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Lenovo releases

Lenovo Drops New ‘Go Anywhere’ ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 Gen 2 Work Laptops


If Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 and Z16 Gen 2 are anything to go by, the brand is really leaning into the mobile revolution. At the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC), the manufacturer unveiled a whole slew of refreshed laptops and tablets, including two updated models of the ThinkPad Z that debuted last year. The new ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 and Z16 Gen 2 are being positioned as more powerful and compact alternatives for the “dispersed hybrid working styles” and come packed with impressive features to help make your office chores a breeze. Both models are powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors based on the Zen 4 architecture.

Besides the flashy new internals and a few key hardware changes, the overall design has mostly stayed the same, which makes sense considering these laptops are geared as work-dedicated devices. Lenovo has introduced an optional new natural fibre-reinforced material alongside the default aluminium finish for the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2, which the company claims to be woven Flax material made from 100 per cent agricultural products.

However, looks aren’t what the company is going for here. The ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 and Z16 Gen 2 are purely work-focused laptops and there are plenty of new additions that will help you get your work done faster. The two laptops are being offered in either a 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED display on the Z13 Gen 2 or a 16-inch 4K OLED panel on the Z16 Gen 2. All panels have a peak brightness of 400 nits and can be configured with a touch screen. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 has a 51.5 Wh battery, while the ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 improves the capacity to 72 Wh.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 and ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 are powered by AMD’s new Ryzen 7000 laptop processors. However, the company doesn’t specify exactly which CPU variants it’s using which makes it a bit hard to estimate the overall performance. On the GPU side of things, you get the integrated Radeon GPU, but ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 will let users opt for a dedicated Radeon RX 6500M graphics processor, for those in the market for something with extra graphical horsepower.

In terms of I/O and ports, both ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 and ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 feature two USB 4.0 ports and one 3.5 mm combo audio jack. The ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 even gets an additional USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port and an SD card reader. For connectivity,  there’s Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, while ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 users can even opt for a 4G LTE modem. Both laptops have support for up to 2 TB solid-state storage and 64 GB of LPDDR5x RAM.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo

Attending office or conference calls will be smoother and crisper than ever on these laptops, all thanks to the brand-new full HD webcams and Dolby Voice-enabled microphones. An interesting new feature on these is the TrackPoint Quick Menu, which can be activated by simply double-pressing Lenovo’s signature red button. This opens a window that allows you to tweak things like camera settings, mic volume, voice dictation and noise suppression among others.

Lenovo has also given special attention and treatment to the Z13 and Z16 Gen 2’s touchpads, equipping these with a Fusion FX touchpad from Sensel. This new trackpad is physically bigger than the original’s and even supports three virtual haptic buttons. The new touchpad even adds high-fidelity haptics, more accurate palm rejection and exceptional precision. The ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 will be available for purchase sometime in July starting at USD $1,249, with the ThinkPad Z16 Gen releasing in August starting at USD $1,749.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 | Image: Lenovo