Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 review – Style and Substance, at a Price

    Lenovo promotes the ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 as a machine that “redefines the term powerhouse”. We can describe it as a compact premium device with powerful AMD Phoenix-HS Zen 4 CPU options. It’s also very thin for a 16-incher and that’s why the memory is soldered. The storage upgradability is limited to just one M.2 slot. The port selection is modern with its trio of Type-Cs but it lacks Type-A connectors which could be an issue for some users.

    If you need something more punchy than the integrated AMD Radeon 760M and 780M, you can pick a laptop with the optional RDNA 2-based Radeon RX 6550M. It has a 4GB VRAM buffer and a 64-bit memory bus so the overall performance isn’t exactly remarkable. Moreover, the optional dGPU significantly bumps the end price of the notebook.

    The other expensive extra is the 3840×2400 OLED touchscreen with DisplayHDR 400 and Dolby Vision support. The panel is doing a great job when it comes to color coverage and accuracy. The base 1200p IPS display doesn’t support touch functionality.

    Things are looking bright in the security department. You get a plethora of goodies such as an IR Web camera, fingerprint reader, dTPM 2.0 chip, and a self-healing BIOS.

    You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkpad-z16-gen-2/

    Contents


    Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

    Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 - Specs

    • ATNA60YV04-0 (LEN4146)
    • Color accuracy  2.2  1.5
    • HDD/SSD
    • up to 2000GB SSD
    • RAM
    • up to 64GB
    • OS
    • Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 Home
    • Battery
    • 72Wh
    • Body material
    • Aluminum
    • Dimensions
    • 354.4 x 237.4 x 15.8 mm (13.95" x 9.35" x 0.62")
    • Weight
    • 1.81 kg (4 lbs)
    • Ports and connectivity
    • 1x USB Type-C
    • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
    • 2x USB Type-C
    • 4.0, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
    • Card reader
    • SD (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    • Ethernet LAN
    • Wi-Fi
    • 802.11ax
    • Bluetooth
    • 5.3
    • Audio jack
    • 3.5mm Combo Jack
    • Features
    • Fingerprint reader
    • Web camera
    • FHD IR with E-shutter, fixed focus
    • Backlit keyboard
    • Microphone
    • Dual-microphone array, 360° far-field, Dolby Voice
    • Speakers
    • 2x 2W Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos
    • Optical drive
    • Security Lock slot
    • Kensington Nano Lock

    Drivers

    All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-z-series-laptops/thinkpad-z16-gen-2-type-21jx-21jy/downloads/driver-list

    What’s in the box?

    The main package houses paperwork and a 135W Type-C adapter. The laptop itself is fitted in a sleek-looking smaller box for extra protection. Depending on your region, you could find optional accessories such as a USB-C Travel Hub, or USB-C adapters to DisplayPort, LAN, HDMI, USB-A, or VGA inside the package.


    Design and construction

    The ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 shares the same design language as its predecessor. It’s still a beautifully looking and premium machine. The all-aluminum build is solid.

    The Communications Bar on the top slightly sticks out which eases to opening process.

    The hinges feel butter smooth and the lid opens effortlessly with one hand. The device is impressively thin with its 15.8 mm profile height. The iterations with the OLED panel are the lightest of the bunch – 1.81 kilos. The siblings with the 1200p IPS touchscreen stop the scales at 1.94 kg.

    What a view – thin bezels around a glorious OLED display! Still, the max angle of the opening is pretty limited but it’s suitable for normal work. The 1080p IR Web camera above the screen is paired with an E-shutter switch (the F9 key). The unit also sports AI-based noise-canceling microphones.

    The grills for the front-firing Dolby Atmos speakers surround the NumPad-less LED backlit keyboard. The spill-resistant board offers average key travel and clicky feedback. That’s fine for long typing sessions but we’re expecting a bit better keyboard for this type of price class. The fingerprint reader is positioned on a key on the left of the Arrows. Yes, the “Up” and “Down” ones seem too small for normal work. The TrackPoint is placed in the middle of the base and it works in a duo with the three buttons above the touchpad. You can use the “red dot” as a mouse or to summon a Quick Menu for accessing the camera and mic options.

