The ASUS Zenbook 13 offers good portability and battery life, ideal for general use and users on the go. It's lighter, with an OLED display for vibrant colors, but with less powerful graphics and processing capabilities compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, making it less suited for intensive 3D, machine learning, or engineering tasks. The ThinkPad P16, although heavier and less portable, has a stronger processor, more RAM, and a dedicated graphics card, favoring performance-heavy applications and engineering work. It also features better input devices like the keyboard, and more connectivity options, making it well-suited for professional environments. 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 Zenbook 13
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
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
Very good battery life
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
378.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 is equipped with integrated AMD Vega graphics which, while capable, are less powerful than dedicated GPUs, thus offering only fair gaming and 3D performance, along with a standard 60Hz OLED display which provides decent screen quality but not the highest refresh rates sought by gamers.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
8.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is considered very good for engineering and design use because it has a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a superior GPU compared to the ASUS Zenbook 13, which translates to higher performance in resource-intensive tasks. Additionally, despite the Zenbook's excellent screen, the ThinkPad's larger, higher-resolution screen offers better detail and color accuracy, making it more suitable for precision work, though it is also heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 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
8.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 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
7.8/10
8.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a clear, sharp display for daily tasks and detailed work in engineering or design, both the ASUS Zenbook 13 and Lenovo ThinkPad P16 offer high resolution and brightness that enhance general and professional experiences. These laptops boast wide color gamuts, ensuring that colors in your designs are vivid and accurate, which is essential for precision in graphic work and CAD applications. However, for gaming or working with 3D applications, you may find their screens lacking since they do not prioritize high refresh rates, which are crucial for the smooth rendering of fast-moving visuals.
Portability
Excellent
Poor
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$890
$1,449
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 costs $1,449.
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
"It's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 13 or the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
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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