MWC 2022 has finally arrived, as tech giants gather at the Barcelona tradeshow to unveil the latest products. For the Lenovo MWC 2022 event, we saw a number of exciting laptops take to the stage.
Lenovo showed off a huge range of laptops, from powerful gaming machines, to business-savvy portables. We’ve assembled a list of all the most exciting announcements, so check them all out below.
ThinkPad X13s
We’re starting off with a business laptop, which may seem odd since this is traditionally one of the more boring categories. However, Lenovo has thrown a curve ball this year by unveiling the ThinkPad X13s, which is the very first laptop to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 processor.
Lenovo claims this Qualcomm chip enables its new laptop to achieve up to 28 hours of battery life, while also seeing support for the likes of 5G so you can keep connected to the internet beyond the reach of your Wi-Fi router. This laptop is incredibly portable too, weighing just 1.06kg and seeing a slender 13.4mm frame.
Other features include a 1920 x 1200 screen resolution, up to 1TB SSD and Windows 11 Pro. The ThinkPad X13s has a starting price of $1099, and will start arriving in stores from May 2022 over in the US.
IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook is a tablet that comes with a detachable keyboard so it can double up as a makeshift laptop when needed – think a Surface Go, but running on ChromeOS instead of Windows.
This is Lenovo’s third iteration of the device, upgrading it with a slightly larger 11-inch screen with a 2K resolution to ensure a sharp image. It’s also packing a Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chip, which Lenovo claims to deliver a ‘fast, light, fanless and efficient’ performance.
Having reviewed previous versions of the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, we reckon this could be a good option for students, enabling you to take notes during a lecture thanks to the magnetic clip-on keyboard. At Lenovo MWC 2022, it was confirmed that the IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook will have a starting price of $399 when it launches over in the US in May 2022.
IdeaPad Duet 5i
The IdeaPad Duet 5i features a similar design to the IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook, as its screen can also be plucked off the magnetic keyboard to allow you to use this device as both a tablet and laptop.
But the key difference with the Duet 5i is that it packs a 12th Generation Intel Core chip instead, as well as Windows 11. These key upgrades ensure this laptop will be more powerful than its Chrome-powered sibling, while also offering more flexibility thanks to Windows. This could make it a good option for office workers, who need a device for filling up spreadsheets as well as displaying PowerPoint presentations on the go.
The IdeaPad Duet 5i features a 12-inch display with a 2560×1600 resolution, ensuring a sharp picture for supported video. You can also configure it with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, ensuring plenty of choice at checkout. Lenovo has confirmed the 2-in-1 laptop will launch in US and Canada during July 2022 with a starting price of $750.
IdeaPad Gaming 3i
The Lenovo MWC 2022 announcements also included a new gaming laptop, with the IdeaPad Gaming 3i available in both 15-inch and 17-inch screen sizes. Lenovo is also offering up to GPU flavours: Nvidia’s RTX 30-Series (up to RTX 3060) or the new Intel Arc A370M graphics chip. Lenovo claims the latter is capable of Full HD gaming, as well as 4K video editing.
Lenovo’s new gaming laptop is also powered by Intel’s 12th Gen processors and up to 32GB of RAM, with storage options climbing as high as 1TB. The IdeaPad Gaming 3i isn’t exactly an ultra-portable gaming laptop, with the 15-inch model weighing a hefty 2.4kg. But with a starting price of $990, you’re getting impressive specs at relatively affordable price.
Lenovo is also offering a IdeaPad Gaming 3 model of the laptop, which is effectively the same but with an AMD Ryzen 6000-series processor under the hood instead. The AMD model will have a slightly cheaper starting price too, costing just $930 for the base model.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
The last laptop in this list has the flexibility of a yoga instructor, as you can bend the hinge back without fear of it snapping. With such a flexible hinge, you’re able to fold the keyboard behind the laptop’s screen, and then use the device like a tablet.
Of course, such a design is hardly new for Lenovo’s portfolio, but the IdeaPad Flex 5 is packing some exciting features such as the AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processors to ensure a cutting-edge performance. You also get a 2.5K resolution here to ensure sharp picture quality, while the wafer-thin screen bezel gives the laptop a stylish modern look.
The Intel model sees a starting price of $620, while the AMD variant is priced at $690. Both laptops will be available to buy from May 2022.
The Trusted Take
Lenovo’s new batch of laptops all look impressive, although they are mainly just refreshes and upgrades of previous models. The ThinkPad X13s has caught my eye the most, thanks to the new Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chip.
Qualcomm has so far struggled to get its Snapdragon chips to play nice with Windows, but the company is confident that this could be the year that it can put the software issues behind it. If this turns out to be the case, the ThinkPad X13s could kickstart a laptop movement to Snapdragon chips, allowing manufacturers to create slimmer designs with jaw-dropping battery life without having to compromise on performance.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.