Lenovo presents its newest ThinkPad laptop
The acclaimed line of laptops are now entitled to the all-new Ryzen PRO 6000, for levels of performance and security never before seen in these devices.
Laptops made from recycled materials are very trendy nowadays. A trend that has not escaped Lenovo; the Chinese-American multinational took the opportunity to apply this philosophy to its new ThinkPads Z13 and Z16, the latest representatives in its flagship line.
Just like Acer and Dell, Lenovo actually chooses recycled materials for its packaging and AC adapter. The chassis is also made from 75% recycled aluminum, but that’s not the best thing about this new ThinkPad.
What’s even more exciting, they will be one of the first devices to be equipped with the AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 series. As such, they will be formalizing the renowned Microsoft Pluto chip, which has promised to revolutionize consumer cybersecurity with a suite of advanced protection features in Windows 11.
The two devices share a few other additional similarities. For example, both will be entitled to a Dolby Atmos/Dolby Voice pair. They will also be equipped with the same FHD f2.0 camera with infrared function and a fingerprint reader.
ThinkPad Z13: the small, well-equipped laptop
The smaller of the two, the ThinkPad Z13, will benefit from the latest generation of Ryzen U-series processors. It is also possible to upgrade it significantly thanks to the Ryzen PRO 6860Z available as an option. RAM level, it is possible to go up to 32 GB LPDDR5. On the other hand, this model doesn’t have any customization options at the graphics card level; need to settle for pre-integrated cards, for which we don’t know the exact chipset.
As for the screen, the ThinkPad Z13 has the right to a 13.3-inch panel in the 16:10 format which is quite popular today. Two choices will be available at this level. The first is a low-power IPS WUXGA panel, with an optional touchscreen version. The second is decidedly more luxurious; future buyers who opt for this model will be entitled to a 2.8K OLED touch panel with Dolby Vision support which promises to be good enough for the retina.
On the other hand, a 50 Wh battery will also be much more demanding. Hopefully the major optimization efforts put in by AMD in terms of energy consumption can compensate.
Connectivity level, this model is sadly only entitled to two USB-C 4.0 ports and one jack port. A little light for certain uses, in which case it’s definitely necessary to arm yourself with a dongle.
ThinkPad Z16: big caliber at a high price
Its older brother, on the other hand, benefits from a more solid technical sheet. Here, there’s no Ryzen PRO U or Z; it will be entitled to the Ryzen PRO H-series, which will result in a significant performance boost. Same observation for the graphics department, as will have access to the optional Radeon RX 6500M. What pushes it into another dimension compared to the ThinkPad Z13.
It also gains display area thanks to the 16-inch panel, still in 16:10. Both options are on par with those offered on the Z13. You will have a choice between a WUXGA IPS panel with touch options, and a 4K OLED touch panel with Dolby Vision. The battery size has obviously been adjusted, and thus increased to 70 Wh.
There are also some small but very significant changes in connectivity. This time it has three USB-C 4.0 ports, and an SD card reader which is absent from other versions.
Ultimately, it looks like we’re dealing with some good products in true ThinkPad tradition… which means they’re also a bit pricey, especially for the OLED version. that ThinkPad Z13 will be available from May/June 2022, from €1,649 excluding VAT, in black, bronze, and Arctic Grey. that ThinkPad Z16otherwise, will be available from June 2022, from €2,249 excluding taxand only in Arctic Grey.
