[CES 2023] Lenovo announces new ThinkBook and ThinkCentre devices

Lenovo announced a new model in the ThinkBook Plus series with a dual-rotating display that features an OLED panel on one side and a colorful e-Ink screen on the other. Here’s what the company had to say about these new products.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Lenovo ThinkBook Laptops

ThinkBook Twist

Since its inception in 2020, ThinkBook Plus has become a synonym for unique and innovative SMB devices, including ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 with an e-Ink display and Gen 3 with a secondary 8-inch display beside the keyboard. Lenovo has a long history of innovation with twist form factors dating back to 2005 with the ThinkPad™ X41 tablet and later the ThinkPad Twist from 2012.

The new ThinkBook Plus Twist reinvents the category by integrating an innovative rotating dual display that offers multimode versatility while enhancing the user experience in multiple areas, creating a unique laptop for a new generation.

While maintaining the core attributes of ThinkBook Plus Gen 2, Lenovo’s design and engineering teams listened to customer feedback and user insights to implement numerous improvements and innovations for ThinkBook Plus Twist:

• Latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors
• New narrow-bezel 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED display with touch glass and twist hinge
• New front-lit colorful 12-inch e-Ink display on top cover with improved 12Hz refresh rate and touch glass
• Intel Wi-Fi 6E1 improves wireless connectivity performance and stability on supported networks
• Full-size pen support on OLED and e-Ink displays with up to 18 months of battery life

ThinkBook Plus Twist can be highly versatile with multiple modes that can be configured into a clamshell format or tablet format, both of which can prioritize either the OLED display or the colorful e-Ink display thanks to the unique twist hinge.

Frequent business travelers will love the e-Ink display in either “typewriter” laptop mode or “e-paper” tablet mode, allowing them to easily draft, edit and proofread documents via the keyboard or the pen. The e-Ink display can reduce eye strain from long periods of use and also uses less power meaning longer stints between charging. For a more advanced document or image workflows, users can switch to the OLED tablet mode and interact via the pen on the vivid 400nit 2.8K display.

These highly mobile workers will also relish the versatility as users can glance and interact with calendar appointments and emails on the e-Ink display while on the move. Then easily switch to OLED laptop display mode with a twist and press a key to participate in a high-definition video conference through the FHD camera and great audio, thanks to dual microphones that offer smart noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise.

While in OLED laptop mode, users can leverage the full power of 13th Gen Intel Core processors and Windows 11, delivering a high-performance productivity workhorse. At the end of the day, switch to OLED tablet mode to relax with a favorite streaming service or twist to e-Ink tablet mode for a few chapters of the latest bestseller.

ThinkBook 16p Gen4

ThinkBook 16p Gen, 4 with optional Lenovo Magic Bay accessories, delivers power and productivity in spades. A quick glance at the technical specifications confirms its performance credentials. The latest 13th gen Intel Core H series processors with optional discrete graphics up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX next generation, display options up to a 165hz 3.2K 16-inch panel with Dolby Vision® support, DDR5 memory, and dual SSD support with up to 2TB of storage makes this the most powerful ThinkBook yet, ideal for high intensity workloads, image and video processing, and gaming during those precious downtime moments.

Innovations, however, go beyond technical specifications. ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 introduces the first redesign of the portfolio’s performance models and has been designed with a better end-user experience in mind, with more versatility through amazing video conference collaboration and mobility experience, thanks to Lenovo Magic Bay solutions.

A higher capacity 80Whr battery with fast charging capability will offer excellent battery longevity and less time spent connected to AC power. A larger glass touchpad is designed for more fluent input. Conferencing needs are met with the FHD camera and four Harman Kardon user-facing speakers that deliver immersive audio, whether in a conference call or casual gaming. Dual noise-canceling microphones are engineered for teammates to hear the user’s voice above ambient noise at work or play.

A unique feature of this powerhouse is the magnetic pogo pin connector that sits at the top of the display, which is designed to fit modular Lenovo Magic Bay accessories. These accessories, which can be optionally bundled in select configurations of ThinkBook 16p Gen 4, can turn the ThinkBook into a video streaming home studio or offer the added benefit of 4G LTE3 connectivity for work and play on the move.

With the help of Lenovo View software, the integrated FHD camera can work in conjunction with the detachable Lenovo Magic Bay 4K Webcam and fuse both video streams into one. This offers, amongst other functions, automatic face tracking and whiteboard recognition in which the software can erase anything covering the writing and drawings on the whiteboard, delivering a pure clean picture. Three new Lenovo Magic Bay accessories are easy to use with their pogo pin connection, offering simple extensibility without needing extra cables, dongles, or power packs.

ThinkCentre Neo

Demonstrating big ideas can come in small packages, the ThinkCentre neo 50q Gen 4 is one of the latest iterations in Lenovo’s new ThinkCentre neo desktop PC family that prioritizes key concerns of SMBs and enterprises alike – productivity, collaboration, and sustainability.

A modern take on the classic ThinkCentre Tiny desktop, the ThinkCentre neo 50q Gen 4 offers businesses some serious power with the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors packed in a small, space-saving 1L chassis that features cleverly hidden ventilation built into the front bezel.

Providing up to 1 TB of blazing fast SSD storage2 paired with 1TB HDD storage and up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, the workday will fly by with faster and smoother app launches and processing. This, combined with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with ample port options, including a customizable BTB port, makes staying productive, even across devices, a breeze.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50q Gen 4 is available with either a pre-installed Windows 11 or IGEL OS. Those with IGEL will be validated as IGEL Ready Advanced level, meaning they are continuously tested and validated by IGEL with the latest versions of the operating system, helping businesses to simplify and secure their deployment of cloud-enabled workspaces while supporting an immersive, productive user experience in today’s modern work environments.

Additionally, the ThinkCentre neo 50q Gen 4 provides an enhanced level of security through Lenovo ThinkShield that provides an easy and holistic umbrella of protection, offering organizations some peace of mind knowing that their hardware, software, network, and location are more secure.

This is wrapped up in a modern, stylish, yet eco-conscious, low-halogen form factor that features an energy-efficient mobile processor. Its attractive terrazzo-adorned bezel is also made with 85% post-consumer recycled content (PCC) while the remaining part of the bezel is made with 35% PCC, and its packaging is made from ocean-bound (OBD) plastic and paint-free raw materials.

As a way of helping the environment, the Lenovo CO2 Offset Service can be added to these ThinkBook and ThinkCentre devices to offset the carbon emissions produced across the product’s average lifecycle. This is an easy and transparent way to support one of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s projects.

Pricing and Availability

• ThinkBook Plus Twist will start at $1649 and is expected to be available starting June 2023.
• ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 will start at $1349 and is expected to be available starting May 2023.
• ThinkCentre neo 50q Gen 4 with Windows 11 OS will start at $499 and is expected to be available starting October 2023.

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