Lenovo bumps X1 Extreme to i9, GTX 1650, introduces new mainstream ThinkBooks

Lenovo is having its annual conference for its business partners and customers, and with that comes a spate of new hardware announcements.

Let’s start simple: the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, the 15-inch counterpart to the regular X1, has been updated to a 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and an Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU MaxQ, further enhancing its powerhouse specs, while continuing to weigh under 4 pounds. There’s also a new 4K OLED touchscreen option that looks fab. Maximum storage has been doubled to 4TB. Pricing starts at $1,499.99, with availability in July.

Lenovo currently has two main laptop brands: the mass-market IdeaPad, and the high-end/corporate ThinkPad line, with the latter honoring the IBM ThinkPad legacy with their black cases and red TrackPoint mice. To these, the company is adding a third range: ThinkBook. These are intended for small and medium business customers, and they arguably split the difference between the IdeaPad and ThinkPad lines. They have business-friendly features: Windows 10 Pro, a good amount of field serviceability and commercial support options, and buttons for Skype calls. They lack the ThinkPad’s TrackPoint and aren’t quite as thin or light as comparable ThinkPad machines.

Two ThinkBooks are being launched: the 13s and 14s. These machines are nearly identical, save for their screen size, which, as implied by the model names, is either 13 inches or 14 inches. Either way, it’s up to 1920×1080, 300 nit for the 13-inch model, 250 nit for the 14-incher, and apparently no touch option. Both use 8th-generation Core processors, 8GB or 16GB RAM (with an additional 4GB option for the 13-inch), discrete AMD Radeon 540X GPUs with 2GB dedicated video memory, up to 512GB of PCIe storage, a 45Wh battery (giving 11 hours for the 13 inch, 10 for its sibling), a physical shutter to cover the webcam, a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button, 802.11ac, and a sensible array of ports: one USB 3.1 gen 2 Type-C (10Gb/s), two USB 3.1 gen 1 Type-A (5Gb/s, with one always-on for charging phones or other devices), HDMI 1.4, and a headset jack.

The 13-incher is 3.1lbs; the 14 is 3.3lbs. Lenovo expects both to start shipping later this month, starting at $729 and $749, respectively.

From there we have some more exotic systems. Over the years, Lenovo has built a number of tiny corporate PCs, designed to attach to the back of a monitor or be tucked away somewhere neatly out of sight in its ThinkCentre line. The company is pushing these systems into new areas: the new ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano comes in two variants. There’s a conventional fan-cooled unit designed for conventional office environments, but there’s now also a passively cooled, ruggedized IoT version, designed for environments that may be dirtier or subject to a wide range of temperatures.

Aside from this, the machines are similar: up to an 8th-generation Core processor (up to i7 for the fan version, i3 for the fanless); Windows 10 Home, Pro, or IoT; up to 16GB RAM; and up to 512GB PCIe storage (or two 512GB PCIe drives for the fan-cooled version). The regular version has plenty of ports: on the front, two 5Gb/s USB Type-A ports, one 10Gb/s USB Type-C port, and a headset jack; on the back, DisplayPort, gigabit Ethernet, a further two 5Gb/s USB Type-A ports, and one 10Gb/s USB Type-C port. The IoT version adds two RS-232 serial ports to the front and optionally drops one of the Type-A ports on the back, replacing it with a second Ethernet port. Both versions have an M.2 port for Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adaptors, and the IoT version has an additional port for adding 4G/LTE hardware.

Shipping is expected to start in August, with the fan version starting at $639, the fanless at $539.

Finally, Lenovo is aiming to get into the augmented reality market with the ThinkReality A6. This is an AR headset in a similar style to Microsoft’s HoloLens: a visor through which you can see the entire world around you, with embedded screens to overlay graphics. Each eye has a resolution of 1920×1080 with a 40-degree field of view. It uses inside-out positional tracking (no base stations required) and has a 13MP RGB camera, two fish-eye cameras, and an accelerometer to achieve this. It runs Android Oreo on a Snapdragon 845 processor, with an Intel Movidius chip to accelerate video processing. There’s no pricing or availability data yet.

Listing image by Lenovo

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