘ AMD Radeon 780M ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 1504 Euro | 1.9 kg | 19.2 mm | 16.00" 1920x1200 142 PPI IPS |
4. 88.6% v7 (old)  | Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U AMD Ryzen 7 7840U ⎘ AMD Radeon 780M ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | Amazon: $1,029.99 List Price: 1300 USD | 1.2 kg | 13 mm | 16.00" 3200x2000 236 PPI OLED |
5. 85.6% v7 (old)  | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Intel Core i5-1340P ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | List Price: 1699 Euro | 1.6 kg | 12.5 mm | 16.00" 2880x1800 212 PPI AMOLED |
Table of Contents
- Verdict: T16 is not as good as the smaller T14
- Specifications
- Case: Plastic ThinkPad with a side of magnesium
- Connectivity: Lenovo moves the fan exhaust to the back
- Input Devices: Lenovo makes small changes to the ThinkPad keyboard
- Display: Low power screen with 100 % sRGB coverage
- Performance: Meteor Lake U disappoints in the T16
- Emissions: Loud under load, but cool
- Energy Management: ThinkPad does not last as long as hoped
- Notebookcheck Rating
Lenovo's ThinkPad T laptop series has been available in two sizes for many years. The selection used to be made up of one 14-inch and 15-inch models. Since 2022 however, the bigger variant has been switched up to the new 16-inch 16:10 format, with the ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 replacing the ThinkPad T15 Gen 2. With the new Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 that we review today, the new series has now already outlived the T15 line in terms of longevity.
What makes the ThinkPad T16 special compared with smaller models? For starters, it has a roomier screen, and, also, a dedicated numpad. Plus, the bigger chassis allows for a bigger battery. It is the perfect productivity machine for an employee of a big company - at least that is what Lenovo promises. This new T16 Gen 3 version is exclusively powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 1, aka Meteor Lake - unlike with the previous Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 2, there is no AMD option available.
Specifications
Case: Plastic ThinkPad with a side of magnesium
Just like with the smaller Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, Lenovo has totally revamped the design of the ThinkPad T16 G3 in what the manufacturer calls "clean sheet redesign". This means that Lenovo started the design process on a clean sheet of paper instead of building upon the basis of the predecessor.
Of course, though, since this is the ThinkPad line, Lenovo does not deviate too much from the tried and true formula. The ThinkPad T16 still sports an all-black chassis, with a few red accents and a silver Lenovo logo on the lid. Compared with the ThinkPad T16 Gen 2, the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 uses a darker paint and both the hinges and the ThinkPad logos are colored in black, which gives the laptop a more "stealthy" look.
Also, Lenovo introduces the same camera bump on the T16 that most 2024 ThinkPads now carry - a design trait first pioneered by the now discontinued ThinkPad Z series. This design attribute certainly makes the ThinkPad stand out more against the competition in terms of the look. Whether one likes it or dislikes it is a matter of taste.
Not a matter of taste is the quality of the chassis. Overall, this is a very solid construction, with a thick reinforced plastic chassis further strengthened with an internal magnesium frame. Neither the screen nor the base can be twisted easily. Unfortunately, our unit has a problem with the keyboard stability. The right side of the keyboard, around the numpad, produced a creaking noise while typing. This may just be a quirk of our specific unit if it was not properly assembled, but it is disappointing nonetheless.
The black paint used to coat the chassis has a smooth, peach-skin like feeling. Sadly, it suffers from the same affliction as most black laptops: It shows dirt and grease-stains easily. If you want the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 to look nice and tidy, carry a microfiber cloth for frequent wiping.
While it may be controversial in terms of the looks, the camera bump improves usability by serving as a useful handle for opening the screen. The hinges are great, they hold the screen firmly and do not let it wobble. Their maximum opening angle is 180 degrees and the screen can be opened with one hand.
The 16-inch laptops in our comparison all have a similar footprint, but the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 is the thickest one. On the other hand, it weighs almost the same as the thinner HP EliteBook 865 G10. Both business laptops weigh around two kilograms. That is a lot lighter than the business battleships of old, but for the use on the road, other 16-inch laptops are a lot more lightweight - like the Acer Swift Edge, for example.