    The size of the haptic touchpad is okay (80 x 120 mm). The glass-covered pad amazes us with its silent operation, outstanding accuracy, and very good smoothness.

    The long ventilation grill on the bottom panel reveals the pair of cooling fans. The plate also houses three rubber feet. The heat is pushed through via two vents on the rear. They point at the lower screen bezel. Some amount of hot air reaches the display during heavy system loads.

    Ports

    On the left side, there are two 40 Gbps USB4 ports and an SD card reader. The other side is home to a Kensington Nano Security Slot. a 10 Gbps USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port, an Audio combo jack, and a Power button.

    The three Type-Cs support data transfer, Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a.


    Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles

    Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2ATNA60YV04-0 (LEN4146)
    Diagonal16.0 inches (40.6 cm)
    Panel TypeOLED Touch
    Resolution3840 x 2400 pixels
    Max Refresh Rate60 Hz
    Aspect Ratio16:10
    Pixel Density283 PPI
    ‘Retina’ DistanceGreater than or equal to 31 cm

    Viewing Angles

    Viewing angles are good. We take photos from different angles to evaluate the quality.

    Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

    Color Coverage

    The whole “sail-shaped” map below (Fig. 1) consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.

    Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 can show:

    Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
    For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
    For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
    Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content

    Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2: the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display.

    In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 100% of the sRGB color gamut and 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

    (Fig.1) Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut

    Brightness and Contrast

    The maximum brightness in HDR mode is 599 cd/m² at 8% white fill and 406 cd/m² on a full white screen.

    The maximum brightness in SDR mode is 396 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 396 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 2%.

    The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) on a white screen at maximum brightness is 6250K.

    The contrast ratio of OLED panels is excellent because the pixels turn off completely when displaying black.

    Uniformity: Luminance, Contrast, and Color Deviation

    The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 182 nits (Windows slider = 71%) — a brightness level we consider typical for standard working conditions.

    DeltaE values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users. For those working with colors, screens with DeltaE values no higher than 2.0 are recommended.

    Color Accuracy

    Let’s check the difference between real colors and those you’ll see on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2. We measure that distance in DeltaE – the higher the number, the more different they look.

    Values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users, while values below 2.0 are suitable for color-sensitive work. A value below 1.0 means the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye.

    For the next graph, we’ve selected 24 common colors, including dark/light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.

    Before our calibration of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2, the Average color accuracy was 2.2 dE (Fig. 2), and with our Design and Gaming profile, it lowered to 1.5 dE (Fig. 3).

    (Fig. 2) Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 in its factory condition

    (Fig. 3) Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 with our display profile

    Comparison in the Display P3 color space.

    Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)

    Some use PWM to regulate their brightness, which means that instead of reducing the light intensity, they pulse or flicker. Our brain merges the image, so it appears darker, but this strains both it and our vision, especially when the frequency of the pulses is low. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

    In the graph below, you see the intensity of light at different brightness levels—on the vertical axis is the brightness of the emitted light, and on the horizontal axis—time.

    The luminance of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 display is PWM controlled up to about 100 cd/m2. When the brightness is higher, we observe ripples of limited amplitude. Therefore, we consider the display to be sufficiently comfortable for vision in the considered aspect.

    Health Impact: Blue light emissions

    Installing our Health-Guard profile reduces harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate.

    If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

    Health Impact: Screen Reflectance

    Glossy-coated displays can cause eye fatigue in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the level of screen reflection with the display turned off, at a 60° angle.

    The reflectance of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2’s screen is 107 GU.

    High Gloss: >70 GU
    Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
    Low Gloss: <30 GU


    Get our profiles

    Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 configurations with ATNA60YV04-0 (LEN4146), 3840 x 2400, OLED panel.

    *Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

    Read more about the profiles HERE.

    In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

    Design and Office

    The Design and Office profile makes display colors as close to real as possible.
    Ideal not only for professionals but also for everyday users, it meets sRGB standards (D65 white point, sRGB gamma) with minimal DeltaE for precise color reproduction on your panel.

    Gaming and Movies

    Have you ever watched a movie where, during dark scenes, you can barely see anything? Many displays fail to distinguish dark tones properly. Our Gaming and Movies profile enhances low-light performance, like HDR tech, using a gamma curve tailored to human perception — ideal for gamers seeking faster reactions and clearer visuals.

