Unequal treatment: How Lenovo makes the AMD variant of the ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 worse

When a manufacturer releases a laptop model with both Intel and AMD CPUs, it usually uses the same components for both variants. This is logical, as doing so saves money. Developing specialized parts is expensive.

Curiously, Lenovo uses a different strategy with the ThinkPad P14s Gen 5. The compact mobile workstation is available both with the AMD Ryzen 8000HS and Core Ultra 100H CPUs, but the two variants are completely different. While the ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 Intel (available from Amazon) has a 14.5-inch screen, a 75 Wh battery and a cooling system with two fans, the ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 AMD uses a smaller 14-inch display, a 52.5 Wh battery and a single-fan cooling system.

The reason: Lenovo uses the design of the office model ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 for the AMD version, while the Intel model has its own specially made chassis.

In our comprehensive review of the ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 AMD, we discovered that the AMD version of the P14s G5 is not a great choice: The battery is too small, so the OLED screens sips the battery dry quickly. Also, the performance advantage over the more power efficient T14 Gen 5 AMD is small.

This did not have to be the case: If Lenovo uses the P14s Gen 5 Intel as the base for the AMD version, this model would be a much better choice. As it stands, buyers should rather buy the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, if a lower weight and more power efficient laptop are needed - or the ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 Intel, if more performance is needed. The P14s Gen 5 AMD looks a bit lost between these two models.