I upgraded from xps 17 to z16. Z16 is night and day better. That amd cpu is extremely efficient and battery lasts way longer than my xps17. Xps 15/17 all have touchpad qc issues which were driving me crazy (e.g lift laptop from one side and click touchpad in the corner it would get stuck). This new lenovo z16 touchpad is so much more reliable because it doesn't have moving parts.
Hey@@paulflogeras2309, if you're still considering this machine I could throw my 2 cents into the mix. I've had my z16 for just about 6 months at this point and its been a joy to use. I opted for a configuration with a ryzen 7 6850H, 32gb memory, and RX6500M discrete graphics processor as well as the base 1080p display. My use case has been primarily with autocad, blender, lightweight programming tasks, and daily use tasks such as web browsing and word processing. The pros: This machine is a work horse, even under heavy load I've never had issues with crashing or overheating. I've been able to get 10+ hrs of on-battery usage with light tasks, however with the more intense workloads it will need to be plugged in - as is to be expected of any laptop. The display is plenty bright and may be used outdoors without issue, I see no reason to opt for the touch-enabled 4K display for my particular use case. The track pad is the best i've ever used on any laptop. The cons: As others may have mentioned, IO options are unfortunately quite anemic. I've had to carry around an additional IO dongle which cost me $50, so factor that into your purchase price. In all honesty that is all I have against this machine as of yet, though if anything else pops up I'll be sure to come back and update my review. All the best
@@paulflogeras2309still happy and I think it was one of the best laptops when I bought it, but really looking forward to gen 3 I guess. Gen 2 no upgrades at all. It's kinda close to macbook competitor but there are some really stupid decisions in my opinion like: 1. 60hz screen?? 2. Space for 4g lte mode but battery on 72wh on 16 inch laptop?? 3. Only 4gb vram gpu?? There will be new amd apu called strix halo in 2024 which will have cpu and gpu in one package similar to how mac m processors work. I will only upgrade when they fix my points mentioned above.
@@paulflogeras2309 sorry I'm 7 months late answering your question. Yes I'm very happy. I will buy z16 gen 3 when it will come out with amd strix point this year or next year
Agree 100%. I like the design language, but it would really benefit from some legacy ports (hdmi, usb A) and at least 1 non-OLED high quality IPS screen option offering 100% P3 or Adobe RGB coverage for those that don't want to deal with OLED in terms of burn-in and impacts to battery life and don't get me started on Lenovo's roadmap to completely ruin a major standout feature for their thinkpad line ---> the Thinkpad keyboard!
I agree it needs IPS 100% P3 or Adobe coverage at 2.5K resolution, they should take the 6-speaker system from the new yoga 9i 16 those sound good and at least give me an HDMI port with 3 USB 4 ports move the power button to the inside and move the sim tray to give is the HDMI. also ditch TrackPoint it's no good without the physical buttons.
+1, I was debating on this laptop for a long time due to various sales and promotion and ended up going for the P1 gen 6. The tech is cool (AMD advantage, fast although soldered ram, haptic touchpad and the second generation will use the sensel one) but I cannot wrap my head around some of the design decisions i.e. to not include a decent IPS option (or a high refresh rate option), burn in aside, some people are sensitive to PWM flickering and the meagre gpu option (even in the GEN 2 that has been announced). I was quite excited for it to be some sort of experimental revival of the Z series of thinkpad but there needs to be more thought put into it. IMO it took lenovo 5 iterations to get the P1 to maturity. Hopefully the same things could be done with a GEN 3 with more efficient tech as we move into the more efficient TSMC nodes and other architectural improvements.
