Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 review
Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 — from 2021, 1.76 kg, performance 42.
Technical specifications
| Type | Workstation |
| Release year | 2021 |
| Screen | 15.6" · 1920x1080 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 1135G7 , Intel Core i5 1145G7 , Intel Core i7 1165G7 , Intel Core i7 1185G7 |
| Max. RAM | 48 GB |
| Weight | 1.76 kg |
| Battery | 57 Wh |
Performance scores
A workstation badge wearing integrated-graphics shoes
The ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 (2021) at $721 is a workstation-shelf listing whose measured sheet reads otherwise: a Core i5-1135G7 with 48GB of RAM and, critically, no discrete professional card the pool can score — its graphics reading of 3.84 stands 90.9 percent below the workstation-class median of 42.23.
Where it holds up
What the machine does offer is mobility unusual for the category: a 44 mobility index against a class median of 36, above-median in a shelf of desk-bound bruisers. Office at 73.19 is high-band, and the 48GB memory bank is generous for the era. Overall performance at 41.6 is mid-band — modest, but consistent with a light-duty professional tool.
Where it falls short
The graphics gap is the story: 3.84 where the class median runs 42.23, budget-segment territory, with gaming at 23, 3D modeling at 19, engineering CAD at 11 and photo design at 17 all in the low band. For a machine badged — and priced — as a workstation, an 11 on the CAD axis is the number that ends the argument: this is an office laptop that happens to sit on the wrong shelf.
Price and depreciation
No launch anchor is recorded; the class-derived rate computes to 13.45 percent per year. At $721 the price is gentle in absolute terms, but the workstation shelf it sits on depreciates around stronger machinery — value at 49.15 (mid) reflects a machine priced above what its resolved sheet supports.
Alternatives to consider
For $180 more, the ThinkPad P15v Gen 3 (listing 1881) at $901 delivers an actual T600 professional card with a matched 64.37 — the workstation this one claims to be. The ThinkPad P14s Gen 3 Intel (listing 1914) at the same $901 offers the T550 with far better portability. And if the badge is negotiable, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 AMD (listing 1887) at $686 is a stronger all-rounder for $35 less.
Bottom line
Fairly priced for the class only if "the class" means office ultraportables. With graphics at 3.84 against a 42.23 median and CAD at 11, the workstation credentials are absent, not expired — buy it as a reliable 48GB office machine at $721, and only that.
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⭐ What stands out
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graphics performance is lower than typical workstation class (+90.9%) (office tier).
budget segment of category -
overall performance is lower than typical workstation class (+31.4%) (mid).
budget segment of category -
composite score is lower than typical workstation class (+30.2%).
budget segment of category
⚙️ Configuration analysis
Top configuration handles modern AAA games at high settings, video editing, and heavy multitasking.
🤔 How to choose
Universal advice for any use case.
- Reliability vs price: reliability (median 43.5) ↔ price (median 471).
- Weight vs CPU: mobility (median 36) ↔ overall performance (median 60.6).
- Upgradeability vs battery: upgradability (median 100) ↔ battery life (median 2.4).
ThinkPad P15s Gen 2: verdict
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