Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Review: An Efficient All-purpose Laptop

Are you in search of an all-purpose Lenovo laptop? If yes, here is a detailed Lenovo ThinkBook 15 review to guide you.

By Mary Agada James | Updated February 22, 2023 | 15 minutes read

The aim of this review is to offer you a comprehensive description of the Lenovo ThinkBook 15’s design, dimensions, and weight. In addition to that, the CPU, RAM, storage, GPU, and battery performance of the laptop will also be discussed in detail.

Furthermore, I will be comparing the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 with some of its close competitors in various sections of this review. Also, I will be rating the laptop on a scale of one to ten in each section of this review.

This rating will be based on the laptop’s features, performance, and my personal viewpoint. Therefore, to be able to make an informed purchase decision, I urge you to read this review to the end.

My Initial Thoughts

Over the years, Lenovo has evolved greatly in the tech world. With the caliber of laptops they produce, they have become quite popular among tech lovers.

Therefore, in 2021, Lenovo announced the release of the ThinkBook 15. The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 is an efficient laptop that comes with a 4K display, dedicated GPU VRAM, and overall excellent performance.

However, a laptop this good doesn’t come cheap. Speaking of which, as of the time I published this article in February 2022, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 had a starting price of $999.98

Having mentioned a few things about this laptop, let us dive into more details in the other sections below.

Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Design, Dimension and Weight Review

In terms of design, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 is a complete blend of luxury and style. Basically, the elegance this laptop offers is something you hardly see on similarly priced laptops.

To give more details, the mix of silver and mineral-grey color on the laptop’s lid is a complete definition of uniqueness. Just like mist beautifully laced on a mountain top at dawn, this laptop gives off a calm yet beautiful look.

Moreover, the laptop’s chassis is made from high-quality silver aluminum, which gives off a bold and solid look. Nevertheless, this laptop still features a few plastic materials.

To be more specific, the laptop’s hinges, as well as display bezels are made of plastic. Moreover, despite their plastic build, the hinges are very sturdy and allow the lid to be opened up to 180 degrees.

Also, due to the sturdiness of the hinges, the lid wobbles only a bit when pushed. Besides, Lenovo had its name printed boldly on the mid-right corner of this laptop’s lid.

When you open the lid, you will notice the Lenovo ThinkBook 15’s 15.6-inch display screen. Interestingly, this display comes with multiple screen resolution options.

To be more specific, you can either acquire the display with FHD (1920 x 1080) or 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution. However, this review is based on the ThinkBook 15’s 15.6-inch display with 4K UHD resolution.

Due to the 4K UHD resolution, this laptop’s display will be able to deliver crisp, colorful, and realistic content. Moreover, a 4K UHD resolution display is somewhat better than an FHD resolution display.

Basically, it isn’t that an FHD resolution display isn’t good, it is not just as good as a 4K UHD resolution display. Therefore, if you are particular about picture quality, I recommend you purchase the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 with a 15.6-inch 4K UHD display.

Apart from its 4K UHD or FHD resolution, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15’s display is made with an IPS panel. Therefore, the laptop’s display offers wide viewing angles.

In addition to its IPS panel, this display features an anti-glare coating. This anti-glare coating reduces reflection from the display.

Thus, you should be able to use the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 outdoor or in a moderately-lit area without the fear of reflection.

Impressively, the ThinkBook 15’s display is surrounded by extremely thin bezels. Therefore, you can focus more on the laptop’s stunning 15.6-inch display rather than being obstructed by thick bezels.

Interestingly, despite being so thin, Lenovo still manages to fix an HD webcam at the top bezel. This HD webcam is just about the only thing you will find anywhere on the bezels.

Besides, this webcam is quite adequate for regular skyping and casual video conference calls. However, the webcam isn’t the best choice when it comes to taking pictures.

Moving on to the keyboard, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 features a chiclet-type keyboard. Although this keyboard has well-shaped keys, it has a very short key travel.

For clarity, key travel simply means the distance between a key at rest to full depression. Moreover, due to the keyboard’s short key travel, typing might not be particularly pleasant on the ThinkBook 15.

On a positive note, the laptop’s keyboard is backlit. Therefore, you will be able to type in dark or dimly-lit environments with ease.

