Lenovo ThinkPad 16" E16 Gen 2 Graphite Black 2025

This laptop lands in the 89th percentile for port selection, meaning you can leave the dongles at home. But the integrated Intel graphics drag the gaming score down to a pitiful 18.2, so it's strictly a work machine. With a solid 5.0 rating from 24 owners, it's clearly doing its job for the right buyer.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 2 knows exactly what it is: a workhorse built for spreadsheets, email, and a dozen browser tabs without complaint. Its standout numbers are all about connectivity, landing in the 89th percentile for port selection, which means you get Thunderbolt, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.1, and even Ethernet without a dongle. Buyers seem happy too, with a perfect 5.0 rating across 24 reviews.

But the numbers also make the trade-offs crystal clear. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155U sits right in the middle of the pack (49th percentile for CPU) and the integrated graphics drag the gaming score down to an abysmal 18.2 out of 100. That's dead last territory, so don't even think about anything beyond Minesweeper. For office work, the 16GB of DDR5 and 512GB SSD are solid but the 47Wh battery and a 45% NTSC screen tell you this isn't a machine for creatives or all-day off-plug duty.

Ports are this laptop's superpower. That 89th percentile ranking isn't just a number; it's the difference between a clean desk and a rat's nest of adapters. You get a full-size HDMI 2.1, dual USB-C (one with Thunderbolt), two USB-A, and a Gigabit Ethernet jack, all baked in. For a modern 16-inch notebook, that's genuinely impressive.

Under the hood, things are more down-to-earth. The Core Ultra 7 155U churns through office tasks without breaking a sweat, but it's a mid-pack chip, and the Intel integrated graphics mean any GPU-accelerated work is out of the question. We saw the same in our database: a 54th percentile GPU score is serviceable, but the dedicated gaming metric at 18.2 tells you to stick to streaming. On the brighter side, reliability and social proof scores sit in the high 70s, so you're getting a machine that should just keep working.

Pricing is a bit of a rollercoaster. We've seen this exact configuration listed between $1469 and $1687, a $218 spread that demands some shopping around. Newegg had it at the low end of that range at $1469, which is the deal to beat. At that price, the ThinkPad's legendary keyboard, durable chassis, and fantastic port selection start to make sense for a business buyer who doesn't need a color-accurate display or a GPU. But push toward the $1687 mark and you're dangerously close to machines with far better screens and performance.

Stack this Lenovo against the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro or the Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro and the screen immediately becomes a glaring weak spot. Those competitors offer OLED panels or ProMotion displays that leave the E16's 45% NTSC panel in the dust. Meanwhile, the ASUS ROG Flow GZ302EA swaps portability for a dedicated GPU, making it a real gaming laptop. Where the ThinkPad shines is pure connectivity: it has Ethernet and a full HDMI port when even the HP ZBook Ultra G1a forces you to use adapters. So if your workflow is all about spreadsheets across dual monitors and a wired network in a dockless office, the E16 is the oddly practical choice.

Gamers and creative pros should look elsewhere immediately. The gaming score of 18.2 and the 45% NTSC display are huge red flags. If you need a laptop for gaming, video editing, or any GPU-accelerated workflow, the integrated Intel Graphics and mediocre screen will frustrate you. For the same money, an ASUS ROG Flow or a MacBook Pro will offer astronomically better performance in those areas, even if you'll need a few dongles.

The ThinkPad E16 Gen 2 is a purpose-built office machine that absolutely nails connectivity and reliability, but its display and GPU hold it back from being a true all-rounder. The numbers don't lie: if your day is email, meetings, and browser-based apps, the port selection and build quality make this a solid bet, especially if you can grab it near that $1469 low point. Just don't expect to edit photos or play games without a cloud service.