Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad lineup with AMD Ryzen Pro 4000

Lenovo has announced updates to its ThinkPad lineup with a number of improvements, chief among them the option for some models to include AMD Ryzen Pro 4000 mobile CPUs. The updated models are expected to launch in the second quarter of 2020. These are the models Lenovo plans to refresh, along with their starting prices:

• ThinkPad T14 ($849)
• ThinkPad T14s ($1,029)
• ThinkPad T15 ($1,079)
• ThinkPad X13 ($849)
• ThinkPad X13 Yoga ($1,099)
• ThinkPad L13 ($679)
• ThinkPad L13 Yoga ($799)
• ThinkPad L14 ($649)
• ThinkPad L15 ($649)

AMD's Ryzen 4000 Pro is available as an optional pick on the ThinkPad T14, T14S, X13, L14, and L15 models. The highest-end of the new AMD Ryzen 4000 Pro chips has eight cores and gives Intel a run for its money.

Intel chips are available picks across the line too, though (10th-generation Intel Core vPro later in 2020). And Intel-equipped T or X series laptops get a CAT 16 WWAN option. For the L14 and L15, CAN 9 WWAN is available. All the new ThinkPad models have Wi-Fi 6, and several models (all but the L13 and L13 Yoga) offer LTE configurations.

Some models (the T and X series) have “Modern Standby,” which allows the laptops to stay connected to a network, sync for updates, and resume quickly. Wake-on-voice is also available as an option for the T and X series. The ThinkPad X13 Yoga and the entire T series lineup can be configured with a UHD OLED display with Dolby Vision HDR support (such as it is on PCs, presently). And since we’re talking about Dolby, the T, X, and L series all come with some form of Dolby Audio.

All models will include a webcam shutter, and Lenovo is pitching an optional upgrade for IR webcam-equipped units called PrivacyAlert. This feature tries to tell when people besides you are looking at the screen, and it can take actions like screen dimming or alerts to prevent unwanted snooping.

This is a lot of models and differentiators to keep track of, but you can go to Lenovo's press hub for the full rundown. The press release goes into greater detail about top-level features than it does about specific specs, though. Lenovo also isn't saying anything new today about newer product lines like the X1 Fold or its 5G Yoga laptop, either.

Lenovo seems to have used its press site to announce these devices in lieu of an original plan to announce them at Mobile World Congress, which was canceled this year due to concerns about the coronavirus.

Listing image by Lenovo