Nice review! It is gonna be interesting to see what they do with future generations of the z-line Been using a t480 for 6 years for software development. Bought the z16 because I wanted a 16inch screen and AMD. I also liked the look of the z16. I am using Linux and mostly the trackpoint. And I am very pleased with the z16. Took a little while to get used to the trackpoint. But after 4 months of daily use I am very happy I went for this laptop. It is for sure, as you pointed out, different from the main thinkpad lines and I would not want the rest of the models to inherit design choices from the z16. And if the Thinkpad x1 extreme came with AMD I would have gotten that laptop for sure. But Intel is a no no currently
@sink, how does Linux perform with this laptop and multiple displays for you, and how are you coping with the lack of full sized ports? I also want to buy an AMD laptop for software dev under Fedora, but the fact that Lenovo Vantage is not available under Linux and some of the options there are not available in the BIOS made me want to wait a bit more for a better laptop. I've waited for about 2 years, and there doesn't seem to be a "perfect" laptop for me, everything has a major downside.
@@radumotrescu3832 It performs great! I had some issues with resolution on the usb-4 port , but that has been resolved. I use a dongle when needed, but most of the time usb-c and usb-4 is sufficient for me. But I mostly just code on just the laptop or with an external monitor. I rarely have connect to and hdmi port for presentations for example. Yeah I here you. I have no issues with the z16 currently. I run kernel 6.1.0-1009-oem with Ubuntu 22.04 using i3 for tiling wm. And I have currently nothing the "needs" fixing. Notably since writing the previous comment I have started almost only using the trackpad, it is so great. I highly recommend both the z-line and the t14 gen3 AMD version Hope you find a laptop the suites your needs!
16" MacBook Pro speakers are so stunningly awesome, but I hate the way Apple looks down each component with software locks and love how open and modular the ThinkPads are.
Great review really detailed 👌🏿 I'm trying to decide between the Z16 and the Envy 16 from HP so this helps. If anyone's got any opinions let me know 👍🏿
I really do like my Z16 that I have had since August. I have some issues with rather loud coil whine, unfortunately. It can get a bit warm when plugged in, but I find it to be a great laptop for my needs. The OLED screen is good, and, while not matte, it is not offensively glossy like my old Surface Laptop. I really only use the browser and Word with some occasional gaming and photo editing with the discrete GPU. I have had a few crashes nearer when I bought it, but it seems to be perfectly stable now. It really is overkill for my use, but my X1 Nano was just too slow and constricting after two years of use. I still take it on trips, but the 16 inch screen is great for having a website and a document side-by-side.
@@Decoding_Labs I appreciate it! Just gauging around to see what the general boot time is. Since mine take about 30 seconds without Fastboot off and all and some say it either takes 20-25 or up to 40 seconds which is a bit much.
Have had it serviced 3 times and am now requesting a refund. Endless crashes, irritating low power warning on non stock chargers, fans overspinning for no real reason, overheating. Enough is enough.
I can do without hdmi, you can change the hdmi to hdmi to hdmi to type c, which is futuristic But forusb A...most of the mouses either wired or with dongles have type A... And not as many available bluetooth mouses as I would have taught😢
@@Decoding_Labs thanks! Can you be more specific? If I don't run any game and just use office applications, will it charge or say incompatible adapter like other powefull ThinkPads? Will it give a warning and interrupt reboot cycle
Overall good notebook, but it is not ThinkPad. I was not able to install WWAN. No SIM. And i was able to break back cover. 2 of 5 screws snap off plastic and don't hold it anymore. Maybe was not completely unscrewed. Fragile and expensive to maintain. Screen seems sealed and not normal FRU. :( Going back to X13 (never Z13), and P series for home. Ah. Terrible touch pad. No buttons. I don't feel then i click on it.
I like the direction of the Z-line (i.e. form factor) but it's nowhere near to entice me away from my M1 Pro and XPS devices. I was really hoping that it would tempt me to drop the latter since I'm fed up with Dell.
It seems like DELL has drop the ball with XPS lineup, This week Lenovo introduced Z13 and Z16 Gen2 , maybe something you want to check out www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Z13-Gen-2-and-ThinkPad-Z16-Gen-2-unveiled-with-AMD-Ryzen-7000-processors.697550.0.html
@@Decoding_Labs Yes, I actually have! It's an exciting iteration meant to reach the younger generation (hence gen z) and compete with the XPS. It looks great! I'm saddened, though, that Lenovo has stepped down its game with its once (?) best keyboard. I'm rooting for both Lenovo and Samsung in the pc world. Great competition for Apple too!
