What you need to know
- Lenovo today announced the new ThinkPad P16 (Gen 1) that combines popular features from the ThinkPad P15 and P17.
- The ThinkPad P16 comes with 12th Gen HX-series Intel processors, up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM, NVIDIA RTX A5500 GPU, 8TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, and plenty of ISV certifications.
- New 16-inch displays with 16:10 aspect ratio are available, with up to UHD+ OLED and Dolby Vision.
- Expect this laptop to launch May 2022 starting at about $1,979.
Lenovo today announced the first-generation ThinkPad P16 mobile workstation. Lenovo says it's "built to combine the best features of the ThinkPad P15 and P17 into an all new compact and improved form factor." This is a high-end Lenovo laptop that's made for professional power users on the go, from the powerful internal performance hardware to ISV certifications to optional 4G LTE connectivity. Lenovo says it offers the most performance of any P-series ThinkPad it's ever released.
That's mainly due to the inclusion of Intel's 12th Gen HX-series 55W CPUs, with up to a 16-core Core i9 chip for serious power. The CPUs are accompanied by up to a NVIDIA RTX A5500 discrete workstation GPU with 16GB of VRAM, up to 128GB of DDR5-4800MHz RAM (ECC or non-ECC) in four SODIMM slots, and up to 8TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 storage spread out over two M.2 slots. It all runs on a 94Wh battery. Here's a full look at the specs as provided by Lenovo.
| Category | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 (Gen 1) |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 Pro Windows 11 Home Ubuntu Linux Red Hat Enterprise Linux Fedora Linux |
| Processor | 12th Gen Intel HX series Core i5, i7, i9 Up to 16 cores |
| RAM | Up to 128GB DDR5-4800MHz Four SODIMM slots ECC or non-ECC |
| Graphics | Up to NVIDIA RTX A5500 |
| Storage | Up to 8TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD Up to 2 drives RAID 0/1 |
| Display | 16 inches 16:10 aspect ratio 1920x1200 (FHD+) IPS, 300 nits, anti-glare, 100% sRGB, low blue light 2560x1600 (QHD+) IPS, 400 nits, anti-glare, 100% sRGB, low blue light 3840x2400 (UHD+) IPS, 600 nits, anti-glare, 100% AdobeRGB, low blue light, HDR400, Dolby Vision 3840x2400 (UHD+) OLED, touch, 400 nits, anti-reflective, 100% DCI-P3, low blue light, HDR500, Dolby Vision |
| Ports | Two Thunderbolt 4 Two USB-A 3.2 (Gen 1) USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) HDMI 2.1 3.5mm audio SD card reader |
| Wireless | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 Bluetooth 5.2 vPro 4G LTE NFC |
| Camera | Front-facing FHD Hybrid IR Camera shutter |
| Security | dTPM 2.0 Fingerprint reader IR camera Camera shutter Lock slot |
| Battery | 94W |
| Dimensions | 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.2 inches (364mm x 266mm x 30.23mm) |
| Weight | From 6.5 pounds (2.95kg) |
| Color | Storm Grey |
| Availability | May 2022 |
| Price | From $1,979 |
The hardware is kept cool thanks to a redesigned thermal system with two fans, two vapor chambers, air intake through the keyboard, more heat pipes, and a dual bypass design that keeps temperatures cool on the outside as well. The P16's tweaked design features a new exhaust and port bank along the back edge, with a red highlight for the otherwise Storm Grey color scheme. The ThinkPad P16 has also undergone MIL-SPEC durability testing and comes with plenty of ISV certifications to ensure design and development software runs optimally on the system.
There are four new 16-inch displays with a taller 16:10 aspect ratio and low blue light. The most basic has a 1920x1200 (FHD+) resolution, along with 100% sRGB color, 300 nits brightness, and an anti-glare finish. Next is a 2560x1600 (QHD+) resolution with 400 nits brightness, anti-glare finish, and 100% sRGB color. There are also two UHD+ screens to choose from. One is IPS with 600 nits, 100% AdobeRGB color, HDR500, and Dolby Vision, while the other is OLED touch with 100% DCI-P3 color, HDR500, and Dolby Vision.
Above the display is a front-facing FHD webcam with shutter, available as a hybrid with IR facial recognition. Otherwise, you get a fingerprint reader, dTPM 2.0 chip, and lock slot for added security. The ThinkPad P16 (Gen 1) is expected to launch later this month, with a starting price of about $1,979.
