Lenovo may be making a name for itself as a smartphone maker due to its rise in sales, but before it released its iconic Yoga convertible laptop nearly a year ago, the gadget maker was largely known for one thing: ThinkPads. They may be part of Lenovo’s business line of laptops, but as we recently discussed, business laptops aren’t just for the enterprise group. And today at in Berlin, before IFA, Lenovo announced five new ThinkPads to add to its lineup.
Though all of Lenovo’s ThinkPads are different, they share a few similarities, including being lighter, thinner, more attractive, as well as boasting longer battery life (thanks to their 4th-gen Intel Haswell processors). They also sport a new color: Graphite Black. You may think the new color is no big deal, but the updated color revamps the look of the old black bricks we usually associate with the term “business laptop.”
They also all come with Lenovo’s Power Bridge technology, which uses two batteries to provide longer life for those who are constantly traveling. One battery is internal, and the other is removable, allowing you to switch out one battery for a charged one when you need it. Plus, if you forget your extra battery but your coworker or friend has theirs, you’re in luck, as the batteries in all of Lenovo’s new ThinkPads are one-size-fits-all. Another nice feature is that the internal battery will be the default power source, meaning you can swap out your external batteries without having to turn off your laptop.
ThinkPad T440 and T440s
Check out our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T440S laptop.
To start, the ThinkPad T-series is getting a refresh with the T440 and the T440s. Both 14-inch Ultrabooks, they’re pretty much exactly the same except that the T40s, which is the more luxurious of the two, offers some nice upgrades, including a Core i7 processor and a built-in 1080p touchscreen. The T440 comes with a Core i5 processor, and its HD+ display includes the option to upgrade to a touchscreen. The 21-millimeter-thick laptops offer up to 1TB of local storage on hard drives or solid-state drives.
As you can see in the photos above, the T440s, an update of the T330s (pictured to the right of the T440s) now has a new hinge design that lets you lay the laptop flat or rest the lip of the display on the edge of your tray table if you happen to be traveling for work. The T440 starts at $900, and the T440s starts at $1,150.
ThinkPad X240
Check out our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X240 laptop.
Touted as “the ideal business ready ultraportable,” the ThinkPad X240 weighs less than three pounds and is only 0.8 inches thin. It boasts Intel’s 4th-gen Haswell Core i7 processor, up to 1TB HDD or SSD, and a 12.5-inch Full HD display. As with the T440s, the X240 has an optional 1080p touch display. Adding a backlit keyboard is also an option.
Lenovo claims the X240 gets over 10 hours of battery life, so this is a road warrior indeed. The X240 will be available near the end of October for $1,100.
ThinkPad S440 and S540
Lenovo really upped the design factor with its new S-series laptops. The S440 and S540 feature bevelled edges, which Lenovo says gives the impression of a floating PC. They also have an ultra-thin bezel that makes it easy to have a larger screen in a smaller form factor. The laptops offer up to Full HD anti-glare touch displays and discrete graphics, which is a nice bonus. Pricing and availability haven’t been announced for the U.S. market yet.
Stay tuned for our full reviews.
