For a powerful machine that is more budget-friendly, the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is a strong choice with its robust performance for general use and gaming. However, it's heavier and has a less premium build than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, which sports a superior OLED screen offering better colors and sharpness, making it ideal for professional creative work. The ThinkPad Z16 also includes a touch screen, a sleek design, and is lighter, enhancing its portability and appeal for business use, but it comes at a higher price. If portability and premium features are a priority, the Lenovo is the better option, but for gaming and cost-effectiveness, choose the ASUS. 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 TUF Gaming A16
Good for gaming and AI
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
294.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, with a higher resolution OLED screen, offers superior screen quality and more RAM for multitasking compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming A16, yet it is lighter and slimmer, enhancing portability. However, the ASUS has a larger battery, contributing to potentially longer usage times away from a power source, but is slightly bulkier and has a less color-accurate IPS display.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.7/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is only fair.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 stands out for gaming and 3D applications with its high refresh rate screen and powerful GPU, making it suitable for fast-paced visuals and rendering. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers a high-quality OLED screen with a superior GPU that excels in visual clarity and color reproduction for immersive gaming and detailed 3D work.
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
8.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is considered very good for engineering and design in part due to its higher resolution OLED screen, which offers exceptional contrast and color accuracy, and comes with a more powerful CPU and double the RAM compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming A16. While the ASUS model has a high refresh rate IPS panel conducive to gaming and robust build quality, the ThinkPad's superior screen, CPU, and memory configurations make it more optimized for demanding engineering and design tasks.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 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
7.3/10
8.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for software development, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 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
7.5/10
8.5/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16's screen is sufficient for general activities thanks to its decent resolution and brightness, but for gaming and 3D, it's held back by a lower refresh rate, which is less ideal for fast-paced visuals. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers a more vibrant display with better coverage of color gamuts critical for precise engineering and design tasks, alongside a high resolution and brightness, enhancing the general use experience. However, much like the ASUS, the ThinkPad Z16 also lacks a high refresh rate, making it less suitable for gaming and rendering 3D graphics where smooth motion is key.
Battery
12.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has 12 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
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 both have good portability, though the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$789
$1,120
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has a price of $789 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
"The A16 makes an excellent case against more expensive laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 and the MSI Katana GF76, especially if you’re into 1080p gaming. However, although its affordable, it doesn’t skimp on performance or a robust chassis. But for me, the biggest factor that sets it apart from these options is its incredible battery life. In my time reviewing laptops, I can’t remember when I last saw a gaming laptop lasted 11 and a half hours on a single charge, which makes the A16, in my book, truly outstanding."
"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 TUF Gaming A16 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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