Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G2 ITL 15.5" Review
The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G2 offers a massive 40GB of RAM at a shockingly low price, but it's held back by a slow older CPU and a very basic display.
Overview
The Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G2 ITL is a weird one. It's got a massive 40GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, which is way more than you'd expect at this price. But it pairs that with an older 11th Gen Intel CPU and a basic 60Hz screen, making it a real mix of power and compromise.
It's clearly built for work, not play. The scores show it's best as a general use machine, not for students or business pros who need top-tier performance. The touchscreen and backlit keyboard are nice touches, but they don't fix the core issues.
Performance
Let's break it down. The AMD integrated graphics are surprisingly decent, landing in the 98th percentile. That's not for gaming, but it helps with video calls and light photo editing. The 40GB RAM is also a huge plus for multitasking. The problem is the CPU. It's in the 23rd percentile, which means it's slow. Expect some lag when you have too many tabs or apps open. The screen is also a weak point, sitting in the bottom 16th percentile. It's just a basic 1080p 60Hz panel.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong gpu (98th percentile) 96th
- Strong ram (88th percentile) 91th
- Strong port (85th percentile) 85th
- Strong storage (78th percentile) 84th
Cons
- Below average screen (16th percentile) 27th
- Below average cpu (23th percentile) 32th
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | I5-1135G |
Graphics
| GPU | Graphics |
| Type | integrated |
| VRAM | 48 GB |
| VRAM Type | GDDR6 |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 40 GB |
| Storage | 1 TB |
| Storage Type | NVMe SSD |
Display
| Size | 15.5" |
| Resolution | 1920 (Full HD) |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
Connectivity
| Thunderbolt | 1 x Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | 1 x HDMI |
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 |
Physical
| OS | Windows 11 Pro |
Value & Pricing
At $459, this is a tough call. You're getting an insane amount of RAM and a good SSD for the money. If your work involves having fifty browser tabs and a dozen documents open at once, that RAM is a lifesaver. But you're sacrificing a lot in CPU speed and screen quality. For pure specs-per-dollar, it's interesting. For a balanced, pleasant experience, it's harder to recommend.
Price History
vs Competition
Compared to an ASUS Zenbook Duo, you lose the innovative dual-screen design and get a much slower CPU, but you gain way more RAM for less money. Next to a gaming laptop like the MSI Vector or Gigabyte AORUS, there's no contest for performance, but those cost three times as much. The real question is against a modern budget ultrabook. This ThinkBook offers more raw memory, but you'll feel the age of its processor in daily use compared to something with a newer chip.
| Spec | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G2 ITL 15.5" | Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro - Apple M5 chip with 10-core | ASUS ProArt ASUS - ProArt PX13 13" 3K OLED Touch Screen Laptop | Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro Samsung - Galaxy Book5 Pro - Copilot+ PC - 14" 3K | Microsoft Surface Laptop Microsoft 15" Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC (7th | HP ZBook HP ZBook Ultra G1a 14" Touchscreen Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | I5-1135G | Apple M5 | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 | AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro 380 |
| RAM (GB) | 40 | 16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 16 |
| Storage (GB) | 1024 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 | 1024 | 1024 |
| Screen | 15.5" 1920x1080 | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 13.3" 2880x1800 | 14" 2880x1800 | 15" 2496x1664 | 14" 2880x1800 |
| GPU | AMD Graphics | Apple M4 GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 | Intel Arc Graphics | Qualcomm X1 | AMD Graphics |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro |
| Weight (kg) | - | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| Battery (Wh) | - | 72 | 73 | - | 66 | 74 |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Cpu | Gpu | Ram | Port | Screen | Compact | Storage | Reliability | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G2 ITL 15.5" | 31.6 | 96.1 | 91.3 | 83.9 | 27.3 | 45.3 | 84.7 | 75.6 | 50.3 |
| Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 chip Compare | 82.9 | 20.6 | 44.1 | 83.9 | 96.9 | 70.4 | 72.4 | 94.8 | 98.5 |
| ASUS ProArt PX13 13" 3K Compare | 87.2 | 77.2 | 94.2 | 93.6 | 93.1 | 91.6 | 72.4 | 55.7 | 94.6 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro Galaxy Book5 Pro 14" 3K Compare | 69 | 66.6 | 86.9 | 90.5 | 93.5 | 84.9 | 72.4 | 75.6 | 96.5 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 15" Compare | 98.6 | 42 | 86.9 | 96.8 | 86.2 | 53.7 | 84.7 | 75.6 | 99.4 |
| HP ZBook Ultra G1a 14" Touchscreen Mobile Workstation 2.8K Compare | 78.1 | 96.1 | 61 | 78.1 | 94.6 | 55.4 | 84.7 | 30.5 | 90.2 |
Verdict
Buy this only if your number one priority is having a ton of RAM for under $500, and you don't care about CPU speed or screen quality. It's a niche pick for budget power users who live in their browser. For almost everyone else, especially students or business users, spending a bit more for a better-balanced machine with a newer CPU is the smarter move.