Choose the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 for basic tasks and if you prefer a budget-friendly option with decent battery life; it has a smaller screen and less power, making it good for everyday use, web browsing, and document editing but not suitable for demanding applications. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, on the other hand, offers a large, high-resolution OLED screen, more storage, and a powerful processor suited for intensive tasks like engineering software, 3D modeling, or gaming, but it's heavier, has a higher price, and may have shorter battery life due to its performance-oriented hardware. 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 Vivobook Go 12
Excellent portability
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
5.6/10
8.6/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 excels in general use thanks to its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor, substantial 32 GB of RAM, superior OLED screen with higher resolution, and a larger battery, which contribute to better performance, display quality, and battery life. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has a less capable Intel Celeron processor, only 4 GB of RAM, a lower-grade TN screen with lower resolution, and a smaller battery, resulting in lower performance and screen quality, which makes it less suited for general use despite its excellent portability.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
6.7/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.3/10
8.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has a less powerful Intel Celeron processor, lower RAM, and a basic integrated GPU, which limits performance for engineering and design tasks, paired with a lower resolution screen that's not ideal for detailed work. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is equipped with a higher-end AMD Ryzen processor, significantly more RAM, a dedicated AMD GPU, and a high-resolution OLED screen, making it well-suited for demanding engineering applications and detailed design work, albeit at the cost of being heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
5.7/10
8.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.7/10
8.2/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.1/10
8.5/10
11.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 offers lower resolution and less brightness, making the screen less crisp and vibrant for any use, including general activities, engineering, or gaming. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, with a high-resolution display and wider color gamut, presents sharp and accurate visuals crucial for engineering and design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops' screens lack the high refresh rates necessary for the smoothest graphic rendering.
Battery
10.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has 10 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
Excellent
Good
11.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$267
$1,120
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has a price of $267 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
"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 Vivobook Go 12 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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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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