CES 2023: Lenovo launches new convertible ThinkBook with a twist

Lenovo announced an innovative new model in the ThinkBook Plus series at CES 2023 that reimagines Lenovo’s strong heritage of the twistable form factor with a dual rotating display that features an OLED panel on one side and a colourful e-Ink screen on the other.

Table of Contents

• A New Spin on Hybrid Computing
• Supercharged ThinkBook with unique Lenovo Magic Bay expansion port
• New Lenovo Magic Bay accessories
• Wireless is the Future of Docking
• ThinkBook Plus Twist Specs
• ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 specs

Lenovo also unveiled its latest ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 laptop powered by high performance components including 13th Gen Intel Core processors and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 discrete graphics. It features an innovative Lenovo Magic Bay modular accessory design with magnetic pin connector allowing easy expansion for optionally included Lenovo Magic Bay 4K Webcam, Lenovo Magic Bay LTE or Lenovo Magic Bay Light accessories.

Furthermore, Lenovo has also introduced a new unique ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 Wireless Dock combining several wireless technologies to create a virtually cable-free docking and charging solution.

A New Spin on Hybrid Computing

Since its inception in 2020, ThinkBook Plus has become a synonym for unique and innovative SMB devices including ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 with e-Ink display and Gen 3 with a secondary 8-inch display beside the keyboard. Lenovo has a long history of innovation with twist form factors dating back to 2005 with the ThinkPad X41 tablet and later the ThinkPad Twist from 2012. The new ThinkBook Plus Twist reinvents the category by integrating an innovative rotating dual display that offers multimode versatility while enhancing the user experience in multiple areas that has created a unique laptop for a new generation.

While maintaining the core attributes of ThinkBook Plus Gen 2, Lenovo’s design and engineering teams listened to customer feedback and user insights to implement numerous improvements and innovations for ThinkBook Plus Twist:

• Latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors
• New narrow-bezel 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED display with touch glass and twist hinge
• New front-lit colourful 12-inch e-Ink display on top cover with improved 12Hz refresh rate and touch glass
• Intel Wi-Fi 6E improves wireless connectivity performance and stability on supported networks
• Full size pen support on OLED and e-Ink displays with up to 18 months battery life

ThinkBook Plus Twist can be highly versatile with multiple modes that can be configured into clamshell format or tablet format, both of which can prioritise either the OLED display or the colourful e-Ink display thanks to the unique twist hinge.

Frequent business travellers will love the e-Ink display in either “typewriter” laptop mode or “e-paper” tablet mode allowing them to easily draft, edit and proofread documents via the keyboard or the pen. The e-Ink display can reduce eye strain from longer periods of use and also uses less power meaning longer stints between charging. For more advanced document or image workflows, users can switch to the OLED tablet mode and interact via the pen on the vivid 400nit, 2.8K display.

These highly mobile workers will also relish the versatility as users can glance and interact with calendar appointments and emails on the e-Ink display while on the move. Then easily switch to OLED laptop display mode with a twist and press a key to participate in a high-definition video conference through the FHD camera and great audio, thanks to dual-microphones that offer smart noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise.

While in OLED laptop mode users can leverage the full power of 13^th Gen Intel Core processors and Windows 11 delivering a high-performance productivity workhorse. At the end of the day, switch to OLED tablet mode to relax with a favourite streaming service or twist to e-Ink tablet mode for a few chapters of the latest bestseller.

Supercharged ThinkBook with unique Lenovo Magic Bay expansion port

ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 with optional Lenovo Magic Bay accessories delivers on power and productivity in spades. A quick glance at the technical specifications confirms its performance credentials. The latest 13th gen Intel Core H-series processors with optional discrete graphics up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, display options up to a 165Hz, 3.2K, 16-inch panel with Dolby Vision support, DDR5 memory and dual SSD support with up to 2TB of storage makes this the most powerful ThinkBook yet, ideal for high intensity workloads, image and video processing, and gaming during those precious downtime moments.

Innovations however go beyond technical specifications. ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 introduces the first redesign of the portfolio’s performance models and has been designed with a better end user experience in mind, with more versatility through amazing video conference collaboration and mobility experience, thanks to Lenovo Magic Bay solutions. A higher capacity 80Whr battery with fast charging capability will offer excellent battery longevity and less time spent connected to AC power. A larger glass touchpad is designed for more fluent input, and conferencing needs are met with the FHD camera and four Harman Kardon user-facing speakers that deliver immersive audio whether in a conference call or casual gaming. Dual noise cancelling microphones are engineered for teammates to hear the user’s voice above ambient noise at work or play.

