Source : Lenovo
Meet the Lenovo ThinkPhone
Lenovo Smart True Wireless Earbud: Is it Worth $79?
For only $79 Lenovo True Smart Wireless Earbuds are an absolute essential purchase. The earbuds feel great and seem to be better than most other buds on the market. They automatically connect whenever you open the case. These earbuds have multipoint pairing for multiple devices. At this budget friendly price Lenovo offers solid noise cancellation, comfortable ear rest and grip, along with exceptional bass quality. If your budget is limited and you are looking for a good pair of earbuds to purchase. Lenovo’s True Smart Wireless earbuds is the perfect choice.
To truly put the wireless earbuds to the test, I used it for multiple 20-30 minute workout sessions throughout the week. I noticed during my workouts that the earbuds stay in my ears the whole time without falling out compared to other wireless earbuds. Overall, I found the Lenovo Smart Wireless earbuds to be surprisingly comfortable. They included four pairs of silicone tips, and the fitting process was easy.
I got a solid 3 days of usage before the battery ran out. That’s only wearing it for 20-30 minutes at a time. Charging the earbuds is super simple and fast. Once it’s fully charged the earbuds can last you days before having to charge it again. Which is convenient for those who don’t like to charge their devices everyday just to use them. Lenovo’s earbuds are Apple products user friendly. Setup was easy-breezy. Using the same method, switching back and forth between your iPhone and other devices is seamless.
So to answer the question, Yes it’s certainly worth the $79. Compared to other wireless earbuds under the $100 price range. The Lenovo Smart Wireless Earbud delivers a variety of convenient features not found on many other wireless earbuds. These earbuds feature a nice structured ear pieces, easy open and close case, along with it being comfortable to wear for long period of time.
IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon 14 (AMD) Review: Durable Elegance
Introduction
ThinkPad, ThinkBook, IdeaPad… Lenovo has a product naming pattern going on here if you’ve noticed. Today we’re looking at a first here at Labfreq – the Slim 7 Carbon – our IdeaPad debut.
Specs
The Slim 7 Carbon is a 14-inch laptop rocking the signature, sleek “IdeaPad” design language with aspirations for ThinkPad X1 Carbon-level durability. Upon opening the lid of the device, the vibrant display with punchy hues and deep blacks immediately stood out from the usual cooler matte look/feel seen on most laptops. It helped that it’s Touchscreen, the glossy screen giving the colors an almost polished feel.
| Specs | IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon 14 |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800U Processor (1.90 GHz, up to 4.40 GHz Max Boost, 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 16 MB Cache |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce® MX450 2GB |
| Display | 14.0″ 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED, glossy, touchscreen with Dolby Vision™, True Black, HDR, 400 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 100% DCI-P3, 90Hz, TÜV LBL Eyesafe® + Eye Comfort |
| Memory | 16 GB LPDDR4X dual channel |
| Storage | 1 TB M.2 PCIe SSD |
| Audio | 4 x speakers with Dolby Atmos® Speaker System Smart amp Digital signal processing (DSP) |
| Camera | IR + time of flight (TOF) camera |
| Connectivity | 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth® 5.1 |
| Ports | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort™ 1.4 + PD 3.0) Headphone / mic combo |
Special Features
One of the more unique additions is the Lenovo AI Chip, making features like Smart Rapid Start for fast, hands-free login, Smart Adaptive Sensors for automatic display tuning, and Smart Presence Detection that automatically wakes up or locks the PC possible.
The 14-inch, QHD+ OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate has a 16:10 aspect ratio, offering more screen space for productivity boosts. It also features Dolby Vision™ HDR, color accuracy with 100% DCI-P3, and deep blacks from VESA®DisplayHDR 500 True Black (whew!)
There’s also Dolby Audio, which adds the ability to listen to and create Spatial Audio experiences. Preloaded software was minimal, with Alexa, Dolby Vision, Lenovo Vantage, McAfee, and Office 365 pre installed.
Conclusion
The IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon is a very capable ultrabook, packing an AMD Ryzen 6000 SoC, with a Nvidia graphics card – AAA gaming is possible with this laptop. The 16:10 display ratio leaves headroom for fitting more info on the screen. For anyone looking for an AMD-powered laptop with decent gaming specs, the Slim 7 Carbon just might me the perfect fit.
