Next up from CES is computers, as Lenovo shows off what we can expect from the consumer-focused IdeaPad range.
While CES 2021 hasn’t officially begun, you might have heard tech companies are talking up products well and truly before the proper start date. That’s likely because this year’s event is online, and while there’ll likely be a lot of big news next week, getting in with product news this week matters, too.
So far, there’s not been a whole lot of computer news, with much of it focused on TVs, such as those from Samsung and some from Hisense, but Lenovo is changing that near the end of the week, showing off what we can expect from its IdeaPad notebook range, and even one of its new desktop computers, too.
First up is the IdeaPad 5G, a laptop that is a little like a phone because it runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor instead of the usual assortment of hardware from either Intel or AMD. Windows runs on this Snapdragon-based PC, and there’s a 14 inch Full HD screen above, too, as well as 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. However the point of this is that thanks to the combination of the Snapdragon chip and the battery inside, Lenovo is suggesting you can get up to 20 hours of battery life, complete with 5G performance using the more common sub-6 style of 5G, though 5G is also supported.
Like most laptops these days, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5G is charged from a USB Type C port, and it’s built to be fairly light, adopted a 1.2 kilogram design, making it handy for folks keen to take an always-connected laptop on the go.
It’s not the only IdeaPad in the range. Lenovo also has two varieties of its IdeaPad Pro models, with the IdeaPad 5 Pro and IdeaPad 5i Pro, computers that come in either 14 inch or 16 inch models, and run with either AMD chips (5 Pro) or Intel chips (5i Pro), giving some choice in chip architecture.
The screen is a little taller in these computers, as the standard 16:9 widescreen is replaced with the slightly taller 16:10 (1920×1080 is 16:9, 1920×1200 is 16:10), and there’s support for an infrared security camera to let you log in via your face and the screen over Windows Hello. The resolution of the screen is also improved, with specs including a screen resolution of up to 2880×2160 depending on the model you pick.
Inside the Lenovo IdeaPad 5/5i Pro models, there’s support for up to 16GB RAM, up to 1TB SSD, an option for the high-end PC chips from either AMD or Intel (AMD Ryzen, Intel 11th gen i7), and an option for Nvidia’s discrete MX450 graphics chip, and that’s in a 14 inch body. The 16 inch model can push the memory up to 32GB, and include an Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics chip for more power.
If that last model sounds a little like a desktop, well there’s also a desktop coming, though it can feel like it’s geared at the work from home crowd, particularly folks that hope WFH never goes away.
That’s coming in a computer called the Lenovo Yoga AIO 7, a name that kind of tells you it’s an all-in-one like the iMac that throws the computer inside the monitor, making it ideal for a desk with little setup. Like the iMac which saw an update last year, this screen is 27 inches, but unlike it, the Yoga AIO 7 includes a design that allows that 27 inch screen to rotate from horizontal to vertical, providing two ways to use the computer whenever you want to switch.
Inside, there’s an AMD Ryzen 7 processor with a GeForce RTX chip, with mics to let you call up Amazon’s Alexa from the computer, and a 4K resolution on the 27 inch screen.
Finally, Lenovo’s portable range also includes a tablet, and it’s one that kind of feels like it borrows a page from what Microsoft and Apple are both doing in its respective Surface and iPad Pro line.
The Lenovo Tab P11 is an 11 inch tablet with a Qualcomm Snapdragon inside (Snapdragon 662, supporting 4G alongside WiFi, 6GB RAM, and Android. It looks to work with a keyboard and pen, both of which Lenovo says are sold separately, and there’s a fabric case with a stand built-in that snaps to the back.
The Lenovo Tab P11 is priced at $549 in Australia, and is timed for release in May, while the Yoga AIO 7 is set to start at a price of $2499 when it comes out a month before in April, though the rest of these gadgets — the IdeaPad range — has no pricing at this time.
And it likely won’t be it, either. There’s more, but that might be some of what we can look forward to when CES properly begins next week.
