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MagyarThe Best Mobile Workstation Laptops
A wide range of extended support options, system-specific accessories, long-lasting availability of spare parts, and extended warranty options are staples in this category. In addition, these notebooks often come with ports that have been all but eradicated on other devices but are still fairly common in businesses worldwide. Product cycles tend to be very long, and a case can easily remain current for three or more years. Prices more often than not start significantly above $1,000 and can quickly rise to seeming exorbitant levels.
The main driving cost factors, in addition to above-mentioned characteristics, are the professional-level GPUs often found in these devices. Unlike the more common consumer-level GPUs they have special capabilities and are optimized for stability, compatibility, and reliability when used with certified software. And while this may not be relevant for home users businesses tend to have very different priorities, and these GPUs can make or break a purchase decision. Please consider the following lists as well:
- The Best Business Notebooks (premium office laptops)
- The Best Budget Office Notebooks (affordable office laptops for less than 800 Euros)
- The Best Subnotebooks (small and mobile laptops, less than 14-inch)
The Best Mobile Workstation Notebooks
The table above contains an overview over the best portable workstation laptops reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editor's Comments
Performance is an important aspect when evaluating a mobile workstation. The mobile workstations in ultrabook format, which are more oriented towards mobility, are usually not bad notebooks, but they rarely belong to the top devices due to the significantly lower computing and graphics performance.
1st – Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G6
The X1 Extreme no longer exists, but the ThinkPad P1 does: Lenovo has decided to focus fully on the workstation offshoot. The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G6 is the latest model with Raptor Lake. It is an excellently balanced mobile workstation that combines very high performance, extremely good input devices and a good battery life with a relatively low weight. The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 hardly has any real weaknesses.
The ThinkPad P1 G6 is a very good mobile workstation, whereby the focus here is more on mobility than pure performance. The new Ada GPUs from Nvidia offer plenty of performance and the optional IPS display with 500 nits and a frequency of 165 Hz is definitely a recommendation if you don't need an extended color space.
Wide selection of configurations of ThinkPad P1 G6 are available from Lenovo, starting from around $2,740. Alternatively, our review configuration can be purchased from Amazon.
Pricecompare
2nd – HP ZBook Fury 16 G9
HP's ZBook lineup has split into several sub-series in recent years. The ZBook Fury series are the classic mobile workstations with thick chassis, lots of features and even more power. The HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 is powered by Alder-Lake-HX. It has a redesigned aluminum chassis for the 16-inch format that is very sturdy yet lightweight. With four SO-DIMM slots and four M.2 SSDs, it is extremely upgradeable. It also includes a color-rich 4K UHD display that covers the P3 color space, and it has excellent input devices. Ironically, performance is a bit of a weak point, because while it is very strong in absolute terms, it is worse than the competition in relative terms.
The HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 is significantly lighter and offers more features than most other 16-inch workstations. However, the performance lags a bit behind due to limited power consumption and insufficient cooling.
Amazon US offers some variants of ZBook Fury 16 G9, prices depending on particular configuration.
Pricecompare
3rd – Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1
Lenovo had a lot planned for the ThinkPad P16 G1: After all, Lenovo's first full-fat 16-inch workstation was supposed to replace both the ThinkPad P15 and the ThinkPad P17. At the same time, it is the first model with the HX55 CPU series, which requires stronger cooling.
The project has succeeded, Lenovo has created a very good mobile workstation. The model we tested with Nvidia RTX A5500 and Intel Core i9-12950HX is the most powerful mobile workstation we could test up to the time of the review. This leads to a surprising problem: The 240-watt power supply is not sufficient to charge the ThinkPad behemoth under permanent load. Besides that, the missing RJ45 port and the rather slow SD card reader are points of criticism. On the plus side, besides the extremely high performance, there is a very maintainable, modular design as well as a surprisingly restrained active cooling when the device is not running at full steam.
The ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 maximizes performance even though this means higher power consumption and core temperatures. However, the 230 W power supply might be too conservative considering the very demanding processors of our top-end configuration.
Some variants of ThinkPad P16 G1 are available through the usual retail channels, such as Best Buy and Amazon. For more configurable options, users can purchase directly from Lenovo's online store.
