Wednesday, December 29th 2021

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus with Integrated Tablet Leaks Alongside ThinkPad Z

Although CES 2022 might not be what was initially expected for Lenovo, the company might be revealing several new notebook models, albeit in a more digital fashion than the company had initially planned, due to it pulling out from physically exhibiting at the show. Pictures of at least three upcoming models have leaked courtesy of @Evleaks and all three are intriguing in their own right, as they all bring something new to the table, or should that be lap?

First up we have the 17-inch ThinkBook Plus, which has an integrated tablet on the right hand side of the keyboard, plus a stylus that works with the tablet. Sadly the stylus looks rather "cheap" for a lack of a better word, especially compared to other recent devices with a stylus, so hopefully some third party options will be usable. It appears as if the tablet section can be used for normal touch input as well, based on the leaked pictures. No tech specs were provided, but we can spot what appears to be a combined finger print and power button just above the keyboard and around the back is an HDMI port, two USB type-A ports and a USB-C port, plus what appears to be a power socket and another USB-C port on the left side of the notebook.
The ThinkPad Z models appear to be the Z16 and the Z13, suggesting a 16-inch and a 13-inch model. What stands out here is the protrusion above the display for the web camera, which appears to be a Windows Hello compatible setup with 1080p support, something of a big step up compared to most laptops today. Both models seem to have a soft touch finish on the lid and a two tone, premium design overall. Fortunately, it appears that Lenovo has kept the ThinkPad "nipple" that most ThinkPad buyers are after in addition to the generally vastly better keyboards compared to much of the competition.

The ThinkPad Z16 appears to sport at least three USB-C ports, which may or may not support Thunderbolt and or USB4. We also spot an SD card slot and a combo headset jack, but beyond that, we'll have to wait and see what features it'll come with. The ThinkPad Z13 on the other hand seems to have been really stripped down when it comes to ports and only appears to have two USB-C type ports and a headset combo jack, which is most likely not going to go down well with the traditional ThinkPad crowd. Both models also seem to have a side mounted power button, again something that is unlikely to be popular with the traditional ThinkPad buyers. Hopefully these are new additions for a new generation of ThinkPad users, rather than something that is intended to replace current, already feature reduced models in the lineup.
Source: @Evleaks
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9 Comments on Lenovo ThinkBook Plus with Integrated Tablet Leaks Alongside ThinkPad Z

#1
Unregistered
ThinkBook Plus looks pretty interesting. Android on the tablet?
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#2
TheLostSwede
News Editor
TiggerThinkBook Plus looks pretty interesting. Android on the tablet?
No, it seems to be some custom integration with Windows. There are a couple of more pictures at the source link, including one of the laptop apparently running OSX versions of software...
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#3
Unregistered
TheLostSwedeNo, it seems to be some custom integration with Windows. There are a couple of more pictures at the source link, including one of the laptop apparently running OSX versions of software...
So it's not a tablet, just a secondary screen in effect then
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#4
TheLostSwede
News Editor
TiggerSo it's not a tablet, just a secondary screen in effect then
No, it can be used as a drawing tablet, you know for artsy people?
Those are still called a tablet, they're just not the kind of tablet you're thinking of.
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#5
Caring1
Dual webcams on the smaller version?
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#6
Unregistered
It's a dual screen basically, "The secondary screen appears to be a companion screen with shortcuts on it, although based on the leaked pictures it does look like it will work with certain photo editing apps as an input device" Still a kind of neat idea though i suppose.
#7
TheLostSwede
News Editor
Caring1Dual webcams on the smaller version?
Both of them.
TiggerIt's a dual screen basically, "The secondary screen appears to be a companion screen with shortcuts on it, although based on the leaked pictures it does look like it will work with certain photo editing apps as an input device" Still a kind of neat idea though i suppose.
No, it's not though. I don't undertand why the concept of an integrated graphics tablet is so hard to understand. Yes, it can be used as a secondary screen if you must, but it's an input device first and foremost. Asus has done something similar for a while, but they're limited to a much smaller area, since they replaced the touch pad, which can't really work as a graphics tablet.
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#8
Unregistered
TheLostSwedeBoth of them.


No, it's not though. I don't undertand why the concept of an integrated graphics tablet is so hard to understand. Yes, it can be used as a secondary screen if you must, but it's an input device first and foremost. Asus has done something similar for a while, but they're limited to a much smaller area, since they replaced the touch pad, which can't really work as a graphics tablet.
After googling it and reading some, it appears to be a secondary screen with touch functionality. It might be "tablet" shaped, but that does not make it a tablet. You can even use it for windows shortcuts from the start menu. What makes it a tablet? the shape, the fact that you can use it as a input screen for editing programs?

The wide 17-inch Lenovo ThinkBook Plus (2022) has a secondary color display, which look like a tablet, embedded into the right-hand side of the keyboard deck. This should offer productivity gains for content creators and the like, but it could also be an issue for the 10-12% of the population that is made up of left-handed people. However, the color tablet-like screen is still a step up from the E-ink display that the 13.3-inch ThinkBook Plus had integrated into its lid.

Notice he says "tablet like screen" and "looks like a tablet"
www.notebookcheck.net/New-Lenovo-ThinkBook-Plus-renders-show-innovative-17-inch-dual-display-laptop-with-embedded-tablet.589026.0.html
#9
TheLostSwede
News Editor
TiggerAfter googling it and reading some, it appears to be a secondary screen with touch functionality. It might be "tablet" shaped, but that does not make it a tablet. You can even use it for windows shortcuts from the start menu. What makes it a tablet? the shape, the fact that you can use it as a input screen for editing programs?

The wide 17-inch Lenovo ThinkBook Plus (2022) has a secondary color display, which look like a tablet, embedded into the right-hand side of the keyboard deck. This should offer productivity gains for content creators and the like, but it could also be an issue for the 10-12% of the population that is made up of left-handed people. However, the color tablet-like screen is still a step up from the E-ink display that the 13.3-inch ThinkBook Plus had integrated into its lid.

Notice he says "tablet like screen" and "looks like a tablet"
www.notebookcheck.net/New-Lenovo-ThinkBook-Plus-renders-show-innovative-17-inch-dual-display-laptop-with-embedded-tablet.589026.0.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_tablet#Embedded_LCD_tablets
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