The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 ($1,355.40 to begin, $1,851.85 as configured) isn’t the ThinkPad you keep in mind. Lenovo’s black, boxy design is iconic (and sometimes reveals up on our checklist of the finest ultrabooks). However after 30 years of ThinkPads, Lenovo is mixing issues up with the brand new Z-series, using minimal ports, vegan leather-based and AMD chips.
There are many little upgrades as properly. An up to date touchpad will get haptic suggestions, and a “communications bar” homes a 1080p digital camera with IR performance and twin microphones. All of it sticks to the ThinkPad ethos, however feels extra fashionable.
Though all the brand new inclusions could shock diehard ThinkPad followers, lots of the design selections are extremely slick, including performance whereas making the Z13 extremely engaging.Nevertheless, the AMD Ryzen Professional chip inside did not all the time supply stellar efficiency in our exams.
Design of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a minimalist design made with 95% recycled aluminum and, in our assessment unit, vegan leather-based from recycled water bottles. (This is not Lenovo’s first rodeo with leather-based, although it has switched to a fake materials right here, which is elective.)
The design is smooth and engaging. The light-weight chassis makes use of a bronze brushed metallic end made with recycled metallic, The vegan leather-based lid is just obtainable for one Z13 configuration, which is the one we examined; In any other case, you get a grey aluminum lid. Though the vegan leather-based appears sturdy and provides to the general premium really feel of the machine, on the time of this writing, it prices $45 further. The lid sports activities ThinkPad branding on the bottom-right nook subsequent to its traditional dotted “i.” The underside of the laptop computer has three ft, with two down-firing audio system on the perimeters. Sadly, the metallic end permits for a lot of smudges and fingerprints on the underside–which is likely to be one of the best argument for paying somewhat further for faux leather-based.
The raised communications bar, which homes the webcam and twin microphone, protrudes sufficient above the display screen to work as a deal with to raise the laptop computer open. As soon as revealed, you will see that the inclusion of the raised bar allowed Lenovo to lower the bezel round the remainder of the Z13’s show.
The deck homes an edge-to-edge keyboard with two-level backlighting and a traditional pink TrackPoint between the G,H and B keys. There may be additionally a spacious all-glass touchpad that makes use of haptic suggestions to reply to your clicks. The Z13 would not have devoted buttons for TrackPoint customers above the touchpad the best way many earlier ThinkPads have. Nub aficionados must use a spot on the highest of the haptic touchpad.
There’s a USB 4 Kind-C port on either side of the laptop computer, which helps you to cost simply and retains peripherals from bumping up towards one another. The best facet additionally has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. This isn’t a ton of ports for a enterprise pocket book, however it’s on pattern with what’s taking place within the ultraportable area.
The ThinkPad Z13’s new minimalist design is mild and compact in comparison with comparable notebooks. The Z13 is 11.59 x 7.86 x 0.55 inches and a couple of.78 kilos. Lenovo’s flagship Intel enterprise laptop computer, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10), has a 12.43 x 8.76 x 0.60-inch footprint at 2.48 kilos, making it barely lighter than the Z13. The Dell XPS 13 Plus is available in at 11.63 x 7.84 x 0.60 inches and a couple of.77 kilos, whereas the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED measures 11.68 x 8.29 x 0.59 inches and a couple of.43 kilos.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Specs
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 Professional 6850U |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon 680M Graphics (built-in) |
| Reminiscence | 16GB LPDDR5-6400MHz |
| Storage | 512 GB PCIe SSD |
| Show | 13.3-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS, 60Hz, 16:10 touchscreen |
| Networking | Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 (Qualcomm WCN685x Wi-Fi 6E) |
| Ports | 2x USB 4 Kind-C, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Digital camera | 1080p |
| Battery | 51.1 Whr |
| Energy Adapter | 65 W |
| Working System | Home windows 11 Dwelling |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 11.59 x 7.86 x 0.55 inches (294.4 x 199.6 x 13.99 mm) |
| Weight | 2.78 kilos / 1.26 kg |
| Worth (as configured) | $1,851.85 (as configured) |
Productiveness Efficiency on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
We examined the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 with an AMD Ryzen 7 Professional 6850U, an eight-core, 16-thread processor with a 2.7-GHz enhance clock and a 4.7-GHz base clock. Lenovo does supply an unique U-series processor from AMD referred to as the Ryzen 7 Professional 6860Z, additionally with eight cores and 16 threads, however an ever-so-slightly increased 4.73-GHz max enhance. The Z13 we reviewed additionally sported 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512 GB SSD.
On Geekbench 5, an general efficiency benchmark with heavy CPU focus, the ThinkPad Z13 notched a single-core rating of 1,501 and a multi-core rating of 8,768. In some circumstances, it misplaced out to Intel-based notebooks utilizing twelfth Gen P-series processors.