Connectivity: Lenovo moves the fan exhaust to the back
There are no changes to the selection of ports versus the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 2. Their positioning has only been slightly altered, with the RJ45-Ethernet now on the right instead of the left. The presence of said RJ45 is now a rare thing in laptops, but definitely appreciated here. With the T16 G3, the Ethernet port now has a little flap, which was not present on the T16 G2.
Noticeable is the absence of the fan exhaust, which was placed on the right side with the T16 Gen 2. With this redesign, Lenovo shifted it to the back of the laptop, a design change that right-handed mouse-users will definitely appreciate.
Communication
Apart from the Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet controller, the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 also has an Intel AX211 Wi-Fi adapter. It supports Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6E. In our review, the Wi-Fi module delivered great transfer speeds, as is to be expected from this Wi-Fi module.
5G or 4G-LTE is not present in this ThinkPad laptop, but the Lenovo device is WWAN upgradeable. This means that it is possible to upgrade it with an LTE card. The needed M.2 bay, WWAN antennas and nanoSIM slot are all there. Careful, though: Only 4G card with a Lenovo FRU explicitly made for the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 are compatible. All other 3rd party cards will not work.
Webcam
The webcam of the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 sports a resolution of five megapixels. The picture quality is certainly passable in a well-lit environment, but it quickly degrades when using it in a darker room. While not close to a smartphone quality, the webcam is certainly good enough for the daily use in an office environment.
Security
As always with true enterprise class machines, the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 has many security features. This starts with the physical privacy-shutter for the webcam and continues to the Kensington lock slot, fingerprint reader, Smartcard slot and Infrared camera for facial recognition. Additionally, the system has a dTPM chip, Absolute's CompuTrace and a bottom-tamper detection should someone try to access the internals.
Accessories
Aside from the 100 W USB-C charger, there are no additional accessories included in the box.
Maintenance
There are seven screws in total on the underside of the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3. All of them have to be loosened to remove the bottom cover, which is also held in place by a few clips. The screws can not get lost, since they are captive, which means they remain stuck in the bottom cover.
With the cover removed, users get access to most components of the system, aside from the screen and keyboard. Like with the smaller ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, Lenovo tried to make the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 more repairable than previous models of the T16 series. This includes the reintroduction of full-upgradeable RAM with two SO-DIMM slots, as well as a more easily replaceable internal battery. Also, there still is an open M.2 2242 slot for an 4G-LTE card and the SSD is a replaceable M.2 2280 module. There is still room for improvement, though: The Wi-Fi module is soldered down and the USB-C charging connectors are also soldered.
A standout feature of the ThinkPad T16 series is the user removable keyboard, most mainstream laptop designs now longer offer this. The user just has to loosen the two screws at the bottom of the Lenovo laptop that are marked with a little keyboard-pictogram. Afterward, the keyboard slides right out.
Sustainability
With recent releases, Lenovo has tried to make their laptops more sustainable. Part of that is publishing stats on the production emissions - in case of the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3, there are 163 kg/CO2 equivalent in production and 215 kg/CO2 equivalent in total for the lifecycle of the device. Other efforts include using plastic free, recyclable packaging and recycled materials for the laptop case - 30 percent of the A cover and D cover plastic and 90 percent of the C cover magnesium frame are recycled. Since this is a business laptop, Lenovo publishes a detailed repair manual and video tutorials that show how to repair the machine. Plus, there are software updates and replacement parts available for up to five years.
Warranty
In Germany, where our review unit is from, the Lenovo laptop is sold with a three-year warranty. For the first twelve months, it includes Lenovo's Premier support, including on-site service. The battery also has a limited twelve-month warranty. After the first year, it becomes a standard bring-in service, which means the device has to be serviced in a Lenovo repair center. As this is a business device, the warranty applies internationally as well. Outside of Germany, on-site Premier support is not included.
