Lenovo will launch a whole range of new notebooks over the course of the summer. They use the latest Core i 13000 and Ryzen 7000 processors – the manufacturer wants to have changed its entire range by September 2023. In the case of the AMD versions, however, care is required, because many Ryzen 7000s are only new editions of old CPUs.
This does not apply to the Thinkpad Z13 Gen 2 and the Thinkpad Z16 Gen 2. Both models are AMD exclusive and use Zen 4 processors aka Phoenix. Lenovo does not reveal any CPU names other than “Ryzen 7000”, but when asked, the manufacturer confirmed the built-in memory, which only Phoenix can handle: up to 64 GB LPDDR5X-7500.
Since Lenovo is not yet allowed to name the names, unannounced processors will probably be used. We suspect the energy-saving Ryzen 7040U – so far AMD has only presented the HS versions with higher thermal design power (TDP) from 35 watts.
OLED optional
Both notebooks use 16:10 panels, optionally with OLED technology and 2.8K resolution (Z13 with 13.3 inches) or 4K resolution (Z16 with 16 inches). The equipment is largely identical, for example in the form of a PCI Express 4.0 SSD with a capacity of up to 2 TB.
Certain versions of the Thinkpad Z13 Gen 2 integrate a modem for LTE mobile communications in addition to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 support. The Z16 Gen 2, on the other hand, is not quite as spartan in terms of connections as the Z13 Gen 2: In addition to the two USB4 ports (as Type C sockets) and a headset jack, there is one USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbit/ s, Type C) and an SD card reader. The 13.3-inch weighs around 1.2 kg, the 16-inch a good 1.8 kg.
Only the 13 version is optionally available with an unusual material as the lid cover – Lenovo provides the aluminum cover there with brownish flax fibers if desired.
The notebooks have it all in terms of price: The Thinkpad Z13 Gen 2 is to be released in July 2023 at starting prices of just under 1965 euros. The Thinkpad Z16 Gen 2 starts in August 2023 from around 2335 euros.
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Thinkpad Z13 Gen 2 (flax) (Image: Lenovo)
Many more thinkpads
Other new announcements include a whole range of revised notebooks:
Thinkpad X13 Gen 4, X13 Yoga Gen 4Thinkpad T14 Gen 4, T14s Gen 14, T16 Gen 2Thinkpad L13 Gen 4, L13 Yoga Gen 4, L14 Gen 4, L15 Gen 4Thinkpad E14 Gen 5, E16 Gen 1
All are characterized primarily by the use of new processors. Only the Thinkpad E16 is a new variant from the E series, which contains comparatively inexpensive devices for business customers. There is no new E15 version for this.
(mma)
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