A unique feature of this powerhouse is the magnetic pogo pin connector that sits at the top of the display, which is designed to fit modular Lenovo Magic Bay accessories. These accessories, which can be optionally bundled in select configurations of ThinkBook 16p Gen 4, can turn the ThinkBook into a video streaming home studio, or offer the added benefit of 4G LTE³ connectivity for work and play on the move.

With the help of Lenovo View software, the integrated FHD camera can work in conjunction with the detachable Lenovo Magic Bay 4K Webcam and fuse both video streams into one. This offers, amongst other functions, automatic face tracking and whiteboard recognition in which the software can erase anything covering the writing and drawings on the whiteboard, delivering a pure clean picture.

New Lenovo Magic Bay accessories

Three new Lenovo Magic Bay accessories are easy to use with their pogo pin connection that offer simple extendibility without the need for extra cables, dongles, or power packs.

Lenovo Magic Bay 4K Webcam is built for video conferencing and high-resolution streaming. It includes auto focus and auto framing with a selectable field of view, auto ambient light adjustment, and a maximum resolution of up to 4K at 30fps. For added security, the camera features an integrated electronic privacy shutter. The 270-degree hinge enables the webcam to rotate through various angles giving users additional flexibility. They can either use the camera in the front-facing mode to capture themselves or swivel to a world-facing mode to demo products or capture other participants or locations.

Lenovo Magic Bay Light is designed to solve one of the most common challenges with video conferencing or streaming. Poor lighting is often the cause of user frustration, either too dark or too light, and ambient light frequently creates unwanted or unflattering shadows. Lenovo Magic Bay Light can deliver up to 200-lux of adjustable brightness with minimal power consumption. Easily connected to the ThinkBook 16p Gen 4, the light will auto power on when the built-in camera is activated meaning professional looking videos are possible virtually anywhere.

In fact, work (or play) from anywhere has become normal. Connectivity, however, often remains a challenge either due to more remote locations or unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots. Lenovo Magic Bay LTE is designed to address many of those connectivity challenges. Offering 4G LTE speeds for greater flexibility on the move, the Lenovo Magic Bay LTE includes an LED indicator for connection status and a USB Type-C port with cable for compatibility with other laptops.

Wireless is the Future of Docking

Furthermore, Lenovo has introduced its first full-feature wireless charging solution for the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2. Announced at CES in 2022, the ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 featured an optional accessory that delivered 65W wireless laptop charging and other mobile devices. For 2023, Lenovo unveiled a new and complete wireless docking solution, the ThinkBook Wireless Dock for ThinkBook 13x Gen 2. Combining several cutting-edge technologies with the goal of transforming the way we dock, the new solution utilises Wi-Fi 6, Power-by-Contact, and universal wireless charging to solve multi cable frustrations. The ThinkBook Wireless Dock evolves from “plug and play” to a simpler “put and play” experience.

The use of Power-by-Contact to wirelessly charge the laptop is a breakthrough technology that transfers power using conductive electrodes connected to a receiving circuit and to the receiver’s battery. Pair that with a wireless charging pad that provides up to 10W for universal wireless charging-supported smart devices and accessories placed on the dock’s dedicated wireless bay.

User experience is greatly simplified as they simply put the laptop onto the charging pad and connection information is automatically retrieved from the wireless dock through Wi-Fi. Furthermore, when removing the laptop, the connection automatically ceases after a few seconds, preventing any residual data connection that could potentially be a security risk.

Thanks to the high performance of the Wi-Fi 6, wireless docking also makes it possible for users to enjoy an impressive low-latency dual display experience of up to 4K at 60Hz resolution along with blazing data transfer speeds. The wireless dock includes three USB-A ports, one USB-C port and a Lenovo slim-tip connector to deliver power to a true wireless docking solution.

The Wireless Dock will be exclusively bundled with select 2023 models of ThinkBook 13x Gen 2.

As a way of helping the environment, the Lenovo CO2 Offset Service can be added to these ThinkBook and ThinkCentre devices to offset the carbon emissions produced across the product’s average lifecycle. This serves as an easy and transparent way to support one of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s projects.  

Pricing and availability is all to be confirmed.

ThinkBook Plus Twist Specs

ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 specs

Last Updated on 25 May 2023 by Nick Ross