Choosing between the HP Pavilion 15 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 depends on balancing cost against performance and features. The HP Pavilion 15 is more affordable and provides decent specifications for everyday tasks with moderate battery life, but has lower screen resolution and less powerful graphics. It's lightweight and has a smaller screen size, which makes it portable. The ThinkPad P16, however, offers superior performance with higher-end processors and graphics suited for engineering, 3D, machine learning, and gaming tasks. It also has a high-resolution screen which is better for detailed work, but it is heavier and less portable. While it has a longer battery life, it comes with a higher price tag. If budget is a primary concern and your tasks are more general, the HP might be sufficient, but for demanding professional work, the Lenovo is the better choice despite its higher cost. 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 Pavilion 15
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
7.0/10
8.0/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for general use, while the HP Pavilion 15 is good.
The HP Pavilion 15, with its sufficient RAM and lower weight, offers good general use and is more portable, but it's held back by a lower-quality screen and a weaker CPU, which may not be ideal for more demanding tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 features a robust CPU, a high-resolution IPS screen, and longer battery life, making it excellent for a wide variety of tasks, though it is less portable due to its heavier weight and size.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
6.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and HP Pavilion 15 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 outperforms the HP Pavilion 15 in gaming and 3D applications because it features a more powerful GPU, the Nvidia RTX A1000, which is better suited for these tasks compared to the integrated Intel UHD Xe G4 graphics in the HP Pavilion 15. Additionally, while both have a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, the ThinkPad P16 also has a higher resolution and better screen quality with its IPS panel, providing a more visually immersive experience than the lower resolution TN panel of the Pavilion 15.
Engineering and Design
6.2/10
8.3/10
4.2/10
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 Pavilion 15 is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 outshines the HP Pavilion 15 in engineering and design use due to its superior Intel i7 processor, Nvidia RTX graphics, and a higher resolution IPS display, which enhance computing power, graphical performance, and screen clarity respectively.
Content Creation
7.1/10
8.2/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for content creation, while the HP Pavilion 15 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
6.6/10
8.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for software development, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
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
5.3/10
8.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the HP Pavilion 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP Pavilion 15's screen may not offer the clarity and brightness sought by everyday users or the color accuracy critical for engineering and design tasks, thereby affecting the quality for these applications. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16, on the other hand, is likely to deliver sharp, bright images with a wide color range, making it suitable for general use and professional design work. However, a lower refresh rate might be the limiting factor for the ThinkPad P16 when it comes to 3D applications and gaming, where fluid motion is key.
Battery
3.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The HP Pavilion 15 has 3 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
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The HP Pavilion 15 has good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the HP Pavilion 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$600
$1,449
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The HP Pavilion 15 has a price of $600 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 costs $1,449.
"The HP Pavilion 15 carries a fair amount of power and a sharp display in its handsome slimline shell. It's not perfect, but it's a hard worker. This is wonderfully designed and totes a heck of a lot of desktop power, with the added benefit of a decent webcam and a full-sized keyboard. If you're getting down to business on a budget, it's a great fit."
"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 Pavilion 15 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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