Wednesday, August 28th 2019
Lenovo Launches Project Athena ThinkPads
Today, Lenovo announced its latest ThinkPad laptops providing smarter productivity, connectivity and security experiences built for the future workforce. With the latest X1 Carbon running Intel's 10th Generation CPU's, Lenovo unleashes its first commercial platform part of the Project Athena program, ready to take on a full day's work with all day battery life and the latest Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. The updated commercial laptop line-up also includes a 10th Gen Intel Core processor refresh on the premium ThinkPad X1 Yoga, the ThinkPad X390 and the ThinkPad T490. Also announced are new ThinkPad L13 and L13 Yoga laptops for those who seek ThinkPad attributes in an affordable, high-value package.
Designed and engineered around ThinkPad's core foundational principles, these new laptops address the needs of a new generation workforce and their dynamic workspaces. People are seeking devices that offer intuitive, secure features and faster, higher performance to improve their workday, and ThinkPad is here to help them accomplish their most important goals. ThinkPad features industry-leading security with ThinkShield, the ability to stay connected with LTE-A Wireless WAN and Wi-Fi 6 in the latest select models. The ThinkPad line-up continues to offer premium usability experience through vivid high-definition displays, immersive Dolby Audio, and the renowned ThinkPad keyboard.
In today's tech world, security is a top priority, and we have addressed this need by adding innovative ThinkShield security features to our machines. The hybrid HD+IR Camera with ThinkShutter protects users from prying eyes. Secure multi-factor authentication is possible with Windows Hello, along with a match-on-host fingerprint reader. The lightweight form factor, versatile connectivity options, and long battery life empower you to achieve more, no matter where your work takes you.
"We know from user insights that the next-gen workforce expects much more flexible working methods. This includes the need to work from anywhere, anytime with technological tools at their disposal that are fast, secure, intuitive and mobile," said Jerry Paradise, vice president, Commercial Product and Portfolio Management, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "Our unparalleled family of ThinkPad laptops gives business professionals smarter productivity, security and connectivity experiences along with greater choice in selecting the device that's right for them."
ThinkPad X1 Carbon
"Congratulations to Lenovo on their latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon. I am proud of the co-engineering between Intel and Lenovo to build exceptional performance into this device. With so many of today's workers on the go so much of the time, they need power for a full workday, ready-to-go responsiveness and the latest connectivity. This is the ultimate PC experience." said Stephanie Hallford, vice president in the Client Computing Group and general manager of Business Client Platforms at Intel Corporation.
This 4th generation multi-mode laptop is smaller, thinner and lighter than ever, and is constructed in a precision-machined aluminium chassis.
The new ThinkPad L13 and L13 Yoga combine enterprise-grade performance and mobility in a high value package. The bezels are thinner, offering you the same 13-inch screen size contained in a smaller footprint than their predecessors.
ThinkPad L13:
ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Gen with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting September 2019, starting at $1,479.
ThinkPad X1 Yoga 4th Gen with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting September 2019, starting at $1,609.
ThinkPad T490 with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $1,129.
ThinkPad X390 with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $1,019.
ThinkPad L13 is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $749.
ThinkPad L13 Yoga is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $919.
Visit http://www.lenovo.com/think/ for more information.
Designed and engineered around ThinkPad's core foundational principles, these new laptops address the needs of a new generation workforce and their dynamic workspaces. People are seeking devices that offer intuitive, secure features and faster, higher performance to improve their workday, and ThinkPad is here to help them accomplish their most important goals. ThinkPad features industry-leading security with ThinkShield, the ability to stay connected with LTE-A Wireless WAN and Wi-Fi 6 in the latest select models. The ThinkPad line-up continues to offer premium usability experience through vivid high-definition displays, immersive Dolby Audio, and the renowned ThinkPad keyboard.
"We know from user insights that the next-gen workforce expects much more flexible working methods. This includes the need to work from anywhere, anytime with technological tools at their disposal that are fast, secure, intuitive and mobile," said Jerry Paradise, vice president, Commercial Product and Portfolio Management, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "Our unparalleled family of ThinkPad laptops gives business professionals smarter productivity, security and connectivity experiences along with greater choice in selecting the device that's right for them."
