Lenovo revealed four new ThinkPads yesterday, and today they’re joined by four new ThinkBooks, including a second-generation ThinkBook Plus with a revamped E Ink display. (The video below outlines the new models and includes a hands-on look at each, demonstrated by Lenovo.)
ThinkBook Plus Gen 2: Now With Bigger E Ink
The ThinkBook Plus, which you can see in the image above, offers something a little different to your standard laptop experience by including a second, power-sipping E Ink display on the exterior of the case. This second-generation model revamps the E Ink screen, pushing the size up to 12 inches (the Plus Gen 1 had a 10.8-inch E Ink panel), upping the resolution to 2,560 by 1,600, and allowing you to do more with it, including reading, browsing, and viewing presentations.
The main IPS touch-screen display is a 13.3-inch panel sporting the same resolution as the E Ink outer display, but incorporating Dolby Vision, 400 nits of brightness, and TUV low blue light certification. Configurations extend up to an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of dual channel LPDDR4x RAM, and a 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD. Audio is provided through two 2W Harmon Kardon speakers, with support for Dolby Atmos and four high-quality mics should allow for great video and audio calls.
Even though there are two displays, the anodized aluminum Plus will still lay flat and only weighs 2.86 pounds. The 53-Whr battery provides up to 15 hours of usability on a single charge, but that can be extended to 24 hours if you only use the E Ink display. Recharging is achieved using a 65W USB-C adapter with support for RapidCharge. It’s also expected to be whisper quiet due to Lenovo using one less fan than in the first-generation Plus.
ThinkBook 13x: Slim for SMB
The ThinkBook 13x can’t match the thinnest-ever ThinkPad, but it’s still one of the slimmest 13-inch business laptops, measuring just 12.9mm thick. The 13.3-inch WQXGA IPS touch screen offers 400 nits of brightness, low blue light, Dolby Vision, and an extremely narrow 3.9mm bezel.
The 13x is powered by up to an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of dual-channel LPDDR4x RAM, and a 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD. And just like the Plus Gen 2, Lenovo used dual 2W Harmon Kardon speakers with Dolby Atmos support, four mics, and a 53-Whr battery offering 15 hours of power. Two case color options will be available: Storm Gray and Cloudy Gray.
In terms of connectivity, there’s support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, as well as two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a combo audio/mic.
ThinkBook 14p Gen 2: AMD Powered
For power users, Lenovo is offering the updated ThinkBook 14p Gen 2, powered by AMD Ryzen.
The 14p combines a mobile Ryzen processor with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB PCIe SSD, but it’s the display that will attract a lot of users. There’s a choice between a 14-inch 2.2K IPS panel with 100% sRGB color gamut and 300 nits of brightness, or a 2.8K OLED version offering 400 nits of brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, VESA DisplayHDR, and TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe Display Certification.
The included battery is 61 Whr, and the choice of ports includes two USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, two USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0, a MicroSD card reader, and combo audio/mic. There’s also support for Wi-Fi 6 2x2AX and Bluetooth 5.0. The touchpad is enlarged, and there are dedicated keys for accessing VoIP and Service options.
ThinkBook 16p Gen 2: Ryzen and a Pantone Panel
The ThinkBook 16p is the 14p’s big brother, which is also focused on performance using AMD Ryzen. It boasts a 2.5K 16-inch IPS display with 400 nits of brightness, 100% sRGB color gamut, and TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe Display with X-Rite Pantone color calibration.
Performance is once again offered by a mobile Ryzen processor with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB PCIe SSD, and the port configuration matches that of the 14p. The 16p is the 14p for users who want the extra screen real estate, while still getting a laptop light enough to carry around (4.4 pounds). The other bonus of the 16p is the option of a Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU to complement the Ryzen processor. The 70-Whr battery and 230W power adapter give you some idea of the performance tasks Lenovo is expecting users to buy this laptop for handling.
All these new ThinkBooks will be available before the end of Q1 2021. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 starts at $1,549, the ThinkBook 13x at $1,119, the ThinkBook 14p at $840, and the ThinkBook 16p at $1,299.