Input Devices: Lenovo makes small changes to the ThinkPad keyboard
Keyboard
While Lenovo touched up most aspects of the ThinkPad T16 design, the keyboard remained largely the same. The changes that did happen are concentrated on the layout, like the introduction of the Copilot key, which means that the PrtScr key is moved to the F9 key. In addition, Lenovo switched the position of the FN and left Ctrl key, putting the Ctrl key on the outside as it is on most laptop keyboards. For long-time ThinkPad users who are used to the FN key being the leftmost, Lenovo still offers the option to switch the keys around. Last but not least, Lenovo has introduced new haptic markers on important keys like FN, Enter and the volume buttons. This was introduced to make the keyboard more usable for visually impaired users.
Unchanged remains the key travel of 1.5 mm, the keycap design, which sports rounded, slightly concave keycaps on the alphanumeric keys, and the white backlight with two levels of brightness. Overall, it is a very pleasant keyboard to type on, with a good balance between feeling firm yet also buttery smooth. With the numpad on the right side, this device is ideal for users who work with numbers a lot, like accountants.
Touchpad & TrackPoint
Unlike with the slightly changed up keyboard, the touchpad and TrackPoint arrangement of the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 is actually identical to the ThinkPad T16 Gen 2.
Lenovo uses a touchpad that measured 11.5 x 6.7 cm. Its surface material is "glass like" Mylar plastic - it is smooth and actually feels kinda close to glass, but it does get dirty easily. The touchpad is a mechanical clickpad, which means the lower part can be depressed to produce either a left or right click. This clickpad does not wobble, and it produces a relatively loud but firm click. Overall, this is a good touchpad, though the plastic surface is not as premium as glass and the size is limited due to the presence of the dedicated mouse buttons for the TrackPoint.
As always, the precise TrackPoint remains an excellent alternative to the touchpad. It is better than the touchpad in cramped environments, with gloves on, and it allows users to keep their hands on the keyboard, instead of moving them to the touchpad. The pointing-stick works by exerting pressure on it, you sort of "push" the mouse around. Essential for using the TrackPoint are the three mouse buttons above the touchpad. The middle button turns into a scroll-wheel when held down.
Display: Low power screen with 100 % sRGB coverage
A typical trademark of business laptops is to have multiple screen options. The Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 does as well. All five screen options share their aspect ratio (16:10) and screen size (16-inch):
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 300 cd/m², 45 % NTSC, matte
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 300 cd/m², 45 % NTSC, matte, on-cell touch
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 400 cd/m², 100 % sRGB, matte, low power
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 500 cd/m², 100 % sRGB NTSC, matte, on-cell touch, Privacy Guard
- WQUXGA (3,840 x 2,400), OLED, 400 cd/m², 100 % DCI-P3, semi-matte/semi-glossy, HDR
We are testing the variant that will probably most common for end-users, as the low power screen strikes a good balance between quality and a lower price - plus, it is more power efficient than the OLED screen.
According to our measurements, the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 manages to push beyond the 400 cd/m² goal, achieving an average of 433 cd/m². Among the other 16-inch laptops in our comparison table, this is the second-brightest screen - the HP EliteBook 865 G10 almost doubles up the brightness, though only with the SureView option, which creates issues for the viewing angle stability of the picture.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 468 cd/m²
Contrast: 2035:1 (Black: 0.23 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.83, calibrated: 1.8
ΔE Greyscale 4.5 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
79.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
79% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.1
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE B160UAN01.K, IPS LED, 1920x1200, 16", 60 Hz | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE Lenovo MNG007JA1-2, IPS, 1920x1200, 16", 60 Hz | HP EliteBook 865 G10 InfoVision IVO3E94 (X160NV42 R0), IPS, 1920x1200, 16", 60 Hz | Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U Samsung ATNA60BX03-0, OLED, 3200x2000, 16", 120 Hz | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Samsung ATNA60CL03-0, AMOLED, 2880x1800, 16", 120 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -10% | -5% | 17% | 16% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 79 | 67 -15% | 72.8 -8% | 99.9 26% | 99.7 26% |
