The News: Lenovo announces new additions to its ThinkPad portfolio, which include the X13, X13 Yoga Gen 3, as well as a refresh to its ThinkPad L series laptops. The recent updates, which include Dolby Voice, FHD cameras, better connectivity (e.g., Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, 4G LTE) and extended battery life, were designed with hybrid workers and productivity needs in mind. Read the Press Release from Lenovo here.

Lenovo Announces New Additions to its ThinkPad Business Portfolio with Hybrid Work and Productivity in Mind

Analyst Take: Lenovo’s new additions to its ThinkPad business portfolio are clearly designed to be attractive to organizations that have a high degree of hybrid and distributed workforces needing greater security, more processing power, lighter weight, longer battery life, and improved camera for collaboration. Below are some of the specs from the ThinkPad business portfolio:

ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 3 and ThinkPad X13 Gen 3

Systems Include:

Intel vPro with 12th generation Core i7 processors (with the AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 Series option available on the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3)
32 GBs of memory
Up to 2 TBs of PCIe solid state drives
System graphics include Intel’s Iris Xe graphics with the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 also offering Integrated AMD Radeon 600M graphics
Displays are both 13.3-inch narrow bezels
Dolby Audio Speaker System with Dolby Voice
Cameras include up to FHD IR camera with privacy shutter
Battery life is 13.6-hours (ThinkPad X13 Yoga G3) and 15.5 hours (ThinkPad X13 G3)
Ports include: (1x) HDMI 2.0b, (2x) USB-C Thunderbolt 4 (Intel models), (1x) USB-C 3.2, (1x) USB-C 4 (AMD Models), (2x) USBA-A 3.2 Gen-1, (1x) 3.5mm audio jack, (1x) SIM slot
Weight is 2.62 pounds
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2 (ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 3) and Wi-Fi 6E, 4G LTE, 5G sub-6 (over eSIM), Bluetooth 5.2 (ThinkPad X13 Gen 3)
Battery 57 WHr (ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 3) and 41 Whr or 54.7 WHr (ThinkPad X13 Gen 3)

ThinkPad L 13 Series

Systems Include:

Up to Intel vPro with 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor or up to AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 series processors
Up to 32GB of memory
Up to 1TB of PCIe solid state drives
Up to Intel Iris Xe graphics or Integrated AMD Radeon graphics
13.3-inch narrow bezel displays
Dolby Audio and Dolby Voice
Up to FHD IR camera with privacy shutter and optional 5MP world-facing camera on L13 yoga
Ports include: (1x) HDMI 2.0b, (1x) Thunderbolt 4 (Intel models), (1x) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (AMD models), (1x) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, (2x) USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, (1x) 3.5mm audio jack, (1x) SIM slot
Weight is 2.78 pounds (ThinkPad L13 Gen 3) and 2.92 pounds (ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 3
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2
Battery: 46WHr

ThinkPad L 14 Series

Systems Include:

Up to Intel vPro with 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor or up to AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 series processors
Up to 64GB of memory
Up to 1TB of PCIe SSD
Up to Intel Iris Xe graphics or integrated AMD Radeon graphics
14-inch display (ThinkPad L14 Gen 3) and 15.6-inch (ThinkPad L15 Gen 3)
Dolby Audio & Dolby Voice
Up to FHD IR camera with privacy shutter
Ports include: (1x) HDMI 2.0b, (1x) Thunderbolt 4 (Intel models), (1x) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (AMD models), (1x) USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, (2x) USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, (1x) SIM slot), (1x) MicroSD card slot, (1x) 3.5mm audio jack, (1x) RJ-45
Weight is 3.06 pounds (ThinkPad L14 Gen 3) and 3.87 pounds (ThinkPad L15 Gen 3)
Battery: 42 WHr; 57Whr and 63WHr options on Intel models
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2

The ThinkPad X Series convertible (2-in-1) and clamshell notebooks come with Intel’s 12th Generation (Alder Lake) processor with vPro while the clamshell also offers AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 Series.

Both models have Wi-Fi 6E, 4G LTE and Bluetooth 5.2. A key difference between the models is the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 also offers sub-6 5G. Both models have robust storage capacity of up to 2TBs, while memory is up to 32GBs.

The ThinkPad X Series is a good option for employees who are on the road more frequently or traversing to and from the office such as a sales executive who may have greater storage requirements for presentations, contracts, and more.

The ThinkPad L series lines are also outfitted with Intel’s 12th generation (Alder Lake) processors or AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors versus the AMD Ryzen 6000 processors. The ThinkPad L13 Gen 3 and L13 Yoga Gen 3 both offer 32GB of memory, up to 1TB of storage and 1.3-inch displays, while the ThinkPad L14 Gen 3 and ThinkPad L15 Gen 3 has 64GB of memory and 1TB of storage. I see the ThinkPad L series as a good option for organizations with employees who are remote and/or working on a hybrid work schedule, with the ability to handle basic office productivity, but at a price point that doesn’t break the budget.

These additions to the ThinkPad business portfolio are solid ones and designed to offer up a range of choices to fit a variety of needs and price points. I’m looking forward to getting hands on one of these new models and giving it a test run.

Disclosure: Futurum Research is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.