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ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2
A new style
The ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 is a powerful, portable laptop with high performance, durability, and security. Whether you are working from home or on the go, the Z13 is designed to easily handle productivity tasks with modern hardware and a beautiful display.Â
Pros- New AMD CPUs
- OLED screen options
- Beautiful flax cover design
Cons- Lacking port selection
- Difficult to find
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4
Business on the go
The ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 delivers business-level performance for users working on the go or from the office with upgraded security features, an option for a beautiful OLED display, and a long battery life.Â
Pros- OLED option
- Powerful and fast Intel and AMD CPUs
- Comfortable keyboard
Cons- Soldered RAM
- Bland design
The excellent Lenovo ThinkPad laptop line is among the most popular and best laptops on the market, but choosing the right one can be tricky with so many options available. Today, we will be taking a look at two powerful and stylish ThinkPad laptops: The Z13 Gen 2 and the X13. Both are 13-inch ultrabooks that offer world-class portability, performance, and security, but they also have some key differences that may make one more suitable for you than the other. Read on to find out which ThinkPad is the right choice for your own productivity needs.
Price, specs, and availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 was released in July 2023, starting at $1,249 MSRP. It’s, unfortunately, not available at major retailers such as Newegg, Best Buy, and Amazon, but you can still get it at Lenovo directly. The ThinkPad X13 Gen 4, on the other hand, was released in May 2023, starting at $1,099 MSRP. The X13 Gen 4 is a bit easier to find and is in stock directly from Lenovo, but it can also be found at most major retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, and Amazon.
ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2
Operating System
Windows 11
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7000 series mobile processors
GPU
AMD Radeon Graphics
Storage
Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Battery
51.5Wh
Display (Size, Resolution)
Up to 13.3-inch, WQXGA 2.8K OLED, 16:10 aspect ratio, 400 nit brightness, Touch optional
Camera
FHD RGB + IR with e-shutter FHD Hybrid with e-shutter
Speakers
2 x speakers with Dolby Atmos support
Colors
Flax Fiber Bronze or Aluminum Arctic Grey
Ports
2 x USB4, 1 x Audio Jack
Network
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, optional 4G LTE WWAN
Dimensions
11.59 x 7.85 x 0.55 inches
Weight
2.62 pounds (1.19 kg)
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4
Operating System
Windows 11
CPU
13th-generation Intel Core processors with vPro or AMD Ryzen 7000 series Mobile Processors
GPU
Intel Iris Xe (intel models) or AMD Radeon Graphics (AMD model)
Storage
Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Battery
41Whr or 54.7Whr
Display (Size, Resolution)
13-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio, up to 2.8K OLED, or WUXGA IPS Low Power, WUXGA IPS Touch, or WUXGA IPS 300 nit
Camera
FHD RGB with privacy shutter or 5MP RGB IR with Privacy shutter
Speakers
2 x user facing speakers with Dolby Audio
Colors
Deep Black, Storm Gray
Ports
2 x Intel Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 on AMD) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x HDMI 2.0b 1 x Audio Jack
Network
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, Optional 4G LTE WWAN
Dimensions
11.78 x 9.51 x 0.62 inches
Weight
2.51 pounds
Design
The classic look vs increased sustainability
Visually speaking, you will likely first notice the chassis differences. While the X13 features the classic ThinkPad design but with an improved aluminum chassis that’s gray instead of all-black, the Z13 Gen 2 sports a leather-like cover. The Z13’s cover is made from flax fiber with a bronze-colored trim around the laptop. It’s a classy look, and the flax material almost gives the laptop a wood-like appearance. There’s also an Arctic Grey cover available for the Z13 Gen 2, which does make the laptop almost identical to the X13. Both the aluminum and the flax used in the Z13 Gen 2 are from recycled materials as well, making it one of the more environmentally sustainable ultrabooks on the market.
Regardless, these are true ThinkPad ultrabooks. Both are lightweight and incredibly portable, with the X13 weighing 2.75 pounds and the Z13 Gen starting at 2.63 pounds with the Arctic Grey cover. If you want that bronze flax fiber cover for the Z13 Gen 2, it will add a little bit of weight, up to 2.8 pounds. The X13 is also 15.95mm thick, while the Z13 Gen 2 is actually a bit slimmer at 13.97 mm. These are both great ultrabooks when it comes to portability, and frankly, you can’t go wrong with either if portability is one of your top concerns.
