Lenovo launches ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 alongside new AI PC laptops

Yesterday Lenovo announced four new mobile workstations in its popular ThinkPad lineup: the ThinkPad P1 Gen 7, ThinkPad P16v i Gen 2, ThinkPad P16s i Gen 3, and ThinkPad P14s i Gen 5. Like other recently announced computers, the new ThinkPads transcend mere laptops into a new category that vendors are calling AI PCs.

Related: AI PCs are here. Should engineers upgrade?

The new laptops “offer an ideal combination of workstation know-how, high levels of AI-ready performance, and true mobility,” according to Rob Herman, VP of Lenovo’s worldwide workstation and client AI business, in Lenovo’s press release.

With availability starting as early as this month, the new ThinkPads provide an interesting option for engineers seeking a Spring upgrade. Here’s what we know so far about the mobile AI PCs.

The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7: Upgrades and downgrades

The new lineup’s main attraction is the ThinkPad P1 Gen 7, a laptop that first debuted in 2018 as Lenovo’s answer to those choosy customers who wanted both a powerful mobile workstation and one that was extremely thin and light. While it delivered on the latter, it wasn’t until its fourth generation in 2021 that the P1 got access to the then top-of-the-line mobile GPU, the Nvidia RTX A5000.

Now in its seventh generation, the ThinkPad P1 still has access to powerful GPUs—but no longer the most powerful available. The P1 Gen 7 maxes out at the Nvidia RTX 3000 Ada Generation, which is a few rungs down from the flagship RTX 5000 Ada available to Lenovo’s more powerful mobile workstations and even to the new laptop’s predecessor, the P1 Gen 6.

But in this era of AI PCs, the spotlight is shining less on the GPU and more on the CPU—or rather, on the NPU that now comes with it. The neural processing unit is a new part of Intel’s Core Ultra processors that aims to accelerate certain AI applications. Lenovo described its relation to the GPU, which also has built-in AI acceleration, in its press release: “The integrated NPU is dedicated to handling light, continuous AI tasks, while the Nvidia GPU runs more demanding day-to-day AI processing.” The ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 can be configured with Intel Core Ultra processors up to the Core Ultra 9 185H.

Another notable spec change concerns the P1 Gen 7’s memory. There’s good news and bad news. The maximum configurable memory capacity has decreased from 96 GB in the P1 Gen 6 to 64 GB in the Gen 7, but the memory itself has been upgraded. According to Lenovo, the P1 Gen 7 is “the world’s first mobile workstation to include LPDDR5x LPCAMM2 memory” from Micron, which consumes “up to 61% less active power” and provides “64% space savings” compared to DDR5 SODIMM, the memory found in the P1 Gen 6 and in some new mobile workstations.

A few specs remain largely unchanged from the previous generation. The maximum storage available in the ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 is still 8 TB. The display is still 16 inches, with a 16:10 aspect ratio and options up to a 4K OLED touchscreen. The new laptop is slightly heavier than its predecessor, starting at 4.03 pounds (1.82 kg) rather than 3.92 pounds (1.78 kg).

The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 will be available in May in the U.S. with an expected price of $2,619.

Specs of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16v i Gen 2, ThinkPad P16s i Gen 3 and ThinkPad P14s i Gen 5

Alongside the premium ThinkPad P1, Lenovo’s other three new AI PCs are the more budget-friendly ThinkPad P16v i Gen 2, P16s i Gen 3 and P14s i Gen 5. While all offer NPU-equipped processors up to Core Ultra 9 185H, their other specs vary considerably.

The ThinkPad P16v i Gen 2 is the closest to the ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 in both size and specs. It’s got a 16-inch, 16:10 display with up to a 4K resolution (but no OLED or touchscreen option). It can be configured with up to the Nvidia RTX 3000 Ada Generation GPU, just like the P1, though it doesn’t offer any GeForce RTX options, which the P1 does. The P16v has a higher max memory capacity than the P1, 96 GB, though that’s because it’s DDR5 memory and not the P1’s LPCAMM2 LPDDR5x (which is not currently available in modules over 64 GB). The ThinkPad P16v i Gen 2 can be configured with up to 4 TB of storage. It will be available this month with an expected starting price of $2,279.

The ThinkPad P16s i Gen 3 is another 16-inch laptop with a 16:10 display, which, like that of the P1, can be a 4K OLED display (but again, no touchscreen option). However, it takes a significant step down in graphics performance, maxing out with the freshly announced Nvidia RTX 500 Ada Generation GPU, an entry level mobile GPU with 4 GB of VRAM. The P16s can be configured with up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory and up to 2 TB of storage. The ThinkPad P16s i Gen 3 will be available beginning in May 2024 with an expected starting price of $1,859.

Finally, the ThinkPad P14s i Gen 5 is the latest iteration of what engineering.com found to be the best budget mobile workstation of 2022. It’s basically a smaller version of the ThinkPad P16s i Gen 3, offering the same selection of specs but with a 14.5-inch, 16:10 display (up to a 4K resolution, but no OLED or touch option). The ThinkPad P14s i Gen 5 will be available in Q2 of 2024, according to Lenovo, with an expected starting price of $1,829.