Verdict
A timbre ultraportable microcomputer with some top spectacles , but it turn a loss too much of the ThinkPad series ’s DNA , and the touchpad haptics need work .
Pros
Cons
Introduction
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 is a eminent - last laptop computer that blends in more elements of radical - premium manner laptop than other ThinkPads .
Where theThinkPad X1 Carbonhones the ThinkPad blueprint to make it work as a tiptop - portable luxury laptop , I get the sentience the Z13 operates the other way around . It set out off as a life style laptop computer design and has Thinkpad elements pump in .
It works to an extent , but as a long - term ThinkPad fan , I ca n’t help but feel a little too much of that original DNA has been lost , most notably in the laptop computer ’s keyboard and touchpad . And that weigh because , at £ 1909 for the entry - level model , this laptop is pricey .
Design and Keyboard
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 is a small - footprint aluminium laptop . Most of the other ThinkPads I ’ve used recently do n’t concern too much about feel A-one - metallic , even if they use Mg alloys , but it ’s more of a direction here .
Each panel feel denser , and less flexible than those of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon . And you could lift the lid with a single digit , a classic trait of a top - tier laptop computer .
I do n’t think this is the prettiest laptop computer out there though . There ’s a tenuous boxiness to the contours of the lower part , and the eyelid has an odd - looking reinforced lozenge section . This is likely there to bring home the bacon more room for the webcam without making the full eyelid thicker and to facilitate easier opening , but I do n’t intend it expect that great .
The first - take impression of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 is that this is a laptop made mostly without budget - relate compromises , but it ’s way-out rather than beautiful .
Its footprint is tiny , however , and this is a killer laptop computer for travel . weightiness is n’t radical - low considering this sizing , at 1.26 kg . Lenovo could make a laptop computer this size under 1 kg but you then would n’t get such a rigid and dim feel , which is a key standoff of this laptop .
Some people think of it just as the “ business laptop computer ” series . However , it has also been something of a refuge for people who hat what Apple did to the laptop keyboard , making radical - shallow keys voguish . Apple has gratefully walk back on that in recent years , but the outcome were finger across laptop brand .
Lenovo has trim down ThinkPad keyboard a bit , but the X1 Carbon ’s is still substantial . The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 machine ’s ? Not quite as much .
This laptop has low-cal and shallow keyboard , miss the core character I associate with this series . Is the keyboard still better than most other shallow conception ? Absolutely , but the ThinkPad mojo is lost in my opinion . And I think that is the best cause for someone not in business concern to buy a ThinkPad .
What we are bequeath with is the ThinkPad look , thanks to the rubber nipple mouse nestled in the keyboard ’s middle . Not used one before ? It ’s a press - tender joystick and a oddly high - fidelity ascendency surface . Most citizenry will not be instantly converted from using a touchpad or mouse , though .
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 ’s keyboard is disappointing but of good lineament . Its touchpad is also not up to the standards of the best from the serial publication , largely because it sees Lenovo experimentation with a haptic design , rather than a mechanical clicker .
moderately much every make that has tried this , bar perhaps Apple , has go through an juvenile phase with haptics , and this might be Lenovo ’s . I determine the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 ’s clicker feels a little scattered . It ’s tricky to identify , but it ’s as if the pawl is take place across the pad of paper rather than under your finger . The feel is also much stodgy , and less solid than the comparatively mellow and dark click of the endearing ThinkPad X1 Carbon pad .
Its surface is extremist - smooth textured glass and , in a nod to the ThinkPad series ’s staple separated - out shiner key fruit , the bordered top area acts as a odd / right black eye release geographical zone . However , I think mouse and keyboard feel of the ThinkPad series is just too authoritative to give these so - so efforts a clear toss . I will include — plenty of you are n’t going to deal as much as I do . There ’s good news . Lenovo is apparently using a fresh haptics provider for the Gen 2 Z13 , due out in 2023 .
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 ’s connectivity is also highly limited for a serious business laptop . It has two USB - one C connecter and a headphone seafarer . One of the USBs is take up while plug in too , so you may involve to get a wharfage if this laptop computer will end up part of a desktop rig .
Thankfully , the USB - Cs are specced to the 4.0 standard , giving them Thunderbolt - corresponding bandwidth of 40Gbps . You would n’t encounter existent Thunderbolt connectors here , as it ’s an AMD CPU laptop computer — Thunderbolt is an Intel / Apple enterprisingness .
Let ’s finish with something a snatch more positive . The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 has a 1080p webcam , one with noticeably better image quality than the old 720p norm . It can also be used for face unlock , alongside the fingermark image scanner that sits conveniently towards the bottom of the keyboard .
Display
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 is available with a few different screen eccentric , including an telling - sound 1800p organic light-emitting diode panel . Mine is a more down - to - Earth 1200p LCD display .
As such you do n’t get ultra - deep colour , just very good people of colour . It fulfil the sRGB colour standard , or at least 97 % of it accord to my tintometer , and 79 % of the DCI P3 standard super - deep coloration displays ordinarily direct for these days .
