If you prioritize gaming or content creation with more intensive 3D tasks, the ASUS ROG Flow X13, with its more powerful graphics card, could be the right fit; however, it has a shorter battery life and smaller screen. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, on the other hand, offers a larger, high-resolution OLED screen, potentially better build quality, and higher storage and RAM, which is ideal if you’re into professional work and want a premium screen for productivity tasks, but it's heavier and less suited for high-end gaming or 3D applications. Both have premium prices but offer different strengths for different users. 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 ASUS ROG Flow X13
Good for gaming and AI
Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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.
Screen Quality
8.4/10
8.5/10
13.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
511.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the ASUS ROG Flow X13 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offer displays with excellent resolution and brightness, making them suitable for a range of everyday tasks such as browsing, watching videos, and document editing. When it comes to engineering and design, the ThinkPad Z16 pulls ahead with a superior color range, covering more of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums, which is critical for professionals needing accurate color representation for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which means they won't provide as smooth an experience as models designed specifically for these purposes.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 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
Very Good
Good
13.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has very good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,500
$1,120
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has a price of $2,500 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and ASUS ROG Flow X13 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is favored for general use owing to its impressive screen quality with high brightness, convertible 2-in-1 design for versatility, and good portability due to its lower weight, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 stands out with its even higher-quality OLED display, abundant RAM for multitasking, and a superior keyboard, though it's less portable due to being heavier. Both laptops have sufficient battery life for general tasks, solid CPUs for performance, but trade off against each other in various aspects, such as portability for the ASUS and screen real estate for the Lenovo.
Engineering and Design
8.5/10
8.4/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 stands out in engineering and design with its powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU, versatile Nvidia RTX GPU, and a high-quality, high-refresh rate IPS touchscreen meeting the demanding visual needs of engineers; its lightweight and convertible design offers added portability and flexibility. Conversely, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 boasts a higher capacity of RAM, a more vibrant OLED touchscreen with higher resolution for detailed visual work, and includes features like a higher contrast ratio and larger screen size, making it exceptionally suitable for design tasks requiring precise color representation and image clarity, despite being less portable.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and ASUS ROG Flow X13 are both very 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
8.0/10
8.2/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and ASUS ROG Flow X13 are both very 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS ROG Flow X13 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 compare to other laptops
"The Asus ROG Flow X13 is not an off-the-shelf convertible. This quickly becomes clear when you take a closer look at the technical specs. The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS is a state-of-the-art SoC with 8 cores and 16 threads, which also makes the 2-in-1 interesting as a work device. With 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, gamers are also well taken care of. The dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q fits well into the overall concept and ensures a solid 3D performance. With the eGPU dock, which is equipped with a GeForce RTX 3080, the small convertible transforms into a full-fledged desktop replacement in terms of performance."
"Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16 tries has some success in its effort to tweak the ThinkPad formula. The laptop is attractive, yet still tame, and material quality is on par with the best Windows competition. I also like the smooth, responsive haptic touchpad and the wide range of modern connectivity. Yet the Z16 doesn’t fix ThinkPad’s typical weakness: value. Starting around $1,550, and more typically near $1,700, the Z16 finds itself facing alternatives that have better performance or an improved display for the same price, or less."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Flow X13 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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