| sRGB Coverage | 99.9 | 96.9 -3% | 99.9 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 79.8 | 69.3 -13% | 75 -6% | 100 25% | 97 22% |
| Response Times | 10% | -31% | 97% | 93% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 33.6 ? | 32 ? 5% | 48 ? -43% | 0.57 ? 98% | 2 ? 94% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 23.3 ? | 20 ? 14% | 27.6 ? -18% | 1 ? 96% | 2 ? 91% |
| PWM Frequency | 550 | 238.8 | |||
| Screen | 17% | -7% | 12% | 155% | |
| Brightness middle | 468 | 446 -5% | 865 85% | 379.8 -19% | 412 -12% |
| Brightness | 434 | 414 -5% | 724 67% | 383 -12% | 412 -5% |
| Brightness Distribution | 90 | 86 -4% | 47 -48% | 98 9% | 98 9% |
| Black Level * | 0.23 | 0.32 -39% | 0.34 -48% | 0.015 93% | |
| Contrast | 2035 | 1394 -31% | 2544 25% | 27467 1250% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.4 | 1.5 56% | 4.86 -43% | 4.7 -38% | 2.34 31% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.2 | 2.2 69% | 11.58 -61% | 7.51 -4% | 3.34 54% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.8 | 1 44% | 1.05 42% | 0.55 69% | 2.95 -64% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.5 | 1.6 64% | 8 -78% | 0.8 82% | 2.78 38% |
| Gamma | 2.1 105% | 2.24 98% | 2.66 83% | 2.22 99% | 2.5 88% |
| CCT | 6373 102% | 6482 100% | 6636 98% | 6381 102% | 6879 94% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 6% /
10% | -14% /
-10% | 42% /
28% | 88% /
116% |
* ... smaller is better
Calibrating the screen with the X-Rite i1Pro 3 and the X-Rite i1Profiler improved the color accuracy markedly: The Calman Colorchecker deltaE fell from 3.4 to 1.8 after calibration, which means the colors became significantly more accurate. The profile we created is available to download for free in the gray box above, as always.
As promised by Lenovo, the screen covers the small sRGB color gamut. We measured 99.99 percent coverage. The screen of the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 is usable for basic photo editing.
Outside the office, the screen brightness is good enough to make the displayed content visible against harsh outdoor light. In this case, the matte surface also helps by avoiding unnecessary reflections.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 23.3 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 10.3 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. » 51 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 33.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14.9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 18.7 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. » 43 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (32.1 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 8356 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance: Meteor Lake U disappoints in the T16
Just like with the screens, there are plenty of options when it comes to the CPUs - although this year, the T16 G3 skips the AMD chips and exclusively runs on Intel's Meteor Lake series. A total of eight different chips are on offer, four U series CPUs (Core Ultra 5 125U, Ultra 5 135U, Ultra 7 155U, Ultra 7 165U) and four H series processors (Core Ultra 5 125H, Ultra 5 135H, Ultra 7 155H, Ultra 7 165H). Dedicated GPUs are no longer offered in the T series, so all units rely either on the Intel Graphics, Intel ARC with 7 cores or Intel ARC with 8 cores, depending on the chosen GPU.
Instead of soldered RAM, the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 has two SO-DIMM RAM slots, which enables a total of 64 GB of RAM (2x 32 GB), though 96 GB (2x 48 GB) might also work. Lenovo uses DDR5-5600 memory. When it comes to storage, the ThinkPad has only a single M.2-2280 bay for one NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. The maximum capacity ex factory is 2 TB.
Testing Conditions
The performance of the Lenovo laptop is managed via the Windows settings, which has three different power profiles available - the power limit 1 is the power consumption of the CPU under sustained load, while the power limit 2 is the maximum consumption for short bursts:
- Best battery life: PL1 10 W / PL2 42 W
- Balanced: PL1 13.5 W / PL2 42 W
- Best performance: PL2 21 W / PL2 42 W
Note that for the "Best battery life" mode, the CPU gets locked to 10 W, while the other two modes allow the processor to ramp back from 13.5 W / 21 W up once the ThinkPad has cooled down again.