I have the Z16 Ryzen 7 With Real GPU and I Absolut love it. I can even charge it while running best power efficiency) with my 20W Apple phone charger !!! With USB4 I am able to copy 1,7GB files pr. sec !! SD cardreader is bit slow but ok (90MB pr sec). eGPU works fine too :0) Only problem is when my power adapter passes through my Targus USBC hub, GPU Graphics goes some times into safe mode (I have then 127W instead of 135W (I can live with that). BIOS is some times nagging while booting, about too low Watts (like 100W from other charger) and I can´t disable this message, that's annoying :0( !!! But over all this is the best computer, taking into account battery life, performance and most importantly mobility (so so so happy)
Hey, I am looking for a number : Battery life, how many hours in that exact model of yours ? and is your screen an OLED or IPS ? Would be of great help f you can provide this info ^^
Overall you are happy with the performance? Now that you have used it for some time you are still as happy. I am going to be doing graphic design on this laptop, can it handle it?
So I am still happy with my Z16, but I hate AMD crash-defender disabling my graphics card RX6500M. There is still some problems with some usb4 hubs (mine are not cheap and I use the best usb4 / Thunderbolt 40GB 100-240watt cables ). On external screen I have blackouts, like for 3-5 seconds now and then, I am not 100% sure, I think it has have reappeared after last update (Z13 had it too). I am no Lenovo fanboy, although I have Z16,Z13 and a P16 with OLED screen for work. I am keeping my Z16 and I guess AMD will fix it sooner or may be later. eGPU is not really working perfect all the time. On my P16 with Intel processor nothing works well with the dockings stations unless its from Leneovo, but powersource from usb4 powersuply is none existing (they didnt design the powerinfrastructure to work with power from usbc). The worst thing is that my P16 just goes into boot loop if there is not enought power to run at full speed...WHY???? On Z16 & Z13 it only nacks me with a warning where you have to press ESC if power is lower than expected (still bad but hey). Imagine you have a fine usb hub connected to your pc using a tiny amount of power... and the P16 goes into boot loop. So in conclusion the Z16/13 are still the best, compared to a lot of other labtops i that class. The quality of screen, keyboard and the super duper touchpad & housing is a blessing every day you work with the Z16. Integrated graphics is very god and handles alot of stuff except more demanding games (not a gaming pc, but the fast meory is really good!!!)! @@paulflogeras2309
I upgraded from xps 17 to z16. Z16 is night and day better. That amd cpu is extremely efficient and battery lasts way longer than my xps17. Xps 15/17 all have touchpad qc issues which were driving me crazy (e.g lift laptop from one side and click touchpad in the corner it would get stuck). This new lenovo z16 touchpad is so much more reliable because it doesn't have moving parts.
How long did the battery last as compared to xps?
Now that you have been using the Z16 for some time are you still happy. Any pros and cons or would you recommend it?
Hey@@paulflogeras2309, if you're still considering this machine I could throw my 2 cents into the mix. I've had my z16 for just about 6 months at this point and its been a joy to use. I opted for a configuration with a ryzen 7 6850H, 32gb memory, and RX6500M discrete graphics processor as well as the base 1080p display. My use case has been primarily with autocad, blender, lightweight programming tasks, and daily use tasks such as web browsing and word processing.
The pros: This machine is a work horse, even under heavy load I've never had issues with crashing or overheating. I've been able to get 10+ hrs of on-battery usage with light tasks, however with the more intense workloads it will need to be plugged in - as is to be expected of any laptop. The display is plenty bright and may be used outdoors without issue, I see no reason to opt for the touch-enabled 4K display for my particular use case. The track pad is the best i've ever used on any laptop.
The cons: As others may have mentioned, IO options are unfortunately quite anemic. I've had to carry around an additional IO dongle which cost me $50, so factor that into your purchase price. In all honesty that is all I have against this machine as of yet, though if anything else pops up I'll be sure to come back and update my review.