Lenovo’s announces Windows 11-powered IdeaPad Duet 5i tablet
IdeaPad Duet 5i arrives to challenge the Surface and iPad head-on
Expanding on the success and popularity of their Duet line of tablets for ChromeOS, Lenovo is expanding the design to the IdeaPad series to create a classy and stylish Windows 11 tablet.
The IdeaPad 5i speaks the same design ethos as the Chromebook Duet, which we reviewed last year.
IdeaPad Duet 5i comes equipped with a 12-inch, 2.5K IPS touchscreen display in taller 16:10 format, bundled with a Bluetooth keyboard, optional Active Pen 3, with up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. Check out Lenovo to learn more.
Lenovo announces 2022 ThinkPad lineup
Lenovo is a regarded as a highly innovative brand who’s products have received high ratings in our product review database. Keeping their upcoming products on our radar, we’ve compiled all the info of interest to our readers on their upcoming ThinkPad lineup: the ThinkPad T Series, ThinkPad P Series, and the 1st Gen ThinkPad x13s.
ThinkPad x13s
ThinkPad X13s is the world’s first laptop powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 compute platform, 5G, and 28 hours of battery life.
ThinkPad X1 Xtreme
ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5, powered by up to the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 H-Series processors and available with the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX Laptop GPUs, up to 64GB DDR5 memory, and optional dual Solid-State Drives (SSD) supporting up to a massive 8TB.
ThinkPad T Series (T14,T14s,T16)
ThinkPad T series updated with 16:10 aspect ratio displays with low blue light technology with FHD camera options Available with either the latest 12th Gen Intel Core or the latest AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series processors.
Pricing
ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 Review
Lenovo is adding the ThinkBook to its ever-expanding lineup of laptop models, alongside the ThinkPad. The latest is the upgraded ThinkBook 16p Gen2 – a powerful business-oriented laptop equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics.
Build and Feel
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Specifications
| Processor | AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H Processor (3.20 GHz, up to 4.40 GHz Max Boost, 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 16 MB Cache |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Display | 16.0″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS, anti-glare with Dolby Vision™, 400 nits |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| Battery | Up to 6.9 hours 71Wh (MM2018) Rapid Charge technology |
| Storage | Up to 1 TB PCIe SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB VRAM Laptop GPU with Max-Q, listed boost clock 1282MHz, maximum graphics power 75W, NVIDIA Max-Q Technologies: Dynamic Boost 2.0, Resizable BAR support Security |
| Security | Firmware-based Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) Touch fingerprint reader integrated with power button Webcam privacy shutter Windows Hello (with optional IR camera) SecureBIO |
| Audio | 2 x 2W speakers Audio EFX by Harman Dual-array microphones |
| Connectivity | 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth® 5.2 |
| Camera | 720p HD & IR camera with webcam privacy shutter |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 SD card reader Headphone / mic combo Power-in |
| PreInstalled Software | Lenovo Vantage McAfee® LiveSafe™ trial Microsoft Office Trial |
Standout Features
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Conclusion
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Lenovo Smart Clock 2 Review
With smart speakers and Smart displays set to join Smart TVs, smart doorbells, smart thermometers, and smart light bulbs in the quest to make your residence a smart home; Lenovo’s released the Smart Clock 2 as a control center for those who desire to bring it all together with the Google Home app.
An significant upgrade from the first iteration, the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is an unassuming yet convenient addition to a smart home.
The Smart Clock 2 comes with a wireless charging dock, for a overnight charge, or a quick top-up before you head out to start your day. It has a 3.97 inch IPS display, with an 400*800 resolution. The clock has an gray, thick-fabric interwoven around the body, and a night light around the base. Two buttons at the top for Volume (- +), and there is also a dedicated button on the back to enable/disable the built-in microphone. The charging dock has an USB port to charge your smartphone/watch, etc.
Controlling the Smart Clock 2 is done in the Google Home app, and once it’s set up all actions can be executed with voice command and the Google Assistant.
Routines, are a powerful addition to a home, should you decide that you want to integrate lights, thermostats, and cameras – you can control it all from the Smart Clock. We won’t go into too much detail on how this works here, as we’ve covered it extensively in our review of the Smart Clock Essential.