Processor
The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U is the entry level option of Intel's Core Ultra Series 1 code-named "Meteor Lake". This processor has a total of 12 cores: two big P cores (1.3 to 4.3 GHz), eight E cores (0.8 to 3.6 GHz) and two Low Power E cores (0.7 to 2.1 GHz). With hyperthreading, the total thread count is 14. More CPU comparisons are accessible via our CPU benchmark list.
Meteor Lake certainly improves the sustained multithreaded performance compared with older Raptor Lake chips, but the single-core speed lags behind the earlier chips. Also, the Intel Core Ultra Series 1 can not keep with AMD's now already last-gen Ryzen 7000 CPUs. Overall, if CPU performance is a priority, the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 certainly is not a great choice, though the optional H CPUs may offer some level of improvement.
We detected no throttling when running on battery power.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (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 6.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| CPU Performance Rating | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 -2! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office (1577 - 20399, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (6650 - 10483, n=8) | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Average of class Office (618 - 2098, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (1534 - 1587, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office (590 - 8086, n=81, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (2558 - 4033, n=8) | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (229 - 807, n=81, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (592 - 609, n=8) | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (246 - 3132, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (1117 - 1680, n=8) | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average of class Office (98 - 315, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (222 - 230, n=8) | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average of class Office (163 - 1956, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (328 - 485, n=9) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office (7532 - 76886, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (28563 - 41152, n=8) | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average of class Office (2972 - 6497, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (4489 - 4659, n=8) | |
| Geekbench 6.4 / Multi-Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (8384 - 9601, n=8) | |
| Average of class Office (662 - 14990, n=90, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Geekbench 6.4 / Single-Core | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Average of class Office (457 - 2925, n=89, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (2129 - 2177, n=8) | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (7417 - 8581, n=8) | |
| Average of class Office (1018 - 14192, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (510 - 2121, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (1531 - 1607, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office (1.72 - 22.4, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (7.26 - 12, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Average of class Office (41.1 - 129.6, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (45.5 - 58.5, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (0.526 - 0.558, n=8) | |
| Average of class Office (0.4098 - 1.135, n=81, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
* ... 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 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (763 - 31245, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (5784 - 9282, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (4113 - 125394, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (29578 - 47366, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (287 - 5398, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (1565 - 2669, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (8185 - 115197, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (44976 - 47868, n=8) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (404 - 18321, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (4390 - 5507, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (2075 - 66922, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (14563 - 24922, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (7254 - 155900, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (33640 - 48114, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (457 - 779, n=8) | |
| Average of class Office (78 - 1366, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (432 - 17834, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (2904 - 4846, n=8) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (24082 - 47875, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21K70035GE | |
| Average of class Office (4814 - 55359, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
System Performance
While the total CPU performance is not great, the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 still performs well in everyday tasks and the corresponding benchmarks. This is not a device that feels slow.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (2463 - 7683, n=74, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (5639 - 6052, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (9582 - 10827, n=8) | |
| Average of class Office (5575 - 20841, n=74, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (3041 - 10415, n=74, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (7548 - 8306, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (2049 - 11501, n=74, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (6367 - 7087, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (348 - 1923, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (1363 - 1648, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (393 - 1870, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (1310 - 1416, n=8) | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average of class Office (340 - 2169, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (1433 - 1550, n=8) | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (258 - 2017, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (1066 - 1378, n=8) | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average of class Office (121 - 455, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (237 - 253, n=8) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Average of class Office (80 - 328, n=79, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (224 - 231, n=8) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Average of class Office (391 - 1966, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (579 - 594, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 5845 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (35467 - 82786, n=8) | |
