Lenovo Prepares Thinkpad T14s and Yoga Slim 14 Laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Processor

[AleksandarK]

Lenovo is putting finishing touches on the Yoga Slim 7 14 2024, one of the first non-reference laptop to feature Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X processor. Leaked images circulating on X (formerly Twitter) reveal a sleek and stylish design, with a 14-inch or 14.5-inch display encased in a slim and portable form factor. Qualcomm has previously showcased eye-catching demo reference systems in a striking red color scheme, but Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7 14 2024 marks the first time a significant laptop manufacturer with actual product images incorporating the Snapdragon X chip. The Yoga Slim 7 14 2024 is part of Lenovo's popular Slim laptop lineup, including models powered by Intel and AMD processors. The latest "Gen 8" iteration featured options for AMD Ryzen 7040 series and Intel 13th Gen Core i and Core Ultra series CPUs.

One notable addition to the Snapdragon X-powered model is the inclusion of a dedicated Microsoft Copilot button. Qualcomm has heavily touted the Snapdragon X's Neural Processing Unit (NPU) performance and its ability to directly accelerate various AI and machine learning algorithms on the device. There have been a few comparison points between Meteor Lake with Intel's NPU and Snapdragon X Elite with Qualcomm's NPU. The chipmaker's X Elite and X Plus laptop offerings are expected to arrive soon, and there are strong indications that this may happen during the Computex trade show.



Update 17:28 UTC: X user WalkingCat has posted images of Lenovo Thinkpad T14s laptop, which can be seen below.




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[Daven]

The end of the X86 era dominance continues unabated.

 

[wNotyarD]

How will Lenovo price them? Above or below their x86 counterparts?

 

[tabascosauz]

How will Lenovo price them? Above or below their x86 counterparts?

Considering how Lenovo priced the X13s (Snapdragon 8cx, same generation as Intel Alder Lake and AMD Rembrandt X13 Gen 3), maybe expect a very slight discount compared to Gen 4 Thinkpads (Raptor Lake/Phoenix), at most. They're not positioning it as a budget alternative, merely an alternative. As for the Yoga, not sure if that's a SD exclusive or another not-x86 alternative.

Which means that the new Snapdragon better live up to all the hype, or else it's just going straight into the garbage can like its predecessor X13s did. What a low effort dumpster fire that was.

edit: actually, what a poor choice of name. T14s has been an existing product for years. Anyways, looks like T14s Snapdragon is launching closer to T14 Gen 5, which is Hawk Point.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

How will Lenovo price them? Above or below their x86 counterparts?

IMO, I think it will depend on battery life. If it's insanely good, I'd suspect higher prices. The performance will probably be sufficient for ultra mobile, so if it gets 15-20 hours like a MacBook Pro/Air, it might even be priced like that.

 

[Minus Infinity]

Considering how Lenovo priced the X13s (Snapdragon 8cx, same generation as Intel Alder Lake and AMD Rembrandt X13 Gen 3), maybe expect a very slight discount compared to Gen 4 Thinkpads (Raptor Lake/Phoenix), at most. They're not positioning it as a budget alternative, merely an alternative. As for the Yoga, not sure if that's a SD exclusive or another not-x86 alternative.

Which means that the new Snapdragon better live up to all the hype, or else it's just going straight into the garbage can like its predecessor X13s did. What a low effort dumpster fire that was.

edit: actually, what a poor choice of name. T14s has been an existing product for years. Anyways, looks like T14s Snapdragon is launching closer to T14 Gen 5, which is Hawk Point.

I think Qualcomm's premium SoC pricing for the X1 will ensure these laptops are marketed as premium products and priced accordingly.

 

[watzupken]

If this is going to be a rehash of Apple's success with the M1 SOC, then Intel and AMD is going to be in trouble. Historically, ARM based chips are not that powerful since they are designed mostly for mobile phones. But M1 changed that perception at launch, and not only was the performance good, but the battery life due to the efficiency is also unheard of on a Windows based laptop.

 

[Zareek]

I'm eager to find out how well the x86 emulation is going to work on these Windows on ARM machines. I assume all new software for them will be Microsoft App Store based, and if that is the case, I will never accept that for my daily computing.

 

[wNotyarD]

I'm eager to find out how well the x86 emulation is going to work on these Windows on ARM machines. I assume all new software for them will be Microsoft App Store based, and if that is the case, I will never accept that for my daily computing.

Yep. Either installing from EXEs or MSIs is allowed, or there's no real market for this.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I'm eager to find out how well the x86 emulation is going to work on these Windows on ARM machines. I assume all new software for them will be Microsoft App Store based, and if that is the case, I will never accept that for my daily computing.

Last I heard, WOW64 will run apps in emulated mode, even following something like Rosetta 2, where it caches some files to make the app faster in subsequent app runs. I still can't tell what the fate of 32bit x86 apps though. You can't install x86 drivers, so that means even if we do see a "desktop" version of an ARM chip (like the new Mac Pro), it won't mean you'll be able to drop in a high-end GPU and expect it to work.

 

[aktpu]

I assume all new software for them will be Microsoft App Store based, and if that is the case, I will never accept that for my daily computing

Well aren't you full of FUDshit?

For example you can go to Mozillas site today and download ARM version of Firefox, no store needed and yes, it's just a exe

 

[Zareek]

Well aren't you full of FUDshit?

For example you can go to Mozillas site today and download ARM version of Firefox, no store needed and yes, it's just a exe

If that's how it goes with everything, then it will be a pleasant surprise. M$ hasn't given me a reason to trust them in years!

 

[micropage7]

The end of the X86 era dominance continues unabated.

still early, actually interesting how consumer now have another alternative beside 2

 

[wNotyarD]

still early, actually interesting how consumer now have another alternative beside 2

The alternative factor grants it my curiosity. Performance will say if it'll get my attention.