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ThinkPad Z13
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Surface Laptop 6 15"
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What we think

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Updated June 23, 2024·

For general use, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers excellent portability with its lightweight design and good battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go tasks. It also has a bright and color-accurate display with a touchscreen, which is great for everyday tasks and media consumption. However, if you need more storage right off the bat, the Surface Laptop 6 15" comes with a larger screen and more powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, which could be beneficial for more demanding applications, despite its higher price point and slightly bulkier design. When it comes to performance, the Surface Laptop 6 15" with its Intel Arc 8-Cores GPU is better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, offering higher performance scores in these areas. The ThinkPad Z13, while not as powerful, still holds its own for general use and light engineering tasks with its AMD Ryzen 7 6850U processor and AMD Radeon 680M GPU. In terms of connectivity, the ThinkPad Z13 has more USB-C ports, including Thunderbolt 3, which is useful for connecting modern peripherals. The Surface Laptop 6 15", on the other hand, lacks Thunderbolt ports but offers a more diverse range of ports including USB-A and an SD card reader, which might be more convenient if you use older devices or memory cards frequently. Ultimately, your choice should be guided by your priorities: if you value portability and battery life for everyday tasks, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is a strong contender. But if you need a larger screen, more raw power for intensive tasks, and a wider port selection, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" would be the better choice, provided you're willing to manage its slightly higher weight and price. 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 ThinkPad Z13
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Very good battery life
  • Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
  • Very good overall display quality

Key differences

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Screen Quality

7.0
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
8.1
13.3in
SIZE
15.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
379.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.

Portability

Excellent
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

8.5
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
7.4
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has good build quality.

Cost

$1,000
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
$1,200
Product image
Product image

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

$1,800

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a price of $1,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.8
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
7.7
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
379.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" are both good for general use.

Gaming and AI

6.3
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
6.6
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

7.3
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
7.8
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for engineering and design.

Content Creation

7.8
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
7.8
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.7
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
7.8
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2496 x 1664
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for software development.

Battery

10.0 Hours
ThinkPad Z13
Surface Laptop 6 15"
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" has 9 hours of battery life.

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How the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15" compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Lenovo ThinkPad Z13Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"

GENERAL

Price
$1,000
$1,200
Release Date
May 1, 2022June 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55''13.4'' x 9.6'' x 0.67''
Weight
2.78 lbs3.7 lbs
Width
11.59"13.39"
Depth
7.86"9.61"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 6850UIntel Core Ultra 7 165H
RAM
16 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
00
Storage
512 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
10 Hours9 Hours
Battery Capacity
51.5 Wh47 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
13.3"15"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12002496 x 1664
Refresh Rate
60Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
379 nits400 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
8.5/107.4/10
Portability Score
9.3/107.9/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
YesYes
Fan Noise Score
9.1/108/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
9/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
8.8/108/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
01
USB-C ports
23
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
21
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

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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 ThinkPad Z13 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 15"

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.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.

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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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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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