Lenovo vs. HP: Which Makes the Better Laptop?

Key Points

• Lenovo and HP are two trustworthy laptop brands that offer options for every need and budget.
• Lenovo laptops have a rugged appearance while HP laptops are slimmer and lighter.
• HP laptops generally have better components and display brightness compared to Lenovo.
• Lenovo laptops have longer battery life, but HP laptops are also known for their outstanding battery performance.
• Lenovo offers more durable laptops in their ThinkPad lineup, while HP laptops are comparable in durability with other Lenovo lineups.

Whether you need a laptop for business or personal use, investing in a quality device can save you money in the long run.

Two of the most trustworthy brands are Lenovo and HP. They both offer laptops for every need and budget, but differences between components and price could make you prefer one over the other.

This comparison between Lenovo and HP highlights the major advantages and flaws of each company.

Let’s get into it!

Lenovo vs. HP: Side-by-Side Comparison

For the purpose of this article, we compared top-tier and mid-range laptops from each brand.

Best Graphics

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Workstation Gen 2

$1,797.99

• Nvidia T1200 4GB graphics card included
• Support for various Nvidia RTX graphics solutions
• 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor
• Up to 9 hours of battery life
• Supports rapid-charge technology

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10/02/2023 06:53 am GMT

Best Overall

HP 2023 Newest Envy Laptop, 17.3" UHD Display

$1,637.99

• 64GB high-bandwidth RAM
• 14-core 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H processor
• Backlit keyboard
• Superb design
• 4K UHD resolution

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10/02/2023 06:54 am GMT

Lenovo vs. HP: What’s the Difference?

No matter what you’re looking for in a laptop, you’ll find suitable options from both Lenovo and HP. However, there are a few things to consider before spending your money. We’ll break it all down below.

Brand Reputation

Lenovo was founded in 1984 in Beijing as Legend, a company specializing in televisions. The Chinese multinational launched its first PC in 1990, but it only became famous in the computer world after the acquisition of IBM’s Personal Computer Division in May 2005.

The merger transformed Lenovo into the third-largest computer manufacturer in the world. Most Lenovo laptops deliver reliable performance, and the company enjoys a good reputation. However, its products struggle to bring the same value for money as HP.

Founded in 1939 as Hewlett-Packard Company, HP has grown together with home computing. The company launched its first personal computer in the late 1960s, and about a decade later, it became a pioneer in making computers accessible to everyone. Some of the brand’s major achievements include the advancing of PCs from 32 to 64 bits and the development of new technologies in computing, printing, gaming, VR, and AI.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the American brand enjoys a stellar reputation. Its laptops are preferred by personal and business users alike due to their high performance, speed, and stylish appearance.

Components

Head-to-head comparisons between same-class Lenovo and HP computers show that the American brand brings more bang for the buck. HP’s TPN-C160 model, for instance, comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H processor, 64GB of RAM, and a 17.3-inch display. All these features make the device perfect for productivity, multitasking, gaming, and content creation.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad P15 is one of the HP TPN-C160’s competitors, but its components are less than stellar. The only advantage this laptop has in this battle is the NVIDIA T1200 4GB GPU, which gives it an edge in terms of gaming and hard-core content creation. However, the 32GB of RAM can slow down some processes, and the company also equips this device with a smaller SSD. The graphics card alone can hardly justify the higher price for most users.

A similar discrepancy between components is found in mid-range laptops. Generally, HP equips its laptops with better parts while maintaining more competitive prices.

Design

From a visual standpoint, most Lenovo laptops have a rugged, almost utilitarian appearance. HP laptops are slimmer, lighter, and typically more streamlined than Lenovo. Sure, looks are subjective, and it is challenging for us to choose a winner based on aesthetics alone. However, if you need mobility, HP laptops are typically lighter and easier to carry.

Display

The display is an essential part of the laptop, especially if you use the device for gaming or designing. Depending on the model, HP’s displays vary in resolution from FHD to 4K.

Most Lenovo laptops have FHD resolution with up to 300 nits of brightness, whereas HP’s brightness can go as high as 400 nits. The LCD screens from both brands have good color accuracy, or you can opt for an OLED laptop — you can find options in both lineups.

Battery Life

Laptops are designed for mobility, so the battery life can make or break the deal. If you want the longest battery life, Lenovo is the way to go. Most of its mid-range and high-end laptops come with high-capacity batteries that can provide up to 12 hours of runtime. HP is also known for its outstanding battery life, but you’ll rarely get over eight hours per charge.