    Health-Guard

    Our Health-Guard profile protects your eyes by eliminating PWM flickering, reducing strain and fatigue, and minimizing harmful Blue light exposure that can disrupt sleep and health. It uses software dimming and a gamma curve tailored to human perception for comfort and safety during screen use.

    Get All The Profiles With 33% Discount!

    Sound

    When we subjectively listen to a sound file through the built-in speakers, the sound quality offered by the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 is good.


    Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage

    All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Best performance” preset activated in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.

    CPU options

    This device is offered with AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7640HS, Ryzen 7 PRO 7840HS, and Ryzen 9 PRO 7940HS.

    Our laptop has a 7840HS chip.

    GPU options

    The AMD Radeon RX 6550M is the only dGPU model for this Lenovo series.

    Gaming tests

    Counter-Strike 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)HD 1080p, Very High (Check settings)
    Average FPS260 FPS211 FPS94 FPS

    Metro ExodusFull HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Extreme (Check settings)
    Average FPS134 fps41 fps11 fps

    Borderlands 3Full HD, V.Low (Check settings)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Badass (Check settings)
    Average FPS114 fps87 fps55 fps40 fps

    Far Cry 6Full HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
    Average FPS94 fps68 fps57 fps

    Gears 5Full HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
    Average FPS138 fps90 fps72 fps55 fps

    Assassin’s Creed ValhallaFull HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
    Average FPS82 fps66 fps51 fps43 fps

    Storage performance

    Our laptop has a 1TB KIOXIA KXG8AZNV1T02. It’s a decently fast NVMe drive.


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    Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life

    Max CPU load

    In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

    Average core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power

    AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7840HS (35W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
    Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 24.43 GHz @ 85°C @ 86W4.17 GHz @ 90°C @ 71W3.30 GHz @ 85°C @ 51W

    Here, the Ryzen 7 PRO 7840HS maintains pretty high clocks in short and medium loads, especially for a sub-16 mm laptop. However, in the long run, the average frequency is 500 MHz down compared to the official AMD base clock for this chip. Also, the CPU temperatures are always on the high side.

    Real-life gaming

    AMD Radeon RX 6550MGPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)
    Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 22700 MHz @ 73°C @ 48W2736 MHz @ 75°C @ 50W

    The Radeon RX 6550M maintains a ~ 2740 MHz core clock during gaming which is a good result.

    Comfort during full load

    Just like many other Lenovo devices, the power presets are integrated into the default Windows modes. When the CPU is pushed to its limits in “Best Performance” mode, the noise remains average which is a nice surprise given how thin this laptop is. The keyboard also doesn’t feel toasty to the touch.

    During gaming in “Best Performance” mode, the GPU core clock is stable while the memory frequency spikes massively from ~ 600 MHz to 2024 MHz. The TGP is around 50W.

    If you choose the “Balanced” preset, the GPU core clock also starts to fluctuate. This time around, the TGP is ~ 34W/

    Battery

    Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Best Power Efficiency setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 180 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. The 72Wh battery lasts for around 8 hours of video playback. Оur test was conducted with the “Energy Saver” preset activated in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.


    Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance

    To open this premium machine, you have to undo just 5 captive Phillips-head screws. Pop the zone behind the hinge cover with a lever tool. Start from the two areas close to the top edges. Then, pop the corners with a thin plastic tool. The next step is to pry the sides. Popping the front isn’t exactly necessary. Lift the back until the front clips are released, and remove the plate.

    Here’s how the bottom panel looks on the inside.

    This device has a 72Wh battery. Pop the front of the connector with a lever tool. Slightly push the rear of the connector toward the battery in order to release the two small plastic feet from the connector housing.

    Then, undo the nine Phillips-head screws that fix the unit to the chassis. The capacity is enough for around 8 hours of video playback.

    The memory here is soldered. Still, you can order this laptop with up to 64GB of LPDDR5x-6400 MHz RAM in dual-channel mode which should be more than enough for most users. Actually, the chip modules are rated at 7500MHz but they operate at 6400MHz due to platform limitations. The non-upgradable Wi-Fi 6E card is positioned below the single M.2 slot compatible with 2280 Gen 4 SSDs. The preinstalled NVMe is protected by a metal cap that is held in place by two screws.

