For a balance of performance and portability with a touch of elegance for professional use, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is a strong contender. It offers a vibrant OLED display with a higher resolution and touch capability, making it ideal for tasks that benefit from crisp visuals. The Z16's AMD Ryzen processor and RX 6500M GPU strike a good balance for general use and light gaming or creative work. Its slim design and longer battery life enhance its portability, catering to those who are frequently on the move.
However, if raw power and gaming prowess are your priorities, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is the way to go. With its Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics, it delivers top-tier performance for intensive tasks, including gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. The 240Hz refresh rate and higher PPI ensure smooth visuals for fast-paced action. It's heavier and has a shorter battery life, but it's built for desktop-like performance in a portable form factor.
Consider the ThinkPad Z16 for its superior display, longer battery life, and professional aesthetic, ideal for general productivity and light creative tasks. Opt for the Legion Pro 7i if you need a powerhouse for high-end gaming and demanding computational tasks, accepting its bulkier design and higher power consumption as tradeoffs for its superior performance. 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 Pro 7i (2024)
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
Very good for software development
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
8.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
469.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) are both very good for general use, though the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is somewhat better.
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
9.1/10
6.7/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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
9.0/10
8.4/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
8.7/10
8.5/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
469.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,100
$1,120
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has a price of $2,100 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) are both very 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
7.9/10
8.2/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 compare to other laptops
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
"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 Legion Pro 7i (2024) 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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