Pricecompare
4th – HP ZBook Studio 16 G9
From 16:9 and soldered RAM to 16:10 and expandable RAM - the HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 is a clear upgrade compared to its predecessor, the ZBook Studio 15 G8. With the longer aspect ratio, the HP workstation looks much more contemporary. However, the new design is only one of the strengths of this high-quality premium workstation, which also offers a comparatively slim aluminum case, great input devices, a very good-quality Dreamcolor display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as very good performance and modern equipment. One notable weak point: The outmoded 720p webcam, and the battery life is also very weak.
The HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 is a high-quality and also powerful mobile workstation that is still quite mobile despite the 16-inch form factor.
Customers from the US can purchase the device directly from HP's online store or Amazon as well.
Pricecompare
5th – Asus ExpertBook B6 Flip
Asus is not necessarily a manufacturer associated with the workstation class. However, if more laptops like the Asus ExpertBook B6 Flip appear, that might change in the future.
After all, it passes the most important hurdles for a workstation with flying colors in our test: The ExpertBook offers high performance, is not too loud at the same time, and it proves to be very maintainable and upgradeable. In addition to that, there are the convertible features that are almost never seen in workstations of this format. However, the Asus laptop is admittedly not free of criticism. The missing pen silo is to be criticized, and there is also no SD card slot.
As a 2-in-1 workstation, this laptop is unique. The Asus ExperBook B6 Flip is probably one of the most powerful convertibles.
At the time of writing, the device is not yet available in North America.
Pricecompare
7th – Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G3 AMD
The Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G3 is the third generation of Lenovo's "budget" workstation lineup. It competes directly with the Dell Precision 3571 and the HP ZBook Power 15 G9. The special feature of this model: It is the first ThinkPad workstation with an H45 CPU from AMD.
Admittedly, the status as a budget workstation comes with some restrictions, such as the small battery. Thanks to the efficient AMD processors, the ThinkPad P15v G3 AMD achieves good runtimes despite this and the bright 4K UHD monitor, and it also runs comparatively quiet and cool. One weak point: The Nvidia RTX A2000 is installed here in the slowest variant. In return, the ThinkPad P15v G3 has a very good keyboard. Overall, it is just enough for the grade "Very Good".
Amazon US offer a variant in the reviewed configuration for US$2,315. Alterative, users can order ThinkPad P15v G3 via Lenovo's online store.
Pricecompare
8th – HP ZBook Power 15 G9
HP markets its cheaper workstation models under the "ZBook Power" brand. The HP ZBook Power 15 G9 is the latest addition to this lineup. It offers various advantages that are good for a mobile workstation, such as the great 4K UHD display, the good upgradeability, long battery life and the good input devices. The system performance of the ZBook is good, but it could be even better with a stronger cooling system. It is also a pity that HP has omitted the SD card reader, and the speakers are poor.
The ZBook Power 15 G9 cannot achieve top rates especially in performance development, but the CPU performance has stabilized for the most part thanks to BIOS updates. The low-power 4K display offers good image quality after calibration and enables long battery runtimes.
The ZBook Power 15 G9 is available through HP’s own web shop as well as usual retail outlets, such as Amazon US.