Below the keyboard, you will find a sizeable touchpad situated a little bit to the left. Performance-wise, this touchpad is responsive and features two integrated click buttons that work well.

Moving on to the sides, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 features quite a number of ports. On the left side, you will find a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet Port.

The right side, however, houses an SD card reader, another USB Type-A port, and a Kensington lock.

Measuring 359 x 249.5 x 19.9 mm (W x D x H) and weighing 1900 g, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 is far from lightweight. In fact, this laptop weighs more than most of its competitors.

For example, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 measures 361.8 x 245.7 x 18.4 mm and weighs 1700 g. Another example is the Schenker Vision 15 which measures 355 x 230 x 15 mm and weighs 1680 g.

In conclusion, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 features an elegant and solid design. Moreover, this laptop comes with slim bezels as well as multiple screen resolution options.

However, the laptop weighs more than most of its competitors. Therefore, I will rate the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 an eight out of ten in this design review section.

Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Processor (CPU) Performance Review

For processing power, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 employs the 10th generation Intel Core i7-10870H processor. This processor has a base frequency of 2.20 GHz and a turbo boost frequency of 5.0 GHz

Additionally, this processor possesses up to 8 cores as well as a 16 MB cache memory. Moreover, due to the specs of this processor, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 should be able to handle any computing task thrown at it.

Basically, this laptop should be able to run heavy applications like Corel Draw and Adobe Photoshop with ease. Also, with this processor, the laptop should be able to handle heavy multitasking.

In other to verify the laptop’s performance with this processor, I will briefly highlight the laptop’s Cinebench R15 benchmark test results. Briefly, Cinebench R15 is a benchmark test tool that evaluates the overall processing performance of a computer.

Moreover, on this test, a high score indicates a great processing performance. So, based on the Cinebench R15 benchmark test result, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 scored 1331 points, which is practically high.

In fact, this laptop performed better than most of the laptops in its category. For example, the MSI Prestige 15 which uses the 10th-gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor scored 1126 points on the Cinebench R15 test.

In conclusion, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 features a powerful and fast processor that is capable of handling any computing task. Besides, this laptop performed better than most of its closest competitors on a CPU benchmark test.

Therefore, there is nothing stopping me from rating the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 a nine out of ten in this processor review section.

Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Memory (RAM) Performance Review

To start with, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 comes with two memory slots. These memory slots can take up to a maximum RAM size of 16 GB each – a maximum of 32 GB altogether.

However, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 comes with a standard memory of 16 GB on one slot. Therefore, if you ever need to increase the laptop’s memory, you just need to include another RAM stick on the other slot.

However, I doubt if you will ever need to increase the laptop’s memory. This is because the standard 16 GB RAM is enough to handle most computing tasks including multitasking.

Speaking of multitasking, with 16 GB RAM, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 should be able to run 18 chrome tabs simultaneously without lagging. Besides, you should be able to switch between these Chrome tabs with ease even when streaming a movie on Netflix.

To further prove the laptop’s performance with 16 GB RAM, I will now be discussing the laptop’s score on a PCMark 10 benchmark test. Before mentioning the laptop’s score, I would like to briefly explain what PCMark 10 means.

PCMark 10 is a benchmark test tool that measures a computer’s memory performance by simulating real-world productivity tasks. These tasks include web browsing, word processing, and video editing.

Moreover, according to this PCMark 10 test, the higher the score, the better the memory performance of the computer. Thus, on the PCMark 10 test, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 was able to record a whopping 4980 points.

This score is way higher than the category average of 3000 points. In fact, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15’s score is slightly higher than the ASUS ZenBook 14‘s score of 4887 points.

Therefore, in this memory review section, I will rate the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 a nine out of ten.

Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Storage Option and Performance Review

For storage, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 comes with a PCIe SSD storage type that offers a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB. In my opinion, 1 TB of storage space should be enough for most users to save their important information.

However, I doubt if this storage space will be enough for storage-hungry users. Thankfully, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 comes with a micro SD card slot for storage expansion.

Besides, as a laptop with an SSD storage type, this Lenovo laptop should offer fast read and write speed. Speaking of the read and write speed, let us now discuss the laptop’s results on a CrystalDiskMark test.

For clarity, the CystalDiskMark test is a storage benchmark that measures the read and write speed of a laptop. In case you are wondering, read speed is the time that it takes a laptop’s storage drive to save a file.

