TECH

Your new work laptop in 2026: EliteBook vs ThinkPad, the battle of the 16-inch laptops

If one is looking for a big office laptop for work, the names EliteBook and ThinkPad should quickly appear on the radar. We tested both the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 and the HP EliteBook 8 G2a 16, and can compare both.

A big laptop for productivity seems like something a lot of people could need. Having a big screen, a full-size keyboard, as well as plenty of ports and a big touchpad makes working and using a laptop comfortable, especially when the person using it is not traveling too much.

Smart performance, expansive screen, easy management:

-Intel® powers next-gen AI PCs...Free up time to focus on what matters with the latest Intel® Core™ Ultra processor, featuring an NPU designed specifically for the next era of AI software. Three computing engines manage AI workloads, delivering long battery life and powerful graphics.

-Protect yourself from prying eyes... Shield yourself from prying eyes with the optional HP Sure View privacy screen, which you can quickly activate at the touch of a key. When enabled, HP Sure View reduces visible light, making the screen unreadable when viewed from the side.

As is typical for the EliteBook 8 series, HP uses aluminum for the chassis. With the exception of the keyboard, screen bezel, and hinge cover, the entire device is made of this lightweight silver metal. The laptop features a clean, simple design perfectly suited for a business environment and is comfortable to use, thanks to its rounded corners and edges. The metal surfaces feel premium and do not easily attract smudges. Furthermore, the chassis is generally very stable and robust. While it exhibits slightly more flex than the pricier EliteBook X G2i—and the screen wobbles a bit more—it remains a high-quality device. The lid can be opened with one hand, and the maximum opening angle is approximately 166 degrees.

Accessing the interior of the HP laptop is easy, with four captive screws securing the bottom panel. The SSD, 5G card, and Wi-Fi card are modular components. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered.

HP employs its standard backlit EliteBook keyboard—featuring a numeric keypad, a six-row layout, and matte gray Chiclet keys—paired with a mechanical glass clickpad (13.5 x 8.5 cm). Both input devices offer excellent usability; the keyboard, in particular, ranks among the best in the laptop world, although the small arrow keys are a downside.

-Fast and efficient wireless networking...Your PC's portability and the reliability of a fast connection determine where you can work. Get a fast, reliable connection in dense wireless environments with Wi-Fi 7, capable of supporting gigabit-class data speeds.

Some prime examples for this class of laptop are the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 and the HP EliteBook 8 G2a 16. HP and Lenovo are the two biggest PC manufacturers, and the EliteBook laptops and ThinkPad laptops are their two premier business laptop series for office use. We reviewed both, with the review of the HP EliteBook 8 G2a 16 being published more recently. A good opportunity for a comparison!

Overall, both laptops are very similar physically, even though they do look very different. 16-inch screen, keyboard with numpad and a port selection with a mix of legacy and modern ports. Sure, the EliteBook is silver and the ThinkPad is black, but that is mostly just for the looks - both have an aluminum lid, and while the ThinkPad uses a plastic base with a magnesium insert and the EliteBook an aluminum base, their build quality is comparable. One detail: The ThinkPad screen opens to 180 degrees, the EliteBook only to 166 degrees.

Of course, the ThinkPad as a red TrackPoint with dedicated mouse clickers in addition to its plastic-made mechanical clickpad, while the EliteBook, on the other hand, just as a bigger glass clickpad. Which is better for you depends entirely on user preference. Better, with no doubt, is that the ThinkPad has a dedicated RJ-45 Ethernet port, as well as a more easily repairable keyboard and upgradeable SO-DIMM memory. The RAM of the HP EliteBook laptop is, sadly, soldered. At least with the EliteBook, the Wi-Fi module is modular, it is soldered in case of the ThinkPad.

When it comes to the screen, the EliteBook display straight up beats the ThinkPad's more mediocre screen, mostly thanks to a better color reproduction. However, you can also configure the ThinkPad with better screens, so this is largely up to the model you choose. The same applies, to a lesser extend, to battery life, as there are two versions of each: The HP EliteBook 8 G2a 16 can be configured with a 62 or 77 Wh battery, and the ThinkPad with a 60 or 75 Wh battery. We tested both with the bigger battery, and the EliteBook delivered better battery life.

The ThinkPad T16 is Lenovo's premium business laptop with a large 16-inch screen and there have been some changes for the new G5 generation. You can still decide between AMD and Intel chips and our review unit today is the entry-level model with an AMD Ryzen PRO CPU, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD as well as the standard IPS screen. While the specs are mediocre, the price is still pretty high at $1639.

Lenovo changed the chassis construction for the new Gen 5 model of the T16, even though the overall visual appearance is still pretty much the same as before, including the camera bump. The most obvious change is the new central hinge design (instead of two smaller hinges), so the lower bezel is a bit smaller. The overall quality is still excellent, even though it might not feel very premium due to the use of plastic. The surfaces do not attract as much dirt as expected and the stability is excellent without any creaking sounds. The hinges are well adjusted and the maximum opening angle is 180 degrees. Maintenance options are limited to a single M.2-2280 SSD, you get two regular SO-DIMM slots for RAM and you can clean the fan.

Connectivity is very good with Wi-Fi 7, Gigabit-Ethernet and antennas for an LTE module (antennas preinstalled) as well as a sufficient number of ports including Thunderbolt 4. Wi-Fi 7 performance is okay and stable around 2 Gbps and the 5 MP camera with mechanical shutter (and IR) takes decent pictures. 

Verdict - ThinkPad T16 G5 is let down by the poor screen...The new ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 is a rather underwhelming business laptop with a premium price tag. The chassis changes are good and the improved repairability is definitely an advantage, but the overall user experience is affected by the poor screen. It only covers the sRGB gamut by 60 % and the image quality is pretty poor, which is hard to accept for premium T-series. There are optional screens with more color gamut, but no options with higher resolutions and/or refresh rates. The other problem of our entry-level review unit is the rather disappointing performance in general with the old Zen 4 processor, 16 GB RAM and the small 512 GB SSD.

There are obviously positive aspects as well, including the connectivity features and ports including Wi-Fi 7 as well as Thunderbolt 4, the comfortable input devices and also the long battery runtime. We were also surprised by the sound quality, which is very good, not only for a business laptop. The fan is also very quiet, but spins up occasionally even while idling, which is annoying. All in all, the T16 Gen 5 is a good business laptop, but it is held back by the display. We strongly recommend you get the better display option if you are interested in this device.

This brings us, last, but not least, to the performance. Here, the EliteBook wins quite comfortably, but that is only natural. After all, the EliteBook comes equipped with a Ryzen 7, and a newer generation CPU at that, while the ThinkPad we tested contained an older Ryzen 5. Again: You can also configure the ThinkPad with the more powerful and modern CPU. What is clear, however, is that the EliteBook gets louder under load, while the ThinkPad runs a bit more toasty.

In the end, the ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 and EliteBook 8 G2a 16 are very comparable. Which one you should choose is mostly a matter of taste - and which manufacturer has the better prices at the moment you buy. The EliteBook does have the better battery life, but soldered RAM harms its long-term viability a bit.

mundophone