Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 monitor review: A big screen to boost your productivity

Let’s cut to the chase: the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 is an excellent monitor for productivity. Its large panel makes it great for multitasking, and its very sharp 4K resolution helps you see everything on screen. Plus, it provides a wide range of connectivity options, so it’s easy to build your setup around it. Most notably, it supports Thunderbolt 4, so you can connect it to your laptop using a single cable, and it can even charge said laptop at up to 96W.

However, it’s priced at over $1,000, so this is a very expensive monitor, and I think it’s a little hard to justify unless you really want a Thunderbolt 4 monitor. You can get other 4K monitors with USB-C connectivity for much less.

Front view of the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30

 

Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30

Big productivity boost

A large 4K display with great connectivity

$899 $1200 Save $301

The Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 is a 4K productivity monitor with plenty of connectivity, including Thunderbolt 4 support with daisy-chaining. It also supports HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, and it serves as a USB hub, including both USB Type-A ports and GIgabit Ethernet. It even has KVM support so you can use the same peripherals with different PCs.

Screen Size
31.5 inches
Resolution
3840×2160
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Refresh Rate
60Hz
Variable Refresh
No
Display Technology
IPS
Response Time
6ms (normal) / 4ms (extreme)
HDR
Yes
Ports
1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DP 1.4, 1x Thunderbolt 4 in, 1x Thunderbolt 4 out, 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1Type-A, 1x USB Type-B (uplink), 1x RJ45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio-out
Battery
No
Wireless Technology
No
Touchscreen Technology
No
Screen Brightness
350 nits (max)
Mounting Options
100mm VESA mount support or included stand
Sound
No (supports ThinkVision MS30 soundbar)
Tilt
-5 to +23.5 degrees
Swivel
-45 to +45 degrees
Pivot
-90 and +90 degrees
Curve
None
PIP/PBP
Yes
KVM
Yes
Monitor size
Screen only: 28.12×16.57×2.34 inches; With stand (highest position): 28.12×23.6×9.24 inches)
Weight
Monitor only: 15.8 pounds; With stand: 22.2 pounds

Pros

  • Large screen with 4K resolution is great for getting work done
  • Solid color reproduction
  • Lots of connectivity, including Thunderbolt 4

Cons

  • Color gamut coverage isn’t all that impressive for the price
  • Only 60Hz refresh rate
  • Fairly expensive

Pricing and availability

Close-up view of the Lenovo logo on the back of the ThinkVision P32p-30 monitor

The Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 officially launched earlier this year, and it’s available directly from Lenovo and various retailers, including Amazon, Newegg, Adorama, B&H, and more.

The official MSRP appears to hover around $1,200, but you can usually find it for less due to frequent discounts. That makes this an unquestionably premium monitor and one with a lot to live up to.

Design

Clearly inspired by ThinkPads

As the name probably tells you, the Lenovo ThinkVision is part of Lenovo’s Think series, which is derived from the massively popular ThinkPad laptops. But if the name wasn’t clear enough, the design of this monitor also makes that plain. The black chassis with red accents is clearly cut from the same cloth as Lenovo’s most popular laptops, but I’d argue it works better here. From the front, the only red you see is on the phone stand integrated into the base, and I think it makes for a nice highlight in an otherwise very clean design.

On that note, that phone stand that Lenovo includes with a lot of its ThinkVision monitors is actually very useful. I like using it to watch YouTube videos on my phone during more tedious parts of my workflow. Usually, I’d have a dedicated stand for my phone, but this makes things easier. I also like the square stand more than feet that spread wide across my desk, as I can at least put things on the stand if I want to. Protruding feet get in the way more.

A smartphone being held up by the built-in stand on the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30

There’s also a bit of red inside a cable routing hole on the stand that should help keep your setup a bit cleaner. On the back, you’ll also find it on the navigation nub, which is how you change the monitor’s settings.

It’s very adjustable

While you can use a 100mm VESA mount, the stand that comes in the box is great for many adjustments. It uses a quick attachment mechanism, so you can just lock it in place without any tools, and it supports a wide range of adjustments.

While you can use a 100mm VESA mount, the stand that comes in the box is great for many adjustments.

Specifically, it has height adjustment up to 155mm (6.1 inches), and it supports tilt between -5 and 25 degrees, as well as a bi-directional swivel up to 45 degrees (each way) and the ability to pivot both ways. That gives you a few options for how you want your setup to look and feel.

Ports

Plenty of options

One thing this screen does pretty well is connectivity, particularly when it comes to being a hub for other peripherals. First things first, it features an HDMI 2.0 port and one DisplayPort 1.4 connection for display inputs. Those are fairly standard. Where it starts to get special is with the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4, with an input and output for daisy-chaining.

To make full use of the Thunderbolt connectivity, the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 also includes plenty of ports to provide a USB hub. There are four USB Type-A ports, with one at the top being specifically designed for use with the ThinkVision MC60 webcam or MS30 soundbar. You also get RJ45 Ethernet with support for gigabit speeds, so you can get a reliable internet connection even if your laptop doesn’t support it, and there’s a 3.5mm audio out port. Thunderbolt connectivity also means the monitor can power a laptop with up to 96W of power.

Where it starts to get special is with the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4, with an input and output for daisy-chaining.

You also get a USB Type-B port here, which is an upstream port, so you can connect a PC even without Thunderbolt support. This also plays a major role in another capability: it can act as a KVM. You can plug in two devices using the Thunderbolt and USB Type-B ports, and then plug your peripherals into the monitor. This will let you use the same keyboard and mouse with two computers without having to mess with the cables constantly.

