Lenovo has introduced a trio of new laptops and tablets built to support a flexible range of use modes.
The hardware maker showcased those systems along with a wide range of other PCs and peripherals today at the 2023 CES conference in Las Vegas.
The ThinkBook Plus Twist, the latest addition to Lenovo’s notebook line for SMBs, features a rotating hinge that lets users choose between two displays: a 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen and a 12-inch e-Ink screen (pictured) that also serves as a top cover.
ThinkBooks dating back to 2020 also included an e-Ink display, but users could only access it in tablet mode with the lid closed or the keyboard pointed away from them. Spinning the e-Ink display on the new system around to face the keyboard adds the option to operate the panel in what Lenovo calls “typewriter” laptop mode as well.
In addition, unlike earlier editions of ThinkBook e-Ink displays, the new one is in color rather than back and white.
The OLED display offers an FHD webcam plus dual microphones with built-in noise cancellation. Both panels support a full-size digital pen with up to 18 months of battery life.
ThinkBook Plus Twist models are expected to reach market in June at prices starting at $1,649.
The even more versatile Yoga Book 9i is a clamshell laptop composed of two hinged 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED touch displays that let users work on two separate files or one continuous image in conventional laptop mode, tablet mode, or tent mode. According to Lenovo, the device is the world’s first full-size dual screen OLED laptop.
Though either display can be turned into an onscreen digital keyboard, the system also comes with a detachable Bluetooth physical keyboard (pictured top) as well as a detachable folio stand (pictured bottom) that lets users stack the two displays vertically on top of one another or prop them up side by side. The stand also folds flat and attaches magnetically to the back of the device for easy transportation.
The Yoga Book 9i is scheduled to ship in June with prices starting at $2,099.99.
The new 14.5-inch Lenovo Tab Extreme is also designed to support a variety of operating modes. Users can hold the device as they would any tablet or attach a magnetic stand (pictured middle and right) to position the unit vertically or horizontally. A dual-hinge keyboard (pictured left), sold separately in selected markets, turns the product into a productivity device for mobile users as well.
The system’s 3K OLED display offers DCI-P3 color at up to a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1M:1 contrast ratio. Its eight Dolby Atmos-equipped JBL 4-channel speakers are evenly split between woofers and tweeters.
The device runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 octa-core processor and, according to Lenovo, provides up to 12 hours of battery life. It will ship at an undisclosed time later this year for $1,199.99 and up.
The novel design feature in the new ThinkBook 16p Gen 4, an otherwise conventional 16-inch clamshell notebook, is the magnetic “pogo pin” connector on top of the display, which supports modular, cable-less Lenovo Magic Bay accessories. The plug-in 4K webcam (pictured), for example, comes with a 270-degree hinge that lets users point the device at themselves during video calls or flip it around to face a whiteboard, meeting room, or product demo.
The Magic Bay LTE, meanwhile, provides 4G connectivity on the go, while the Magic Bay Light delivers up to 200-lux of adjustable brightness during videoconferences.
The most powerful ThinkBook yet, according to Lenovo, the 16p Gen 4 runs on 13th Gen Intel Core H-series processors and supports optional discrete graphics up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX next generation, DDR5 memory, and dual SSDs offering up to 2TB of storage, making it suitable for video processing and other high-intensity workloads.
The system is expected to reach market in May and sell for $1,349 and up.
Other products unveiled today include the Yoga AIO 9i, a 32-inch all-in-one with a three-side borderless, 4K 100% sRGB display, four Harman Kardon speakers, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and an integrated 5MP infrared webcam. It will list for $1,799.99 and up starting in Q3.
Three new 16-inch gaming notebooks, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5, 5i, and 7i, all feature Lenovo’s new LA AI chip, which the company calls the world’s first dedicated AI chip on a gaming laptop. Using software-based machine learning, the chip dynamically optimizes performance based on real-time frames per second readings.
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and 5i units are both slated to arrive in April. The former device will feature an AMD Ryzen processor and sell for $1,459.99 and up. The latter system will run on Intel Core chips and sell for $1,479.99 and up.
The Intel-based Legion Pro 7i will sell for $1,999.99 and up starting in March. (An AMD-based version, the Legion Pro 7, will not be sold in North America).
Today’s mass launch announcement is Lenovo’s second in less than four months. The company introduced the largest collection of infrastructure solutions in the 30-year history of its ThinkSystem product line last September.
