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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a solid balance of performance and portability, suiting general use and some engineering tasks thanks to its Ryzen processor and Radeon graphics, though it's not the best fit for intensive gaming or 3D/machine learning. Its battery life is commendable, but the laptop may come at a slightly higher cost. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, slightly less expensive, pairs an Intel i7 processor with integrated Iris Xe graphics for a decent performance reach. It shines with a higher-resolution display beneficial for engineering and creative work, yet its battery life doesn't stretch as far as the Z13's. Both are similar in weight and have quality keyboards, but if you prioritize a higher screen resolution and value for money, the ThinkBook 13s might edge out for you, while if longer battery life and slightly better portability are crucial, the ThinkPad Z13 is a strong contender. 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
- Very good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
- The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has no clear advantages over the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13.
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.0
7.2
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
379.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and ThinkBook 13s offer screens with suitable resolution and brightness, ensuring clear and vivid displays essential for daily activities like browsing and document work. For engineering and design, both laptops offer good color accuracy and a wide color gamut, which are crucial for tasks that demand color precision, like photo editing or CAD work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, the lower refresh rates on these laptops might lead to less fluid visuals compared to models designed specifically for gaming.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has 8 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
8.5
7.6
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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
7.8
7.8
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
379.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Lenovo ThinkBook 13s are both good for general use.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, with its AMD Ryzen CPU, and the ThinkBook 13s, powered by Intel, both offer robust performance for general use with sufficient RAM and high-quality IPS displays, ensuring smooth multitasking and clear visuals. They are portable with lightweight designs, long battery life, and adequate storage, while also delivering comfortable typing experiences, good audio, and maintaining quiet operation with effective heat management.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.4
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s are adequate for gaming and 3D tasks due to their decent integrated GPUs, the AMD Radeon 680M and Intel Iris Xe respectively, but not ideal because of their lower screen refresh rates of 60Hz. While they have capable CPUs, the AMD Ryzen 7 6850U for the Z13 and Intel i7-1260P for the ThinkBook 13s, and their screen quality is reasonable, the refresh rates may not be high enough for competitive gaming where higher rates can offer a smoother experience.
Engineering and Design
7.3
7.5
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is equipped with a high-performance AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Radeon GPU making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, while its IPS screen ensures decent quality visuals. Both have substantial RAM and storage, providing smooth multitasking and ample space for complex projects. The Z13's AMD graphics are generally more powerful for compute-intensive applications, and the ThinkBook's screen excels in resolution, which may be more critical for design work where visual fidelity is key.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
7.7
7.7
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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.
Portability
Excellent
Excellent
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Lenovo ThinkBook 13s both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,000
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a price of $1,000 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s costs $1,000.
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How the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 | Lenovo ThinkBook 13s |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | 11.7'' x 8.3'' x 0.59'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.78 lbs | 2.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.59" | 11.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.86" | 8.3" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6850U | Intel i7-1260P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 51.5 Wh | 56 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 379 nits | 336 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.1/10 | 8.4/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
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."
Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
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Dig into reviews and images
The Verge
Monica Chin | July 2021
"The best thing about the ThinkBook 13S is that it’s a good deal. Business buyers looking for ThinkPad-level performance and software without ThinkPad pricing will probably find the ThinkBook a solid option. While nothing about it is really spectacular, it’s certainly unusual to see the ThinkBook’s screen resolution at a sub-$1,000 price, and its performance will be more than adequate for most office tasks. The generous port selection, 16:10 aspect ratio, physical webcam shutter, and clear audio are certainly icing on the cake."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
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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