| Average of class Office (7158 - 108783, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Office (7325 - 127282, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (38849 - 63159, n=8) | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office (7579 - 117935, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (36830 - 63484, n=8) | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (125.5 - 153.2, n=8) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Average of class Office (7.6 - 185.2, n=81, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
While the overall system interruptions are not too grave, the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 still has a problem with passing the LatencyMon test. This may be due to the network drivers, as the tool's driver page suggests.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Lenovo uses a United Memory SSD with a capacity of 1 TB. The upgradeable M.2 2280 SSD is fast, which is not a surprise, considering it is a fast NVMe PCIe 4.0 drive.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Featuring the weakest version of the Intel ARC series, the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 uses the Intel Graphics with 4 Xe cores. The GPU is an improvement over the older Iris Xe models, but a small one. The total performance still lags behind the current AMD solutions, but it is certainly good enough for a business laptop. Simple and older games can also be played with the ThinkPad laptop once the workday is finished, though only with a lower graphics setting.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 7344 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4981 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 2233 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U -2! | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE -3! | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE -1! | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 -2! | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 -3! | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (FSR off) | |
| Average of class Office (6.65 - 29.6, n=45, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
| Average of class Office (7.96 - 31.6, n=36, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (3.98 - 47.8, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (4.18 - 36.5, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Average of class Office (12.8 - 61.7, n=60, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE | |
| Average of class Office (13.4 - 121.2, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 865 G10 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 142.9 | 110.4 | 22.1 | 8.82 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 92.5 | 52.4 | 61.6 | 56 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 36.2 | 24.3 | 17.4 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 37.8 | 28.4 | 24.1 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 21.7 | 16.8 | 14.7 | 14.2 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 20.2 | 16.5 | 13.7 | 12.2 |
| F1 24 (2024) | 40.6 | 36.8 | 26.9 | 7.33 |
Emissions: Loud under load, but cool
System Noise
While the fan stays turned off during normal everyday use, once it starts up, it gets louder than every other 16-inch laptop in the comparison. 34 dB(a) in the medium load test (profile: Balanced) is not too bad, but 46 dB(a) under maximum load (profile: Best performance) will certainly be noticeable. We do not want to be overdramatic, though: Overall, this laptop is not a disturbing device. Since the performance is not good enough for extremely demanding tasks, users will probably seldom have the opportunity to hear the fan under max load settings.
We did not detect any coil whine with this Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G3.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 24.7 / 24.7 / 24.7 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 34 / 46.2 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24.7 dB(A) | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Graphics 4-Core, Ultra 5 125U, Lenovo UMIS RPETJ1T24MHP2QDQ | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1355U, Lenovo UMIS AM6A0 RPETJ512MKP1QDQ | HP EliteBook 865 G10 Radeon 780M, R9 PRO 7940HS, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N | Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U Radeon 780M, R7 7840U, SK hynix HFS512GEJ9X125N | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1340P, WD PC SN740 256GB SDDPNQD-256G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 6% | 10% | -2% | -10% | |
| off / environment * | 24.7 | 24 3% | 23 7% | 23.4 5% | 25.2 -2% |
| Idle Minimum * | 24.7 | 24 3% | 23 7% | 24.1 2% | 25.2 -2% |
| Idle Average * | 24.7 | 24 3% | 23 7% | 24.3 2% | 25.2 -2% |
| Idle Maximum * | 24.7 | 26.8 -9% | 23 7% | 28 -13% | 29.3 -19% |
| Load Average * | 34 | 26.8 21% | 29.17 14% | 41 -21% | 46.4 -36% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 45.9 | ||||
| Load Maximum * | 46.2 | 38.6 16% | 39.46 15% | 40.9 11% | 46.4 -0% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 38.9 | 38.91 | 40.9 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
While the fan can get loud under max load, the device stays cool in return. The maximum temperature we measure is 43.7 degrees Celsius or 111 F, and that only in one hotspot at the bottom. The palmrest stays completely cool.
During the stress test with combined GPU and CPU load, we did detect some throttling, as the CPU would drop to 6 W. However, this is not a problem that will ever be noticeable during normal usage.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.1 °C / 99 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 43.7 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 21.9 °C / 71 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 26.7 °C / 80 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the class Office.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 23.7 °C / 74.7 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 (+3.9 °C / 7 F).
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | HP EliteBook 865 G10 AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 7940HS, AMD Radeon 780M | Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, AMD Radeon 780M | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Intel Core i5-1340P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -7% | -22% | -15% | -17% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 37.1 | 40.5 -9% | 45 -21% | 41.6 -12% | 41.6 -12% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 43.7 | 42.7 2% | 50 -14% | 46.6 -7% | 45 -3% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 24.9 | 28.2 -13% | 30 -20% | 30.4 -22% | 31 -24% |
| Idle Bottom * | 26 | 28 -8% | 34 -31% | 31 -19% | 33.6 -29% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
While Lenovo shifted the speakers to the bottom, their quality is certainly passable for an office laptop. Compared with the HP EliteBook 865 G10, the ThinkPad T16 G3 has louder speakers.
