A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, while being more expensive, offers higher performance, a better display with higher resolution, and potentially longer battery life, making it suitable for intensive tasks such as engineering, 3D modeling, and gaming. It is also built with more durable materials and typically includes professional features such as more advanced security options. On the other hand, the Lenovo V15 is more budget-friendly, but you'll sacrifice performance, display quality, and build quality. It might be more suitable for general use such as browsing, office applications, or light multimedia tasks where portability and price are more important than high-end 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 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
Advantages of the Lenovo V15
- The Lenovo V15 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16.
Key differences
General Use
8.6
7.3
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
393.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
231.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo V15 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, with a high-quality OLED screen, more RAM and superior CPU, excels at general use with better performance and display perfect for multitasking and media, yet is less portable and has shorter battery life than the Lenovo V15, which offers good general use capabilities at a lesser cost, longer battery life and better portability, but with lower screen quality and performance due to its TN panel and less powerful CPU and RAM.
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.1
4.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Lenovo V15 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers better performance for gaming and 3D applications, featuring a dedicated AMD RX 6500M GPU which is superior to the integrated AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Vega 7 GPU found in the Lenovo V15; despite both laptops having the same screen refresh rate, the ThinkPad Z16's OLED display with higher screen quality contributes to a more immersive experience compared to the V15's TN panel.
Engineering and Design
8.4
6.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo V15 is only fair.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is better for engineering and design because it offers a more powerful CPU, higher RAM capacity, a dedicated GPU, and an OLED screen with higher resolution and color accuracy. In contrast, the Lenovo V15 has a less capable CPU and GPU, less RAM, a lower-quality TN screen, and it does not match the higher color and contrast performance of the Z16, making it less optimal for intensive engineering and design tasks, despite being more portable and having lower operating noise.
Content Creation
8.5
7.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo V15 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
8.2
7.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo V15 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
8.5
5.4
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
393.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
231.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen than the Lenovo V15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 features a high-resolution display with a panel that offers better color accuracy and brightness, making it ideal for general use and demanding tasks such as engineering and design where color representation is critical. However, its screen may fall short for gaming and 3D applications primarily because it lacks the high refresh rates demanded by these tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo V15 has a low-quality display with limited resolution, brightness, and color rendition, which doesn't meet the standards for general computing, and much less for specialized tasks like engineering, design, or 3D work where those attributes are essential.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo V15 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
8.0
6.7
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo V15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,120
$579
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a price of $1,120 and the Lenovo V15 costs $579.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Lenovo V15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and the Lenovo V15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 | Lenovo V15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,120 | $579 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.4'' x 0.62'' | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.27 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.95" | 14.1" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.3" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6850H | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 72 Wh | 38 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 393 nits | 231 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.6/10 | 4.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 480p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | September 2022
"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."
Lenovo V15
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Marvin Gollor | April 2022
"The strengths of the Lenovo V15 G2 AMD lie in its expandability of the RAM and allowing you to use two SSDs, in its performance that goes beyond everyday applications thanks to AMD's hexa-core CPU and Vega-7 iGPU, in its good keyboard, and its relatively robust case. In addition, the battery life of the office laptop is also acceptable, and the device stays cool and relatively quiet."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 or the Lenovo V15
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
126,195
Recommendations made
27,343
Consumer hours saved
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.
Featured in