Port selection is also one of the primary differences between these two laptops. The Z13 Gen 2 features very few ports, with just two USB4 ports and an audio jack, so you will need to pick up a docking station if you go with the Z13 Gen 2. The X13 Gen 4, meanwhile, features a great selection of ports with a Thunderbolt 4 port for Intel configurations and a USB4 on AMD configurations, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, an HDMI port, and an audio jack.
These are both great ultrabooks when it comes to portability, and frankly, you can’t go wrong with either if portability is one of your top concerns.
Both laptops have the same kind of keyboard and touchpad, which features haptic feedback and palm rejection. The touchpad on the Z13 Gen 2 and the X13 is also a bit larger than what we were used to seeing used on ultrabooks, making it more comfortable to use for productivity purposes. There’s also Lenovo’s signature TrackPoint in the middle of both laptops’ keyboards, giving you further accessibility.
Display
Optional OLED
When it comes to the display for both of these laptops, there is little difference. They both come with IPS displays in their base configuration that can be upgraded to OLED, and both laptops have touch and non-touch configurations available. Both the Z13 Gen 2 and X13’s IPS displays max out with a resolution of 1920×1200. If you go with the OLED display for either laptop, though, this goes up to a 2.8K (2800×1800) resolution with HDR 500 True Black certification. If touch is important to you, both of these laptops will unfortunately max out at a 1920×1200 resolution, with no OLED touch configurations available.
Personally, I prefer OLED displays on ultrabook laptops as the smaller screen size is greatly enhanced with better contrast levels, life-like colors and deeper blacks, especially with HDR 500 True Black certification. The OLED configurations also feature 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, so if you need an ultrabook for any quick, creative content, any configuration with an OLED display is a better pick than the IPS configurations.
Moving to the top of the display, we have the integrated webcams. We were very excited to see that the Z13 Gen 2 has a 1080p webcam and an electronic shutter. We were equally surprised and happy to see that this is also the case on the X13, making us more optimistic that, as we move into 2024, we will begin to see 1080p webcams become the standard more.
Performance
AMD or Intel, whichever you prefer
The X13 Gen 4 is available with AMD or Intel processors. When it comes to the X13 Gen 4 Intel configurations, the configurations range from the Core i3-1315U at the lowest tier, which has a 6-core processor that offers a base speed of 3.3GHz, to the Core i7-1365U at the highest level, a 10-core processor and a base speed of 3.9GHz. If you prefer Team Red, your options for the X13 Gen 4 are the Ryzen 5 7540U with six cores and a base speed of 3.2GHz processor or the Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U, which is an 8-core processor with a base speed of 3.3GHz. The Z13 Gen 2, on the other hand, is an AMD-only machine, coming with either an AMD Ryzen 5 7540U or the Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U.
While it may appear a little more basic when sitting next to the ThinkPad X13 Gen 2, the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is a better option for most people.
As you might expect, there is little to separate these two laptops when it comes to performance overall, but we will say that in terms of processors, the Intel Core i7-1365U configuration for the X13 Gen 4 features the highest core count (10) out of any the options available, with the highest possible boost speed at 5.2GHz, making it by far the fastest processor available for either of these laptops. That being said, The Z13 Gen 2 features AMD’s most powerful ultrabook processors to date, designed to compete with the Apple M2 processor, and they have quickly become a favorite in the ultrabook community.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is better for most people
While it may appear a little more basic when sitting next to the ThinkPad X13 Gen 2, the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is a better option for most people. It features more customization options thanks to both AMD and Intel CPU configurations, and it’s a great laptop for nearly all users. It performs well in productivity tasks, is super portable, and comes with a great selection.
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4
Editor’s Choice
The ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 brings some big changes over previous models beyond just simple spec bumps. There are newer sleeker bezels, better user-facing speakers, a new optional 5MP webcam, and the option for a 2.8K resolution OLED display.Â
If you want a more environmentally conscious laptop with a fresh style, then the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 is the best option for you. It’s definitely a more luxurious-looking laptop when sitting next to the X13 Gen 4, but it doesn’t take our top spot simply due to the lack of ports. Overall, in the performance arena, there’s not much to separate these two, and the Z13 Gen 2 would be my overall pick if it had a better port selection.
ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2
Good alternative
The ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 brings minor changes over last year’s Gen 1 model, but there are the newest AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPUs under the hood, along with the option for a new lid that has woven Flax material.
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
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