Lenovo’s flagship enterprise laptop computer, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10) with its Intel Core i7-1260P had a 1,644 single-core rating and an 8,159 multi-core rating, successful within the former however coming behind within the latter. The Dell XPS 13 Plus (Intel Core i7-1280P) had one of the best efficiency general, with 1,797 single-core and 10,621 multi-core scores. The Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED’s Ryzen 7 6800U confirmed comparable efficiency to the Z13, albeit with a barely weaker multi-core rating.
The Z13 was additionally the slowest to duplicate 25GB of check recordsdata, at a fee of 930.38MBps. It didn’t maintain a candle to different rivals, all of which have been roughly in the identical ballpark of 1,500 MBps, with the Zenbook S 13 edging out because the quickest.
On our Handbrake check, we’ve laptops transcode a video from 4K to 1080p. The Z13 carried out this activity in 7 minutes and 9 seconds, the quickest of the bunch. The X1 Carbon (Gen 10) took the longest at 12:33, whereas the XPS 13 Plus accomplished the duty in 8:26 and Zenbook completed in 8:15.
To see how productiveness notebooks deal with lengthy computing duties, we run the Cinebench R23 benchmark 20 instances in a row. The Z13 began at 6,985.69, considerably oddly hopped as much as 7,840.55, after which dropped down and settled within the excessive 6,000 vary. For comparability, the Dell settled across the low 6,000’s whereas the Zenbook stayed within the low 9,300’s.
In the course of the Cinebench R23 runs, the CPU operated at a median of two.3 GHz, with a median temperature of 69 levels Celsius (156.2 levels Fahrenheit).
Show on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The show on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is 13.3-inches, with a 1920 x 1200 decision in our configuration, 60 Hz refresh fee and a 16:10 facet ratio. Once I watched Goodfellas on the Z13, I used to be shocked by how spectacular the image high quality was. Although our assessment unit did not have an OLED panel like another Z13 configurations, in the course of the opening scene, the reds from a automobile’s backlight have been vibrant, and the polished old-school automobiles throughout the next opening montage shined particularly brightly.
The show has very slim bezels across the display screen. With a 16:10 facet ratio, there’s some further actual property for productiveness as a result of the display screen is taller than the widespread 16:9 ratio.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13’s panel covers 75.8% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 107% of the sRGB gamut. The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED surpassed the Z13 in each colour gamut measurements, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10) had roughly the identical measurements because the Z13. Nevertheless, the Z13 has the brightest show of the bunch with 428.6 nits on our mild meter. The X1 fell behind it with 405.6 nits, adopted by the XPS 13 Plus at 366 nits and the Zenbook with 321 nits.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The keyboard on the ThinkPad Z13 is totally usable, however I want it had a bit extra suggestions. It is spaced out properly, however the keys, whereas providing loads of journey, have solely a slight thump while you press down. I count on a bit extra tactility from a ThinkPad keyboard. Once I examined my typing abilities on 10fastfingers, I scored 61 phrases per minute (wpm) with a 97.12% accuracy. That’s within the ballpark of the 60-wpm rating I often get typing on laptops.
Lenovo contains its traditional TrackPoint pointing system on the heart of the keyboard and a well-placed fingerprint reader subsequent to the arrow keys (which works properly). Should you double faucet the pink dot, the TrackPoint QuickMenu launches, which lets you regulate the microphone, dictate or mute on the fly, a function you don’t discover on different ThinkPads Not like with different ThinkPads, there are not any discrete TrackPoint buttons. You need to faucet the highest of the touchpad, which itself is haptic with no bodily button press.
The touchpad on the Z13 felt nice. Lenovo calls it a Haptic ForcePad. The all-glass floor eliminates useless zones, making it potential to click on anyplace on the touchpad, even up close to the highest. The function, alongside its sensitivity, could be toggled or adjusted in Home windows Settings and the TrackPoint Menu. At a spacious 4.7 x 2.6 inches, I might execute gestures and monitor the cursor with ease. This was one of many extra memorable touchpad experiences I’ve had reviewing or utilizing laptops.
Audio on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The audio on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is surprisingly incredible; the 2 down-firing audio system on the underside are highly effective. Whereas watching Goodfellas, I used to be happy by how clearly I might hear De Niro, Pesci, and Liotta’s dialog as they have been burying a physique. After the latter closed the trunk of the automobile and “Rags To Riches” began taking part in, the sound high quality was akin to what I count on from a TV.
Once I listened to music on Spotify, the Z13’s audio system carried out properly with the included Dolby Atmos software program. With out it although, issues didn’t sound pretty much as good.
Upgradeability of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
There are 5 Torx screws alongside the perimeters of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13. After unscrewing them, I wanted a pry software to pop the lid off. As soon as I opened it, I seen that the laptop computer’s battery was accessible, as was its networking card. The only SSD slot is behind a copper warmth protect, and is just suitable with a brief 2450 M.2 SSD. The RAM is soldered into the motherboard.