All the best
@@paulflogeras2309still happy and I think it was one of the best laptops when I bought it, but really looking forward to gen 3 I guess. Gen 2 no upgrades at all. It's kinda close to macbook competitor but there are some really stupid decisions in my opinion like:
1. 60hz screen??
2. Space for 4g lte mode but battery on 72wh on 16 inch laptop??
3. Only 4gb vram gpu??
There will be new amd apu called strix halo in 2024 which will have cpu and gpu in one package similar to how mac m processors work. I will only upgrade when they fix my points mentioned above.
@@paulflogeras2309 sorry I'm 7 months late answering your question. Yes I'm very happy. I will buy z16 gen 3 when it will come out with amd strix point this year or next year
Agree 100%. I like the design language, but it would really benefit from some legacy ports (hdmi, usb A) and at least 1 non-OLED high quality IPS screen option offering 100% P3 or Adobe RGB coverage for those that don't want to deal with OLED in terms of burn-in and impacts to battery life and don't get me started on Lenovo's roadmap to completely ruin a major standout feature for their thinkpad line ---> the Thinkpad keyboard!
I agree it needs IPS 100% P3 or Adobe coverage at 2.5K resolution, they should take the 6-speaker system from the new yoga 9i 16 those sound good and at least give me an HDMI port with 3 USB 4 ports move the power button to the inside and move the sim tray to give is the HDMI. also ditch TrackPoint it's no good without the physical buttons.
+1, I was debating on this laptop for a long time due to various sales and promotion and ended up going for the P1 gen 6. The tech is cool (AMD advantage, fast although soldered ram, haptic touchpad and the second generation will use the sensel one) but I cannot wrap my head around some of the design decisions i.e. to not include a decent IPS option (or a high refresh rate option), burn in aside, some people are sensitive to PWM flickering and the meagre gpu option (even in the GEN 2 that has been announced). I was quite excited for it to be some sort of experimental revival of the Z series of thinkpad but there needs to be more thought put into it. IMO it took lenovo 5 iterations to get the P1 to maturity. Hopefully the same things could be done with a GEN 3 with more efficient tech as we move into the more efficient TSMC nodes and other architectural improvements.
Nice review! It is gonna be interesting to see what they do with future generations of the z-line
Been using a t480 for 6 years for software development. Bought the z16 because I wanted a 16inch screen and AMD. I also liked the look of the z16. I am using Linux and mostly the trackpoint. And I am very pleased with the z16. Took a little while to get used to the trackpoint. But after 4 months of daily use I am very happy I went for this laptop. It is for sure, as you pointed out, different from the main thinkpad lines and I would not want the rest of the models to inherit design choices from the z16. And if the Thinkpad x1 extreme came with AMD I would have gotten that laptop for sure. But Intel is a no no currently
Agree with you on the Intel part and it's nice to hear that you like your Z16! Also love your profile pic
@@Decoding_Labs The picture is a representation of how I feel in life
@sink, how does Linux perform with this laptop and multiple displays for you, and how are you coping with the lack of full sized ports? I also want to buy an AMD laptop for software dev under Fedora, but the fact that Lenovo Vantage is not available under Linux and some of the options there are not available in the BIOS made me want to wait a bit more for a better laptop. I've waited for about 2 years, and there doesn't seem to be a "perfect" laptop for me, everything has a major downside.
@@radumotrescu3832 It performs great! I had some issues with resolution on the usb-4 port , but that has been resolved. I use a dongle when needed, but most of the time usb-c and usb-4 is sufficient for me. But I mostly just code on just the laptop or with an external monitor. I rarely have connect to and hdmi port for presentations for example.
Yeah I here you. I have no issues with the z16 currently. I run kernel 6.1.0-1009-oem with Ubuntu 22.04 using i3 for tiling wm. And I have currently nothing the "needs" fixing. Notably since writing the previous comment I have started almost only using the trackpad, it is so great.
I highly recommend both the z-line and the t14 gen3 AMD version
Hope you find a laptop the suites your needs!
