Lenovo ThinkPad P52 - Mobile Workstation

ThinkPad laptops have always been famous for their boxy design and a keyboard system that outperforms competitors, a trait clearly visible especially on premium workstations. The Lenovo ThinkPad P52, released in early 2018, carries these same advantages along with several notable upgrades.

A powerful workstation

The Lenovo ThinkPad P52 utilizes high-performance 8th Gen Intel Coffee Lake CPUs, helping users handle CPU-intensive tasks like rendering 3D frames or running heavy emulation programs. Notably, the machine offers an optional Xeon E-2176M CPU, allowing it to run demanding programs reliably for long periods.

Additionally, the laptop features a Quadro Pascal graphics system, enabling smooth processing for intense 3D graphics tasks or running AI testing programs. With three options - Quadro P1000, Quadro P2000, and Quadro P3200 - users can choose the graphics card that fits their specific needs.

Display - A complete overhaul

The Lenovo ThinkPad P52 comes equipped with a Full HD display featuring a standard IPS panel. The screen has a moderate brightness of 300 nits, but it offers excellent color gamut coverage with 90% sRGB and 55% AdobeRGB. With this display, users can perform graphic design and imaging work with high precision.

The machine also offers 4K and 4K TOUCH display options, featuring 400 nits of brightness and high color gamut coverage with 100% AdobeRGB; however, Lenovo has removed the Pantone color calibration found in previous generations for the 4K option.

Lenovo ThinkPad P52 design

At a glance, the Lenovo ThinkPad P52 does not look significantly different from the P50. The entire chassis is reinforced with a magnesium aluminum alloy, providing durability and sturdiness during use. The lid is robust and still features a smooth carbon fiber coating, though the "Lenovo" logo has been completely removed, leaving only the familiar "ThinkPad" text in the right corner.

The display bezels remain thick to ensure the stability of the display panel. The ThinkShutter slider is tucked neatly in the middle of the camera for convenient privacy. The hinges are designed on both sides for sturdiness without obstructing the heat vents on either side. All LEDs on the power button, as well as the indicator lights on the CapsLock and NumLock keys, have been changed to white. The port layout has also changed slightly.

Keyboard and touchpad

Overall, there is not much difference between the Lenovo ThinkPad P52 keyboard and the previous generation. However, upon closer inspection, the character set has been slightly modified and is smaller than its predecessor. The keys feature a 1.7mm travel depth and concave keycaps that feel more ergonomic while typing.

The touchpad has been made wider and includes Windows Precision drivers. The surface is made of a smooth, matte plastic that glides easily, even if it does not feel as premium as glass surfaces. The gesture system is responsive.

The machine retains the familiar Trackpoint system found in ThinkPad laptops. The Trackpoint remains highly sensitive, while the supporting hard keys have been moved closer and offer a quiet click. The scroll button is no longer stylized with blue dots, but has been replaced with black raised dots for a consistent look.

Connectivity

Unlike previous generations, the ThinkPad P52 connectivity system is distributed evenly across the sides rather than being concentrated mostly at the back. The machine is equipped with 3 USB Type A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 2 USB Type C 3.1 Gen 2 ports that support Thunderbolt 3, 1 HDMI 2.0 port, 1 mini DisplayPort, a 3.5mm combo headphone jack, an RJ-45 network port, and 1 SD card slot. Lenovo removed the outdated Express Card slot to maximize the circuit design area and to rearrange the ports more effectively.

Upgradeability

As a traditional workstation, the ThinkPad P52 offers excellent hardware upgradeability. The machine has 4 DDR4 RAM slots, supporting up to 128GB of total memory or up to 64GB of ECC RAM. Additionally, the machine has 2 SSD slots supporting the NVMe standard, along with 1 2.5-inch drive bay located right next to them. While this upgrade capability has existed in previous versions, the drive upgrade system in the P52 is arranged more neatly and aesthetically, taking up less space than the previous version.
Browse more models in the Lenovo laptops category. If you are comparing options, also see the Lenovo ThinkPad P72 - Mobile WorkStation and the Lenovo ThinkPad P53 - Mobile WorkStation.

Is the Lenovo ThinkPad P52 a worthwhile workstation?

Even though it is not a thin and light workstation like its sibling the ThinkPad P1, nor does it have the unconventional design lines of the HP Zbook 15 G5, the P52 remains a Mobile Workstation with powerful performance, excellent upgradeability, and a rich array of ports to serve users. The only potential downside for users is the weight of the machine.