[CES 2017] Lenovo ThinkPad X1 lineup announced

Twelve months ago, Lenovo launched the expanded ThinkPad X1 portfolio that demonstrated a commitment to uncompromised innovation and delivered truly versatile products that offer users the best possible personalized computing experience. Today, the next generation of ThinkPad X1 products continue that commitment and are specifically designed to embrace the needs of the evolving workforce and workplace.

Availability

• ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available from February 2017, starting at $1,349.
• ThinkPad X1 Yoga will be available from February 2017, starting at $1,499.
• ThinkPad X1 Tablet will be available from March 2017, starting at $949.

Device mobility has never been more important. More than half of employees work from home at least some of the time and many millennials prioritize device flexibility and agility over remuneration when looking at job opportunities. The workplace is becoming a more dynamic environment with less static desks and more open spaces designed to nurture spontaneous interactions and an entrepreneurial spirit.

ThinkPad has been a hallmark of business computing for nearly 25 years and continues to be designed and engineered like no other. As its cornerstone, the X1 family is built on customer insight with many factors considered during the design process. Technology, size, weight and materials are high on the list, but usability, usage modes and connectivity are key lead-user research insights that influenced the development of the products. Business professionals demand the very best of themselves and expect their technology to do likewise. ThinkPad X1 is designed with the sole purpose of offering the best possible experience, by embracing workplace transformation, supporting personal workstyles and design choices, and by balancing security and manageability needs for an agile IT infrastructure.

Taking center stage this year at CES is the fifth-generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

At first glance, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a familiar sight, but closer inspection reveals that it is smaller. In fact, in addition to being the lightest notebook in its class at under 2.5 pounds (1.14kg), it is also the smallest, fitting a high quality 14-inch IPS display into a typical 13-inch form factor. Despite the smaller size, there are no compromises here. The X1 Carbon continues to innovate as one of the thinnest, lightest and most durable notebooks around. A full complement of ports, infrared camera, connectivity and security ensure the X1 Carbon delivers maximum performance on all fronts. The six-row ThinkPad keyboard with an improved Microsoft Precision Touchpad (with physical buttons!) and iconic TrackPoint complete the picture.

Available in classic ThinkPad black and a new silver color, it is under the hood that the X1 Carbon comes into its own. Customers tell us that battery life is the single most important feature in a highly mobile business ultrabook, but not at the expense of security and connectivity. The improvements we’ve made are a direct result of constant analysis of customer feedback and user testing.

New enhancements include:

• Enough battery life to board one of the world’s ultra-long-haul flights and have enough juice on arrival to message home. Users can now enjoy up to 15.5 hours, per MobileMark® 2014.
• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X7 LTE-A Wireless WAN offering up to three times faster LTE speeds¹ and WIFI CERTIFIED WiGig™ options remain, but can now co-exist thanks to redesigned antenna placements.
• Thunderbolt^TM 3 ports also make their appearance with up to eight times faster transfer speeds than USB 3.0 and 4k display connectivity. We’ve still managed to squeeze on a couple of type-A USB 3.0 ports and HDMI too!
• Expanded docking solutions with new Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C docks.

In the last year, 689 million people have been victims of cybercrime² and with 431 million new malware strains detected³, device security has never been more critical. ThinkPad X1 Carbon is more secure than ever with multi-factor authentication improvements such as:

• ThinkPad has enhanced biometric authentication with the addition of an IR camera with face recognition support for Windows Hello logon.
• The Match-on-Chip touch fingerprint sensor adds another security layer. Enrolled data is processed in the sensor itself and all fingerprint images are handled inside the fingerprint processing unit preventing malicious logon access.
• ThinkPad X1 Carbon is also the first business-class notebook to support FIDO-enabled biometric authentication for PayPal. Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX) secures users’ FIDO® credentials and the Synaptics Natural ID^TM fingerprint sensor features enterprise-level security with TLS 1.2 encryption. This hardware-level protection will enable users to authenticate to online FIDO-enabled services like PayPal® by using a fingerprint instead of a password.

ThinkPad X1 Yoga also gets updated treatment and the same silver option. Customers looking for a convertible notebook want the best Windows 10 experience possible with multi-mode flexibility, high performance functionality and pen use that feels more natural. The X1 Yoga excels, adapting to users’ various needs, with a redesigned rechargeable pen, a great visual experience and an improved unique keyboard. It also shares many of the improvements from the X1 Carbon, with improved security and a complete set of ports including Thunderbolt 3. Flying from New York to Tokyo or Dubai to Sydney is not a problem with up to 15 hours of battery life for the true mobile warrior.

Key features include:

• Users will revel in the only 14-inch OLED notebook display option reproducing stunning colors, absolute blacks and 100 percent Adobe RGB color space.
• Intel® Iris™ Graphics with dedicated high bandwidth, high speed memory delivering superior performance over Intel® HD Graphics.
• We developed an improved ThinkPad Pen Pro for 2017 using a new soft elastomer tip. With bigger friction on glass, the pen recreates a more natural writing experience for users.
• Lenovo engineers further improved the unique rise and fall keyboard. The new keyboard retracts fully flat in tablet mode offering greater stability and user comfort and anchoring the keycaps delivers better long term key durability and reliability.

Also updated for 2017, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet combines 2-in-1 uncompromised design with enterprise-class features. For 2017, the MIL-SPEC tested X1 Tablet continues to impress customers with its light weight modularity and serviceability.

• The X1 Tablet modules offer port expansion and up to 5 hours’ extra battery life, or a properly integrated projection option for a seamless desk-to-projection experience.
• Simplified serviceability and a wide range of docking options make the X1 Tablet virtually unique in the detachable segment.