The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 taught me that small issues are able to greatness.
There comes a degree in diminishing laptop computer dimensions the place it turns into a no brainer to throw it into no matter dimension bag you’ve gotten and take it with you. Nonetheless, this comes with compromises to energy and battery life.
Bafflingly, Lenovo appears to have thrown up a one-finger salute to this conference, and offered us a brilliant luxurious ultraportable with sufficient energy for key duties — even some Photoshop work — with a mightily spectacular battery life in addition.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 value and compatibility
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 begins at $1,344 (opens in new tab), and also you get an AMD Ryzen 5 Professional 6650U CPU, built-in Radeon graphics, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and a 256GB SSD. Don’t imagine the exorbitant $2,000 price ticket Lenovo claims on its web site — the corporate will be responsible of inflating prices to make the precise retail value appear to be a deal.
However even at this correct value, the Z13 is $145 greater than the M2 MacBook Air, and over $50 greater than the bottom mannequin Dell XPS 13 Plus.
The mannequin we examined takes that value as much as $1,605 with an upgraded AMD Ryzen 7 Professional 6850U CPU and double the SSD storage.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 design
I’m a fan of refinement, so it ought to come as no shock once I say the ThinkPad Z13 is likely one of the most trendy laptops I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.
Each single angle, from the metallic lid and chamfered edges to the underside’s vent grills beneath and that subtly illuminated pink dot on the I in ThinkPad, all the pieces feels boldly utilitarian and luxuriously constructed. I’d be curious to see how the vegan leather-based model that adorns the lid with this materials might probably make this extra premium — this aluminum enclosure already oozes costly charisma.
However in fact, this isn’t the principle get together trick of the Z13’s design. The true star of the present is the very fact it’s small. Like, actually small. At 11.59 x 7.86 x 0.55 inches, and weighing 2.78 kilos, it’s astonishingly compact and light-weight.
Comparatively, the M2 MacBook Air could also be thinner and barely lighter, however it doesn’t stand an opportunity in different areas (11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches, 2.7 kilos). And the already impressively slim XPS 13 Plus is outclassed, too (11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, 2.7 kilos).
For the entire utilitarian-yet-dull ThinkPads that exist, this one stands heads and shoulders above all of them. And I hope Lenovo learns a lesson or two from it for the remainder of the lineup.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 ports
That is the place we run into one of many first issues of this machine: the port choice is virtually non-existent with two USB 4 sockets and a mic/headphone combo jack.
After all, you may hitch one in every of our finest USB Sort-C hubs as much as this factor, however then that disturbs the small, minimalist aesthetic of utilizing a laptop computer like this. Plus, you’re telling me Lenovo couldn’t a minimum of put a HDMI, an SD card reader, or a minimum of a USB-A port in right here?
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 show
low blue-light know-how, and a 16:10 side ratio. That 2.8K OLED choice appears tremendous tempting — made much more so as a result of this cheaper panel choice is okay, and nothing extra.
It’s serviceable for doing work on, and even for some instances when right colour is necessary like Photoshop, because of its 75.8% DCI-P3 colour gamut (slightly below the 89.3% premium laptop computer common), and the spectacular 0.21 Delta-E accuracy rating. For context, the MacBook Air M2 hit a 75.9% sRGB and 0.22 Delta-E, whereas the Dell XPS 13 Plus hit that very same 0.21 Delta, however bought so much nearer to the DCI-P3 common at 84.2%.
However the brightness falls quick at 428.6 nits, which sandwiches this between the 474-nit MacBook and the woeful 366-nit XPS 13 Plus. All of those numbers imply one factor: the Z13 has first rate colour, however will be troublesome to see in direct daylight.
Firing up the most recent episode of Ted Lasso exhibits off the IPS panel’s comparatively good potential to make the inexperienced of a soccer pitch pop off the display, together with offering a good depth to the distinction ratio once you get to scenes shot within the night. It’s OK, however it makes me dream of that OLED panel improve.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 audio
What do you get once you cram two audio system right into a tiny type issue? Reply: tinny sound. After all, there may be the three.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth to attach your favourite pair of cans. However within the time you employ the audio system on this factor, you’re going to note the sheer lack of bass.
All is just not dangerous information, although, because the Dolby Atmos-tuned system does handle to steadiness the mids and highs properly, which maintains a pleasant readability throughout the discernible ranges. Even when placing them underneath stress with the bone-crunching breakdowns of The Ghost Inside, guttural screams had been nicely maintained throughout the ferocious background of distorted guitars and thunderous drumming.
Now if Lenovo might work on introducing a contact of bass into the following Z13, this might enhance the entire method considerably.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 keyboard and trackpad
If there may be one factor you’ll be able to at all times rely on Lenovo for, it’s keyboard ergonomics. The ThinkPad Z13 isn’t any totally different — it’s a pleasure to sort on. From the refined dish of every key welcoming your fingertips to the respectable quantity of journey with a cushioned, but tactile impression, you’ll be able to go for hours with no trace of fatigue.
In actual fact, I managed to annihilate my common 80 phrases per minute on 10fastfingers.com by hitting 88 WPM at 100% accuracy. Seems I’m not such a gradual typist in any case! Plus, after changing into reacquainted with the Trackpoint, the seamless switching from keyboard to mouse inputs feels oh so slick.
