Lenovo unveils a swanky new lineup of ThinkPads, IdeaPads, and more
Lenovo unveiled its newest lineup of ThinkPads, IdeaPads, Chromebooks, and much more during MWC on Monday. From fanless designs to the latest 12th-gen Intel Core processors, the reveal of lighter and more powerful laptops is positively titillating. While Lenovo announced an absolute avalanche of brand spanking new products, we selected some of the most exciting or head-turning notebooks to highlight.
ThinkPads
ThinkPads are known for their ultra-comfortable keyboards and security features. In fact, they’re widely regarded as go-to laptops among business professionals. Lenovo’s latest lineup of ThinkPads continues to impress with their cushion-like keyboards, fanless designs, and much more. While Lenovo is serving up a bunch of delectable morsels in terms of new ThinkPad options—including new ThinkPad T14, T16, and X1 Extreme models with the latest Intel and AMD processors—the ThinkPad X13s really catches our eye.
As you can see in the image above, the X13s doesn’t stray much from the typical ThinkPad aesthetic, but Lenovo claims it’s one of the first laptops powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 compute platform. In other words, battery life should be much more efficient. This is a good thing if you tend to work late into the night. In fact, Lenovo says it has up to 28 hours of battery life. That’s bonkers. It’s a fanless design as well, which means it should be silent when running. Snapdragon chips have struggled to make inroads on the PC, but Qualcomm says the 8cx Gen 3 should offer up to 85 percent more performance than its predecessor.0 seconds of 1 hour, 16 minutes, 7 secondsVolume 0%00:041:16:07
The coolest part about this laptop is that its made of recycled materials. The top and bottom cover contain 90 percent recycled magnesium and there’s 97 percent PCC plastic in the PCB cover and battery frame. We definitely appreciate Lenovo’s commitment to a healthier environment.
Pricing & availability
- The ThinkPad X13s has a starting price of $1099 and will become available in May 2022.
IdeaPads
IdeaPads are great to travel with thanks to their lightweight form factor and 360-degree hinge. They’re also awesome machines for artists and note takers because of their vibrant touchscreen displays. Well, Lenovo’s latest lineup of IdeaPads are lighter and more powerful than ever. While there are quite a few laptops in this category that tickled our fancy, we are most impressed by the IdeaPad Flex 5i, which is powered by either the latest 12th-gen Intel Core chips or rival AMD processors. Now, let’s go over some of the finer details.
The screen sizes come in either 15- or 16-inches and there’s even going to be an OLED option, along with an optional E-color pen. The display goes up to 2880×1800 resolution with an aspect ratio of 16:10, and Lenovo claims they’re capable of up to 400 nits of brightness. You can also get up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of of PCIe SSD storage. As for connectivity options, the Flex 5i features USB Type-C (3.2) and Thunderbolt 4 support. Color options include cloud grey, storm blue, and storm grey.
Pricing & availability
- The 14-inch IdeaPad Flex 5i with an Intel processor has a starting price of $619.99 and will become available in May 2022.
- The 14-inch IdeaPad Flex 5i with an AMD processor has a starting price $689.99 and will become available in May 2022.
- The 16-inch version with an Intel processor will cost you $899.99 with an Intel processor has a starting price of $899.99 and will become available in May 2022.
- The 16-inch version with an AMD processor has a starting price of $749.99 and will become available in May 2022.
Chromebooks
Chromebooks are good options for those looking for the basics. They’re affordable machines designed for general use. Plus, they tend to have phenomenal battery life. However, some folks may associate Chromebooks with cheap builds. That’s just not the case here. Lenovo really puts the P in premium with its latest lineup of swanky Chromebooks. While Lenovo unveiled several different models at MWC 2022, the IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook really stood out from the pack thanks to its versatile design.
The IdeaPad Duet 3 is thin and lightweight, making it a capable travel companion. You can detach the keyboard and use the tablet by itself or pop open the kickstand on the back for binge watching your favorite Netflix series. The 11-inch, 2K, touch-enabled display features super skinny bezels and stylus support. Under the hood, you’ll find a Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor. You can also get up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of eMMC storage. As for color options, it’s available in either misty blue or storm grey.
Pricing & availability
- The IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook has a starting price of $399.99 and will become available in May 2022.
From The PC World
Poco’s X4 Pro 5G is its first phone with a 108-megapixel camera
The X4 Pro 5G is packing a 6.67-inch, FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a backlit capable of pumping up to 700 nits into your eyeballs. Poco is hoping to lure new customers in with the promise of a 108-megapixel, f/1.9 primary camera flanked by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter and a 2-megapixel macro lens. Up front, meanwhile, is a 16-megapixel f/1.4 punch hole camera that gets little more than a nod in Poco’s press materials.
Lurking inside, however, is the “premium midrange” Snapdragon 695 5G nestled alongside either 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, or 8GB RAM/256GB. Support for 1TB additional storage is offered, as well as a 67W charger which comes in the box — useful, since the 5,000mAh battery supports 67W fast charging. You may forgive the side-button fingerprint sensor if you’re an audiophile, too, since it is both hi-res audio certified and also still comes with the rare and beautiful treat of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
From Engadget
Foldable MacBook display illustrated by concept images and video
We had two reports last week suggesting that Apple is working on some kind of foldable MacBook display. Designer Antonio De Rosa has created a set of renders – and a video – with his take on what such a device might look like.
Both reports came from reliable sources, so it seems clear that Apple is at least playing around with this idea, though the exact nature of any eventual product isn’t totally clear …
Display analyst Ross Young pointed to what appears to be a MacBook with a virtual keyboard, which can then unfold into a larger monitor when used with an external keyboard.
