Tech giant Lenovo is taking advantage of CES 2017 taking place in Las Vegas from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8 to refresh its lineup of products aimed at the enterprise market. In particular, Lenovo is launching several updated machines in its storied ThinkPad family of laptops.
Those refreshed laptops, the Carbon (pictured above), Yoga and Tablet, are scheduled to go on sale in February or March. All three belong to Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 line of ultraportable laptops designed to make it easier for employees to take their work with them while on the go.
Upgraded Carbon
Lenovo is pitching the devices as hybrid models that can be used for work and play. “The next generation of ThinkPad X1 products are committed to uncompromised innovation and embracing the needs of the evolving consumer, who now blurs the line between work and personal PC use,” the company said in a statement.
The lightest ThinkPad X1 machine is the Carbon, which weighs in at just 2.5 pounds while packing a 14-inch IPS display into a new 13-inch form factor. The company said the Carbon will also feature up to 15 hours of battery life, depending on the workload, which Lenovo is pitching as perfect for getting work done on ultra-long-haul flights with enough battery left over to connect once you land.
Along with the improved battery life is the addition of Thunderbolt 3 ports and a fingerprint sensor with a dedicated chip that handles biometric processing to take some of the security processing off the shoulders of the CPU. The Carbon also features a new Infrared camera capable of supporting face recognition for the Windows Hello logon.
Yoga and Tablet Go for Flexibility
The Yoga is also getting an update, with a new, redesigned, rechargeable pen and an improved keyboard. The Yoga is designed with creative professionals in mind, as its 2-in-1 form factor allows it to be used as a tablet and a laptop. Like the Carbon, the Yoga is also getting improved security features and a complete set of ports, including the Thunderbolt 3. It will also support up to 15 hours of work for long-haul flights, according to Lenovo.
The graphics are probably the biggest upgrade to this year’s Yoga model, which features a 14-inch OLED display and new, Intel Iris Graphics with high bandwidth, high-speed memory. The redesigned pen also offers users more friction when used against the display, allowing for a more natural drawing experience, Lenovo said.
The X1 Tablet is also being updated this year. Like the Yoga, the Tablet features 2-in-1 flexibility while offering enterprise class features such as military specification-level durability, five extra hours of battery life and an integrated projection feature that should make setting up presentations for meetings a bit easier.