The Lenovo Smart Clock 2, like the Original – and even the Smart Clock Essential – has changed my perception of the usefulness of smart devices in the IoT (Internet of Things) market. It’s useful for many of the trivial things we do daily, and one-way technology could help increase our downtime away from our smartphone screens. It’s a smart clock with a full color IPS display, audio loud enough for music streaming and clear and crisp enough for audiobooks and podcasts. It’s also armed with Google Assistant, making a random internet search or smart home automation a question or command away. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is one of – if not the best Smart Clock available today.
ThinkReality A3 AR Glasses Review
The ThinkReality A3 glasses represent Lenovo’s foray into the Augmented Reality space, bringing enterprise-level abilities and next-gen features to the desktop and mobile. Does the A3 headset have what it takes to compete with the Oculus and Hololens’ of the world?
The ThinkReality A3s are a pair of Augmented Reality smart glasses that come equipped with a Qualcomm XR-1 SmartViewer, a specialized processor for AR/VR devices, 1080p resolution per eye, and an 8MP RGB Camera. 3 noise-suppressing mics and stereo speakers cover the audio, with voice, object, and image recognition. It’s also equipped with head/gaze tracking, a barcode reader, and High-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) for digital rights management (DRM).
The A3 smart frames connect to certain Lenovo and Motorola devices, particularly higher-ended Thinkpads and Snapdragon 800 powered Motorola smartphones like the Moto G100. When connected to a desktop or laptop it works as a virtual monitor hub, turning your primary monitor into a wide-view curved virtual display – or extending it by adding two separate monitors of discreet, private viewing or work sessions.
When tethered to the Thinkpad p52 we had available, the ThinkReality A3 ran without a glitch and looked as vivid and clear as an actual physical display monitor despite the slight transparency in the image (think Star Trek or 2Pac Hologram quality).
ThinkReality A3 Platform for Android
We may have not had an easy way to stream the desktop monitor view with our readers, but that’s a different story when you connect the A3’s to the Android platform – particularly the Moto G100. Lenovo has built a favorable mobile platform for the ThinkReality A3, and if they decided to go full throttle they may have something mainstream on their hands.
The A3 has three built-in apps for the platform: the A3 Companion app, A3 Model Viewer, and AR Cast- the latter makes screen-recording the A3 in use with the Moto G100 possible.
Granted, Android apps have to be cleared from the Enterprise end using ThinkReality Portal in order to run on the A3 – but basically, any app installed on your device will run in AR as long as you can deal with a head-tracking pointer as the main means of navigating the interface. While there are image-tearing and graphic glitches issues in the screen recording, those artifacts aren’t present in real-time.
I had minimal issues with the ThinkReality A3 frames, they ran flawlessly when connected to supported devices. The only time I ran into any issues was when I attempted to connect them to other devices either not made by Lenovo, or unofficial Lenovo devices. Nevertheless, the VR frames ran fine on the ThinkPad X2 detachable and the ThinkBook P15 Gen 2 – so long as Lenovo’s Virtual Monitor Manager software is installed. At the time of writing this article, the only Android device that the A3 detected was the Moto G100.
Conclusion
The ThinkReality A3 Glasses are an interesting product that would be a must-have if money was no object. Priced at $1,499, these glasses are aimed squarely at the enterprise market. With a light build, slick design, and an ambidextrous ecosystem that’s compatible with both Android and Windows it could be a home-run product – if Lenovo can get the price down to consumer-tier.
One or two more iterations from now, I see the ThinkReality platform competing as a standalone ecosystem for work, Media consumption, and should Lenovo dare develop the platform further – Gaming. The ThinkReality A3 smart frames are definitely one to keep an eye on.
Thinkpad X1 Nano Review
Lenovo is constantly updating and refining their Thinkpads – updating the household models’ feature set with security-centric, innovative features every update. This year is no exception, but they’ve also expanded the lineup by adding a few new additions to the brand, and here we’re taking a look at one of those devices – the featherweight-heavyweight, Thinkpad X1 Nano.
Build & Feel
The X1 Nano has a well-engineered, refined look that defies its 1st Gen lifecycle – taking the Carbon Fiber and Magnesium build from the Thinkpad X1 Carbon and somehow making it lighter and thinner without losing any of the durability of the latter. The bright and colorful 13″ 2K matte display is equipped with Dolby Vision, has great viewing angles, good color reproduction, and its anti-glare coating is second to none.
