Lenovo Intros New 'X1' Product Family With Infrared Webcams, Long Battery Life, LTE-A Support

At CES, Lenovo announced its latest X1-branded products, including the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, ThinkPad X1 Yoga, and ThinkPad X1 Tablet, as well as the new Miix 720 detachable notebook.

Lenovo seems to want to keep an open mind going into 2017 about the devices consumers would like to use. It has already created a range of different types of notebooks to cater to different users and has some of the most popular notebook brands, such as the high-end ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the Yoga tablet.

The company said it will continue to focus on this range of devices, while also working on new types of devices such as VR headsets or smart home devices.

“Our approach to innovation is to ensure we’re constantly evolving and understanding how technology is infused within every individual, business and home,” said Gianfranco Lanci, president and chief operating officer, Lenovo. “We’re dedicated to understanding our customers and will never stop creating better experiences, whether PCs for work, play or gaming, next generation AR/VR innovation or within the smarter home,” he added.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Lenovo claimed the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon is “the lightest 14-inch business notebook,” weighing just 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg). Despite its thinness and low weight, the company claimed that the notebook can reach up to 15 hours of battery life. The display will come with either a 1080p or a 1440p resolution, the latter which may offer somewhat lower battery life.

Some of of Carbon’s more unique features this year include support for LTE-A, as well as WiGig wireless technology. It also comes with three Thunderbolt ports, a fingerprint reader that’s powered by a dedicated biometric chip, as well as a new face recognition infrared camera for Windows Hello seamless authentication.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon will ship in February starting at a price of $1,349.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Operating SystemWindows 10 Pro (64 bit)
ProcessorUp to Intel Core 7th gen (Kaby Lake)
Display-14” WQHD IPS (2560 x 1440) 300 nits -14” FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) 300 nits
Storage-128GB SSD SATA -180GB SSD Intel SATA -256GB SSD Intel PCIe TLC OPAL2 -256GB SSD PCIe TLC OPAL2 -512GB SSD Intel PCIe TLC OPAL2 -512GB SSD PCIe TLC OPAL2 -1TB SSD PCIe TLC OPAL2
MemoryUp to 16GB 1,866MHz LPDDR3
AudioDolby Audio Premium
WebcamHD 720p, IR camera option
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 620
BatteryUp to 15.5 hours
SecuritydTPM 2.0 Touch fingerprint reader option Windows Hello
I/O Ports2 x Intel Thunderbolt 3, 2 x USB 3.0, HDMI, native RJ45, microSD, microSIM
Wireless Connectivity-Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265-Bluetooth 4.2-WiGig-Qualcomm X7 LTE-A EM7430/EM7455
Dimensions323.5 x 217.1 x 15.95mm / 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
WeightStarting at 2.49lbs / 1.12kg
ColorsBlack, Silver

ThinkPad X1 Yoga

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga is Lenovo’s “multimode” device. The company so named it because you can use it as a notebook or flip it and use it as a “docked” tablet. The new model brings a 14-inch OLED screen, a new redesigned rechargeable pen, and an improved “rise and fall” keyboard.
The X1 Yoga will be available in February as well for a starting price of $1,499.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga
Operating SystemWindows 10 Pro (64 bit)
ProcessorUp to Intel Core 7th gen (Kaby Lake)
Display-14” WQHD IPS (2560 x 1440) 300 nits -14” FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Storage-128GB SSD SATA -180GB SSD Intel SATA -256GB SSD Intel PCIe TLC OPAL2 -256GB SSD PCIe TLC OPAL2 -512GB SSD Intel PCIe TLC OPAL2 -512GB SSD PCIe TLC OPAL2 -1TB SSD PCIe TLC OPAL2
Memory-Up to 16GB 1,866MHz LPDDR3 -Up to 16GB 2,133MHz LPDDR3 (for IntelIris only)
AudioDolby Audio Premium
WebcamHD 720p, IR camera option
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 620 and/or Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Battery-Up to 16 hours-OLED version: Up to 10.5 hours
SecuritydTPM 2.0Touch fingerprint reader option
PenDockable & rechargeable pen included
I/O Ports-2 x Intel Thunderbolt 3-2 x USB 3.0-HDMI-Native RJ45 -microSD -microSIM
Wireless Connectivity-Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265-Bluetooth 4.2 -WiGig-Qualcomm X7 LTE-A
Dimensions-333 x 229 x 17.05mm / 13.1 x 9.0 x 0.67 inches -OLED version: 333 x 229 x 17.4mm /13.1 x 9.0 x 0.69 inches
Weight-Starting at 3.13lbs / 1.42kg -OLED version: Starting at 2.99lbs / 1.36kg
ColorsBlack, Silver

ThinkPad X1 Tablet

Because the Yoga may be too heavy to lift and hold as a tablet for long, Lenovo is also selling the ThinkPad X1 Tablet. The new model should be even lighter this year, although the company didn’t say by how much. The new tablet will also have an additional five hours of battery life compared to last year’s model.

