For a higher price, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) offers a larger and higher resolution Mini LED screen, better battery life, and significantly higher power for engineering tasks, 3D work, and machine learning applications compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13. It also comes with 32GB of RAM, which is double what the Lenovo has, contributing to its robust performance. However, the MacBook is heavier and has less portability, making it less convenient for frequent travel. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is cheaper, lighter, and more portable with a respectable performance for general use and a touchscreen advantage, but falls short in more demanding use cases and has a shorter battery life. If your priority is intensive task performance and you can handle a heavier machine, choose the MacBook Pro; if you value portability and lower cost with adequate performance for everyday tasks, the ThinkPad might be your choice. 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 Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 with its Apple M1 Pro processor, 32GB of RAM, and a Mini LED screen provides high performance and vibrant display quality, but it's heavier and has a longer battery life, making it less portable than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, which offers good performance with AMD Ryzen 7 6850U and 16GB of RAM but has a lower battery life and a standard IPS screen, albeit lighter and thus more portable.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
6.3/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.1/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is better for 3D tasks because it includes a high-performance GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which enhance visual rendering and smoothness, respectively; however, its operating system limits the availability of popular games. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers fair capability for both gaming and 3D due to its capable Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU, but its lower screen refresh rate and quality might not provide as smooth or vibrant a gaming experience, albeit it supports a wider range of games due to its Windows OS.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
7.3/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design due to its highly capable Apple M1 Pro chip with a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU that is complemented by a high-quality 16.2-inch screen, ensuring smooth performance and clear visuals.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.8/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
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
8.9/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
9.4/10
7.0/10
16.2in
SIZE
13.3in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels with a high-resolution, bright display that presents colors accurately, which is crucial for engineering and design work where precision is key, but its standard refresh rate is less ideal for 3D work, where smoother motion is a priority. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a good balance with decent resolution and brightness, suitable for everyday tasks and professional design, but its refresh rate and potential gaming capabilities fall short for the high-performance demands of modern 3D games. Both laptops provide screen quality that favors clarity and detail over the fast-paced visuals required by 3D enthusiasts.
Battery
17.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 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.
Portability
Good
Excellent
16.2in
SIZE
13.3in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"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 Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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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