Review: Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z13 is a bit weird, but Ryzen 6000 is fantastic
Enlarge / Lenovo's ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)
| Specs at a glance: Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 13.3-inch 1920*1200 touchscreen (170 PPI) |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U (eight cores) |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 6400 (soldered) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Battery | 51.5 Wh |
| Ports | Two USB 4.0 Type-C |
| Size | 7.86 x 11.59 x 0.55 inches (200 x 295 x 13.99 mm) |
| Weight | 2.78 lbs (1.26 kg) |
| Warranty | 1-year |
| Price as reviewed | $1,852 |
From the basic, boring E-series to the premium X-series, Lenovo's ThinkPads rarely surprise you with their designs. By and large, they are intentionally unremarkable, with straightforward (and sometimes boxy) frames and unassuming black finishes.
So when Lenovo departs from this basic template, as it has for the new ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1, it's worth talking about. The Z13 is recognizable as a ThinkPad, but it has eccentric flourishes like brushed gold accents and a vegan leather lid. There's also a less-flashy gray aluminum version, if a business laptop with gold accents and vegan leather feels less "stylish" and more "dad's midlife crisis" to you.
Hands-down the most impressive thing about the Z13 is its Ryzen 6000 CPU and integrated Radeon GPU. I began testing the Z13 at around the same time as I was being underwhelmed by the 12th-generation Intel processors in the Framework Laptop and Lenovo's own X1 Carbon Gen 10, and the Ryzen CPU is just better than Intel's by just about any conceivable metric. But my reaction to the laptop that has been built around this chip is more reserved.