The HP 17" Laptop is more budget-friendly and should handle everyday tasks well, including multitasking and media consumption, with good screen size and reasonable performance. However, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, while more expensive, offers a higher resolution display, better graphics performance suitable for 3D work, machine learning, and gaming, along with a more robust build quality typical of the ThinkPad line. It's better equipped for intensive engineering tasks but is heavier and less portable. The ThinkPad also has a longer battery life, which could benefit those requiring mobility without constant access to power. Decide based on whether price sensitivity or high-end performance and build quality is your priority. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP 17" Laptop
Good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
287.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for general use, while the HP 17" Laptop is good.
The HP 17" Laptop with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 17.3-inch full HD screen offers capable performance for everyday tasks, and its lighter weight allows for easier portability; however, it has a lower screen quality and shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad P16.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and HP 17" Laptop are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.8/10
8.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP 17" Laptop is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is rated higher for engineering and design use largely due to its higher resolution screen, more powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, which are crucial for intensive tasks, despite being less portable and heavier than the HP 17" Laptop.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for content creation, while the HP 17" Laptop is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.1/10
8.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for software development, while the HP 17" Laptop is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.6/10
8.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
287.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the HP 17" Laptop for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP 17" Laptop’s screen might not have the high resolution or brightness preferred for general use, and its limited color gamut might not suit the precise color work required in engineering and design. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16, on the other hand, boasts a superior display with higher resolution and brightness, as well as a wider color gamut to accurately represent colors for professional design tasks. However, both lack the high refresh rate desired for smooth visuals in gaming and 3D applications, which is why they don't excel in that area.
Battery
5.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The HP 17" Laptop has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
4.5 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The HP 17" Laptop has good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the HP 17" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$850
$1,449
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The HP 17" Laptop has a price of $850 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 costs $1,449.
"As far as starter laptops go, the HP Laptop 17 is a sound investment. Sure, it might not be the lightest of options, but what you get for the price is a well-rounded machine that fits multiple niches. Whether it be office duties that require you to multi-task between multiple programs, or study tasks in which you’ll spend hours browsing online, this laptop does it all. Plus, when it's time to unwind, you can watch your favorite shows or movies on a super-wide display. What's best of all is that you can do all this for about half a day on a single charge."
"It's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
Get a great deal on the HP 17" Laptop or the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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