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| Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 |
Lenovo has been quietly refining its legendary ThinkPad T-series lineup, and after putting the 14-inch ThinkPad T14 Gen 7 through its paces (more on that in a moment), we finally got our hands on the larger 16-inch sibling. The ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 (model 22AN001WGE) arrived in our lab with an AMD heart – specifically the new Ryzen 5 PRO 215 based on Zen 4 architecture, paired with Radeon 740M graphics, 16 GB of single-channel RAM, a 512 GB SSD, and the familiar Full-HD low-power display that promises full sRGB coverage. The price? €1640, including WWAN antennas.
But before we dive into performance benchmarks and battery runtimes, something caught our eye the moment we opened the chassis. And it’s not necessarily good news for road warriors.
A Battery That Shrinks – But Gains Removability
The most obvious change inside the ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 compared to the Gen 4 model is the battery. Lenovo has swapped the previous 80 Wh unit for a much smaller 65 Wh battery. That’s a nearly 19% reduction in raw capacity. On a 16-inch business laptop aimed at professionals who often work away from a desk, this is a bold – and somewhat puzzling – move.
To Lenovo’s credit, the new battery follows the same tool-free removal design we first saw on the ThinkPad T14 Gen 7. You can pop it out without unscrewing a single fastener. That’s genuinely useful for fleet maintenance and on-the-go swaps. But looking at the internal layout, there’s still empty space inside the chassis. Our immediate thought: Lenovo could have easily kept a larger battery while retaining the snap-out mechanism. We’ll be testing battery life rigorously in our full review to see if efficiency gains from the Ryzen 5 PRO 215 can offset the capacity drop.
AMD vs. Intel: Memory Wars Inside the ThinkPad Family
Here’s where things get interesting. The Intel versions of the new ThinkPad T-series (T14 Gen 7 and T16 Gen 5) have moved to LPCAMM2 memory modules – a new standard that promises better performance and repairability than soldered LPDDR. But the AMD versions? They stick with good old SO-DIMM slots.
Our review unit came configured with a single 16 GB SO-DIMM, meaning the Radeon 740M integrated GPU is running in single-channel mode. That’s a bottleneck, especially for graphics performance. We’ll be testing whether adding a second memory module (for dual-channel) makes a tangible difference in everyday work, light creative tasks, and even Linux workflows. Given current memory prices, some users might even consider switching to Linux to squeeze more out of the existing hardware. We’ll explore both options in the final analysis.
What About Repairability? A Quick Detour to the T14 Gen 7
If you’re the kind of user who cares about battery clips and SO-DIMM slots, you probably also value repairability. And Lenovo has been making quiet but meaningful strides here.
We recently published a deep-dive repairability analysis of the ThinkPad T14 Gen 7, where we examined everything from keyboard replacement to thermal module access. That article became one of our most-read pieces this month, and for good reason – businesses and individual owners alike want to know if their expensive laptop can be fixed without a trip to a soldering station.
Speaking of which: If you haven’t seen our complete teardown and repairability score for the smaller T14 Gen 7, check it out here:
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 7 Repairability Deep Dive – it’s a must-read before you decide between Intel and AMD versions.
The T16 Gen 5 shares much of the same design philosophy, with a few key differences (like that smaller battery bay). We’ll be doing a full repairability breakdown in the upcoming review, so stay tuned.
First Impressions: Display, Build, and Keyboard
Before we wrap up this preview, a few quick observations. The 16-inch Full-HD low-power IPS panel on our review unit covers full sRGB, which is excellent for a standard business configuration. Colors look accurate out of the box, and the matte finish kills reflections without making text look grainy. Brightness seems adequate for indoor use, but we’ll measure it properly later.
The keyboard is, predictably, a joy. ThinkPad keyboards remain the gold standard in mobile computing. Key travel feels slightly deeper than on the T14 Gen 7, and the TrackPoint is as precise as ever. The 16:10 aspect ratio gives you extra vertical real estate, which is a blessing for spreadsheets and long documents.
Build quality is typical ThinkPad: a mix of magnesium and high-density plastic that feels solid without being overly heavy. At around 1.9 kg, it’s not an ultraportable, but it’s reasonable for a 16-inch workhorse.
What We Still Need to Test
Our full review will answer the following questions:
- Battery life: Can the 65 Wh battery plus Ryzen 5 PRO 215 match or beat the Gen 4’s 80 Wh runtime? Or did Lenovo sacrifice endurance for no good reason?
- Dual-channel memory impact: Does adding a second 16 GB stick improve GPU performance significantly? We’ll test with both Windows and Linux.
- Thermals and fan noise: The T16 Gen 4 ran cool but occasionally audible under load. Has the new internal layout changed that?
- Linux compatibility: The Ryzen PRO series often works well with modern kernels, but we’ll check suspend/resume, Wi-Fi, and GPU acceleration.
Your Turn: Questions and Recommendations
We always like to involve our readers before publishing the final verdict. If you have specific benchmarks you’d like us to run, or if you’re considering the T16 Gen 5 for your business or personal use and have concerns, leave a comment below. Want us to test external monitor support through USB-C? Battery life with Linux vs. Windows? A particular game on the Radeon 740M? Let us know.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 AMD is shaping up to be a mixed bag. The smaller battery is a genuine head-scratcher, but the improved repairability and continued use of SO-DIMM slots (instead of soldered LPCAMM2) might win over the DIY and IT-pro crowd. We’ll have our full review, complete with benchmarks, battery tests, and a final buy recommendation, in the coming days.
Stay tuned – and don’t forget to read our T14 Gen 7 repairability piece via the link above.
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| ThinkPad T16 Gen 4 AMD |
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| ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 AMD |