Today, Lenovo announces a number of updates in a large portion of their ThinkPad range and that they are updating their business-oriented products for 2021. Some of the big changes for this year are impressive and welcome, with Lenovo committed to feature functionality parity between their AMD and Intel offerings, as well as refreshing some of their laptops with 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, and the continuation of the tendency to display 16:10 aspect ratio screens for a better productivity experience.
ThinkPad X13 and X13 Yoga
Although some of the ThinkPad X series have been refreshed at CES, Lenovo continues with the 2021 updates on the X13 and X13 Yoga products, and the changes make these impressive devices even more so.
On the processor side, Lenovo offers the 11th generation Intel Core – or Tiger Lake – processors with vPro optional, as well as AMD Ryzen 5000 Pro options. Lenovo says it has heard customer feedback and is working hard to reduce the feature and option gap between the two platforms. Customers who choose AMD or Intel usually have the same specifications and options available for the rest of the product, such as screens, memory, and so on, except for the platform-specific features like Intel that support Thunderbolt 4 and PCIe 4.0. .
The X13 and X13 Yoga also get Wi-Fi 6E, which means 6 GHz support, and for those who want to connect when they are around, sub-6 5G is an option on the X13, or 4G is available on both models .
Lenovo also continues to move to 16:10 screens, with the larger screens filling more of the body and providing more vertical pixels for productivity. This is an amazing trend and one that should not have lasted so long, because of course the original widescreen ThinkPads were all 16:10 before the whole industry moved to 16: 9. Lenovo is also proud to offer hardware support for low-blue light on screens, and unlike most low-blue light technologies that cause a red shift on the screen, the backlight physically delivers less of the stressful blue lights, which make it possible to keep the screen still. keep the right white balance.
Since it is a proper business machine, there is also additional security such as Match-On-Chip fingerprint readers built into the on / off button, and the Intel models support the presence of human presence that can cause the machine to shut down if you’re gone and unlock you come back. It goes through the IR camera, and as far as the visual camera is concerned, Lenovo includes an option for both HD with IR, as well as FHD with IR, which is a good addition to the latter, thanks to the increase in video conferencing over the last year.
The updated ThinkPad X13 will be available in May from $ 1139 USD, and the X13 Yoga will be available in April from $ 1379.
ThinkPad T14, T14s and T15
ThinkPad T14
When most people imagine ThinkPad, they probably think of the venerable T-Series. Lenovo has said that they are working on feature parity between Intel and AMD, and one of the changes is to not brand the products differently based on the CPU, but for the T-series it does not look like they have gotten there yet . There will be ThinkPad T14 i, ThinkPad T14s i and ThinkPad T15 powered by Intel, and for the 14-inch models, those marked without the i will be AMD Ryzen based.
Although the T-series, at least for this gene, sticks to 16: 9 aspect ratios, with several options for the 14- and 15-inch series, including UHD screens with Dolby Vision. Lenovo also offers its PrivacyGuard screens for added security, and some low-power options, depending on how you set them up.
ThinkPad T14’s
In terms of performance, the laptop offers up to Core i7 11th Gen with vPro options, or AMD Ryzen 5000 Pro. The memory will be up to 32 GB on the S model and up to 48 GB on the non-S. The storage is up to 2 TB of PCIe storage, with the Intel platforms supporting PCIe 4.0 speeds. The non-S model T14 and the T15 also offer an optional NVIDIA GeForce MX450 with 2GB of GDDR6 if extra graphics computing is required over the Intel Iris Xe or AMD Vega 8 graphics.
As with many of the ThinkPad series, Lenovo offers Wi-Fi 6, 6E and cellular features with 4G and 5G options. As with the ThinkPad X13 series, Lenovo also offers FHD webcams with IR as optional upgrades.
Although the T14s are smaller and lighter than the T14, they contain a larger battery at 57 Wh, compared to just 50 Wh in the larger model. The 15-inch T15 also has the 57 Wh battery.
The ThinkPad T14s are one of my favorite laptops, and it’s always nice to see them updated. The new models will be available from March to May, depending on the model, with prices starting at $ 1149 for the ThinkPad T14 AMD model.
ThinkPad P14s and P15s
Some of the mobile workstation models under the P-Series will also get an update, and as with the other units, there will be both the 11th generation Intel Core with vPro as well as AMD Ryzen 5000 Pro CPU offerings.
The P14s and P15s both offer 8 GB or 16 GB of soldered memory, as well as an SO-DIMM slot, allowing up to 48 GB of maximum memory in these thinner and lighter versions of the P-Series laptops. Lenovo is also offering the NVIDIA T500, which is the workstation-class graphics based on the Turing MX450 and with 4GB of VRAM.
Both the P14s and P15s offer standard FHD screens, with some options such as ePrivacy or Low-Power, and both offer an optional UHD screen with HDR 400 and Dolby Vision HDR. The UHD screens have an X-Rite factor color calibration.
For those who need a Linux version, Lenovo offers Ubuntu 20.04 LTS installations, as well as Red Had as factory options.
Wireless is Intel Wi-Fi 6E for 6 GHz support thanks to the Intel AX210 on the Tiger Lake models, and the AMD offerings will still support Wi-Fi 6, but without the 6 GHz support.
Although some of the other ThinkPads are offered with an FHD webcam, the P14s and P15s are not, at least not yet. The newer webcam is physically larger and will require a more comprehensive redesign of the chassis, but the HD webcam offers IR if needed.
The Intel-powered P14s i and the P15s will be available in March, starting at $ 1389 for one of the two, with the AMD-powered P14s coming in May and starting at $ 1169.
ThinkPad L14 and L15
Setting up the series is the cheapest way to get into a ThinkPad, and that’s the L series. The cheapest deals are also offered in an L14 / 15 i Intel-based, or L14 / 15 AMD-based design, but still offer some powerful options.
With the 11th generation Intel Core with vPro and AMD Ryzen 5000, there will be two SODIMM slots, thanks to the thicker and heavier design, which means that the cheapest models here can be equipped with the most RAM, with up to 64 GB. There will be Intel Iris Xe, or AMD Vega graphics, and buyers can also opt for NVIDIA GeForce MX 450.
One of the sad realities of a budget device is the display, and the base model has a (Yuck) 1366×768 TN panel. Fortunately, Lenovo offers FHD IPS offerings on both.
Storage is up to 1TB PCIe SSD, or up to 2TB turntable hard drive, but you get Wi-Fi 6 in the range and optional cellular options.
The L-Series is actually about the entry price, and the new L14 and L15 are available in May from $ 689.
Source: Lenovo