Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 2025, Core Ultra 9 285HX, 32GB, 1TB SSD

The ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 is a performance monster with a top-tier CPU and GPU, excellent ports, and a bright display. It's also heavy, expensive, and stuck at 60Hz. Worth it for workstation users who need raw power and don't mind the bulk.

The CPU and GPU sit at the top of our charts, 99th and 97th percentile respectively. The Core Ultra 9 285HX has 24 cores and the RTX PRO 5000 brings workstation-grade graphics with 8GB of VRAM. 32GB of DDR5 RAM lands in the 87th percentile, which is plenty for most pro workflows but not maxed out. The 1TB NVMe SSD is solid but unremarkable at the 79th percentile. The display is a 1920x1200 IPS panel at 60Hz with 500 nits and full sRGB coverage. Fine for color work, but 60Hz feels dated on a machine this expensive. Port selection is excellent, Thunderbolt, three USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and WiFi 7. You won't need a dongle for much.

Against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max, the ThinkPad wins on raw CPU core count and port flexibility but loses badly on weight and display refresh rate. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is far more portable and gaming-friendly but can't match the P16's workstation GPU credentials. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and MSI Raider are gaming laptops first, they'll game better but won't have the same pro app certifications or reliability track record. The Dell Premium is the closest direct competitor, but the ThinkPad's port selection and CPU performance give it the edge for heavy compute work.

This is not a value play. The affordability score sits at the 3rd percentile, which means almost everything else in our database is cheaper. US pricing runs USD 4,259 to 4,655 across three listings. Canadian buyers see a wider spread, CAD 6,046 to 7,226 across four listings, so shop around if you're up north. The cheapest CAD option comes in around CAD 6,046, which is still a serious chunk of change. You're paying for workstation reliability and top-shelf silicon, not for a bargain.

The ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 is a serious mobile workstation. It packs an Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and an RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell GPU into a 16-inch chassis that weighs nearly 4kg. This thing is built to crunch through heavy workloads, not to sit in a coffee shop looking cute. Lenovo aimed this squarely at engineers, creators, and data folks who need desktop-class power in a laptop form factor.

Skip this if you need something portable. At 3.94kg, this is a desktop replacement that happens to have a screen attached. Also skip it if you're a gamer, the 60Hz display and workstation GPU aren't tuned for high-refresh gaming. And if you're on a budget, look elsewhere, this thing costs more than most people's entire desk setup.

Buy this if you need a portable workstation that can handle 3D rendering, AI workloads, or heavy data crunching and you don't plan to carry it far. The performance is genuinely top-tier and the port selection means you can dock it into a full desk setup without adapters. But if you need something to carry to meetings every day, the 3.94kg weight will wear you down fast.