Display

A solid screen with good color reproduction

The display itself is the big focus here, though, and it’s solid. This is a 31.5-inch panel, and it has a sharp 4K resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The refresh rate is just 60Hz, but that’s all you really need for work, which this monitor was built for.

For my use case, this has been a huge benefit. I’ve been using it in place of my two 24-inch Full HD monitors, and I haven’t really missed my old setup. I can fit a ton of content on this screen, so it’s easy to get work done. I don’t really like splitting my screen in half for multitasking, so I still have a second monitor, but I can get a lot more work done on just this one screen, and it’s awesome.

I’ve been using it in place of my two 24-inch Full HD monitors, and I haven’t really missed my old setup

As for the colors, the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 brought in great numbers, although it falls a little short. Lenovo boasts 100% coverage of sRGB, along with 95% coverage of DCI-P3. However, my testing was slightly less impressive, covering 100% of sRGB, 89% of DCI-P3, 83% of Adobe RGB, and 79% of NTSC.

Graphs reresenting the color gamut coverage of the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 monitor

These are pretty good scores, even though they’re a little below what’s advertised. However, I do think these numbers fall a little flat, considering the high price of this monitor. It seems like a big part of what you’re paying for here is Thunderbolt 4 support, but a better display experience would definitely be welcome. This screen is perfectly fine for office work; it’s just not made for creative professionals who need the best color reproduction. That being said, Lenovo does claim the monitor has a color accuracy rating of Delta E

As for brightness, Lenovo says the monitor goes up to 350 nits, and that’s exactly what I got in my tests. The contrast measured at 1180:1 at max brightness, and that’s pretty solid for an IPS panel.

Table showing the brightness test results for the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 monitor

Image credit: XDA

It’s also worth noting that the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 touts support for HDR with VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, but that’s almost meaningless. Because the maximum brightness is very low and this is a standard IPS panel, you can’t expect an amazing HDR experience. Then again, that’s not what this monitor is for. It’s made for office work, and for that, it works great.

Software and features

Changing settings on the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 is about as easy as you’d expect. Using the navigation nub on the back, you can open the menu, which includes options to select color profiles and usage scenarios, or manually adjust things like brightness and contrast. The nub also gives you access to quick settings by pressing it in a given direction, so you can quickly adjust brightness and contrast, or switch the KVM setting without going through the main menu. You can also customize the quick settings assigned to the nub controls, which is nice to see. A separate button below the nub also lets you switch between input sources quickly.

A Lenovo ThinkVision monitor displaying two sources in picture-in-picture mode

In addition to the KVM, you’ll also find the ability to display two sources in a picture-in-picture or picture-by-picture configuration. You can choose from a few preset layouts so you can easily view two sources simultaneously. I feel this makes more sense in an ultrawide panel, but I’m sure there are uses for it here, too.

The Windows app makes things even easier

If you use this monitor with a Windows PC, though, you can make it even easier to change display settings using the Lenovo Display Control Center app, which is available on the Microsoft Store. Essentially, this makes the features from the monitor’s menu available on your PC, so you don’t have to reach behind the monitor to change settings, which can be cumbersome. It’s also much faster to just click the things you want to change than to navigate using a nub, so this is very useful if you want to change your monitor settings frequently.

There’s more to it than that, though. The app also has some exclusive features, starting with “desktop partition,” a feature that’s kind of similar to Snap Assist in Windows 11. Basically, this creates virtual areas on your desktop, and you can easily drag windows into those areas to split the screen in whatever way you prefer. It’s not as powerful as Microsoft’s PowerToys tool, but it’s still a nice inclusion.

You can also create user profiles to save specific settings and easily switch between them as needed. In fact, the app also includes a task scheduler, so you can automatically activate specific user profiles at a given time. It’s pretty cool.

Should you buy the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30?

Angled front view of the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 displaying the Windows XP Bliss background

You should buy the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 if:

  • You need a monitor with Thunderbolt 4 support, including daisy-chaining
  • You want a large 4K screen to improve your multitasking
  • You want features like a built-in KVM

You shouldn’t buy the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 if:

  • You don’t need specific features like a KVM or Thunderbolt support
  • You don’t want to spend $1,000
  • You’re looking for top-notch color reproduction

Ultimately, I think the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 is a great monitor that’s sold for a price that’s very hard to justify. If you really need a monitor with Thunderbolt 4 support, especially for daisy-chaining, then this is a solid choice, even if it is expensive. These kinds of monitors always cost a premium anyway, so this isn’t too over the top, but you can find cheaper alternatives.

For everybody else, though, there’s not enough here to justify the $1,000 price tag. You can get a great 4K monitor for under $600, and if you just want USB-C connectivity, you don’t need Thunderbolt 4. You can still get much cheaper monitors like the Samsung Smart Monitor M7, which is both 4K and has USB-C along with HDMI (though that lacks DisplayPort). And while the colors on the ThinkVision P32p-30 are good, they’re not exceedingly amazing enough to justify this huge jump in price.

Front view of the Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30

 

Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30

Expensive but premium monitor

$899 $1200 Save $301

The Lenovo ThinkVision P32p-30 will appeal to those who need its extensive connectivity, such as Thunderbolt 4 support and daisy-chaining, plus it’s a large screen with a high resolution, perfect for productivity. But with such a high price tag, it’s definitely not a monitor for the average user.