Nonetheless, in Lenovo’s mission to make a brilliant small, tremendous glossy laptop computer, the touchpad has been compromised. At 4.7 x 2.6 inches, the bodily dimension of it holds up when in comparison with the likes of the XPS 13 Plus’ 4.6 x 2.6 inches (the M2 MacBook Air’s choice dwarfs it at 5.25 x 3.1 inches).
However because the depth of the underside deck has been diminished, there are not any bodily clicking buttons on the backside — which means you’ve bought to depend on what’s a fairly weak and mushy click on sensation when urgent down on the pad itself. It goes in opposition to the frequent ergonomics of utilizing a trackpad, so I’d begin getting used to the TrackPoint now.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 efficiency
In some methods, I used to be stunned by what the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is able to. In others, I bought what I anticipated. Let me clarify.
Underneath the hood of our take a look at mannequin, we obtained an AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U CPU with built-in Radeon graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD. In an ultraportable like this, I anticipated this sort of spec sheet paired with a decrease TDP to maintain that battery life insanely excessive (extra on that later).
However as I began to do an increasing number of work, it seems that the Z13 can pull off some fairly spectacular feats, coming mighty near beating the M2 in uncooked energy.
| Efficiency benchmark | Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 | Apple MacBook Air M2 | Dell XPS 13 Plus | Premium laptop computer common |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 5.4 single-core | 1501 | 1932 | 1797 | 1872 |
| Geekbench 5.4 multicore | 8768 | 8919 | 10621 | 7798 |
| Handbrake (time to transcode 4K film to 1080p) | 07:09 | 07:52 | 08:10 | 08:29 |
| SSD pace (MBps) | 930.4 | 1535.4 | 1502.1 | 1309.64 |
One space the place you see the system fall down is SSD pace, which at 930.3 megabytes per second pales compared to the MacBook (1,535.4 MBps), the XPS 13 Plus (1,502.1 MBps), and the 1,069.5 MBps premium laptop computer common.
Most shocking is the gaming efficiency. Now, I do know you’re not going to be firing up the most recent and biggest on this factor. That a lot is clear, however for some informal gaming and perhaps even the occasional larger title on low settings, chances are you’ll get a greater expertise than you suppose.
| Benchmark | Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 | Apple MacBook Air M2 | Dell XPS 13 Plus | Premium laptop computer common |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Hearth Strike | 6653 | n/a | 4944 | 7745 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 2535 | n/a | 1839 | 3164 |
| 3DMark Night time Raid | 24181 | n/a | 17132 | 17475 |
| Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) | 49.1 FPS | 40.4 FPS | 23 FPS | 49 FPS |
| Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (highest decision) | 46.1 FPS (1200p) | n/a | 14.7 FPS (4K) | 42 FPS |
In my very own expertise, I might get Two Level Hospital operating at 40-50 FPS on medium settings — a greater than admirable achievement on a system so small, and a glimpse into the flexibility of this machine’s potential.
And that extends to basic efficiency too. I couldn’t gradual this factor down a wink when placing it by way of my normal workflow, which incorporates Chrome with a number of tabs, Spotify enjoying within the background, a few Workplace apps and occasional Photoshop enhancing. You’ll be stunned at what this may deal with with out buckling.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 webcam
The 1080p snapper you’ll discover in here’s a little bit of a combined bag in relation to outcomes. In nicely lit areas, you may get first rate sharpness and good colour. However when you’re in any trace of inauspicious lighting, the image shortly turns spongy and stuffed with noise.
So like most built-in webcams, you’re nonetheless getting a little bit of a potato. You’re going to want to purchase one in every of our finest webcams if you’d like an upgraded image. However with built-in IR capabilities for Home windows Hey, a minimum of it’s a helpful potato.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 software program and guarantee
Very similar to all Lenovo ThinkPads, the Vantage app provides you a serving to hand with loads of issues. You’ll be able to customise your laptop’s settings, examine your guarantee, and replace your system. You’ll be able to even carry out {hardware} scans and configure your Wi-Fi safety. Fortunately, Lenovo ties up all of its stuff on this one app.
The ThinkPad Z13 comes with a one-year restricted guarantee. See how Lenovo carried out on our Tech Assist Showdown and Finest and Worst Manufacturers rating.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 battery life
Saving the very best for final. The 51.5Wh battery in right here isn’t any joke. Due to this and the low energy internals taking small sips of that juice, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 was capable of final a whopping 13 hours and 58 hours in our battery take a look at (which entails steady Net browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits).
Not solely that, however with the additional benefit of 65W quick charging, I bought round 80% cost in simply an hour — topping it off to 100% after a further quarter-hour. So for those who’re caught in a clutch second, you’ll be able to deliver this again to life shortly.
After all, the battery champ out of the three continues to be the MacBook Air (14:33), however once you take a look at the XPS 13 Plus (7:34) and different comparable Home windows ultrabooks, you’re left scratching your head. What sort of devilish deal did Lenovo ink to make this tremendous small laptop computer final so rattling lengthy?!
Backside line
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is well probably the most attractive ThinkPad I’ve ever seen. It’s virtually as if the ThinkPad simply went by way of a scorching woman summer time — hitting the seashore and placing loads of different laptops to disgrace with its glossy dimension and extremely luxurious aesthetic.
Nonetheless, this factor isn’t nearly appears. The battery life is insane, the ergonomics of that keyboard are oh-so-sweet, and the efficiency underneath the hood is surprisingly good for conquering your workload.
Positive, there are compromises within the lack of ports, that touchpad, and the common IPS show. However for those who’re at all times on the go and also you require one thing that fits your way of life, that is up there as among the best choices.
