For the past year, we have been socially distant, but ever more connected digitally in the new normal most especially introduced during the Lenovo CES 2021. The new normal paved the way to a more personal connected experience. Whether you’re a student studying remotely, a teacher teaching digitally, or an employee working remotely, gadgets like tablets and laptops made it easier to stay connected in an ever-changing environment.
Smarter Lenovo aims to provide consumer products to the masses that can help you thrive in a digitally connected world. Lenovo announced at CES several IdeaPad laptops, including a 5G-capable one, a tablet with 2K display and several accessories that should help you be more productive.
But Lenovo is not just focusing on the hardware, the software side also gets an upgrade with the latest updates to Lenovo Vantage to personalize your experience even further. They’re also offering the Alexa experience in full screen. Lenovo is the first to introduce Show Mode where you can make your Lenovo PC be a seamless part of your smart home.
5G-capable IdeaPad
If you’re always online and need to stay online, having a backup ISP at home is a no-brainer. But what happens if both of them are down? You can rely on one of your machines that have 5G connectivity. Lenovo introduced the Lenovo IdeaPad 5G to the market so you can have a reliable 4G/5G cellular connection wherever you are.
It’s ultra-portable and boasts a battery life of up to 20 hours. It’s practical and performs like a workhorse. This reliability and performance is possible thanks to Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 8cx 5G compute platform.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5G comes in a familiar form with the same comfortable IdeaPad keyboard that customers are familiar with and the fan-less design makes this machine as quiet as a tablet. It sports a crisp and clear 1080p screen and with user-facing speakers and dual-array microphones, conferencing with this laptop is no chore.
Alexa-exclusive Show Mode for PC
Lenovo CES 2021 announces Show Mode for PC integrated with Alexa to help you command your smart home. Show Mode transforms your Lenovo PC into a hands-free, full screen Alexa command center. Instantly convert your home PC into an Echo Show-like display that the whole family can interact with.
Alexa lets you control your PC with just your voice. You can ask it to play music from Amazon Music, your preferred music app, or the local radio with a beautiful album art display visible from across the room. Your Lenovo PC is equipped with a mic with far-field technology that helps Alexa to hear your voice commands clearly even when there is music playing in the room.
Alexa can also set reminders even while you’re using your Lenovo PC. Students can ask Alexa questions on-the-fly to help them with their schoolwork. There are endless possibilities of what you can ask Alexa to do. It can give you the weather forecast for the week, give you music recommendations, and basically be your sidekick at home throughout your day.
Select Yoga and IdeaPad laptops will gain access to the Show Mode for PC features around Q2 2021.
Lenovo’s Most Powerful IdeaPads yet
Also part of the Lenovo CES 2021 highlights is the announcement of the IdeaPad 5i Pro and IdeaPad 5 Pro, the most powerful IdeaPad laptops to date. It’s both beauty and beast with its powerful performance and stylish design. You can choose from a variety of configurations from display size to the chassis exterior. You can go 14-inch or 16-inch in either Cloud Grey or Storm Grey color.
Also a first for Lenovo is the wider aspect ratio. The new IdeaPad has a 16:10 display for a bigger screen estate. It also has fewer bezels so you can enjoy your multimedia without distractions. It gives the laptops a 90% screen-to-body ratio and outputs 100% sRGB for true-to-life colors. The display is also certified safer for your eyes by TÜV Rheinland with its Eye Care technology so you can protect your eyes while working/studying/gaming for long hours.
Designed for lifestyle on-the-go. Weighing at just around 1.45kg for the 14-inch variant and 2kg for the 16-inch variant, you can easily pack it in your backpack and forget it’s there. The included IR camera can be used with Windows Hello for a faster and more secure log-in experience. It also has a time-of-flight sensor that provides simple quality-of-life improvements. It can sense when you walk away and can pause your video until you get back. This is possible with the help of the attention-sensing software from Glance by Mirametrix.
