Lenovo introduced the ThinkPad Z13 and ThinkPad Z16 at CES 2022. With a redesigned chassis made of vegan leather, sustainable packaging, the latest Ryzen Pro CPU, and an optional OLED display, these ThinkPads are the most hip products the company has ever made.

They are the first in Lenovo's new ThinkPad Z series and the successor to the popular X series. Considering that at least one of the ThinkPad X series laptops, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano, tops the list of best business laptops on the market right now, these new Windows 11 laptops have big shoes to fill.

The ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 look different from their predecessors as Lenovo has thinned the bezel around the display, enlarged the touchpad under the keyboard, and added some new features to the trademark red TrackPoint nub. Lenovo also added a (vegan) leather trim option to the Z13 and a striking new communication bar with an improved webcam embedded above the display on both models.

Here's what we know so far about Lenovo's new ThinkPad Z13 and ThinkPad Z16 laptops and our first hands-on impressions.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is a new 13-inch ThinkPad that will ship in May 2022 with Windows 11 starting at $1,549.

It will be available in black and arctic gray, as well as a bronze model with eye-catching recycled vegan black leather trim.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a sleek redesign with very slim bezels around the screen (Lenovo claims a screen-to-body ratio of 91.6%).

Among its embedded bubbles are dual-array microphones, an infrared FHD webcam that supports Windows Hello (i.e., you can log in with your face), and an electronic e-shutter that blocks the webcam for privacy.

Hands-on with the ThinkPadZ13, we were impressed by the easy one-handed lid lift and the narrow bezels around the display. The black vegan leather is soft to the touch and has a nice texture without being too flashy. [By default, the ThinkPad Z13 has a 13.3-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200 pixels, 16:10 aspect ratio) IPS panel, which can (optionally) be configured as a touchscreen.

For an additional fee, the Z13 is also available with a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600 pixels, 16:10 aspect ratio) OLED touchscreen display with Dolby Vision support. OLEDs usually offer better image quality than IPS displays, with sharper blacks and superior contrast, so it is exciting that Lenovo is including an OLED option on the Z13.

The ThinkPad Z series is made from sustainable materials such as recycled aluminum and recycled black vegan leather, and that extends to the packaging: it is made from 100% recyclable bamboo and sugar cane, and the AC power adapter contains 90% post-consumer content (PCC). Even the box handles are made of recycled cardboard instead of plastic.

Lenovo will offer laptops with the latest AMD Ryzen 7 PRO U-series CPUs; AMD's Ryzen PRO CPUs are essentially business-grade versions of Ryzen CPUs, with roughly equivalent performance, but with Microsoft Pluton security processor built in, and other improved encryption and security options.

Since it cannot be equipped with a discrete graphics card, it is unlikely that you will be playing cutting-edge games on the Z13. However, the larger 16-inch Z16 will be sold with the option to configure it with a discrete Radeon graphics card, but Lenovo has not yet revealed which cards will be available.

In terms of memory, the ThinkPad Z13 can be configured with up to 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 1 TB of SSD as storage.

As for ports, there are not many options, with only USB-C ports (one on each side) and audio jacks for headphones. Sufficient for business use, but hardly generous.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is effectively a larger version of the Z13, with larger and more enhanced component options and fewer color variations; it will be available in May 2022, starting at $2,099, in one color, Arctic Gray.

In most respects, the Z16 is identical to its smaller sibling, but there are some important differences. Most notably, it has a large 16:10 16-inch display, with an even better screen-to-body ratio (92.3%) than the smaller Z13. the Z16's display is also an IPS screen by default, with options to configure it as a touchscreen or, there is also an expensive option to upgrade to an OLED display with Dolby Vision support.

Lenovo's ThinkPad Z16 is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen PRO H-series CPUs, more powerful than the U-series CPUs in the smaller Z13. It can also optionally (though not yet announced) be equipped with AMD's discrete GPU.

The ThinkPad Z16 can also be configured with up to 32 GB of RAM, but can be equipped with up to 2 TB of SSD, doubling the maximum amount of storage available on the Z13. It also has several more ports than the Z13, including three USB-C ports, an SD card reader, and an audio jack.

Lenovo's ThinkPad Z13 and its larger, more rugged sibling, the Z16, offer exciting perspectives on the future of ThinkPad design.

While the bright red little nub in the center of the keyboard is still there, these new ThinkPads are more eye-catching than their predecessors, and the option of an OLED touchscreen and the latest Radeon chip complete the image of the Z13 as a premium business laptop for 2022 help complete the Z13's image as a premium business laptop in 2022.

Of course, we won't know about the performance, durability, and leather trim until we try one out for ourselves. Stay tuned.