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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 02:58 PM
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Updated May 02, 2025 03:05 PM
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Size16"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Size16"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA005AUS) (Storm Gray - 2.5k/RTX 2000/i7-14700HX/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0056US) (Storm Gray - 2.5k/i7-14700HX/RTX 1000/16GB/512GB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0059US) (Storm Gray - 2.5k/i7-14700HX/RTX 1000/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0058US) (Storm Gray - 2.5k/i7-14700HX/RTX 3500/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0050US) (Storm Gray - 3.8k/i7-14700HX/RTX 1000/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0051US) (Storm Gray - 3.8k/i7-14700HX/RTX 2000/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0052US) (Storm Gray - 3.8k/i7-14700HX/RTX 3500/64GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA004VUS) (Storm Gray - FHD+/i7-14700HX/RTX 1000/16GB/512GB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA0057US) (Storm Gray - FHD+/i7-14700HX/RTX 1000/16GB/512GB)
- ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (21FA004WUS) (Storm Gray - FHD+/i7-14700HX/RTX 1000/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MRW73LL/A) (Silver - M3 Max/14-core CPU/36GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MUW73LL/A) (Silver - M3 Max/16-core CPU/48GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MRW43LL/A) (Silver - M3 Pro/12-core CPU/18GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MRW63LL/A) (Silver - M3 Pro/12-core CPU/36GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MRW33LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Max/14-core CPU/36GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MUW63LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Max/16-core CPU/48GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MRW13LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Pro/12-core CPU/18GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MRW23LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Pro/12-core CPU/36GB/512GB)
Our Verdict
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) are both outstanding 16-inch workstation laptops. In terms of the overall build and user experience, the MacBook Pro comes out ahead, as it has a sturdy all-aluminum chassis, a larger and more responsive haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a higher-quality webcam. It also has longer battery life and doesn't get as hot or loud under load. Both laptops can handle demanding workloads; however, the Lenovo is a better option if you're looking for raw GPU performance, as its higher-end GPU configurations, like the NVIDIA RTX 4000 and 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPUs are much faster than the M3 Max SoC's GPU. The Lenovo has a few advantages over the MacBook Pro: its memory and storage drive are user-replaceable, and it's available with cellular connectivity.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
7.7
8.8
Portability
5.1
7.2
Battery
8.0
9.4
Touchpad
7.8
9.7
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
8.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.5
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
185°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
5.1
7.2
Dimensions Photo
Size
16"
16"
Thickness
1.3" (3.3 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Width
14.3" (36.4 cm)
14.0" (35.5 cm)
Depth
10.4" (26.5 cm)
9.8" (24.8 cm)
Volume
193.7 in³ (3,173.5 cm³)
91.3 in³ (1,496.7 cm³)
Weight
6.5 lbs (3.0 kg)
4.8 lbs (2.2 kg)
Charger Size
14.3 in³ (234.6 cm³)
13.3 in³ (218.3 cm³)
Charger Weight
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
Serviceability
8.5
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
8.0
6.0
RAM Slots
4
0
Storage Slots
2
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
3840 x 2400
3456 x 2234
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
283 PPI
254 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
78%
91%
Refresh Rate
5.9
8.7
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
Apple ProMotion
Contrast
8.2
10
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,923 : 1
51,150 : 1
Brightness
9.6
9.1
Maximum Brightness
751 cd/m²
601 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
17 cd/m²
3 cd/m²
Reflections
8.8
8.8
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Matte
Glossy
Total Reflections
2.44%
1.83%
Indirect Reflections
2.16%
0.16%
Calculated Direct Reflections
0.29%
1.67%
Black Uniformity
6.9
10
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.389%
0.179%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
5.8
9.9
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
3.64
1.45
Avg. Gamma
1.99
2.24
Avg. Color dE
4.94
0.94
Avg. Color Temperature
6,029.2 K
6,718.9 K
Color Gamut
9.5
9.5
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
140.44%
99.94%
sRGB uv
132.95%
99.76%
Adobe RGB xy
89.82%
89.32%
Adobe RGB uv
95.14%
94.31%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.94%
99.81%
DCI P3 uv
99.94%
99.59%
Rec. 2020 xy
74.27%
73.15%
Rec. 2020 uv
77.15%
74.31%
Flicker
10
