Lenovo ThinkPad L-Series Laptops, Yoga Convertibles Refreshed With 10th Gen Core vPro, Wi-Fi 6
Even though Mobile World Congress (MWC) ended up being cancelled due to concerns arising from the coronavirus outbreak, companies are apparently still timing product announcements for the when the event would have taken place. Or at least that is true for Lenovo, which unveiled new and refreshed ThinkPad L-series laptops sporting 10th generation Intel Core vPro processors inside.
From a marketing standpoint, Lenovo says its refreshed laptops are part of a strategy to deliver "Smarter Technology for All" with enhanced user experiences. As it applies to the L-series, that effort includes the following goodies...
- Modern Standby offers a smartphone-like always-on, always-connected experience where the system remains connected on low power and continues to sync. Fast resume times gets users fully productive quickly and Wake on Voice4 can simplify that process further.
- Wi-Fi 6 and up to CAT16 WWAN provide super-fast connectivity options to reduce download times and ensure efficient cloud collaboration, virtually anywhere. Wi-Fi 6 is designed to maintain optimum connection speeds on saturated wireless networks and new WPA3 security protocol makes it even harder for cybercriminals to crack passwords.
- New unified communications function keys enable rapid answer and hang up of calls.
- Dolby Audio on L series offer enhanced audio experiences.
- ThinkShield security solutions continue to be an integral part of ThinkPad laptops with optional PrivacyGuard ePrivacy display and PrivacyAlert on models with an IR Camera8 . ThinkShutter webcam protection and fingerprint readers are also available on all models.
Wi-Fi 6 (otherwise known as 802.11ax) is the latest wireless standard. Compared to previous generation wireless protocols, Wi-Fi 6 is better suited for handling multiple connected devices. The caveat is that in order to take full advantage of the benefits of Wi-Fi 6, you need both a Wi-Fi 6 router and devices with Wi-Fi 6 adapters.
Slowly but surely, we are seeing more Wi-Fi 6 adapters enter the fray. This is something to look for when purchasing a new laptop, and it's nice to see Lenovo embracing the latest wireless standard on its refreshed ThinkPad L-series.
There are four base models: ThinkPad L13, ThinkPad L14, ThinkPad L15, and ThinkPad L13 Yoga. All of them come with multiple display options and sport various 10th generation Intel Core processor options, including vPro configurations.
The ThinkPad 13 and ThinkPad L13 Yoga both top out at 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory and up to a 1TB PCIe solid state driver, while the ThinkPad L14 and ThinkPad L15 both support up to 32GB of RAM and dual storage options, including up to a 2TB hard drive and 1TB SSD.
Each ThinkPad L-series model offers several security features, including a dTPM 2.0 chip and an IR camera. Some of the models also boast a fingerprint scanner.
Lenovo ThinkPad L15
All of these are relatively nimble machines. Lenovo said it designed its latest ThinkPad L-series models to be thinner and lighter. Depending on the model, waistlines range from 17.6mm to 21mm, with weight checking in at 3.06 pounds to 4.37 pounds.
Lenovo says its entire range of ThinkPad L-series laptops will be available in the second quarter, starting at $679 for the ThinkPad L13, $799 for the ThinkPad L13 Yoga, and $649 for both the ThinkPad L14 and ThinkPad L15.