From 9to5Mac
Realme Book Prime and Buds Air 3 debut at MWC 2022
Realme concluded its MWC event with several announcements. The GT 2 series phones were the stars of the show but we also got the Realme Book Prime laptop and Buds Air 3 wireless earphones. Realme Book Prime was introduced in China last month as the Realme Book Enhanced Edition and features a higher TDP Intel Core i5 CPU while Buds Air 3 are the brand’s latest TWS earphones with active noise cancellation.
From Gsmarena
Sony Xperia 1 IV leaked renders point to a disappointingly familiar Android phone
We’ve just had the biggest Sony Xperia 1 IV leak yet, as high-quality renders of the upcoming flagship Android phone have now been leaked, showing off the possible design of the phone from all sides.
But looking at these renders (which come from leaker @OnLeaks on behalf of Giznext) you might think you’re looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III, as based on this, the two phones look near identical.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV as shown here has a long narrow design (likely with a 21:9 aspect ratio), a flat screen, a selfie camera housed in the slim top bezel, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, just like the current model, and it also has a camera block that appears more or less identical to the one on the Sony Xperia 1 III.
From Techradar
Realme GT 2 Pro launches globally: Wider than wide and closer than close
The Realme GT 2 Pro launched in China back in early January, being part of the first wave of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flagship phones. The company thinks the rest of the world has waited long enough, as it’s finally launched the phone in global markets.
In case you missed it, Realme’s flagship phone also includes core specs like a 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED screen (LTPO 2.0, Gorilla Glass Victus, 1 to 120Hz), a 5,000mAh battery, and 65W wired charging.
Moving to the cameras, you’re getting a 50MP IMX766 main camera with optical image stabilization, a 50MP JN1 ultrawide camera with a 150-degree field-of-view, and a 40X microscope lens (presumably 2MP or 3MP). Other notable specs include Realme UI 3.0 atop Android 12, 360-degree NFC functionality, dual stereo speakers., and Gorilla Glass Victus for the front.
In terms of the Realme GT 2 Pro design, the phone has a so-called bio-polymer back that’s said to be inspired by paper. So those looking for something aesthetically different might want to keep this in mind. There’s no significant IP rating here though, which might be disappointing for the price.
From Android Authority
The ASUS 8Z has finally made its way to Indian shores almost a year after its international debut
A few months after unveiling the ZenFone 8, ASUS confirmed that it planned on bringing its compact flagship to the Indian market. However, after making the announcement in July last year, ASUS went AWOL, leading many fans to believe that the company had skipped the Indian market altogether. But that’s not the case. Today, the company finally launched the compact ZenFone 8 in India as the ASUS 8Z.
From XDA
Samsung’s new Galaxy Book 2 Pro laptops explained through infographics
Samsung has launched some new products at the Mobile World Congress. The company unveiled the sequel to its Galaxy Book line of Windows 11 laptops. These new devices are called Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360.
Speaking of the new Galaxy Book 2 Pro range of laptops, it not only brings improved hardware and software, but also certain features that would take the security and performance levels to the next level. Notably, as per an official infographic shared by Samsung, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro comes with Wi-Fi 6E and 5G connectivity.
This would ensure that you are connected to the internet wherever you are. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro laptops also come with up to 21 hours of battery life, enough to power your work throughout the day. With top-of-the-line Intel Evo 12th Gen Core i7/i5 processors, these devices come with all the ports you would need to connect to a device. Moreover, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is secured-core PC-certified for an advanced level of security.
The flagship Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is a 2-in-1 notebook. Meaning, similar to its predecessor, there is a hinge that lets you fold the notebook into a tablet, and there is the power of the S-Pen. Content consumption is also going to be brilliant thanks to the FHD Super AMOLED display that produces vivid and punchy colors.
From Sammobile
The iPhone SE 3 could get a significant price drop according to one analyst
The iPhone SE 2020 is currently the cheapest iPhone you can buy brand new from Apple – its retail price currently starts at $399 / £389 / AU$679 – but one source now believes that the price of the iPhone SE 3 due this year will be even lower than that.
Loop Capital Markets analyst John Donovan (via Investor’s Business Daily) has apparently got hold of information suggesting the next iPhone SE could start at just $300, three-quarters of the price of the current model. If that reduction is maintained internationally, the equivalents are around £290 and AU$510.
At this stage, we only have one source on this – albeit a rather well placed and knowledgeable source – so don’t take the $300 figure as anywhere near confirmed yet. However, it suggests Apple might be feeling the pressure from low-cost Android phones.
From Techradar
Huawei’s MatePad Paper might be the first serious Amazon Kindle rival
While Amazon’s Kindle devices are by far the biggest names in ereaders, with E-Ink devices from Onyx and Xiaomi only getting limited attention, a big new device has just been announced which could be a serious rival.
This comes from tech giant Huawei, unveiled as part of its conference at MWC 2022, and it’s called the Huawei MatePad Paper. There are some seriously impressive specs here for an ereader, which is why we think it could rival Amazon’s slates, particularly the Kindle Oasis.
The Paper comes with a 10.3-inch screen, which is pretty big for an ereader, has support for a stylus and there’s a fingerprint scanner built into the power button.
It uses a USB-C port which will allow for quick charging, has an Oasis-like spine to be easily holdable, and has a four-week battery life.
Software-wise, this runs Huawei’s HarmonyOS, and includes the Huawei Books app providing you access to over 2 million books. There’s support for over 20 languages and the store is accessible in over 170 countries/regions.
From Techradar