Specifications
The specifications section is the most boring of them all, so we’re going to get straight to it and spare you the boredom. The X1 Nano is as powerful an Ultrabook as you can get, powerful enough for everything but the most graphics-extensive games and 8K video editing sessions.
| Display | 13.0″ 2K (2160 x 1350) IPS, anti-glare with Dolby Vision™, 450 nits, 100% sRGB |
| Processor | 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 Processor with vPro™ (2.20 GHz, up to 4.60 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 12 MB Cache) |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR4x 4266MHz (Soldered) |
| Storage | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Security | Discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) 2.0 Human-presence detection with Windows Hello & IR camera Match-on-chip fingerprint reader Webcam privacy cover |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos® Speaker System 4 x 360-degree mics |
| Camera | Hybrid infrared (IR) / 720p HD with webcam privacy cover Optional: Hybrid infrared (IR) / 720p HD with webcam privacy shutter and Human Presence Detection |
| Connectivity | Optional: WWAN LTE 5G / LTE 4G CAT9* WLAN: WiFi 6 AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth® 5.2 with vPro™ On vPro™ Processors |
| Ports/Slots | 2 x USB4 Thunderbolt™ 4 (Power Delivery) Headphone / mic combo |
| Keyboard | Spill-resistant Backlit with white LED lighting Call-control keys (F9-F11) |
Standout Features
The Thinkpad X1 Nano is Lenovo’s first ThinkPad laptop to use the Intel® Evo™ platform, which promises to deliver “a powerhouse combination of performance, responsiveness, battery life, and stunning visuals” not previously available in Ultrabooks. There’s not much that you can’t do with the X1 Nano, as long as the task doesn’t require a dedicated graphics card.
All the signature Thinkpad features are here: Trackpoint center button navigation, the webcam privacy shutter, Custom Thinkpad BIOS with advanced security features and spill-resistant backlit keyboard.
Conclusion
While the X1 Nano treads dangerously close to the Thinkpad X1 Carbon in its offering and feature set, it DOES manage to be lighter (at least 0.8 pounds) and inherently more powerful thanks to the Intel Evo platform. How long will that stay the case remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure – Lenovo is securing the Thinkpad X1 line-up as the premier brand for business staff, executives, and managers; All while expanding its appeal to Creatives and tech-centric student Millenials.
Smart Clock Essential Review
The second iteration of Lenovo’s Smart Clock has hit retail shelves nationwide. Does it tick all the right boxes or is it all hype?
With smart speakers and Smart displays set to join Smart TVs, smart doorbells, smart thermometers, and smart light bulbs in the quest to make your residence a smart home; Lenovo’s released a smart clock as a bedside control center for those who desire to bring it all together with the Google Home app.
The Smart Clock Essential has a 4″ LED display, with four buttons at the top for Volume (- +), a Play/Pause button, and one designated for the alarm. there is also a dedicated button on the back to enable/disable the built-in microphone and a USB port to charge your smartphone/watch, etc.
The build quality is nice, with the poly-carbonate back and hard-woven fabric meeting seamlessly in a monochromatic rainbow of greys that complement the black LED display in an inconspicuous manner. This Smart Clock will blend and fit in beautifully anywhere in your home.
At last, you can finally have the last word
Although the four physical buttons cover the ‘essential’ features of the Smart Clock, it’s Google Assistant that’s the star of the show. The smart features come from interacting with the device with your voice, activating routines with the “Ok Google” command. You can tell the Clock to “Set an Alarm for 8 AM Tuesday” or “Play my favorite podcast on Spotify”. The possibilities are endless, and you can even create clusters of commands for the Assistant to carry out when you say keywords like “Goodnight” or “Good Morning”.
Integrate the smart clock into your setup with Google Home
Setting up the Smart Clock is fairly simple and straightforward, I downloaded the Google Home app on an iPhone and Pixel to discover the experience is identical across platforms.
The real power behind the voice controlling the Smart Clock is Routines which allow to dim the lights, set an alarm, start your security cameras and more – with a simple command like, ‘Ok Google I’m leaving home”. Really cool, neat stuff.
Conclusion
Lenovo’s Smart Clock essential has changed my perception of the usefulness of smart devices in the IoT (Internet of Things) market. It’s useful for many of the trivial things we do daily, and one-way technology could help increase our downtime away from our smartphone screens. It’s a smart clock with audio loud enough for music streaming and clear and crisp enough for audiobooks and podcasts. It’s also armed with Google Assistant, making a random internet search a question away. If you pull the trigger on this purchase, you won’t be disappointed.
