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ThinkPad debuts its ‘progressive’ new design with Z13 and Z16 laptops

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Lenovo has announced at CES 2022 the ThinkPad Z Series, a new line in the iconic business brand that features a completely new “progressive” design that introduces new colors and materials to the ThinkPad.

Sustainability is also a focus, with the ThinkPad Z13 and ThinkPad Z16 offering various choices between recycled aluminum and recycled vegan leather (plastic) materials.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 left front view.

The aluminum versions are available in arctic grey (Z13 and Z16) or black (Z13) and the vegan leather version is available in black (Z13), with a design that aims at a streamlined and minimalist aesthetic.

Both laptops incorporate an all-glass palm rest with an embedded 120mm haptic “ForcePad” touchpad that blends in for an extremely clean look.

The new ThinkPads are still recognizable as members of the line thanks to the usual ThinkPad logos and the red TrackPoint nubbin in the middle of the keyboard that can now be double-clicked to call up a Communications QuickMenu to access camera and microphone settings. Also on hand is a Communications Bar incorporating a Full HD (1920 x 1080) webcam with an electronic e-Shutter for privacy and dual-array microphones.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The ThinkPad Z13 features a 13.3-inch 16:10 display with up to a 2.8K OLED panel and a 91.6% screen-to-body ratio. The laptop is powered by next-gen AMD Ryzen PRO U-series CPUs or an optional exclusive AMD Ryzen PRO processor. Integrated Radeon graphics, DDR5 RAM, and PCIe Gen 4 round out the performance specifications.

Material options include arctic grey or black recycled aluminum or black recycled vegan leather. The ThinkPad Z13 has minimal connectivity with two USB-C 4.0 ports and an audio jack, to go with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 with optional 4G LTE WWAN support.

The ThinkPad Z13 will be available in May 2022 with a starting price of $1,549.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 right front facing.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Image used with permission by copyright holder

The ThinkPad Z16 offers a 16.0-inch 16:10 display with up to a 4K OLED panel with a 92.3% screen-to-body ratio. It’s powered by next-gen AMD Ryzen Pro H-series processors for a bit more power.

The system also uses DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen 4, with either integrated Radeon graphics or an optional AMD discrete GPU. There’s only one material option with the ThinkPad Z16, the arctic grey recycled aluminum.

Three USB-C 4.0 ports, an audio jack, and an SD card reader provide physical connectivity, while wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 along with optional 4G LTE WWAN support.

The ThinkPad Z16 will be available in May 2022 with a starting price of $2,099.

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Former Computing Writer
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
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