Lenovo launches first Snapdragon-based laptop, updates mobile powerhouse

2022-06-01 02:20:20 By : Ms. Yoyo Xu

Lenovo has boogied into Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with a bunch of laptops for power users and a new generation of hybrid workers. Of particular note are the first model to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon compute platform and the fifth-generation X1 Extreme portable powerhouse.

The ThinkPad X13s is the first Thinkpad to run an Arm-based processor, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 system-on-chip 5-nm platform for Windows computers. This allows Lenovo to go with a fanless laptop design, and should mean that users can look forward to extended periods away from the wall socket.

Lenovo is claiming up to 28 hours of per-charge battery life – though that's based on just playing videos locally, once users start to multitask with screen brightness at max, wireless connectivity running and so on that could drop considerably.

The Snapdragon platform features Adreno graphics and is supported by up to 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage. The laptop features a 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 display at 16:10 aspect and up to 400 nits of brightness, and a 5-megapixel webcam with AI auto framing (and the option of an IR camera) works with a three microphone array with "intelligent noise suppression" for virtual meetings or video chats with friends.

Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E are included, together with the option of a Snapdragon X55 modem for 5G mmWave or sub6, there are two USB-C ports, an audio output jack, a SIM card slot and a Dolby Atmos sound system facing the user.

The 11.76 x 8.13 x 0.53-in (298.7 x 206.4 x 13.4-mm), 2.35-lb (1.06-kg) ThinkPad X13s goes on sale in Europe from May from €1,399, pricing and availability for the US market will be announced later in the year.

As it did last year, Lenovo has also chosen Mobile World Congress to launch the latest ThinkPad X1 Extreme prosumer laptop.

The Gen 5 comes with 12th Gen Intel Core i9 H-series processor options and Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics, topping out with the RTX 3080 Ti with 16 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory. System support can be optioned with up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM and dual SSDs for up to 8 TB of storage.

The 16-inch display is available in 1,920 x 1,200, 2,560 x 1,600 or 3,840 x 2,400 resolutions, with some configurations boasting Dolby Vision HDR, up to 600 nits of brightness and a 165-Hz refresh rate. Zoom meetings are catered for by a 1080p IR hybrid camera with privacy shutter and Dolby Voice with AI-based noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E are cooked in, and the 90-Wh battery that supports rapid charging.

This mobile workstation for creatives and professionals also sports HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Type A and Thunderbolt 4 ports, a SD Express 7.0 media slot, audio output jack and optional nano-SIM slot.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 goes on sale in Europe from June starting from €2,749 (about US$3,000), but there's no word at this time on a US release date.

Other ThinkPad unveils in Barcelona include a number of updates to the company's T series lineup, and the all-new P16s and the third generation P14s. ThinkBook models, IdeaPad gaming laptops, convertibles and chromebooks, as well as Lenovo's latest Android tablet.