Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 review: This Windows business laptop reminds me of a fully specced MacBook Pro alternative — with a few caveats
by https://www.techradar.com/author/collin-probst · TechRadarTechRadar Verdict
The Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 is a powerful desktop-class laptop that you can carry around if you need to, though it may not be the most comfortable or portable of the machines. I found it effectively a ThinkPad version of a fully specced MacBook, minus that vibrant Liquid Retina display and ultra-portability.
Pros
- +Ideal for heavy work
- +Beautiful 16-inch display
- +Fantastic keyboard
- +Fast charging
- +Upgradable
Cons
- -A bit on the heftier side
- -Doesn't fit in the average backpack
- -Only 60Hz display
- -Quite expensive
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The Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 is a powerhouse and a semi-portable shell. It takes on the power of the beloved X1 Extreme, pairing an ultra 9 processor with quick memory, Thunderbolt 5, and decent storage. It's designed for engineers, creatives, and other power users who need a machine that can do it all while still having that hint of portability.
I think of this quite like the 16-inch MacBook Pro. It's the bigger choice in the line-up, but you would get it because you want the power and the ability, not necessarily the portability. The people who would get this laptop are the people who need the ports as well.
That's one of the reasons why I'm thrilled to see USB-A still, though it is just one, which is all that I would want. USB-C, Thunderbolt, an SD card reader, and an HDMI port. It honestly has every port I wish my MacBook Pro had, even as a guy who loves the MacBook Pro.
Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8: Price and availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 is available from Lenovo in the US here, and in the UK here. Prices start at $3,632 / £5,0145.
My tested version of this laptop has an Intel Core i9-285H, an IPX5070 with 8 GB, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. It's pretty hefty, and it does the job, that's for sure. The fact that it has a dedicated GPU shows that this thing is meant to work. The screen is also WQUXGA (3840x2400) with an 800-nit IPS panel.
You can fully inspect this thing out with a loaded Ultra 9 5070 with 64 GB and 4 TB of SSD. That will run you just over $4,000. My unit is not fully spec'd. It was pretty close and comes in at about $3,400 to $3,700, depending on how I look at it. If you get a base level with an entry point of an Intel Ultra Core 7 RTX 5060 and a terabyte of SSD, you can get it for just under $1,700 at $1,688.
So, much like most of Lenovo's line-up, you can expect this thing to go up and down the price chain however far you want. What's important to recognize is that they have laptops all across the spectrum for what you're wanting.
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