Lenovo's 2023 ThinkPad Laptops Are Leaner And Greener

Lenovo has had great success with its ThinkPad lineup of business laptops. For those unaware, the Chinese tech company has been selling ThinkPad-branded laptops since 2005, after it took over IBM's PC business. One of the reasons for the continued popularity of ThinkPad machines is Lenovo's success in keeping the ThinkPad product line always updated with new features. Take the case of the company's premium lineup of ThinkPad X1 series, which it introduced in 2011. Lenovo has been continuously upgrading the X1 series for over a decade, constantly introducing new models and form factors to keep the product line always updated and contemporary.

The last major release from the ThinkPad X1 family came in September 2022 after the company launched a foldable laptop called the ThinkPad X1 Fold, which went on sale only a few weeks ago, in November 2022. Other ThinkPad machines that have seen their launches in 2022 include the 10th Generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the 5th Generation ThinkPad X1 Extreme. And it looks like Lenovo is not yet done with its 2022 announcements.

Today, the company shared details about three new ThinkPad machines it intends to launch in 2023. The three products in question include the 11th Generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon, the 8th Generation ThinkPad X1 Yoga, and the 3rd Generation ThinkPad X1 Nano. For those unaware of Lenovo's product nomenclature, the Carbon model is the company's mainstream premium model, while the Nano — as evident from its name — is known for its diminutive size. Finally, Lenovo's "Yoga" series gets its name from the lineup's flexible/convertible nature.

All three ThinkPad X1 machines announced today come powered by the latest Intel Core processors and run Windows 11 out-of-the-box. While consumers will have several SKUs with various processor, RAM, and storage configurations to choose from, all notebooks announced today have several things in common. All three machines support up to 64GB of LPDDR5 RAM and get Intel Iris X Graphics support. The maximum supported storage capacity is 2TB using Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 features a 14-inch display that supports up to 2.8K resolution (with an OLED) on the top models. The machine also supports Dolby Atmos audio and also gets 360-degree microphones. The front-facing camera on the notebook has a macula shutter and supports 1080p video capture. Like most other ThinkPads, this one is MIL-STD 810H compliant. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 also gets a 57 Whr battery and has a comprehensive array of connectivity options — including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

As for the 2023 ThinkPad X1 Yoga, this one gets a 14-inch WQUXGA OLED display on the higher models with touch support. Again, this one borrows a lot of features from the X1 Carbon — including the 57Whr battery, support for Dolby Atmos, and MIL-STD 810H compliance.

It's a similar story with the 2023 ThinkPad X1 Nano — except — this one features a slightly smaller 13-inch display that supports up to 2K resolution with a max brightness level of 450 nits. The battery size is also slightly smaller at 49.5 Whr. At just 2.13 lbs, the 2023 ThinkPad X1 Nano is the lightest of the three machines announced today.

In April 2022, Lenovo made a significant announcement where it outlined a vision to achieve net zero by 2050. In line with this goal, all three laptops announced today use more recycled materials than the company's older models. Instead of making vague claims, Lenovo has shared specific details about using recycled materials on these new machines.

For example, the palm rest used on the 2023 ThinkPad X1 Carbon is made of 90% recycled magnesium, while its bottom cover consists of 55% recycled aluminum. In the case of the ThinkPad X1 Nano model for 2023, the machine uses a 90% magnesium hybrid for the palm rest as well as the bottom cover. All ThinkPad machines set for release in 2023 will also use eco-friendly retail packaging that will be made of 100% bamboo and sugarcane fiber, the company confirmed.

All three machines are slated to go on sale starting April 2023. The ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 will be the most expensive of the three, with prices starting at $1859. In comparison, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 prices start at $1729, while that of the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 will start at $1649. Note that these are tentative pricing that could change once the release date inches closer.