Lenovo's new ThinkBooks offer some unexpected twists on laptop design
Special Feature
Lenovo's announcements at CES have included some interesting takes on laptop design, primarily aimed at addressing the needs of hybrid lifestyles. These continue with a brace of new ThinkBooks -- Lenovo's family of SMB-focused laptops. First up is a new take on the twisting screen, while the second new ThinkBook introduces a modular accesory bay.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist
Convertible laptops with twisting screens are not new to Lenovo, and neither are secondary E Ink displays for e-book reading, notifications, and note taking. However, the new ThinkBook Plus Twist is the company's first device to combine these design elements. The primary display is a 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED touch screen, and a central 360-degree twisting hinge brings a 12-inch color E Ink display to the fore, turning off the now-rear-facing OLED screen by default in order to save battery life. Both displays support pen input, with the stylus offering up to 18 months battery life. As well as supporting the usual E Ink use cases, you can drive Windows from the secondary screen, providing mobile users with a low-power option to prolong battery life. When you twist back to the primary OLED screen, you can resume where you left off.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist specifications
| Processors | up to 13th-generation Intel Core |
| OS | Windows 11 |
| RAM | up to 16GB |
| Storage | up to 1TB |
| Graphics | Intel Integrated Graphics |
| Display 1 | 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED with touch and pen support, 400nits, 60Hz, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby Vision |
| Display 2 | 12-inch front-lit color E Ink touch display with pen support |
| Audio | Lenovo sound with dual speakers and dual-array microphones, Dolby Atmos |
| Camera | FHD RGB camera with shutter |
| Battery | 56Whr |
| Physical security | smart power-on fingerprint reader, camera shutter |
| Ports | 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6E |
The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist is expected to be available from June 2023 starting at $1,649.
Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4
Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 with Magic Bay modules -- Webcam, Light and LTE -- in foreground.
The Magic Bay Webcam installed in the ThinkBook 16p Gen 4.
The 16-inch ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 is a powerful laptop running on 13th-generation Intel Core processors with up to 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 discrete graphics. But its unique appeal is the Magic Bay, a magnetic pogo-pin connector at the top of the display, at the back. This accepts modular Magic Bay accessories, including a 4K webcam, an adjustable light for improving your appearance in video calls, and an LTE connectivity module. With the Magic Bay Webcam installed and facing the user, Fusion software combines its output with the integrated 1080p webcam to deliver an enhanced image. The modular webcam can also swivel to face the rear -- to focus on a whiteboard, for example. The 4G LTE module also has a USB-C port, allowing it to deliver LTE connectivity to other devices.
Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 specifications
| Processors | up to 13th-generation Intel Core H-series |
| OS | Windows 11 |
| RAM | up to 32GB |
| Storage | up to 2x 1TB |
| Graphics | up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 |
| Display | 16-inch 3.2K IPS, 400nits, 120Hz, Dolby Vision • 16-inch 2.5K IPS, 400nits, 60Hz, Dolby Vision • TUV EyeSafe |
| Audio | 4 speakers by Harman/Kardon, dual-array microphones, Dolby Atmos |
| Camera | FHD IR or FHD RGB camera with shutter, Lenovo Magic Bay support for 4K@30fps camera |
| Battery | 80Whr with fast charge |
| Physical security | smart power-on fingerprint reader, camera shutter |
| Ports | 2x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, SD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6E |
The Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 is expected to be available from May 2023 starting at $1,349.