Lenovo Unleashes A Ton Of ThinkPad Laptops At MWC 2023
Chinese technology giant Lenovo is known for being very prolific with its product launches. The company has had a long history of announcing a bunch of laptops at nearly every trade show it attends. The last time the company did this was a few weeks before CES 2023 when it shared details about the 2023 editions of the ThinkPad X1 lineup of business-focused laptops. The new products that Lenovo announced back then included the 11th Generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon, the 8th Generation ThinkPad X1 Yoga, and the 3rd Generation ThinkPad X1 Nano.
Two months later, on the eve of Mobile World Congress, 2023, the company is giving the ThinkPad lineup a comprehensive refresh. The refresh aligns with the company's newfound focus on system performance improvements and the use of more sustainable materials for making the machines.
As a part of this product refresh, Lenovo has introduced as many as 13 different ThinkPad laptops that target various ThinkPad consumers. In addition to these laptops, the company also used the occasion to announce two new fifth-generation Tiny-in-One monitors, a budget Windows-powered laptop called the IdeaPad Duet 3i and a new Chromebook called the IdeaPad Slim 3. Almost all of the products announced today are expected to go on sale between April 2023 and August 2023, the company confirmed.
Lenovo's refreshed ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 series
The thirteen ThinkPad models announced today span different price segments and target audiences. The first models announced today include two notebooks from the second-generation ThinkPad Z13 and ThinkPad Z16 lineup. These machines succeed the similarly named models Lenovo introduced back in January 2022. Features common to the second generation Z13 and Z16 ThinkPad laptops include new AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors, AMD Radeon Graphics, support for Wi-Fi 6E, and Windows 11 out of the box. The machines also support up to 64GB of LPDDR4X memory and feature up to 2TB of storage using PCIe Gen 4 SSD.
As evident from the name, the ThinkPad Z16 is the larger of the two machines and gets a 16-inch display in the 16:10 aspect ratio. The larger size of the machine also lets Lenovo cram in a 72Wh battery inside the Z16. In contrast, the smaller ThinkPad Z13 gets a 13.3-inch display and packs in a 51.5 Wh battery. Consumers buying the Z13 also get the option to customize the look of the model using a fabric made of woven natural flax material fiber, which is itself bonded to the aluminum top cover. Lenovo expects the Z13 to launch by July 2023 with a starting price of $1249. Those wanting to buy the Z16 will need to wait a month longer and will need to shell out $1749 for the base model of the machine.
The Lenovo X and T series refresh
The newest product refresh has also resulted in the revamp of the ThinkPad X13 and X13 Yoga series — with both the machines entering their fourth generation. The ThinkPad X13 Yoga comes exclusively powered by Intel's latest 13th Gen processors, while the vanilla ThinkPad X13 gives consumers the additional option of choosing an AMD Ryzen 7000 series mobile processor. Both these machines get 13.3-inch, 16:10 displays and, depending on the selected variant, get 41 Wh or 54.7 Wh battery pack options. These are also lightweight machines that weigh less than 1.5kgs, and both run Windows 11 out of the box. Lenovo expects the fourth-gen, 2023 ThinkPad X13 series to hit the stores by May 2023, with the prices of the X13 starting at $1099, and the Z13 Yoga starting at $1379.
Lenovo has also used this opportunity to refresh its ThinkPad T series lineup with the fourth-generation ThinkPad T14 and T14s models and the second-generation T16 models. All three machines have the option of Intel and AMD chips (13th Gen and Ryzen 7000 mobile) and support up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 2TB of storage. In addition, the 14 series models get a 14-inch panel, and the 16 series machine uses a larger 16-inch display. Note that the T14 and the T16 also have the option to add discrete graphics using Nvidia's MX550 Graphics card.
Lenovo expects all three ThinkPad T series lineup machines to reach consumers by May 2023. Prices for the T14 start at $1239, and the T14s will set you back by $1479. The price of the base variant of the second-gen ThinkPad T16 starts at $1269.
Everything new with the Lenovo ThinkPad L series
Next up, we have as many as four new machines from Lenovo's L series of ThinkPads — all of them entering the fourth generation. The new Gen 4 Lenovo L series notebooks announced in 2023 include the ThinkPad L13, the ThinkPad L13 Yoga, the ThinkPad L14, and the ThinkPad L15. All four machines can be configured with Intel (13th Gen) and AMD (Ryzen 7000) chips and run Windows 11. These machines also support up to 2TB of storage using PCIe Gen 4 SSD.
If not evident already, the model numbers of these machines also correspond to their respective display sizes. Note that the ThinkPad L14 and the L15 are the only models in this series to support discrete graphics, with consumers getting the option to configure their machines with the Nvidia MX550 GPU. Lenovo intends to launch all the updated Gen 4 ThinkPad L series machines by April 2023. As for the pricing, the ThinkPad L13 starts at $869, while the L13 Yoga will set users back by $1099. Those opting for the ThinkPad L14 will need to shell out $869 for its base variant, while the entry-level variant of the ThinkPad L15 also starts at $869.
In addition to these machines, Lenovo also launched two new laptops under the ThinkPad E series lineup that target the SMB segment. These machines include the brand-new Gen 1 ThinkPad E16 and the fifth-generation ThinkPad E14. Both these devices will go on sale starting May 2023, and prices start at $739 for the 5th Gen E14 and $759 for the first generation ThinkPad E16.
New ThinkCentre monitors, IdeaPad Chromebook, and IdeaPad Duet 3i notebook
In addition to the thirteen new ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo also took this opportunity to launch two new ThinkCentre TiO (Tiny-in-One) monitors. These fifth-generation monitors come in two sizes — 21.5 inches and 23.8 inches. Features common to both the monitors include support for a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, an IPS LCD panel, 4ms response time in extreme mode, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. These monitors will go on sale starting August 2023, with prices starting at $274 for the 21-inch model and $294 for the 24-inch model.
Lenovo also launched two products under the IdeaPad lineup at MWC 2023 that include the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook and the IdeaPad Duet 3i — an 11-inch Windows-powered compact laptop that targets students and multitaskers. The IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook features a 14-inch display and is powered by the little-known MediaTek Kompanio 520 chipset. The machine comes in 4GB/GB LPDDR4X RAM options and also supports 64GB/128GB of eMMC storage.
As for the IdeaPad Duet 3i, this compact notebook gets Intel's N series processor options (N200 or N10) and comes in 4GB and 8GB RAM options. The device can be configured with 128GB or 256GB of M.2 PCIe SSD options. The 11.5-inch display on the device supports 2K resolution and has a peak brightness value of 400 nits. Lenovo intends to bring the IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook to consumers by May 2023 for a price tag of $240. The company has no immediate plans to release the Duet 3i in North America. Instead, the device will see a limited launch in select EMEA markets, retailing for around 449 euros.