@@davidklsnHow do ya compare this Z16 to Z13 and T14 g3 ?
From my mini SER7, i start to love ryzen APU 😂
16" MacBook Pro speakers are so stunningly awesome, but I hate the way Apple looks down each component with software locks and love how open and modular the ThinkPads are.
Great review really detailed 👌🏿
I'm trying to decide between the Z16 and the Envy 16 from HP so this helps.
If anyone's got any opinions let me know 👍🏿
Good job bro keep grinding! Good review!
Appreciate it
battery life for your oled model? office work length? more intensive work length?
I really do like my Z16 that I have had since August. I have some issues with rather loud coil whine, unfortunately. It can get a bit warm when plugged in, but I find it to be a great laptop for my needs. The OLED screen is good, and, while not matte, it is not offensively glossy like my old Surface Laptop. I really only use the browser and Word with some occasional gaming and photo editing with the discrete GPU. I have had a few crashes nearer when I bought it, but it seems to be perfectly stable now. It really is overkill for my use, but my X1 Nano was just too slow and constricting after two years of use. I still take it on trips, but the 16 inch screen is great for having a website and a document side-by-side.
It's great to hear that you enjoy yours, and from what I've heard, Lenovo really did improve the experience with many fixes and updates.
Can you tell how is the battery life on this 4K OLED with R9/R7?
How long is the battery life?
Where did the page up and page down go? PrtSc?
Hey there, Wondering if you could time the boot time from cold boot, specifically with Fastboot off as I'm curious about this and all.
Hey, just tested it for you, it takes 20 seconds to boot up and yes this is without Fastboot turned off
@@Decoding_Labs I appreciate it! Just gauging around to see what the general boot time is. Since mine take about 30 seconds without Fastboot off and all and some say it either takes 20-25 or up to 40 seconds which is a bit much.
Great review! Is the keyboard really that bad? It surely seems not great...
Thank you! I've tried many ThinkPads and many other laptops of course but Z-series has by far the worst ThinkPad keyboard
Have had it serviced 3 times and am now requesting a refund. Endless crashes, irritating low power warning on non stock chargers, fans overspinning for no real reason, overheating. Enough is enough.
Was that the case after firmware updates?
@@catazep no, no connection
I think that the decision to not include enough ports including HDMI and USB A was a big mistake.
totally agree!
I can do without hdmi, you can change the hdmi to hdmi to hdmi to type c, which is futuristic
But forusb A...most of the mouses either wired or with dongles have type A...
And not as many available bluetooth mouses as I would have taught😢
@@catazepyeah annoying no doubt, but usbc to usba adapters pretty much solve that.
@@newolde1 yes, but defies th whole purpose of portability 😂😂
@@catazep Usbc usba adapters are barely bigger than my thumbnail and you can just leave them the end of the device/cable.
What is better between P16s g1 vs Z16 g1 ? Thanks
P16s for sure
@@Decoding_Labs thanks.
With amd ryzen or Intel?
Which display it is? Top end with oled or less?
Top end with an OLED yes
Thanks for your long term review. Does the OLED use PWM on 100% brightness and below?
Thanks! Nope, no PWM detected. I would not worry about screen flickering on Z16.
Does it work with smaller 65 or 45 W USB-C charger? or it requires 135 W?
It does work but you will not get full performance of Z16
@@Decoding_Labs thanks! Can you be more specific? If I don't run any game and just use office applications, will it charge or say incompatible adapter like other powefull ThinkPads? Will it give a warning and interrupt reboot cycle
Overall good notebook, but it is not ThinkPad.
I was not able to install WWAN. No SIM. And i was able to break back cover. 2 of 5 screws snap off plastic and don't hold it anymore. Maybe was not completely unscrewed.
Fragile and expensive to maintain. Screen seems sealed and not normal FRU. :(
Going back to X13 (never Z13), and P series for home.
Ah. Terrible touch pad. No buttons. I don't feel then i click on it.
Is the touchpad not in the centre? It looks like it is not, who thinks that's a good idea.