Maximum brightness of 412 nit does match the OLED display of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon I reviewed recently , though . This is pretty stock for a laptop computer this expensive but , in tandem with the matte presentation finish , it ’s enough to let you put to work fairly well alfresco .
The screen surface scatter reflections , which can become a real problem when trying to work on a train or , say , alfresco on a cheery 24-hour interval .
This is a non - touch show , and the hinge only lets it close up back to more or less a conservative 130 degrees . It ’s no hybrid .
Performance
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 perform well , considering a big part of the finish here is to dilute the laptop ’s step as much as possible . It uses the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U C.P.U. with 16 GB RAM and a 256 GB hard driving force .
These mid - tier specification make some , including myself , flinch a mo considering this laptop computer cost £ 1909 direct from Lenovo . However , it does at least have a “ Pro ” serial CPU . And at the meter of revue , I was able to find the Ryzen 7 version with a 512 GB SSD and OLED screen for less than this model ’s RRP online .
According to my testing , it can beat a thirteenth Gen low potential difference Intel Core i5 on both productivity jobs and graphics tasks . mainframe performance is a second better in an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U laptop like the Acer Swift Edge , but it ’s the graphics might here that is more obviously lacking compare to what some AMD chipsets whirl .
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 achieves 1471 points in 3D Mark ’s Time Spy test , which is pretty miserable by the standards of AMD ’s best - integrated GPUs , and also beaten by a good implementation of Intel ’s Xe chipset . Acer ’s Swift Edge , with the 6800U , scads 2394 points in the same trial . A huge gulf , from a cheaper personal computer .
However , I ’d argue that if you are bribe the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 for its graphical art , you ’re look at the wrong laptop computer . This thing still makes Windows 11 sing , it has a fast PCIe SSD , come at 3309MB / s say and 1908MB / s write in our examination – decent solution for those who need to channel spate of file , but not take care - blowingly tight . It ’s also reassuring to see that all configs of this computer have at least 16 GB RAM .
Under imperativeness , the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 does n’t get all that meretricious , but its stochasticity is quite noticeable thanks to the eminent - slant feeling of its fan . In this sense , once again , it has a minute too much in coarse with the classic low - footmark ultraportable .
Battery life
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 does n’t hit the fantastic battery lifespan height I ’ve reckon from some AMD Ryzen laptops over the last couple of years . accord to the personal computer Mark Modern Office benchmark , it hold out nine hours six minutes off a care .
As such , it arrive at basic expectations for a productiveness laptop . For light job it will last through a classical eight - hr day of work , but with mixed - employment it may fight a bit . It ’s way off Lenovo ’s title of 18.5 hours .
The laptop computer has a 51.5Wh electric battery , which is a decent capacitance for something of this sizing if importantly less than the 70Wh of the larger step Yoga 7 Slim models . I did a bit more examination to see how much the processor throttles on the battery . Its Geekbench 5 single - core score on the barrage fire is just 62 % of what is it on charge , the multi - core 67 % .
We ’re still seeing a very prominent lowering of the performance ceiling on battery , but the battery lifespan is similar to what I ’d bear from a decent Intel - powered alternative . It ’s a little disappointing .
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Should you buy it?
The Z13 is not bad for portability , as is the somewhat shining and highly practical matt display . We ’ll take one for work on the go , trusted .
The Z13 lose a little too much of what makes ThinkPad laptop computer stand out . In reduce out the keyboard , it becomes ordinary . And the tactual touchpad just does n’t finger gravid — a significant knock if you need a laptop for all - day piece of work manipulation .
Final Thoughts
Lenovo ThinkPad gimmick need to ace the task they are made for , because they are expensive , and we approach reviews largely from the view of a person await to corrupt a laptop . Not a CTO looking to outfit their workforce .
circle of ThinkPads sail past these difficulty regardless , but the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 hits a few snags . By aiming to make a personal computer more obviously influenced by the lifestyle competition , it lose important parts of the serial publication ’s identity . And , the most significant progeny of all , the haptic touchpad just is n’t very good .
It ’s likely to be significantly improved in the upcoming Gen 2 mannequin , but think carefully about buying this first version unless you find the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 selling well below its initial price .
ThinkPad fans should look to the more authentic experience on theX1 Carbon . Or , if you ’re not tied to the business chop shot of the series , devices like theAcer Swift Edge ( 2022)andAsus Zenbook 13 S OLED ( 2022)provide strong ultraportable alternatives .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we reexamine goes through a series of unvarying checks design to gauge cardinal affair including figure caliber , performance , filmdom tone and barrage life .
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and written tests , plus a serial of real earth checks .
FAQs
It has two USB - C shaped USB 4 port and a 3.5 mm earpiece jack .
This is a Wi - Fi only laptop computer , not one with 4 G or 5 G mobile internet .
It uses a Radeon 660 M mix artwork chipset , which is fine for basic gaming only .
Test Data
Full Specs
