Lenovo today unveiled a number of new ThinkPads as part of its Mobile World Congress announcement. For the most part, these are spec updates, but some bring slight changes to the design, including some new materials.
The change applies to Lenovo’s AMD-focused Z series, ThinkPad X13 and 13 Yoga, new T and L series refreshes, and the ThinkPad E series for small businesses.
The ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 Gen 2 are a refresh from last year’s AMD-powered machines. This year it will feature AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors (Lenovo has not mentioned a specific processor as of this writing). The Z13 uses integrated Radeon graphics, while the Z16 has the option of a discrete AMD Radeon 6550M. Both come with up to 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB of SSD storage. Both laptops have the option of a 1920 x 1200, 16:10 screen. The 13 inch will be up to a 2880 x 1800 OLED panel and the 16 inch will be a 3840 x 2400 OLED touchscreen.
With the Z series, Lenovo is debuting a new “Woven Flux” material bonded to the recycled aluminum top cover. It retains many features that set it apart from previous ThinkPads, such as the haptic touchpad and TrackPoint quick menu, and continues with the 1080p webcam and Wi-Fi 6E.
This generation of haptic touchpads is from a company called Sensei. ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga And the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Sensei’s technique wasn’t on his Z series in the previous generation, so we’ll need to get some hands-on time to see if there’s a noticeable difference.
The Z13 starts at $1,249 and ships in July. Z16 follows in August and starts at $1,749.
With the X series (ThinkPad X13 Gen 5 and ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 5), Lenovo claims to have reduced bezels for a better screen-to-body ratio. The speakers should now top-fire and have better audio (although some uses of the 2-in-1 Yoga may face the opposite direction). It also has an optional 5 megapixel camera with infrared. The clamshell version also has a 13.3-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED screen with Dolby Vision support.
A standard laptop, the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 will have both 13th Gen Intel Core processors and AMD Ryzen 7000 series mobile processors. Equipped with up to 32GB LPDDR5 and up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. The 13.3-inch displays range from 1920 x 1200 non-touch displays (with configurable touch options) to high-resolution OLED panels. The Yoga version only uses an Intel CPU, but has the same memory and storage options. The 13.3-inch option tops out with a 1920 x 1200 touchscreen. Both start with an FHD webcam with a privacy shutter. 5MP with IR is an upgrade.
Both the X13 and X13 Yoga will ship in May 2023, with prices starting at $1,099 for the clamshell and $1,379 for the 2-in-1.
Lenovo’s immovable T-series gets what Lenovo calls “progressive enhancements,” including sustainable materials and an optional 5 MP camera. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, T16 Gen 2, and T14s Gen 4 all have the option of a 2880 x 1880 OLED panel. All three of these devices will feature 13th Gen Intel Core processors with vPro, or Ryzen 7000 chips. These laptops will be available in May 2023, with the T14 starting at $1,479, the T14 starting at $1,239, and the T16 starting at $1,269.
The low-cost L-series adds new blue light display configuration options for the L13 Gen 5 and L13 Yoga Gen 5. On the other hand, the L14 Gen 4 and L15 Gen 4 have larger storage options than before with 2 TB. These will be available in April, with the L13 and L13 Yoga starting at $869 and $1,099 respectively, and the L14 and L15 both starting at $869.
Alongside the ThinkBook series, Lenovo positions the E series for small businesses. The ThinkPad E15 Gen 5 gets a refresh along with the new, larger ThinkPad E16. The E-series moves to 16:10 for the first time on both Intel and AMD processors. The E14 Gen 5 is set to launch in May for $739, while the E16 Gen 1 starts at $759.