Pricecompare
The Best Mobile Workstation Laptops in Comparison
Test Results
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G6-21FV000DGE | HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | Asus ExpertBook B6 Flip B6602FC2 | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G3 21EM001AGE | HP ZBook Power 15 G9 6B8C4EA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | ||||||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 68.1 | 97.4 | 82.9 | 97.5 | 97.9 | 99.9 | 89.9 | 69.1 |
| sRGB Coverage | 97.5 | 99.9 | 98.9 | 99.9 | 99.89 | 100 | 100 | 97.7 |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 70.2 | 86.3 | 95.9 | 86.3 | 85.52 | 98.1 | 99.9 | 69.6 |
| Response Times | ||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 13.7 ? | 13.7 ? | 45.6 ? | 15.3 ? | 36 ? | 1.84 ? | 46.7 ? | 45.8 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 9.6 ? | 8.6 ? | 36.8 ? | 6.1 ? | 17 ? | 1.92 ? | 27.3 ? | 28.6 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 59.52 ? | |||||||
| Screen | ||||||||
| Brightness middle | 521 | 530.5 | 601.9 | 554 | 440 | 325.2 | 588 | 392 |
| Brightness | 484 | 476 | 569 | 516 | 418 | 328 | 536 | 388 |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 83 | 77 | 84 | 82 | 97 | 83 | 88 |
| Black Level * | 0.36 | 0.57 | 0.47 | 0.47 | 0.3 | 0.38 | 0.15 | |
| Contrast | 1447 | 931 | 1281 | 1179 | 1467 | 1547 | 2613 | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.2 | 2.26 | 2.45 | 1 | 2.81 | 4.59 | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 2.5 | 4.46 | 2.4 | 4.62 | 7.65 | 8.8 | 7 | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1 | 4.73 | 0.6 | 2.99 | 1 | 1.2 | ||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.4 | 1 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.91 | 2.5 | 7.1 | 4.9 |
| Gamma | 2.25 98% | 2.28 96% | 2.3 96% | 2.29 96% | 2.2 100% | 2.1 105% | 2.12 104% | 2.13 103% |
| CCT | 6682 97% | 6543 99% | 6805 96% | 6458 101% | 6600 98% | 6541 99% | 7268 89% | 5982 109% |
| Noise | ||||||||
| off / environment * | 24.5 | 22.6 | 23.1 | 24 | 26 | 23.9 | 23.2 | 23.8 |
| Idle Minimum * | 24.5 | 22.7 | 23.1 | 24 | 32.4 | 24 | 23.2 | 23.8 |
| Idle Average * | 24.5 | 22.7 | 23.1 | 27.7 | 32.4 | 24 | 23.2 | 23.8 |
| Idle Maximum * | 24.5 | 28.8 | 23.1 | 27.7 | 32.4 | 38 | 23.2 | 23.8 |
| Load Average * | 48 | 36.2 | 28.9 | 39.8 | 51.9 | 46.3 | 35 | 42.9 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 40.7 | 49.5 | 51.6 | 44.3 | 41.9 | 37.9 | 44.5 | |
| Load Maximum * | 48 | 49.3 | 51.4 | 47.7 | 52.1 | 47.9 | 37.5 | 47.9 |
| Heat | ||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 47.1 | 43.2 | 44.8 | 38.7 | 48.4 | 53 | 48.7 | 40.3 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 56.5 | 50.4 | 49.8 | 53.4 | 52.3 | 43.2 | 50.5 | 48.3 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 28.1 | 28.6 | 30.6 | 27.3 | 27.8 | 36.8 | 25 | 23.7 |
| Idle Bottom * | 27.6 | 28.2 | 38.6 | 31.6 | 30.3 | 33.8 | 25.4 | 23.8 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 567 | 360 | 350 | 377 | 524 | 280 | 416 | 599 |
| Load | 67 | 71 | 63 | 104 | 110 | |||
| Reader / Idle | 319 | 752 | ||||||
| Power Consumption | ||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 8.3 | 19.5 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 10.5 | 16.4 | 6.3 | 3.9 |
| Idle Average * | 14.5 | 29 | 20.1 | 18.1 | 11.9 | 35.9 | 13.9 | 7.2 |
| Idle Maximum * | 15.3 | 40.7 | 40 | 18.5 | 18 | 47 | 14.5 | 8.5 |
| Load Average * | 91.8 | 142.1 | 137 | 112.8 | 182 | 147.1 | 82.8 | 87.2 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 104.7 | 188.6 | 208 | 106.7 | 177.5 | 158.8 | 88.8 | 86.8 |
| Load Maximum * | 164.5 | 224.4 | 285.9 | 186 | 229 | 311 | 124.8 | 139 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
| SPECviewperf 12 | |
| 1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Medical (medical-01) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Maya (maya-04) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Energy (energy-01) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Creo (creo-01) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| 1900x1060 Catia (catia-04) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | |
| LuxMark v2.0 64Bit | |
| Sala GPUs-only | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G6-21FV000DGE | |
| Room GPUs-only | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G6-21FV000DGE | |