    The thin plate has a thermal pad on the inside. There is another pad below the storage drive.

    The vapor chamber cooling seems massive for such a thin notebook. It comprises a pair of fans, two heat pipes shared between the processor and the graphics card, two top-mounted heatsinks, and a large centrally placed vapor chamber. It fully covers the CPU and GPU dies, as well as the video card memory chips and VRMs.


    Verdict

    The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 incredibly solid metal machine with an eye-catching design and a modern but slightly limited port selection. The haptic touchpad is amazing while we were expecting a bit better keyboard. The Z16 Gen 2 impresses with a 15.8 mm profile. That’s great for portability since the weight isn’t hefty, especially with the top-end OLED screen. On the flip side, to achieve such compactness, the manufacturer has to make some sacrifices like soldered memory and Wi-Fi card alongside limiting the storage expansion to just one M.2 slot.

    The optional OLED touchscreen (ATNA60YV04-0 (LEN4146)) is a gem. It has a high resolution of 3840×2400 and it fully covers both sRGB and DCI-P3 gamuts. When our “Design and Office” profile is applied, the color accuracy reaches an average dE result of 1.5 which makes the panel suitable for color-sensitive tasks. The screen with infinite contrast ratio reaches ~ 400 nits in SDR and ~ 600 nits in HDR mode.

    The overall performance is kind of a mixed bag. During normal work, the device feels super snappy and responsive. That’s due to the high CPU clocks in short and medium loads. However, when the Ryzen 7 PRO 7840HS is stressed for a long time, its frequency drops below the official base clock. On top of that, the CPU thermals are always more or less toasty.

    The ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 is one of the few devices on the market that could be ordered with the Radeon RX 6550M. We are not particularly impressed by the performance of the latter. It has just 4GB VRAM and the memory frequency fluctuates heavily during gaming which isn’t exactly ideal for the performance. The TGP is as low as 50W which also hinders the graphics power.

    Overall, the Gen 2 ThinkPad Z16 has its merits, but its price point feels too high considering its features, especially when configured with an OLED display and discrete graphics. On the bright side, the build quality is impressive, the touchpad is great, and the same can be said about the screen and the security features.

    You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-thinkpad-z16-gen-2/

    Pros

    • Great design
    • Solid premium metal build
    • Good performance for normal office work
    • The fans aren’t loud during long 100% CPU loads in “Best Performance” mode
    • Comfortable viewing angles + 16:10 aspect ratio (LEN4146)
    • ~ 400 nits of max brightness in SDR and ~ 600 nits in HDR mode (LEN4146)
    • 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage (LEN4146)
    • Very good color accuracy with our “Design and Office” profile (LEN4146)
    • 1080p Web camera with an E-shutter
    • Modern port selection with 3x Type-Cs
    • Great touchpad
    • Up to 64GB of soldered LPDDR5x RAM
    • dTPM 2.0 chip, IR Web camera, fingerprint reader, self-healing BIOS
    • The Ryzen 7 PRO 7840HS maintains above 4.00 GHz clock in short and medium loads
    • The Radeon RX 6550M sustains almost 2740 MHz during gaming
    • The bottom plate can be easily popped
    • Decently fast SSD (KIOXIA KXG8AZNV1T02)
    • You can open the lid with one hand
    • Good battery life considering the powerful hardware and the 2400p OLED screen (~ 8 hours of videos)
    • Vapor chamber cooling
    • Light and thin for a 16-incher (1.81 kg / 15.8 mm)
    • Good sound quality


    Cons

    • 90°C CPU temperature in medium loads
    • Solderd RAM + only one M.2 slot
    • Pricey, especially with the OLED screen and a dGPU
    • Not the best performance in long loads
    • No Type-A ports
    • PWM usage (LEN4146)

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    will blake
    will blake
    1 month ago

    For Christ sakes, guys, lp ram is always soldered. how tf it is good or bad if it is the same all the time? You dislike low power ram for some reason?
    Also 50w power limit for a videocard is good, not bad.
    Anyway, great looking device with some outdated platform and ssd is hella fast.