Lenovo is updating its laptop range with many new devices. The focus is on the ThinkPad T family, but new ThinkBooks and the new hybrid ThinkPad X12 will also be released. In our opinion, the main innovation lies not under the keyboard, but on it.

Lenovo is updating its business laptop portfolio with many new devices. As presumably demanded by Intel, Lenovo also needs to call these new computers AI PCs and act as if they are revolutionary. In fact, the manufacturer is refreshing several laptop lines with Intel’s latest chips, which actually include an NPU that can add value in very specific cases. In our opinion, Lenovo is completely wrong about the focus of the announcement: it’s not the components under the keyboard that steal the show, but the keyboard itself.

We’ve been writing for years that, in our opinion, the Lenovo ThinkPad laptop keyboard is the best on the market. The typing experience is second to none, but Lenovo has had a very annoying feature in the past: Links are CTRL And fnKeys swapped, so fn is on the far left. This is annoying and, above all, unnecessary when it comes to keyboard shortcuts: no other laptop manufacturer does this. And what do we read from this announcement: Lenovo has seen the light of day and is finally changing the position of both keys so that they are positioned correctly.

ThinkPad T

This welcome innovation is used in the new ThinkPad T series. We see a new ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, a ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 and a ThinkPad T16 Gen 3. The three new devices are available with Intel Core Ultra processors: These are the latest and most modern chips from Intel that are responsible for this are AI branding. The regular ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 is also available with AMD Ryzen 8040 processors. They also have an NPU on board but don’t mention it AI PCs because Intel pays the marketing bill.

Additionally, these laptops are all available with a maximum of a 4K OLED screen and you can configure them with a maximum of 64GB of DDR RAM. The Webcam on Duty has a 5 MP sensor and Windows Hello via infrared facial recognition is available. The ThinkPad T14s is the slimmest device in the new series, weighing 1.24 kg, while the 16-inch ThinkPad T16 is of course the thickest and weighs 1.63 kg.

Lenovo also states that these laptops are easier to repair than previous editions. This allows you to easily replace the battery or RAM, and Lenovo provides explanations on how to replace other components.

Tablet laptops for ThinkPad and ThinkBook

In the ThinkPad series, Lenovo is showing a new ThinkPad X12. We first saw the ThinkPad X12 in 2021 and it now has all-new hardware, again with Intel Core Ultra. This Microsoft Surface competitor can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM and comes standard with a 12.3-inch IPS screen (1,920 x 1,200 pixels).

The ThinkBook series (start image) receives a new 14-inch notebook with the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1. The ThinkBooks are traditionally aimed more at SMBs, while the ThinkPad T laptops mentioned above are workhorses for larger companies. The 2-in-1 features a flexible hinge so you can fold the screen completely. In this form factor, Lenovo also uses the new Intel Core Ultra chips in addition to up to 64 GB of RAM.

Intel, AMD and AI

The renewal of Lenovo’s portfolio is no surprise. Almost all manufacturers have announced so-called AI laptops since the introduction of the Intel Core Ultra processors. Essentially, these are just classic updates of existing series with the latest CPUs. The impact of Intel’s marketing clout is striking. Although AMD was the first to integrate an NPU on its processors, Intel has now adopted the empty term AI PC for itself. Additionally, Lenovo is far from the only manufacturer to release primarily Intel laptops, while AMD CPUs remain a rare second-tier option.

The laptops will be launched next year. Lenovo has not yet communicated exact prices and availability, but we asked Lenovo the question.