What the Flax? Hands On With the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 Eco-Lid Laptop

Lenovo has kicked off the 2023 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, with a bevy of new ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptop announcements. The one that stands out? The ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 (starts at $1,249). We had a hands-on preview of this slick business laptop with a flax-weave screen lid before the MWC show. The use of sustainable materials is a cool plus, though we’re also excited about the clever way in which it keeps Lenovo’s TrackPoint feature relevant today.

The New Z13 in a Nutshell

In the Z13 Gen 2, we can't help but be reminded of HP's parallel experiments with alternative eco-materials (coffee grounds and cooking oil!) in a few machines it exhibited for CES 2023. In addition to the eco-update and some feature tweaks, Lenovo naturally took this opportunity to equip its second-generation ThinkPad Z13 with fresh parts. The original ThinkPad Z13 was a favorite of ours, with a 4.5-star rating and a ranking atop some of our laptop charts, so we're itching to see the newest iteration on our lab bench.

While we haven’t been given specifics in some areas, we know that the Z13 Gen 2 will come with the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 U-series processors with integrated Radeon graphics. This laptop will also support up to 64GB of LPDDR5x memory and up to 4TB of PCI Express Gen 4 solid-state storage for speedy multitasking.

All this will be accessed through a 13.3-inch, 16:10 display (a 1,920-by-1,200-pixel panel) with optional touch-input support. You can also configure the system with a touch-enabled screen that’s 2,560 by 1,600 pixels. Both versions of the panel will shine at up to 400 nits of brightness with 100% sRGB color coverage.

The Gen 2 builds on a very successful Gen 1 laptop.
(Credit: John Burek)

Also a plus: All versions of the Z13 Gen 2 will have a 1080p webcam with an electronic shutter. For connectivity, Lenovo includes two USB 4 ports and an audio jack, buoyed by Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1—along with an optional 4G LTE radio.

As for dimensions, Lenovo managed to achieve thinness of just over half an inch, with the whole unit measuring 0.55 by 7.9 by 11.5 inches (HWD). Naturally, as a business ultraportable, the Z13 Gen 2 is lightweight at just 2.6 pounds—one-tenth of a pound lighter than the feathery Apple MacBook Air.

Lenovo's flax-weave screen is certainly a distinguished look.
(Credit: John Burek)

It should be noted that Lenovo will also sell a 16-inch ThinkPad Z16 Gen 2 variant, which in addition to a larger screen can also be outfitted with an AMD Radeon 6550M dedicated GPU. Of course, this version is better suited to content creators. Finally, all new ThinkPad Z laptop versions will run on Windows 11 (with an option for the Pro version).

Keeping the TrackPoint Relevant

One of the most interesting upgrades to the Z13 Gen 2 lies within its TrackPoint, that familiar red-nub mini joystick smack dab in the middle of the keys, paired with buttons just below the space bar. While I’ve always admired Lenovo’s dedication to keeping this iconic IBM innovation from a bygone era of laptops, I’ll also be the first to admit that it’s something of a vestigial limb.

Lenovo's new TrackPoint software looks like it could breathe new life into a decades-old feature.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)

No longer: Lenovo has updated the TrackPoint to contain a capacitive touch surface that, with a light double-tap, will reveal a small applet on the screen separated into four quadrants. These function areas can then be clicked or tapped to carry out basic tasks, like camera brightness and contrast, microphone muting detection and pickup tweaks, and enabling Microsoft Dictation. Even better, these function quadrants can be customized to act as macro keystrokes or deliver near-instant access to other functions.

Something had to give for the TrackPoint at some, er, point, and I would hate to see it go. So I have hope for this development to turn into something useful and universal among Lenovo’s nubbin-equipped Think products.

Lenovo's TrackPoint laptop mouse is still kicking.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)

As for how it feels in use, the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 is incredibly light and thin, which does lead to a keyboard that feels more shallow than I like, though forceful feedback in the keys is still maintained. It’s the same story for the touchpad, which feels delightfully smooth but is also a bit too shallow for my liking.

A Sop to Sustainability: The Flax Factor

Like most laptop makers that want to keep up a perception of environmental friendliness—let’s start with how all that lithium and cobalt is gathered, shall we?—Lenovo continues its quest for sustainability. The company’s latest gesture is to incorporate even more recycled materials into its Z13 Gen 2 laptop, particularly flax plant fiber.

This new, natural fiber-reinforced material is bonded to the 75% recycled aluminum top cover. The material is a 100% agricultural product collected by harvesting flax plant fibers. Naturally, this material gives the screen lid a color that Lenovo calls “Flax Fiber Bronze.” You can also buy the new Z13 in a standard aluminum color, which does not contain the flax material.

Lenovo's flax weave in three stages
(Credit: Joe Osborne)

Flax gives the laptop an interesting look and feel but, more important, it again signals Lenovo’s promise to integrate post-consumer recycled content into all of its PC products by 2025 and achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2050. It’s a fine gesture, but there’s much more to be done than recycled materials and biofuels.

We’re generally impressed by and excited for the arrival of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 and its larger variant. This appears to be quite the capable and trendy business laptop, and we always have to give it to Lenovo for trying new things (primarily the TrackPoint enhancement, in this case).

It would be cool if the flax weave made it into the palm rest.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)

Lenovo will start selling the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 in July 2023 starting at $1,249, while the 16-inch Z16 Gen 2 will hit stores in August 2023 starting at $1,749. We’ll be keen on fully reviewing both, so come back here for our final verdicts this summer.

The Best of the Rest From Lenovo’s MWC 2023 Launch

Of course, this is far from the only product that Lenovo showed off for MWC 2023. Lenovo will also release updated versions of the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 and its Yoga variant. These laptops can be equipped with 2.8K-resolution touch screens, and they’re primarily Intel-powered, though AMD options will also be available. The ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 and its Yoga option launch in May for $1,099 and $1,379, respectively.

Additionally, Lenovo has a new consumer-grade Chromebook for the mainstream. The IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook (starting at $340) will drop in May for a decently affordable price. This 14-inch Chromebook works with an ARM-based MediaTek processor driving a 1080p touch screen and up to 13.5 hours of battery life.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook looks like an ideal laptop for your parents.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)

Lenovo will also soon release several more ThinkPad products, most of which involve incremental updates in components and display features:

• ThinkPad T14s, T14 and T16 (more sustainable materials; optional 5-megapixel camera) will be available in May, starting at $1,479, $1,239, and $1,269, respectively.

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• ThinkPad L13, L13 Yoga, L14, and L15 (double the SSD space to 2TB since last generation) will launch in April, starting from $869, $1,099, $869, and also $869, respectively.

• ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 and E16 Gen 1 (budget-priced SMB laptops with 16:10 displays) will drop in May, starting at $739 and $759, respectively.

• ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One (TIO) Gen 5 Monitors (improved 1080p webcams and anti-blue light technology) will launch in August, starting from $274 and $294 for the 22-inch and 24-inch, respectively.