ThinkPad X1 Carbon
"Congratulations to Lenovo on their latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon. I am proud of the co-engineering between Intel and Lenovo to build exceptional performance into this device. With so many of today's workers on the go so much of the time, they need power for a full workday, ready-to-go responsiveness and the latest connectivity. This is the ultimate PC experience." said Stephanie Hallford, vice president in the Client Computing Group and general manager of Business Client Platforms at Intel Corporation.
- Up to a 6-core 10th Gen Intel Core processor delivering multi-threaded performance, support for brilliant 4K content, and best-in-class connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) and Thunderbolt 3 for on-the-go productivity whether you're in the office, with a customer or somewhere in between
- Project Athena enabling optimized battery life, best-in-class connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) and more that's co-engineered with Intel for mobile performance whether you're in the office, at a customer's or somewhere in between
- Just 14.9 mm thin and starting at 2.4 pounds (1 kg)
- A diverse selection of 14-inch display options is available, including the stunning 500 nit, 10 bit, 4K Dolby Vision enabled panel, or the option of a new, brighter 400 nit FHD display
- The Dolby Atmos Speaker System, featuring two top-firing tweeters and two down-firing woofers, delivers a more immersive soundscape
- Four far-field microphones enhance the experience of conferencing and collaboration
- Enjoy up to 18.5 hours of productivity, and when the power gets low, Rapid Charge can deliver 80 percent battery in just 60 minutes
- Global LTE-A Wireless WAN and new Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ option offer lightning-fast connection speeds for an always-on experience
This 4th generation multi-mode laptop is smaller, thinner and lighter than ever, and is constructed in a precision-machined aluminium chassis.
- Up to 6-core 10th Gen Intel Core processors
- Weighs less than 2.9 pounds (1.4 kg) and is just 15.5 mm thin
- Reinforced, precision machined "Iron Grey" aluminium chassis
- Now supports all docking solutions, including ThinkPad Mechanical Dock
- Enjoy up to 18.3 hours of productivity, and when the power gets low, Rapid Charge can deliver 80 percent battery in just 60 minutes.
- Dolby Vision enabled display and Dolby Atmos Speaker System with far-field mics
- Global LTE-A Wireless WAN
- Integrated ThinkPad Pen Pro offers precise, multi-mode pen input
- Up to i7 10th Gen Intel Core processors
- Just 17.9 mm thin and starting at 3.2 pounds (1.5 kg)
- Impressive display selection, including the stunning 500 nit, WQHD Dolby Vision panel, or a new, brighter 400 nit FHD display.
- Dolby Audio Premium, featuring two up-firing speakers
- Dual far-field microphones improve conferencing audio
- Enjoy up to 15 hours of productivity, and when the power gets low, Rapid Charge can deliver 80 percent battery in just 60 minutes
- Global LTE-A Wireless WAN and new Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ offer lightning-fast connection speeds.
- Up to i7 10th Gen Intel Core processors
- Just 16.5 mm thin and starting at 2.8 pounds (1.3 kg)
- Impressive display selection, including a new, brighter 400 nit FHD display.
- Dolby Audio Premium, featuring two down-firing speakers
- Dual far-field microphones improve conferencing audio
- Enjoy up to 16.8 hours of productivity, and when the power gets low, Rapid Charge can deliver 80 percent battery in just 60 minutes
- Global LTE-A Wireless WAN for lightning-fast connection speeds.
The new ThinkPad L13 and L13 Yoga combine enterprise-grade performance and mobility in a high value package. The bezels are thinner, offering you the same 13-inch screen size contained in a smaller footprint than their predecessors.
ThinkPad L13:
- Up to i7 10th Gen Intel Core processors
- Just 17.6 mm thin and starting at 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg)
- Impressive display selection, including a 300 nit FHD IPS Touch Display.