The new IdeaPads ship with Show Mode, which I discussed a few scrolls up. And more intelligent features like Intelligent Cooling Mode that uses AI-enhancements to optimize battery life. And if you get the higher refresh rate variants, you can use lower refresh rates for longer battery life just by pressing Fn+R.
Users can now enjoy a larger trackpad and improved keyboard experience with the bouncier feel of soft-landing switches and has optional backlighting. Plus treat yourself with quality entertainment and an immersive audio experience with Dolby Atmos paired with the imagery of a 2.8K high-definition display across the 14-inch variants.
You can configure your Lenovo IdeaPads with an Intel or AMD CPU.
- up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor or next-gen AMD Ryzen Mobile processor (coming soon)
- up to an NVIDIA MX450 discrete GPU
- up to a 14-inch 2.8K (16:10) IPS display with 90Hz refresh rate
- for the 16-inch variant, up to 2.5K (16:10) IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate
- up to 16GB DDR4 of RAM and up to 1TB SSD PCIe M.2 of storage
- 56.5WHr battery and Rapid Charge Boost on the 14-inch variant
- 75WHr battery and Rapid Charge Express for the 16-inch variant
- Thunderbolt 4 on the 16-inch mode
Lenovo Vantage Gets an Update
One app to rule them all, your Lenovo devices, I mean. This month, the Lenovo Vantage app is getting a refresh across its feature set. In its latest update, the newest Lenovo devices will give users a deeper dive into the performance of their Smart Battery such as capacity retention, predicted lifespan, and current temperature.
It gets Lenovo Smart Assist, which further enhances the user experience across the Lenovo environment. It includes improvements to Windows Hello, as well as expanded application and browser support for its hands-free video playback and Super Resolution 2.0 video upscaling capabilities.
Lenovo users will also get to enjoy the recently launched Vantage Smart Performance Services with this update. This feature gives users an easier all-in-one security tool to protect their machines from malware, viruses, and risks. It offers one-click scans, malware fixes, zero-day virus removal for enhanced security and easier maintenance. It also comes with a progressive web app caching that loads Vantage in seconds so you can access and experience these new Vantage features anytime, anywhere.
Lenovo Tab P11
Adjusting to the new normal might be easier if you have the right tools in your reach. During the Lenovo CES 2021 highlights show the Lenovo Tab P11. This gives families an inexpensive solution to provide the latest tech to each member. The Lenovo P11 achieves the balance between usability and affordability.
The Lenovo Tab P11 can easily get the job done with smarter features and pen support. The 11-inch HD (2000×1200) IPS touchscreen is perfect for everyday office/school tasks and even consume multimedia to relax after hours. It has integrated Eye Care technology to protect your eyes from damage from long hours of use.
The stylish exterior comes in either Slate Grey or Platinum Grey with aluminum alloy chassis for that thin profile. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 662 platform with advanced LTE and integrated Qualcomm FastConnect with 6GB of RAM for efficient task management. The Lenovo Tab P11 is one of a few select certified by Netflix to stream shows in high definition.
It’s rated for up to 15 hours of usage from a full charge and comes preloaded with Microsoft Office apps for the ultimate productivity device in your home.
It also has a family-friendly kids mode called Kids Space from Google that helps children under the age of 9 to learn while having fun with a wide library of featured apps, books, and videos.
The Lenovo Tab P11 is also the perfect device to use for online hangouts/meetings/interviews. With the help of its 8MP front camera and the Smart Privacy feature which blurs your backgrounds, it’s definitely a must-have in this age of online videoconferencing.
The optional ultra-thin Keyboard Pack gives you a productivity boost with its built-in trackpad. It just snaps into place and will instantly convert your tablet into a laptop with its magnetic stand cover and integrated kickstand.
Another must-have is the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 which’s capable of sensing tilt and subtle pressure adjustments for more refined writing and drawing experience. It can last up to 200 hours with a single charge and stands by your side, ready for any action when inspiration strikes.
The Tab P11 is also compatible with already existing accessories like the Lenovo Smart Charging Station 2 that provides a stable base while charging.
Availability and pricing: TBA
So what do you think of the list of Lenovo CES 2021 highlights?