As we noted earlier this year at CES 2020, laptop makers seem more eager than ever to add AMD CPUs to their gaming portables. Now Lenovo is including Team Red options in most of its latest ThinkPad business laptops as well. The company is adding Ryzen Pro 4000 CPU configurations to the X13, T14s, T14, and lower-priced L14 and L15 models. Of course, Intel is still an option, with 10th Gen vPro CPUs available in all new models in i3, i5, or i7 flavors, including the convertible ThinkPad X13 Yoga, which skips support for AMD silicon. But Intel options will be available at launch in Q2, while the Ryzen Pro configurations are coming at a later date.
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Lenovo is also attempting to simplify its ThinkPad branding, with numbers indicating screen size and letters cannoting the product class. The T series retains its focus on a balance between connectivity, battery life and portability -- Lenovo says it’s the most successful ThinkPad series. The X series (like the X13 shown above) makes some sacrifices for svelteness, while the L series (see the L15 below) is the lower-cost ThinkPad option.
The primary change here seems to be that where you may have been shopping for a 14-inch T490 or T490s in the past, this generation you’d be looking for a T14 or a T14s. Lenovo says all models will feature either 10th Gen Intel vPro processors on the Intel side, or Ryzen Pro 4000 for those models that will also ship with AMD silicon.
The T14 and T15 models will also offer up dedicated graphics in the form of technically new -- though Pascal-based -- Nvidia MX330 graphics, which is essentially a higher-clocked MX250 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory.
Other features include Modern (connected) Standby on all T and X series models, Wi-Fi 6, optional CAT 16 WWAN on all T and X series models with Intel processors, and Wake on Voice. The latter lets you rouse your PC from sleep without lifting the lid or mashing the keyboard. Like so many other connected devices, this of course means the laptop is technically listening (or at least listening for the wake word) even when most might consider the laptop “off.”
Of course, Lenovo is still focused on durability with its new ThinkPads. The company says the laptops undergo 12 MIL-STD-810G testing methods to assure functionality in various temperature, altitude, and weather conditions. And if something does go wrong with your ThinkPad, the company offers 24/7 Premier Support every day of the year in over 100 markets.
Lenovo says all the new ThinkPads will be available in the second quarter of this year, with prices starting at under $700 for the L14, L15, and L13, with the X13 and T14 starting at $849. The X13 Yoga has the highest starting price, at $1,099. Of course, if you want more RAM or storage, or a better CPU than the baseline, prices will climb quickly once you start adding components or features.