- Dolby Audio Premium, featuring two down-firing speakers
- Enjoy up to 14 hours of productivity, and when the power gets low, Rapid Charge can deliver 80 percent battery in just 60 minutes
- Up to i7 10th Gen Intel Core processors
- Just 17.6 mm thin and starting at 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg)
- Impressive display selection, including a 300 nit FHD IPS Touch Display
- Dolby Audio Premium, featuring two down-firing speakers
- Enjoy up to 12 hours of productivity, and when the power gets low, Rapid Charge can deliver 80 percent battery in just 60 minutes
ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Gen with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting September 2019, starting at $1,479.
ThinkPad X1 Yoga 4th Gen with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting September 2019, starting at $1,609.
ThinkPad T490 with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $1,129.
ThinkPad X390 with Intel 10th Gen is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $1,019.
ThinkPad L13 is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $749.
ThinkPad L13 Yoga is expected to be available starting October 2019, starting at $919.
Visit http://www.lenovo.com/think/ for more information.
15 Comments on Lenovo Launches Project Athena ThinkPads
At the moment AMD doesn't have anything better in this segment.
Also, apparently T495 gives you less options than T490.
Screens: you can't get T495 with the 2 most interesting screens: 1440p IPS and 1080p IPS PrivacyGuard. But AMD-land gets a 768p TN instead...
GPU: Intel has optional MX250, AMD just the APU.
Docking: Intel both standard and Thunderbolt, AMD just the former.
So you're getting a bit less, it weights a bit more, it stays on a bit shorter and the general impression is that it's somehow less responsive.
”In comparison to both sister models with the E590 model designation, battery life has almost remained the same. The different devices are separated by only a few percentage points despite having different hardware and equally large batteries. That is definitely a positive trend since battery life was quite a big weakness in AMD laptops in the past. The HP 14 achieves about 25 percent shorter run times with its slightly smaller battery; the TravelMate is marginally better.”
The 3500/3700u are big improvements over the 2xxxU series. Some models with poor cooling throttles, so one has to take that into account. But the E595 at least (no reviews for the e495 yet, hoping its as good) seems like a very decent machine indeed.
And even with that, most OEM's considers AMD as a second citizen with their systems, it's a rare thing to find a high-end AMD based laptop, by high-end I mean a high-end in each segment, like Ultraportables, mainstream, high-end, workstation, etc...
I would love to see Thinkpad X1 and P1 with an 8C/16T Zen2 based AMD APU.. hopefully with Navi based iGPU. Sadly the latest rumours suggests that their first Zen2 based APU's will be using Vega iGPU.
trog
But does it?
They gave it a rubbish 768p TN just to lower the "starting from" MSRP and "battery life up to", but choosing it makes absolutely no sense.
Similar configs cost more or less the same, with Intel delivering a bit more in terms of battery life and features.
And only the Intel variant gets the premium screens and MX250 option.
Hence, what I said earlier: there is no reason to buy the Ryzen model other than strong brand preference.
edit:
You can also get T495 with a *slow* 3300U (4 cores, no SMT). T490 has a choice of 4C/8T CPUs.
Just like with the basic screen: it's really unlikely someone would choose 3300U for such a premium notebook, but it surely helps the advertised battery life and starting price...
I find this fairly disappointing - no idea why Lenovo decided to to this...Thick? They're very ordinary.
Sure, this laptop looks a bit conservative and bulky compared to more elegant/modern competition (e.g. Dell XPS). But it does for a reason. All earlier generations have.
i also have an X380 yoga.. the 13.3 inch 1080 ips panel in that is way better.. there is no X290 thinkpad now so i think lenovo has ditched that.. the 13.3 inch X390 has replaced it.. thinner bexels make it about the same overall size..
i think its a complement to amd that lenovo has included an amd option.. even if it is right at the bottom end.. i doubt many businesses will buy it though..
trog
It's exactly the opposite. :-)
Anyway, we're talking about 14" TN 1366x768, not 12.5".
The only reason to put this screen in a high-end notebook is marketing (seriously: MSRP and battery life).
Let's say you need a notebook for Excel (not unlike most of ThinkPad buyers).
Top panel in Excel 2016: 218px.
Bottom panel: 50px
Windows 10 task bar: 40px
That's already almost half of the screen.
And then you open cell context menu and it's 496px tall. :laugh: