Lenovo ThinkPad T16 G2 in review: Quiet office laptop with long battery life

[Redaktion]

The compact office laptop by Lenovo convinces us with low emissions, long battery life numbers and a 16 inch screen win the work-friendly 16:10 ratio (1,920 x 1,200, IPS, low power). Part of the package are two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a WWAN option.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T16-G2-in-review-Quiet-office-laptop-with-long-battery-life.739438.0.html

[LL]

For 1800 euro!? nah.

[tedy]

Not cheap, but some of us, an ethernet port and a sufficient large display are a must when travelling between offices. silentness is also v important

[NikoB]

I would start with the fact that it seems like 32GB of memory should (must) be there from the factory. And for this price and all 64. Like at least 2TB SSD, but rather 4TB.

But on the other hand, the processor is very weak, against the background of the Zen4 Phoenix it is generally a failure, so it is unlikely that the owner will use it for a long time - 2-3 years and at a flea market.

For the rest. Again idiotic Frankenstein from Lenovo on ports and screen.

In the office, you want to sit behind crystal-sharp fonts in the same chrome. But this is not possible with a shameful ppi ~ 141. For this you need a 4k panel at 120Hz - is it really pleasant for someone to look at blurry text in scrolling today?

Power port is needed at the back like classic Thinkpad. RJ45 for such a price and in 2023 at least 2.5Gbps, and preferably is 5.

Well, again, a not good keyboard for fast blind typing in modern versions of Thinkpad - the numpad keys are narrowed, like the entire Esc, F1..F12 row by height. Is there not enough space for full-fledged buttons? Enough.

Basically, such models are taken in companies and most often for kickbacks to purchasing managers. Because in companies, in an office where money is counted, they stopped taking such series long ago and switched to "gaming", the same legions and other series.

If you carry it with you, then 16" does not seem easy to me.

I would start with the fact that it seems like 32GB of memory should (must) be there from the factory. And for this price and all 64. Like at least 2TB SSD, but rather 4TB.

But on the other hand, the processor is very weak, against the background of the Zen4 Phoenix it is generally a failure, so it is unlikely that the owner will use it for a long time - 3 years and at a flea market.

For the rest. Again idiotic Frankenstein from Lenovo on ports and screen.

In the office, you want to sit behind crystal-sharp fonts in the same chrome. But this is not possible with a shameful ppi ~ 141. For this you need a 4k panel at 120Hz - is it really pleasant for someone to look at blurry text in scrolling today?

Food is needed at the back. RJ45 for such a price and in 2023 at least 2.5Gbps, and preferably 5.

Well, again, a stupid keyboard for Thinkpad - the numpad keys are narrowed, like the entire Esc, F1..F12 row in height? Is there not enough space for full-fledged buttons? Enough.

Basically, such models are taken in companies and most often for kickbacks to purchasing managers. Because in companies, in an office where money is counted, they stopped taking such series long ago and switched to "gaming", the same legions and other series.

If you carry it with you, then 16 "does not seem easy to me. There should be a much more advanced stuffing for this price.

[machine]

Looks like a real solid machine for basic office and even personal use (I say this as an old ThinkPadder). I just wish Lenovo offered a higher resolution panel somewhere between the reviewed panel and the high resolution OLED.

[Bizarro_NikoB]

I really wish Lenovo would dump the low tier garbage displays in their base models. I mean, I thought 2023 was supposed to be the Jetsons, not the Jeffersons!

[Di]

In viewing the networking stats, this unit seems to be failing. But I don't see anything mentioned about that within your review? Are the T16 G2's networking stats acceptable for the price charged for this unit? I worry that Wi-Fi would be constantly dropping out, impeding any workflow.

[Raul V]

Solid, basic machine for most office workers (even for standard personal use). If you want high end screens and other bells and whistles so that you can impress your friends and passerby, get a MacBook. 

[NikoB]

If you want high end screens and other bells and whistles so that you can impress your friends and passerby, get a MacBook. 

No one will work in an office with a MacBook, where a numpad is needed.

[Tomop]

After 1 1/2 year of use solely on charger, never charging to 100%, battery life is now less than 2 hours. Terrible crap.

[Real NikoB (old name bl)]

After 1 1/2 year of use solely on charger, never charging to 100%, battery life is now less than 2 hours. Terrible crap.

What surprises you? The battery has a number of cycles. Usually 300-500. Some Apple gadgets claim 1000.

If a cheap model claims 500/365=1.5 years. You got what you wanted.

Personally, all my laptops are used exclusively from the power supply 100% of the time. They never turn off, going into sleep mode S3 (STR) when not needed. And so they work for 6-15 years. Battery wear on a laptop bought in 2016 is 6%. It is needed only as an emergency uninterruptible power source or for carrying from outlet to outlet in working or sleep mode.

Apple certainly behaves well when switching to battery power, losing less performance than x86 laptops, but the battery life is simply insufficient, given the average service life of a laptop of 5-6 years. The battery is just a consumable - you need to replace it with a new one. But if it is expensive, who is to blame for choosing such a model?