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
No
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
8.6
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.5
8.0
Numpad
Yes
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
64 gf
62 gf
Actuation Force
33 gf
38 gf
Pre-Travel
1.09 mm
0.78 mm
Total Travel
1.61 mm
0.85 mm
Touchpad
7.8
9.7
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
8.0
9.5
Size
11.6 in² (74.8 cm²)
24.8 in² (160.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
3
No
Speakers
8.6
9.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
81 dB SPL
78 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.2 dB
3.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
0.6
0.6
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
375 Hz
112 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.2 dB
2.6 dB
Webcam & Microphone
7.5
9.1
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
7.0
9.5
Resolution
1080p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
Yes
No
Face Unlock
Yes
No
Connectivity
Ports
9.0
8.5
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
2
0
USB-C Ports
3
3
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
No
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.1
2.1
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD Express 7.0
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
Lenovo Power Connector
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
Yes
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.3
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Core i7-14700HX
M3 Max
Core Count
20
16
Thread Count
28
16
GPU
Brand
NVIDIA
Apple
Model
RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
M3 Max
Dedicated/Integrated
Dedicated
Integrated
VRAM Size
6 GB
N/A
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
60W
N/A
RAM
Capacity
32 GB
48 GB
Modules
2
Unknown
Type
DDR5
LP-DDR5
Speed
4,000 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,000 GB
1,000 GB
Usable Capacity
955 GB
966 GB
Drive 1
SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X162N
Apple SSD AP1024Z
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.9
9.9
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,977 points
2,354 points
CPU Multi-Thread
16,890 points
22,973 points
GPU Compute
88,458 points
99,702 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
10
10
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
2,098 points
1,915 points
Multi-Thread
25,087 points
24,046 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
9.5
9.3
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
1.9 min
1.5 min
GPU Render Time
0.4 min
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
12 s
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
9.3
9.5
Basemark Image
Overall Score
90,770
99,985
Storage Drive Performance
9.5
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
2,143.9 MB/s
5,626.4 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
4,992.9 MB/s
2,652.1 MB/s
Random Write Speed
97.8 MB/s
47.1 MB/s
Random Read Speed
55.7 MB/s
47.5 MB/s
Battery
8.0
9.4
Capacity
94 Wh
100 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
10.1 hrs
13.2 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
6.3 hrs
12.8 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.6 hrs
1.9 hrs
Charge Time
1.9 hrs
2.0 hrs
Borderlands 3
7.2
6.5
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
88 fps
65 fps
1% Low
48 fps
38 fps
0.1% Low
29 fps
21 fps
1% Low Delta
9 ms
11 ms
0.1% Low Delta
23 ms
32 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
189 fps
72 fps
Civilization VI
8.3
7.3
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
135 fps
66 fps
1% Low
80 fps
47 fps
0.1% Low
56 fps
43 fps
1% Low Delta
5 ms
6 ms
0.1% Low Delta
11 ms
8 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
372 fps
120 fps
Avg. Turn Time
7.21 s
8.65 s
Counter-Strike 2
8.6
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
221fps
N/A
1% Low
72fps
N/A
0.1% Low
50fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
9 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
15 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
291fps
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
8.0
9.0
Avg. FPS
115 fps
134 fps
1% Low
72 fps
96 fps
0.1% Low
33 fps
73 fps
1% Low Delta
5 ms
3 ms
0.1% Low Delta
21 ms
6 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
172 fps
157 fps
Thermals And Noise
6.4
8.2
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
29 °C (84 °F)
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
47 °C (117 °F)
38 °C (100 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
27.3 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
53.4 dBA
45.5 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
7.6
10
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
92 °C
93 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
12% loss
0% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
59 °C
74 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
3% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
Biometrics
Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
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Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)
Comments
Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023): Main Discussion
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