Skip to main content

Up close with Lenovo’s new ThinkPad notebooks at CES 2012

We already had a chance to poke and prod Lenovo’s clever new X1 Hybrid earlier this week, but Wednesday brought the opportunity to get some real hands-on time with these matte black beauties: The X1 Hybrid, T430u Ultrabook, and a number of new Edge models including the E130 and S430.

Despite what essentially amounts to a smartphone heart transplant, the X1 actually looks and feels precisely like the old model, which – in case you’re not acquainted – boasts remarkable thinness and rigidity. Though slightly more portly and less powerful, the $849 T430u Ultrabook is shaping up to be one of our favorites of the show. It offers two of the three factors that made us so smitten with Samsung’s Series 5: the option of conventional hard drives up to 1TB, and the option of a discrete GPU with 1GB of video RAM (this one’s an Nvidia, Samsung uses AMD). The 11.6-inch E130 might pass for a netbook at first glance, but without the power handicap: You can get them with full power Intel Core Series or AMD CPUs, and the option of discrete graphics, with a starting price of just $449. Not bad, though the tiny trackpad had us jumping to use the red track pointer instead. Finally, the S430 represents the higher end of the Edge line, almost stepping into Ultrabook territory with a depth of just 22mm. If you’re not hung up on the Ultrabook name, it offers some great perks for the extra millimetes, including optional Nvidia Optimus graphics, Thunderbolt connectivity, Dolby Home Theatre v4, and an optical drive.

Editors' Recommendations

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is both faster and longer-lasting
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 front view showing display and keyboard deck.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the company's premier business-class thin and light laptop, and has made an appearance at times on our list of best business laptops. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 was a solid option for business professionals, and Lenovo recently refreshed the laptop with the Gen 11.

The new model switched to low-power CPUs, the only major change to go with a few different display options. You might be worried that, while low-power CPUs might provide better battery life, there could be a drop in performance. Did Lenovo sacrifice speed for longevity?
Specs and configurations

Read more
Why the latest ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 isn’t worth the upgrade
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 front angled view showing display.

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga is Lenovo's business-oriented 360-degree 2-in-1 laptop. I underwent a significant upgrade in its 6th generation, with the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 model upgrading the components for faster speeds and better battery life. Now, Lenovo has released the 8th generation, and again it switches up the internals and leaves the external chassis alone.

But the changes in CPUs weren't simply an upgrade to the 13th-gen versions of the previous model's processors. Instead, Lenovo switched to 13th-gen low-power CPUs in most configurations. Was this an upgrade or a downgrade for this well-built business machine?
Specs and configurations
 

Read more
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 vs. Dell XPS 15: big laptop battle
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 front view showing display and keyboard deck.

The thin-and-light 15-inch laptop class is attractive for creators and power users who don't want the absolute largest machines to lug around. The Dell XPS 15 has led the class for some time now, and it's one of the best laptops you can buy.

Lenovo's new ThinkPad Z16 takes the ThinkPad line in a new, more modern direction, offering a few interesting features that the XPS 15 lacks. Are they enough to dethrone the king?
Specs and configurations

Read more