Initially, I was surprised too, but then I realized it actually aligns with the keyboard, which makes sense.
A macbook user will like it than a typical X1 thinkpad user
100%
That handgrip at the edge of the screen is ugly. Lenovo please fix this because the laptop is near perfect
CHASEE not CHASSIS. Last "s" is silent :)
Battery??
72Wh
I like the direction of the Z-line (i.e. form factor) but it's nowhere near to entice me away from my M1 Pro and XPS devices. I was really hoping that it would tempt me to drop the latter since I'm fed up with Dell.
It seems like DELL has drop the ball with XPS lineup, This week Lenovo introduced Z13 and Z16 Gen2 , maybe something you want to check out www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Z13-Gen-2-and-ThinkPad-Z16-Gen-2-unveiled-with-AMD-Ryzen-7000-processors.697550.0.html
@@Decoding_Labs Yes, I actually have! It's an exciting iteration meant to reach the younger generation (hence gen z) and compete with the XPS. It looks great! I'm saddened, though, that Lenovo has stepped down its game with its once (?) best keyboard. I'm rooting for both Lenovo and Samsung in the pc world. Great competition for Apple too!
Z16 bad product without numpad. Wasted large area for keyboard.
Other than people who use numbers often like accountants. I don't see any benefit for numpad. Better to be used as speaker, than rarely used numpad
numpad is useless
I would never buy a laptop with numpad. I want my keyboard right in the middle of the screen! Millions of people don't want crap old-school numpads!
I am in the legal field- need a number pad to enter case numbers.
ppl always complaining lol this laptop is a beast
I have the Z16 Ryzen 7 With Real GPU and I Absolut love it. I can even charge it while running best power efficiency) with my 20W Apple phone charger !!! With USB4 I am able to copy 1,7GB files pr. sec !! SD cardreader is bit slow but ok (90MB pr sec). eGPU works fine too :0) Only problem is when my power adapter passes through my Targus USBC hub, GPU Graphics goes some times into safe mode (I have then 127W instead of 135W (I can live with that). BIOS is some times nagging while booting, about too low Watts (like 100W from other charger) and I can´t disable this message, that's annoying :0( !!! But over all this is the best computer, taking into account battery life, performance and most importantly mobility (so so so happy)
That's actually a very good feedback. Glad you're enjoying your Z16!
Hey, I am looking for a number : Battery life, how many hours in that exact model of yours ? and is your screen an OLED or IPS ? Would be of great help f you can provide this info ^^
Overall you are happy with the performance? Now that you have used it for some time you are still as happy. I am going to be doing graphic design on this laptop, can it handle it?
So I am still happy with my Z16, but I hate AMD crash-defender disabling my graphics card RX6500M. There is still some problems with some usb4 hubs (mine are not cheap and I use the best usb4 / Thunderbolt 40GB 100-240watt cables ). On external screen I have blackouts, like for 3-5 seconds now and then, I am not 100% sure, I think it has have reappeared after last update (Z13 had it too). I am no Lenovo fanboy, although I have Z16,Z13 and a P16 with OLED screen for work. I am keeping my Z16 and I guess AMD will fix it sooner or may be later. eGPU is not really working perfect all the time. On my P16 with Intel processor nothing works well with the dockings stations unless its from Leneovo, but powersource from usb4 powersuply is none existing (they didnt design the powerinfrastructure to work with power from usbc). The worst thing is that my P16 just goes into boot loop if there is not enought power to run at full speed...WHY???? On Z16 & Z13 it only nacks me with a warning where you have to press ESC if power is lower than expected (still bad but hey). Imagine you have a fine usb hub connected to your pc using a tiny amount of power... and the P16 goes into boot loop. So in conclusion the Z16/13 are still the best, compared to a lot of other labtops i that class. The quality of screen, keyboard and the super duper touchpad & housing is a blessing every day you work with the Z16. Integrated graphics is very god and handles alot of stuff except more demanding games (not a gaming pc, but the fast meory is really good!!!)! @@paulflogeras2309