Lenovo is all bought in on Microsoft visions of AI-powered Windows experiences and has partnered to unveil a slew of new devices at IFA 2024.
At its Lenovo Innovation World 2024 showcase, the company took the wraps off its new commercial lineup equipped with AI processors, new proofs of concepts, and re-in visioning of a classic.
- The all-new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition
- ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, ThinkBook 16 Gen 7, and Gen 7+
- Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC proof of concept
- And AI PC Fast Start solution to help businesses accelerate AI PC adoption
Lenovo Aura Edition
Lenovo has a new multi-year collab with Intel dubbed the Lenovo Aura Edition which takes a more modern vision on the company’s classic ThinkPad X1 Carbon and Yoga Slim lineup.
Under the auspicious of the new brand, Lenovo has crafted the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 with a new chassis that is under 1kg for a 14-inch laptop. Lenovo also promises longer battery life paired with support for future AI experiences.
Fans of the X1 Carbon should appreciate Lenovo’s incorporation of Intel’s Series 2 Core Ultra processors with Intel Arc Xe2 GPUs onboard. Intel’s latest Core Ultra’s bring that coveted neural processor unit equipped with 48 TOPS that tops (pun intended) what Qualcomm introduced with its X Elite chips back in June.
On top of the new AI-enabled chipset, Lenovo packed its usual feature bleed design with a 14-inch 2.8K OLED Dolby Vision supported display, 120Hz refresh rate, and an anti-glare surface treatment.
Lenovo also packed a 57-watt hour battery in this new Aura Edition of the Carbon X1 that’s supposed to last 18hrs. As has been the case with Qualcomm’s NPU-led Copilot PCs, battery life has been the bright spot of these AI marketed computers and Lenovo’s hopefully won’t be any different.
Aside from pure battery capacity, utilizing the latest Wi-Fi 7 and optional 5G sub-6GHz connectivity should help with battery strain when on the go.
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition is expected to start at $1,999 and be available starting in November 2024.
Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC – Proof of Concept
Lenovo is bringing back a once forgotten Windows PC laptop design with its Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC. As the name would imply, this latest project from Lenovo looks to revive the twisting display concepts that accompanied Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch but with an AI powered evolution.
The Twist AI PC introduces an industry-first Auto-Twist design that tracks the user movement to keep the display front-and-center even when the user isn’t or can’t be when presenting or casting a demo that requires mobility.
Users can also leverage natural language to command interactions that adjust the display into laptop mode, tablet mode, or closed altogether. The lid to the Auto Twist will also automatically close when the users are absent as well as support natural language commands that enable it to take panorama photos as well as open and close.
The Auto Twist AI also utilizes a 360 hinge for a Dual Degree of Freedom for automated rotating.
As for the innards, those remain a question, but Auto Twist will support the same exclusive Lenovo AI-enabled software such as Smart Modes, iPhone and Android supported Smart Share, and Smare Care.
As proof of concept, there is no pricing or distribution news available yet.
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
Lenovo’s test bed device, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 gets a new chipset with AMD’s Ryzen Zen 5 Core (or AI PRO) processor paired with the latest AMD Radeon graphics. As with most ThinkPad T14s models, customers can rely on the 2x USB-A, full HDMI, and audio jack port layout but this time around AMD was able to procure the Thunderbolt branding for its 2x USB-C slots now allowing the device to deliver 2x TBT4 connectivity.
The T14s will also support Wi-Fi7, and some configurations will also enable 5G sub-6GHz data transfers on mobile plans.
AMD’s AI PRO processors will support Microsoft’s Copilot + PC push with its own NPU built on board as well leveraging memory capacities of up to 64GB on dual channel slots.
Customers can expect the same 16:10 display aspect ratio and the unchanged bezeling that results in a roughly 88 percent screen-to-body viewable ratio. However, Lenovo has improved the display by partnering with 3M to develop a new DBEF5 technology layer that allows the base WUXGA screen to get a boost to 400 nits of brightness without increasing the overall power consumption from the laptop.
As a premiere business tool provider, Lenovo is also announcing its AP PC Fast Start Services alongside the T14s and ThinkPad X1. Lenovo’s AI service is intended to help businesses assess the technical readiness of rollout of new AI devices paired with the specifics on AI PC personas for individualized work.
A simplified deployment report to pair the right types of AI PCs with the right types of employees who have varying tasks.
The T14s Gen 6 AMD models should hit shelves starting in October at a starting price of $1,699.
