The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 is a 16 inch mid-range mobile workstation. It replaces the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 3 from 2020 and competes with the likes of the Dell Precision 5560 (2021). This 4th Gen model looks very similar to its predecessor in design, but it now has a slightly larger 16 inch 16:10 display. Lenovo also upgraded the CPU from Intel 10th Gen to 11th Gen and added multiple new GPU options, from an NVIDIA T1200 to a GeForce RTX 3080. Other new features include Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1 support, PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD options, and a 1080p webcam.
Our Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 has an Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, an NVIDIA RTX A2000 discrete GPU, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage. You can upgrade the CPU to an Intel Core i7-11850H, i9-11950H, or Xeon W-11855M. Other GPU options include an NVIDIA T1200, RTX A3000, A4000, A5000, GeForce RTX 3070, and GeForce RTX 3080. You can get up to 64GB of memory and choose between non-ECC and ECC memory; however, the latter is only available on models with an Intel Xeon W-11855M CPU.
Our Verdict
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 is decent for school use. It has a 16 inch display that provides plenty of space for multitasking, a keyboard that feels comfortable to type on for extended periods, and a touchpad that tracks well. It's a fairly thin and light laptop, so it isn't too cumbersome to carry around, although you'll have to bring the charger with you as the battery lasts a little less than 8 hours of light use. Its Intel 11th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs can handle demanding tasks, which is great for students in fields like graphic design, 3D animation, or engineering.
- Large, sharp, and bright display.
- Fairly easy to carry around.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods.
- Battery lasts less than 8 hours of light use.
- Webcam image looks too dark.
- Finish picks up fingerprints easily.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 is good for gaming. Its Intel 11th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs provide a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. You can even play at 1440p or 4k if you get a high-end GPU like the GeForce RTX 3070 and 3080. However, there are only 60Hz display options, and they all have a slow response time and no VRR support to reduce screen tearing. On the bright side, it has tons of ports for your peripherals, and its memory and storage are user-upgradeable. There's some thermal throttling on the CPU, but thankfully, none on the GPU.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods.
- User-upgradeable memory and storage.
- 60Hz display with slow response time and no VRR support.
- Slight CPU throttle.
- Finish picks up fingerprints easily.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 is decent for media consumption. It has a sharp, bright, and color-accurate QHD+ display, and there's also a 4k panel option if you want an even sharper image. The speakers sound full and well-balanced, and they get very loud with minimal compression. It isn't overly bulky or heavy, so it's still relatively easy to carry around; however, you'll need the charger as the battery lasts less than 4 hours of video playback. Unfortunately, it isn't the best for dark room viewing as its contrast isn't good enough to produce deep blacks.
- Large, sharp, and bright display.
- Fairly easy to carry around.
- Outstanding color accuracy out of the box.
- Speakers sound well-balanced and loud.
- Battery lasts less than 4 hours of video playback.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
- Finish picks up fingerprints easily.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 is excellent as a workstation. It's available with various Intel 11th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs, which are powerful enough to handle demanding workloads. It has an outstanding port selection that includes USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1 ports, a comfortable keyboard, and a fast PCIe Gen 4 SSD. There's some thermal throttling on the CPU under load, but luckily, none on the GPU. Its serviceability is outstanding as you can replace the memory, storage, wireless adapter, and battery.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- 4k display option with 100% Adobe RGB coverage.
- Keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods.
- Outstanding color accuracy out of the box.
- Wide port selection includes USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1.
- User-upgradeable memory and storage.
- Slight CPU throttle.
- Finish picks up fingerprints easily.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 is good for business use. It feels decently well-built, and it's relatively portable as it isn't overly bulky or heavy. Its QHD+ display gets bright enough to combat glare and provides tons of room for split-screen multitasking, and you can upgrade to an even brighter 4k panel if you prefer. The keyboard feels great to type on, the touchpad tracks well, and there are tons of ports, including a full-size HDMI. Its Intel CPUs are powerful enough to handle general productivity tasks like web browsing, text formatting, spreadsheets, and presentations. It has a 1080p webcam, but it isn't very good as the captured image is too dark.
- Large, sharp, and bright display.
- Fairly easy to carry around.
- CPU and GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods.
- Wide port selection includes USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1.
- Battery lasts less than 8 hours of light use.
- Webcam image looks too dark.
- Finish picks up fingerprints easily.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 16, 2022: Added mention of the Dell Precision 5570 (2022) as an alternative with a better touchpad.
- Updated Sep 07, 2022: Added mention of the HP ZBook Firefly 15 G8 (2021) as an alternative with longer battery life.
- Updated Aug 22, 2022: Added mention of the Dell Precision 3571 (2022) as an alternative with newer Intel 12th Gen CPUs.
- Updated Aug 08, 2022: Added mention of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 (2021) as an alternative with better performing GPUs.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 (model 20Y3008BUS) with a QHD+ display, an Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, an NVIDIA RTX A2000 discrete GPU, 32GB of non-ECC memory, and 1TB of storage. The screen, CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below. Our review applies only to variants with a model number starting with '20Y3'.
| Screen |
|
|---|---|
| CPU |
|
| GPU |
|
| Memory |
Non-ECC memory:
ECC memory:
|
| Storage |
|
| Color |
|
Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar Lenovo ThinkPad P1 that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Lenovo P1 Gen 4 is an excellent workstation that provides good performance in a relatively thin and light chassis. Its build doesn't feel as sturdy compared to a similar mobile workstation like the Dell Precision 5560 (2021), but it has more ports and is available with more powerful GPUs.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best laptops or all of our laptop reviews.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 (2021) and the Dell Precision 5560 (2021) are both thin and light Windows mobile workstations with Intel 11th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs. The Dell is slightly more compact, making it easier to carry around, and its build feels sturdier. It also has a much better touchpad and longer battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo has more ports and doesn't get as hot as the Dell under load. Performance is very similar between them with the same configuration; however, the Lenovo offers more powerful GPU options, up to an NVIDIA RTX A5000 and GeForce RTX 3080.
The Dell Precision 5570 (2022) and the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 (2021) are both excellent mobile workstations. The Dell provides a better user experience with a more premium and sturdier build, a larger touchpad, and a brighter display. The Lenovo has Intel 11th Gen processors, which aren't as fast as the Dell's Intel 12th Gen in multi-threaded workloads. However, the Lenovo has more powerful GPU options, so if your workload is more reliant on graphical performance, the Lenovo might be a better choice.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1, 2021) are both mobile workstations; however, the ThinkPad runs Windows, while the MacBook Pro runs macOS. The MacBook Pro has a 120Hz Mini LED display that produces deeper blacks and provides a more responsive desktop experience. It also has a much better touchpad and webcam, longer battery life, a faster storage drive, and doesn't get as hot or loud under load. The MacBook Pro's M1 Max SoC performs better than the ThinkPad's Intel 11th Gen CPUs, but its graphical performance falls slightly behind the ThinkPad's top-end GPU configurations. The ThinkPad has more ports, and its memory and storage are user-upgradeable.
Although the Dell Precision 3571 (2022) and the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 (2021) are both mobile workstations, there are a lot of differences between them. The Lenovo is a more portable device due to its thinner design, and it provides a better user experience overall with a better keyboard, touchpad, and display. It also has more powerful GPU configuration options, up to an NVIDIA RTX A5000 or a GeForce RTX 3080. However, the Dell laptop has newer Intel 12th Gen processors, which perform better than the 11th Gen CPUs on the Lenovo.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
