CES 2017: Lenovo Announces New ThinkPad X1 Family, Miix 2-in-1, and More
- Paul Thurrott
- Jan 03, 2017
-
13
A day ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Lenovo has announced a new family of ThinkPad X1 portable PCs, a revision to its Surface Pro-like Miix 2-in-1, a set of new gaming laptops, and more.
So let’s jump right in.
Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!
"*" indicates required fields
ThinkPad X1 family
Lenovo inadvertently leaked its flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon over the holiday weekend, but it’s official now, and it’s been joined by a few new stablemates too.
As noted previously, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon can now be had in classic ThinkPad black or a new Silver color, and it offers over 15 hours of battery life while weighing just 2.5 pounds. The big news here, I think, is that Lenovo has finally embraced the bigger screen/smaller body design style used by Dell and HP: The new X1 Carbon features a 14-inch display in a 13-inch body. Plus, you get two forms of Windows Hello (fingerprint reader and camera), USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 for connectivity and docking, and LTE-A Wireless WAN and WiGig connectivity. This one looks like the real deal. The new X1 Carbon starts at $1349 and will begin shipping in February.
If you prefer your X1 in convertible form, Lenovo is also offering an updated ThinkPad X1 Yoga that matches what we see on the X1 Carbon, with both classic ThinkPad black and Silver colors. But it also offers numerous advantages, including an OLED 4K+ display, an improved “rise and fall” keyboard (for when the device is used in non-laptop modes), and a redesigned and rechargeable pen. The new X1 Yoga will start at $1499 and begins shipping in February.
Also debuting this week is the next-generation ThinkPad X1 Tablet, which provides an integrated projector option, unique expansion modules, and more. The new X1 Yoga will start at $949 and begins shipping in March, Lenovo says.
Miix 720
The Lenovo Miix is one of many Surface Pro clones in the market. And while the previous rendition offered a superior keyboard to Microsoft’s offering, the new one, called the Miix 720, takes several more steps forward: A Windows Hello-compatible infrared camera, a 150-degree kickstand, a 12-inch QHD display, new-generation Intel processors, and USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.
It comes in both Champagne Gold and Iron Gray, starts at $999, and will ship in April. Lenovo’s new Active Pen 2 is separate, will cost $59.99, and will be available in February.
Lenovo Legion Y720 and Y520 gaming laptops
Like other PC makers, Lenovo is expanding its push into the lucrative gaming PC market, and it’s bringing a new brand—Legion—and two gaming laptops to CES, the Legion Y720 and Y520. Both devices feature the latest NVIDIA graphics cards, Intel 7th generation Core i7 processors, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, and Windows 10, of course.
The Legion Y520 provides a 16-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display, Dolby Audio Premium sound with two 2W Harmon Kardon speakers, and an optional red backlit keyboard. It will cost $899 and up and will ship in February.
The Legion Y720 features an integrated Xbox Wireless Controller receiver, VR-ready NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB DDR5 graphics, Dolby Atmos sound with two 2W JBL speakers and a 3W subwoofer, USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, up to UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS anti-glare display, and an optional RGB keyboard. It will cost $1399 and up and will ship in April. (Which gives us a nice hint about the Creators Update, since Dolby Atmos requires that release.)
Lenovo Smart Assistant with Amazon Alexa
Well, this was unexpected: Amazon is licensing its Alexa technology and allowing other firms to create their own personal digital assistant appliances. And Lenovo’s version is called the Lenovo Smart Assistant with Amazon Alexa. (Something tells me we’re going to be drowning in these devices by mid-2017.)
The Lenovo Smart Assistant with Amazon Alexa is of course a cylindrical … thing, with 8 far-field noise-cancelling microphones, two speakers (a 5-watt tweeter and a 10-watt woofer), and various grill fabric options. It will cost $129.99 and will become available in May. A special Harman Edition version will cost $179.99, and will ship at the same time.
Lenovo Smart Storage
Lenovo is entering the home NAS (network attached storage) market with its new Lenovo Smart Storage devices. Housed in attractive white enclosures, you can choose between 2 TB and 6 TB options, each with a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Celeron processor and dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac.
The devices provide auto-sync capabilities for backing up your PC data, DLNA media streaming, and USB connectivity. The 2 TB version will cost just $139.99 and will begin shipping in May.
Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller
Aimed at the living room, the Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controllerprovides wireless mouse and keyboard, and remote control capabilities in a single, small unit. The keyboard area doubles as a Windows 10 gesture-supported, multi-touch capacitive touchpad, Lenovo says. I’m curious to try this one out.
The Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller will cost $54.99 and will be available in March.