ThinkPad Z13: Lenovo’s first premium ThinkPad with AMD Ryzen 6000

For years, the premium class of ThinkPad laptops was exclusive to Intel. That is over with the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 brings AMD CPUs into the ThinkPad upper class for the first time.

Since 2011 there has been a clear premium variant of the ThinkPad laptops with the ThinkPad X1 series. But AMD options are still in vain for the X1 ThinkPads: Intel provides a lot of development help here so that models like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano (approx. $1,800 on Amazon) are powered exclusively by Intel processors.

To counter this, AMD Intel did the same and developed its high-end series in cooperation with Lenovo: the ThinkPad Z series. The first model of the ThinkPad Z series has now arrived, the compact Lenovo ThinkPad Z13.

To distinguish itself from the X1 series, Lenovo created a completely new design for the Z series, which should also specifically appeal to users who would otherwise not buy a ThinkPad. It includes new design features such as a modified keyboard layout, the case materials, and the touchpad design without dedicated keys for the classic ThinkPad TrackPoint.

The heart of the ThinkPad Z13 is formed by the processors of the Ryzen 6000 series – in this case, the Ryzen Pro variants, because Lenovo of course still keeps the business focus.

Price and availability

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 brings AMD CPUs pricing starts from $1,648.95, and it can be pre-ordered via the Bhphotovideo.com and Amazon.com online stores.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 specifications

• Operating System: Windows 11 Pro (64-Bit) / Windows 10 Pro (64-Bit)
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U / AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U
• CPU: 2.7 to 4.7 GHz 8-Core / 2.9 to 4.5 GHz 6-Core
• L3 Cache: 16 MB
• GPU: AMD Radeon 680M / AMD Radeon 660M
• Memory: 16 GB 6400 MHz LPDDR5
• Display: 13-inch Touchscreen IPS panel, Anti-Glare
• Aspect Ratio: 16:10
• Resolution: 1920 x 1200
• Brightness: 400 cd/m2
• Storage: 1 x 512 GB / 256 GB M.2 2242 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4
• Ports: 2 x USB4 (Supports DisplayPort and Power Delivery), 1 x 1/8″ / 3.5 mm Headphone/Microphone Input/Output
• Audio: 2 x 2 W Speakers / 2 x Microphones
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax); Dual-Band (2.4 & 5 GHz), MU-MIMO Support 2 x 2, Bluetooth 5.2
• Webcam: User-Facing: 2 MP (1080p)
• Battery: 51.5 Wh
• Keyboard: Notebook Keyboard with Backlight
• Pointing Device: TouchPad
• Security: Dedicated TPM Security Chip, Fingerprint Reader, Webcam Blocker
• Power Supply: 65 W with USB Type-C
• Dimensions: 294.4 x 199.6 x 13.99 mm
• Weight: 1.26 kg / 1.19 kg