Meanwhile, write speed is the amount of time that it takes the storage drive to open a file. So, based on the CrystalDiskMark test, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 recorded a sequential read speed of 2366 MBps.

Also, the laptop recorded a sequential write speed of 2846 MBps. Comparatively, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 has a faster read and write speed than the ASUS ZenBook 14.

Specifically, the ASUS ZenBook 14 recorded a sequential read speed of 1956.9 MBps, according to the CrystalDiskMark test. Also, this ASUS laptop recorded a sequential write speed of 1614.5 MBps.

All things considered, I will rate the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 a nine out of ten in this storage performance review section.

Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Graphics Card Performance Review

Lenovo was kind enough to offer the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 two graphics card options. Basically, you can either purchase the laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q GPU.

The most satisfying thing about this laptop’s GPUs is that they are both dedicated graphics cards. Therefore, with either of the GPU options, the ThinkBook 15 should be capable of running most high-end games as well as handling graphics-intensive applications.

To give more details, both graphics card options come with a dedicated VRAM of 4 GB GDDR6. However, their speeds are different.

Specifically, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q features base and boost frequencies of 930 MHz and 1125 MHz respectively. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, on the other hand, has a base frequency of 1035 MHz.

Also, this graphics card features a boost frequency of 1200 MHz. Before proceeding, it is important to mention that this review is based on the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q GPU.

As mentioned earlier, this graphics card is a dedicated GPU with 4 GB dedicated VRAM. Therefore, with this graphics card, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 should be run most high-end games.

Speaking of games, this laptop should be able to achieve around 34.8 fps while playing The Witcher 3. Also, while playing Rise of the tomb raider, the ThinkBook 15 should be able to achieve 54.8 fps (frame per second).

To further validate the laptop’s graphics performance, we will now discuss the laptop’s result on a 3DMark 11 benchmark test. In case you are wondering, 3DMark 11 is a benchmark that measures the 3D and 2D graphics rendering capability of a computer.

Moreover, based on the setting of the benchmark test, a high score means a better graphics rendering performance. So, on the test, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 recorded a whopping 13343 points.

Impressive right? What is more impressive is the fact that this laptop scored the highest in its category.

Hence, the laptop performance is better than its competitors such as the ASUS ZenBook 14 and Schenker Vision 15. To give more details, the ZenBook 14 and Schenker Vision 15 scored 11058 and 6971 respectively on the 3DMark 11 test.

In conclusion, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 offers multiple dedicated graphics card options. Moreover, this laptop performed better than all of the laptops in its class on a graphics benchmark test.

Hence, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 deserves a nine out of ten in this GPU review section.

Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Battery Life and Performance Review

For battery, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 employs a 3 Cell 57Wh Li-Polymer battery. Lenovo claims that this battery can last up to 6.6 hours.

To confirm Lenovo’s claim, I will now highlight the laptop’s results on a video playback test. This video playback test involves continuously playing a 4K video on the laptop until it runs low.

Impressively, the ThinkBook 15 was able to last 7 hours on this video playback test. Comparatively, this laptop has a slightly longer battery life than the ASUS VivoBook 14.

To give more details, on the video playback test, the ASUS ViviBook 15 lasted 6 hours and 40 minutes.

All things considered, I will rate the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 an eight out of ten in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Final Thoughts

The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 is an all-purpose laptop that tops the charts when placed side by side with most of its competitors. Moreover, the wide range of features the laptop comes with makes it worth more than its $900+ price tag.

To give more details, this laptop offers multiple dedicated graphics card options as well as a powerful processor. To top that up, the laptop offers two screen resolution options including a 4K resolution.

Honestly, the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 is nothing short of perfection. However, the laptop is a bit heavy and its keyboard isn’t particularly great.

Notwithstanding, if you are looking for a laptop that offers outstanding overall performance, I strongly recommend the Lenovo ThinkBook 15.

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References and Further Reading

1. notebookcheck.net – Lenovo ThinkBook 15p 4k laptop
2. pcmag.com – Lenovo ThinkBook 15p Review
3. laptopmedia.com – Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 review – full Tiger Lake power with surprisingly bad iGPU performance
4. lenovo.com – ThinkBook 15
5. thurrott.com – Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 Review
6. Itechguides Community Forum