Battery Life on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has extraordinary battery life. Throughout our battery benchmark, which frequently browses the online, streams video, and runs OpenGL check over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Z13 lasted 13 hours and 58 minutes.
The Zenboook S 13 OLED, one other Ryzen 6000-based machine, was the closest to rivaling the Z13 at 11:02. The XPS 13 Plus and ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10) lasted 7:34 and eight:48, respectively. Though not as sturdy as final yr’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 9) and its 15-and-a-half-hour battery life, the Z13 is fairly shut. And though the Z13 can final nearly the entire day, the 65W energy brick takes up little area throughout journey.
Warmth on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The ThinkPad Z13 bought a bit toasty throughout our stress testing. Once we ran Cinebench R23 , the keyboard ended up being the most well liked level on the machine.
As traditional, the touchpad was the best at 95.9 levels Fahrenheit, however the temperature between the G and H keys was 122.9 levels Fahrenheit and was scorching to the contact. The underside, often the most well liked a part of a laptop computer, was a number of levels decrease than the keyboard, at 118.22 levels Fahrenheit.
On the brilliant facet, the system stays fairly cool when not beneath load. After we streamed a video for quarter-hour, the center of the keyboard measured 91.5 levels Fahrenheit, the touchpad hit simply 83 levels and the underside measured 95.5 levels.
Inside, there’s a vapor chamber thermal resolution co-developed by AMD that’s meant to maintain the unit cool and maintain efficiency beneath heavy operations, however there’s clearly room for enchancment. Should you’re doing heavy work on the Z13, it’d be finest to set it on a desk.
Webcam on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The webcam on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 leaves a bit to be desired, though it’s a beneficiant 1080p. The Z13 has a “communications bar” on prime of the show that homes dual-array microphones and a big sensor FHD digital camera, with IR performance for facial recognition. The webcam clearly made out my Batman poster and all its lettering within the background, however I did not seem as detailed within the foreground.
There was little or no element in my hair or face, and the picture didn’t precisely seize my pores and skin tone.
With that mentioned, like most laptops, the webcam would not match the skills of cameras on our finest webcam checklist. Nevertheless, it does function facial recognition for Home windows Howdy and has an e-shutter on the F9 key to show it off immediately.
Software program and Guarantee on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 may be very mild on preinstalled software program, together with the standard Home windows apps we see. Industrial Vantage gives easy accessibility to your guarantee info and serial quantity, and Lenovo Pen permits you to customise settings for those who use a stylus.
Lenovo View lets customers regulate mild, colour, and depth to enhance video high quality, however it doesn’t actually enhance issues a lot. Look by Mirametrix makes use of the Z13’s IR sensors to vary the digital camera’s top, present wellness checks primarily based on posture, and supply numerous video conferencing options.
There have been just a few preloads from Microsoft on our unit, together with Disney Plus, Spotify, and Netflix.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 comes with a 1-year onsite guarantee, however it may be prolonged for an added price.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Configurations
Our configuration of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 got here with a Ryzen 7 Professional 6850U, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD. It additionally has a 13.3-inch show with a 1920 x 1200 decision, 60 Hz refresh fee and a 16:10 facet ratio. Ours additionally had the vegan leather-based prime cowl, placing the value at $1,851.85.
The ThinkPad Z13 begins at $1,355.40 with a Ryzen 5 Professional 6650U, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a non-touch display screen, in addition to the aluminum prime cowl.
Lenovo’s costliest pre-configured unit has the Ryzen 7 Professional 6860Z, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD and a 2880 x 1800 OLED touchscreen for $2,267.85. This model additionally would not have the vegan leather-based prime cowl, which seems to be tied to sure configurations.
Lenovo’s costs on its web site do appear to rotate usually because of gross sales, so it is potential costs will shift a bit from what we noticed.
Backside Line
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is a sexy new enterprise laptop computer with a minimalist design and the choice for unique AMD Ryzen {hardware}. Though we didn’t have the OLED model to check, the edge-to-edge 16:10 show continues to be spectacular. It additionally has a brand new comfy touchpad with haptic performance and incredible battery life that can final a complete work day.
The ThinkPad Z13 does get a bit toasty, and combined efficiency retains this from being one of the best ThinkPad on the block. However it is a respectable first outing for a brand new technology of ThinkPad from Lenovo, and hopefully these new design selections proceed by to future fashions.
If you would like lengthy battery life and are keen to surrender top-notch efficiency to get there, the Z13 is value severely contemplating, particularly for those who like its beauty. Those that need extra energy or a bit extra conventional ought to stick nearer to the X1 Carbon, although you will quit some battery life for those who go that route.
