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Updated January 12, 2024·
Choosing between the Lenovo Legion 5 and the ThinkPad Z13 depends on your needs. The Legion 5, with its more powerful graphics card, is better for gaming, 3D modeling, and intensive tasks. However, it's heavier, which affects portability, and has a larger screen size which might be less convenient to carry around. Conversely, the ThinkPad Z13 is lighter and slimmer, making it more portable and easier to take on the go. It has a smaller screen with a different aspect ratio which may be better for productivity tasks but less suited for gaming. If battery life is a priority, the ThinkPad generally offers better endurance. If you're looking for higher performance in resource-intensive applications and don't mind a heavier laptop, the Legion 5 might suit you better. If you value portability and longer battery life for general use and productivity, the ThinkPad Z13 could be the preferable choice. 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 Legion 5 15"
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.9
6.3
9.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.1/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.3
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
9.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" excels in engineering and design primarily due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher refresh rate screen, offering smoother visuals and more robust performance for graphics-intensive tasks compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, which, while still capable with its AMD Radeon 680M GPU and sharp display, emphasizes portability and premium features like a higher portability score and touchscreen.
Screen Quality
8.0
7.0
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a display that offers crisp images and vibrant colors, ideal for tasks like document editing and web browsing, yet its lower refresh rate holds it back during fast-paced gaming or 3D modeling. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13’s screen also provides sharp and colorful imagery suitable for engineering and design due to its coverage of professional color gamuts, but like the Legion, it falls short for gaming because of its less optimal refresh rate. For both laptops, the combination of resolution and panel type ensures general tasks look great, but dedicated gamers and 3D creators might seek out screens with higher refresh rates to enhance fluidity and responsiveness in their visual experiences.
Battery
4.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 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
Fair
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
5.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.8
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
350.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a strong CPU and ample RAM for smooth multitasking, a high-quality screen, and dedicated graphics suitable for gaming but is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, with a powerful CPU, high RAM, and a touch-enabled, high-resolution display in a smaller form factor, excels in portability and longer battery life, suitable for on-the-go professionals, despite less emphasis on graphics. Both laptops provide quality keyboards and adequate storage, while maintaining good heat management and having a lower operating noise with speakers that deliver a decent audio experience.
Content Creation
7.4
7.8
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both 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
7.3
7.7
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both 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.
Cost
$999
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a price of $999 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
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How the Lenovo Legion 5 15" and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 5 15" | Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$999 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10.3'' x 0.95'' | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.3 lbs | 2.78 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.13" | 11.59" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.33" | 7.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 7 6850U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 51.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 350 nits | 379 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.8/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2021
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Brian Westover | September 2022
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 15" or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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.
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