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Updated February 15, 2024·
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers a higher-end experience with a premium price, giving you more storage and robust materials, along with features tailored for business use, such as a fingerprint reader and facial recognition. It is heavier, though, which may affect portability. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is more budget-friendly, delivers decent performance, and has a lighter build, making it easier to carry around. Its battery life surpasses the Lenovo, extending its use on the go. Choose the Lenovo if you require a high-end, durable laptop for complex tasks and business environments, or the MSI if you prioritize savings, portability, and longer battery life for general use and performance-demanding tasks. 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 overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
- Very good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.5
8.4
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
393.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 for content creation.
When considering general use, both the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo offer high-resolution displays with bright panels that make viewing text and images crisp and clear, enhancing the overall user experience. For engineering and design tasks, these laptops' screens offer wide color gamuts, allowing for precise color representation that professionals require for accurate design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rates on both models may result in less fluid motion and slower response times, which could detract from the immersive experience often desired in fast-paced gaming environments.
Battery
7.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has 12 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
7.4
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality, while the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,793
$1,449
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a price of $1,793 and the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo costs $1,449.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.6
8.6
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
393.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo are both very good for general use.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 excels in general use with a robust CPU, ample RAM, a high-resolution OLED screen, good portability and reasonable battery life, while the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo also shines in the same use case with similar RAM and screen specs but offers longer battery life at the cost of less built-in storage and slightly reduced portability.
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.7
4.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16's AMD RX 6500M GPU makes it suitable for gaming and 3D tasks, but it is eclipsed by the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo, which boasts a stronger Intel Arc 8-Cores GPU and a higher battery capacity to support longer gaming sessions without the need for frequent charging; both have OLED screens with the same high resolution but their 60Hz refresh rate is decent, not top-tier, for gaming. Screen quality is excellent on both, but the Prestige's CPU provides a slight edge in performance over the ThinkPad Z16's AMD Ryzen processor.
Engineering and Design
8.4
8.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
4.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers high-performance with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and AMD RX GPU, alongside ample RAM, making it an excellent choice for engineering and design tasks which demand substantial computational power, further enhanced by its high-resolution OLED screen providing crisp and color-accurate visuals. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo, similarly equipped with a substantial amount of RAM and a high-quality OLED display, pairs an Intel Core CPU with Intel Arc GPU, differing in brand but maintaining performance capabilities, making it also suitable for demanding tasks; additionally, it stands out with slightly better portability and longer battery life, beneficial for on-the-go users.
Content Creation
8.5
8.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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
8.3
8.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 are both very 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
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 | MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,793 | $1,449 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | December 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.4'' x 0.62'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.27 lbs | 3.31 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.95" | 14.11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 10.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6850H | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | |
Graphics | |||
Graphics | RX 6500M (55 W) | Arc 8-Cores | |
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | |||
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | No | No | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 12 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 72 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 393 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.6/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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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."
MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMag
Mark Anthony Ramirez | December 2023
"The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is meant to be a business-focused laptop, but it ends up being the MacBook challenger PC laptop enthusiasts have longed for. Not only can it meet and, in many cases, surpass the M2-powered MacBooks, but it is also surpassing the baseline M3 MacBooks, which is a giant leap forward for Intel-powered laptops. This isn’t hyperbole; this is what the numbers show."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 or the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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