The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is more affordable and offers solid performance for general use, with ample storage, good RAM, and a decent processor for everyday tasks. It's also lighter and boasts longer battery life, which enhances its portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, while more expensive, provides a superior OLED display with higher resolution, which is better for color-sensitive work. It also has more storage, higher RAM, and a more powerful processor that excels in more demanding tasks like 3D work, machine learning, and engineering applications, but it has a shorter battery life and is heavier, thus less portable. 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 Lenovo Flex 5 14
Very good 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
7.7/10
8.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
277.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 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.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
8.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
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 Lenovo Flex 5 14 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers superior performance for engineering and design due to its higher RAM capacity, more advanced CPU, and dedicated GPU which contributes to better handling of complex tasks and graphics-intensive applications, coupled with its high-resolution OLED screen for detailed and vivid display, making it a more suitable choice for such demanding work. The Lenovo Flex 5 14, while still capable with a powerful CPU and ample RAM, is geared more towards versatility and portability with a lower weight and 2-in-1 design, but it doesn't match the ThinkPad in terms of raw power and screen quality, critical for engineering and design tasks.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.5/10
6.9/10
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 Lenovo Flex 5 14 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
7.4/10
8.2/10
6.9/10
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 Lenovo Flex 5 14 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
6.4/10
8.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
277.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo Flex 5 14's screen might not be as clear or vibrant due to lower resolution and brightness, whereas the ThinkPad Z16's higher resolution and brightness provide a sharper and more vivid display. In engineering and design, the ThinkPad Z16 excels with a wider color range, allowing for more precise color work, which is essential for professional graphics work, while the Flex 5 falls short. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops are not ideal because of their lower refresh rates, which could lead to less smooth visuals during fast-paced games or when interacting with 3D environments.
Battery
11.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$950
$1,120
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a price of $950 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14's integrated AMD Vega graphics are less powerful than the discrete AMD RX 6500M GPU found in the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, explaining its fair performance in gaming and 3D tasks. Despite both laptops having equal screen refresh rates, the ThinkPad Z16's superior GPU and its OLED screen with higher resolution and quality give it an edge for good gaming and 3D performance.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to have very good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 compare to other laptops
"The highlight of the latest IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is clearly its AMD CPU. The octa-core Ryzen 7 5700U is insanely fast even when compared to the best Tiger Lake Ultrabooks in the market or even Core H CPUs in many gaming laptops. It's a lot of raw processing power for what is supposed to be a budget 14-inch convertible. If your daily workloads can benefit from extra multi-thread CPU performance, then look no further than the inexpensive AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. For regular on-the-road browsing or video streaming, however, a slimmer and lighter 10th gen Core Yoga, Spectre, or XPS would be a more balanced option."
"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 Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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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