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 0.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (14.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 8% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 88% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 16% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
HP EliteBook 865 G10 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74.09 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 20% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 28% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 65% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Energy Management: ThinkPad does not last as long as hoped
Power Consumption
The idle power consumption is almost the same as the older ThinkPad T16 Gen 2 Intel. Compared with the HP EliteBook 865 G10, the idle power consumption is lower.
At max, the Lenovo ThinkPad laptop consumes roughly 86 W, which is well below the maximum capacity of the 100 W charger.
| Off / Standby | 0.5 / 0.8 Watt |
| Idle | 3.1 / 6.4 / 7.9 Watt |
| Load |
44 / 86.5 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Ultra 5 125U, Graphics 4-Core, Lenovo UMIS RPETJ1T24MHP2QDQ, IPS LED, 1920x1200, 16" | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Lenovo UMIS AM6A0 RPETJ512MKP1QDQ, IPS, 1920x1200, 16" | HP EliteBook 865 G10 R9 PRO 7940HS, Radeon 780M, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N, IPS, 1920x1200, 16" | Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U R7 7840U, Radeon 780M, SK hynix HFS512GEJ9X125N, OLED, 3200x2000, 16" | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 i5-1340P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, WD PC SN740 256GB SDDPNQD-256G, AMOLED, 2880x1800, 16" | Average Intel Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 14% | -62% | -57% | -0% | 1% | -10% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 3.1 | 3.1 -0% | 5.2 -68% | 7.1 -129% | 3.9 -26% | 3.72 ? -20% | 4.61 ? -49% |
| Idle Average * | 6.4 | 6.4 -0% | 12.8 -100% | 10.1 -58% | 4.8 25% | 6.72 ? -5% | 7.56 ? -18% |
| Idle Maximum * | 7.9 | 6.8 14% | 14.1 -78% | 18.6 -135% | 10 -27% | 8.17 ? -3% | 9.05 ? -15% |
| Load Average * | 44 | 29.3 33% | 65 -48% | 45.3 -3% | 44 -0% | 40.3 ? 8% | 42.3 ? 4% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * | 36.7 | ||||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 40.6 | ||||||
| Load Maximum * | 86.5 | 64.6 25% | 101.44 -17% | 52.9 39% | 63 27% | 65.1 ? 25% | 61.9 ? 28% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 41.5 | 68.2 | 39.5 | 42.3 |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
Power Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
Considering the big battery that Lenovo packs into the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3, we are a bit disappointed by the battery life. 13 hours in our Wi-Fi test (150 cd/m² screen brightness) is certainly not bad, but also not great for a laptop with a low voltage CPU, low power screen and big battery. Despite a slightly smaller battery, the ThinkPad is beaten in this regard by HP's EliteBook 865 G10.
| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE Ultra 5 125U, Graphics 4-Core, 86 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 21HH003AGE i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 52.5 Wh | HP EliteBook 865 G10 R9 PRO 7940HS, Radeon 780M, 76 Wh | Acer Swift Edge SFE16 Ryzen 7 7840U R7 7840U, Radeon 780M, 54 Wh | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 i5-1340P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 76 Wh | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 5% | -9% | -59% | -14% | -13% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 820 | 690 -16% | 924 13% | 336 -59% | 613 -25% | 665 ? -19% |
| Load | 122 | 154 26% | 86 -30% | 119 -2% | 113.1 ? -7% |
Notebookcheck Rating
The Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 delivers many useful features for business customers, being repairable and very customizable as well. Sadly, it disappoints when it comes to efficiency and performance. In the 16-inch class, we feel like the performance should be better, as this is a big laptop that could support a bigger cooling system.
Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 21MN005XGE
- 11/22/2024 v8
Benjamin Herzig
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The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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