The new ThinkPad X1 Tablet will also offer support for modules that can extend the number of ports or the battery life of the tablet (by an additional five hours). A projector module is also supported.

The whole X1 product family will come with Windows 10 Pro on board, and Lenovo promised there won’t be any trialware or unwanted apps installed on it.

The X1 Tablet will become available in March for a starting price of $949.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet
Operating SystemWindows 10 Pro (64 bit) Windows 10 Home (64 bit)
ProcessorUp to Intel Core 7th gen (Kaby Lake)
Display12” 2K (2160 x 1440) IPS
Storage-128GB SSD, SATA M.2 -256GB SSD, OPAL2 PCIe-NVMe M.2 -256 GB SSD Intel OPAL2 PCIe-NVMe M.2 -512GB SSD, OPAL2 PCIe-NVMe M.2 -1TB SSD, OPAL2 PCIe-NVMe M.2
MemoryUp to 16GB LPDDR3
Audio2 x stereo speakers & dual-array (noise cancelling) microphones
CamerasRear: 8MP Front: 2MP
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 615
BatteryUp to 10 hours Additional 5 hours with Productivity Module
SecuritydTPM 2.0Touch fingerprint reader option
I/O Ports-USB-C w/ -USB 3.0-mDP-microSD -anoSIM
Wireless Connectivity-Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 -Bluetooth 4.2 -WiGig -Qualcomm X7 LTE-A EM7430/EM7455
Dimensions-Tablet: 291.5 x 209.5 x 8.45mm / 11.4 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches -Tablet & Keyboard: 291.5 x 209.5 x 13.85mm / 11.4 x 8.2 x .55 inches
Weight-Tablet: Starting at 1.69lbs / 767g -Tablet & Keyboard: Starting at 2.35lbs / 1.07kg
Colors-Tablet: Black -Keyboard: Black, Silver, Red

Miix 720

The Lenovo Miix 720 is not part of the company’s ThinkPad lineup of products, but it seems to offer much of the same things as the X1 Tablet, without the customization options. Just like the X1 Tablet, it’s also a 2-in-1 detachable device, so you can use it either as a laptop or as a tablet.

Unlike the X1 Tablet, it includes the keyboard cover, so you don’t have to pay extra for that. The Miix 720 also includes an infrared camera with Windows Hello support, and you can purchase the Lenovo Active Pen 2 separately for $60. The Miix will be available in April and will start at $1,000.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Lenovo Miix 720
Operating SystemWindows 10 Pro Windows 10 Home
ProcessorUp to Intel Core 7th gen (Kaby Lake)
Display12" QHD+ (2880 x 1920), 400 nits with Gorilla Glass
StorageUp to 1 TB PCIe SSD
MemoryUp to 16GB DDR4
Audio2x Integrated Dolby-Enabled Stereo Speakers
Cameras & Microphone-Front: 1 MP with IR Camera Supports Windows Hello -Rear: 5 MP Auto-Focus; Dual-Array Microphone
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 620
Battery41 WHr; Up to 8 Hours
I/O Ports-USB-C w/PD-USB 3.0-mDP-microSD-nanoSIM
Wireless Connectivity-Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 -Bluetooth 4.2 -WiGig -Qualcomm X7 LTE-A EM7430/EM7455
Dimensions-Tablet: 292 x 210 x 8.9mm(inches) / 11.5 x 8.27 x 0.35 inches -With keyboard: 293 x 216 x 14.6mm / 11.53 x 8.5 x 0.57 inches
Weight-Tablet: Starting at 1.72lbs (780g) -With keyboard: Starting at 2.42lbs (1.1kg)
ColorsChampagne Iron Gray
Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
  • robodan918
    only fail is using ddr3
    otherwise this is a beautiful machine that, when paired with a eGPU dock, would make for a killer single machine/desktop replacement
    Reply
  • weilin
    The fun question is, is the HDMI port 1.4 or 2.0 compliant?
    Reply