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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 offers a balance of performance and value, suitable for general use and engineering tasks with its capable processor and graphics card, while maintaining a lower price point. It has a high-resolution display with excellent color coverage, making it a strong choice for detailed work. However, its portability is compromised by its weight and battery life, and it lacks gaming laptop aesthetics or hardware ray tracing for advanced gaming or rendering tasks. In contrast, the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is a premium option with top-tier performance, especially in gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, thanks to its superior graphics card and processor. It boasts a Mini LED display with a high refresh rate, touchscreen capability, and the best color accuracy, which is ideal for professionals who demand the utmost visual quality. It's also more portable with a lighter design and potentially longer battery life, though it comes at a significantly higher cost. If you prioritize cutting-edge performance, portability, and the best display quality for intensive creative work or gaming, the MSI is the way to go, despite its price. 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 Lenovo ThinkPad P16
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good battery life
- Excellent speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Excellent for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
- Good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.0
8.8
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
569.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 are both very good for general use, though the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.9
8.9
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is only fair.
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
8.3
9.5
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.2
9.1
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is excellent for content creation, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very 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
8.4
8.9
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 are both very good for software development, though the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is somewhat better.
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
8.2
9.7
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
569.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Portability
Poor
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
1.2in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.4
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,449
$2,999
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a price of $1,449 and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio costs $2,999.
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Key similarities
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has 9 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 | MSI Creator 16 AI Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,449 | $2,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | July 1, 2023 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10.5'' x 1.2'' | 14'' x 10.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.5 lbs | 4.39 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.5" | 10.22" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12800HX | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 4 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 94 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 569 nits | 1000 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.1/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo ThinkPad P16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Eric Grevstad | February 2023
"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 Lenovo ThinkPad P16 or the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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