The Acer Nitro 16 offers high performance for gaming and engineering with a powerful GPU and high refresh rate display, which is suitable for intensive tasks, but it's bulkier and has a shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is more portable, has a longer battery life, and touch screen, leaning towards general use and business, with build quality and keyboard comfort that are more refined, but it's less suited for heavy-duty tasks like advanced gaming or 3D work due to a less powerful GPU. Decide based on whether you prioritize gaming and heavy tasks or portability and business use. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
Very good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Very good battery life
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
6.3/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.1/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.3/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Acer Nitro 16 boasts robust performance credentials for demanding tasks in engineering and design, featuring a high-end AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, and a large, high-quality screen that excels in brightness and color space coverage. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, while still capable with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and integrated Radeon graphics, offers superior portability, an excellent keyboard, and top-notch build quality, but doesn't match the Nitro's sheer performance power and screen superiority, making it a trade-off between portability and high-end functionality.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
7.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 16's higher resolution and brightness levels deliver a clear and vivid display, while its panel type ensures wide viewing angles, making it a strong choice. In engineering and design, the same laptop excels due to its expansive color coverage, reproducing accurate and vibrant colors essential for detailed work. However, its lower refresh rate detracts from gaming and 3D applications, where a high refresh rate is crucial for smooth motion rendering, giving the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 an edge in these areas despite its lesser screen qualities.
Portability
Fair
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16, with its robust CPU and RAM, excels in handling multiple tasks and demanding applications, making it suitable for general use, while its screen quality enhances the viewing experience but may be less portable and have shorter battery life compared to lighter options. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a balance of performance with its capable CPU and RAM, and its stellar keyboard quality and longer battery life complement its portability for on-the-go productivity without compromising on general use needs.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7/10
7.7/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Battery
9.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Cost
$1,050
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 compare to other laptops
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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