However, you should know that entry-level models typically have a much shorter battery life. In Lenovo’s case, some of its most affordable laptops have a battery life of under two hours. However, you can get up to three hours from an entry-level HP laptop.

Build Quality

Lenovo is at an advantage as far as the build quality is concerned. Not all of its laptops are equally durable, but if you need a rugged device, you can find one in the Lenovo ThinkPad lineup. These laptops are made of lightweight but durable carbon fiber and are tested against 12 different MIL-STD-810G standards for resistance to drops, shocks, dust, moisture, and more.

HP builds durable laptops, but they are flimsier than Lenovo’s ThinkPad models. However, most HP laptops are comparable in durability with other Lenovo lineups. So, if you don’t necessarily want a ThinkPad, you can’t go wrong with either brand.

Warranty

While Lenovo and HP manufacture reliable laptops, some devices may have factory defects. A good warranty protects you against these failures, but each company comes with its own policy.

Lenovo’s base warranties provide between one and three years of coverage. They can be extended up to five years with a warranty upgrade that you can purchase separately. The base warranty starts on the date of purchase, as shown on your receipt or invoice. You don’t have to register the product to benefit from the base warranty, but you do have to register it for a warranty upgrade.

The brand offers various types of warranty upgrades, some of which must be purchased within 90 days from the start of the base coverage. Other types can be purchased at any time as long as your base warranty is still active.

HP offers standard one-year warranties for all consumer PCs and between one and three years of coverage for business laptops. Similar to Lenovo, HP gives buyers the possibility to extend the standard warranty with a Care Pack.

These products typically add three more years to the base warranty, but there is a caveat — the Care Pack coverage starts on the same date as the base warranty. For example, if you bought your laptop on January 1, 2023, and decided to purchase a Care Pack on March 1, 2023, the Care Pack would cover the period from January 1, 2023, to January 1, 2026, and not from March 1, 2023 to March 1, 2026.

Alternatively, you can opt for a post-warranty plan. Coverage, in this case, begins one day after the base warranty expires or on the day the plan is bought if you decide to buy it after the base warranty has already expired.

Price

Lenovo and HP offer a wide range of laptops for all budgets. The cheapest options start at around $220 for Lenovo and $350 for HP, but HP laptops usually come with better components. In the mid and high-end range, HP wins with competitive prices and stellar performance. When comparing similar specs, the Lenovo laptops are a lot more expensive.

Lenovo vs. HP: 5 Must-Know Facts

• Lenovo is a Chinese tech multinational company specializing in laptops and other electronic devices. The company has subsidiaries in many sectors, including the smartphone market (Motorola).
• HP is an American tech company founded in Palo Alto, California. A pioneer in the personal computing world, it’s been manufacturing personal computers since the late 1960s.
• Both companies manufacture reliable laptops, but most HP models pack more performance for the money.
• The high-end Lenovo laptops are usually made of more resistant materials than HP and are tested to resist shocks, drops, dust, and moisture.
• Lenovo usually offers longer warranties and better warranty upgrades than HP.

Great Processor

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 4

$699.98

• Intel 12th Gen Deca-Core Core i5-1235U processor
• Windows 11 Professional 64-bit pre-installed
• Up to 12 hours of battery life
• 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD

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10/02/2023 06:58 am GMT

Best for Multitasking

HP 2023 15.6" Laptop, FHD Display, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U Processor

$709.00

• 2TB SSD
• 32GB RAM runs multiple applications and browser tabs at once
• Comfortable keyboard with numeric keypad
• Micro-edge and anti-glare screen

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10/02/2023 07:03 am GMT

Lenovo vs. HP: Which One is Best?

Considering the components and price points, the HP laptops are better. Their lineup includes options for all budgets and needs. Whether you want a device to browse the web and stream movies on Netflix, a laptop capable of handling design and content creation software, or a gaming laptop, HP has it all. The warranty is not as extensive as Lenovo’s, but their laptops are made to last.

Lenovo also offers capable laptops, some of which have better GPUs than HP. The battery life is also superior, although the difference isn’t dramatic. However, these factors alone might not be enough to justify the price tag. If you do need a rugged laptop, though, Lenovo is the better option.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Elroygoh, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.