CES 2017: Lenovo Launches New ThinkPad X1 Devices, An Alexa-Powered Assistant And More

Lenovo's Busy Start To 2017

The world's largest PC maker is wasting no time in getting things rolling in the new year. Lenovo announced a slew of new products at CES 2017 in Las Vegas.

Among the new gear are a new generation of ThinkPad X1 laptops and tablets; a new Miix 2-in-1, a smart device powered by Amazon's Alexa technology; new gaming laptops; a new storage device; and a multimedia controller.

In the following slides, we've laid out what you need to know about Lenovo's nine new products for CES 2017.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Lenovo's popular business notebook, the X1 Carbon, is entering its fifth generation with a new refresh for 2017. The X1 Carbon is now smaller in overall size (with its 14-inch display fit into a 13-inch form factor) and lighter (at 2.5 pounds, 6 percent below the current X1 Carbon). Lenovo has boosted the laptop's battery life to 15.5 hours from 11 hours previously, and the X1 Carbon will include seventh-generation Intel Core processors (Kaby Lake). The new version will also include two Thunderbolt 3 ports, alongside two USB-A ports and HDMI. And for security, the X1 Carbon adds an IR camera with facial recognition to support Windows Hello log-in. Lastly, along with the classic black color, Lenovo is adding a new silver option for the X1 Carbon with this latest release.

The new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available in February with a starting price of $1,349.

ThinkPad X1 Yoga

Lenovo is retaining the OLED display option for the new edition of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga, making it still the only 14-inch OLED notebook currently available. The new X1 Yoga adds seventh-generation Intel Core processors and offers battery life of 10.5 hours for the OLED model, or 16 hours for the non-OLED version. And like the X1 Carbon, the new X1 Yoga features two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The touch screen laptop can also be used with the re-designed ThinkPad Pen Pro and is being offered in the new silver color as well as black. And of course, the new X1 Yoga sports the signature 360-degree hinge for folding the display part or all of the way back.

The new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga will be available in February with a starting price of $1,499.

ThinkPad X1 Tablet

In 2016, Lenovo's 12-inch ThinkPad X1 gained a lot of interest as a 2-in-1 convertible alternative to the Surface Pro 4. That was thanks in part to its ability to connect to special modules such as the Productivity Module, which extends battery life by five hours, and Presenter Module, which turns the tablet into a projector. Lenovo has retained those modules with the new release of the ThinkPad X1 Tablet, which adds seventh-generation Intel processors but, for the most part, leaves the device specs unchanged from 2016.

The new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet will be available in March with a starting price of $949.

Miix 720

Lenovo's newest Miix tablet, the Miix 720, is a 12-inch Windows detachable featuring a QHD+ display (2,880 x 1,920 resolution) and a touchpad-enabled keyboard. The tablet includes seventh-generation Intel processors, eight hours of battery life and an infrared camera for facial recognition (via Windows Hello). Importantly, the Miix 720 is designed to work with the new Lenovo Active Pen 2, a smart pen with high sensitivity to pressure for drawing and writing on the display.

The Lenovo Miix 720 with keyboard will be available in April with a starting price of $999.99. The Lenovo Active Pen 2 will be available in February starting at $59.99.

Lenovo Smart Assistant

Lenovo is jumping into the market for voice-controlled smart speakers, with a device powered by Amazon Alexa, the technology used in Amazon's popular Echo line of devices. From the description provided by Lenovo, the company's Smart Assistant will be able to do a lot of the same tasks as Echo, such as playing music, providing calendar updates and creating lists. One differentiator is that the Smart Assistant will be offered with an option for higher-end speakers from Harman Kardon. Lenovo's Smart Assistant will be primed to operate Lenovo smart-home devices, as well. Color options for the device are light gray, green and orange.

The Lenovo Smart Assistant will be available in May with a starting price of $129.99, and for $179.99 for the Harman Kardon version.

Lenovo Smart Storage

Another smart home product debuted by Lenovo at CES 2017 is Smart Storage, a small remote storage center. The device includes a sizable amount of storage capacity—with 2TB or 6TB versions available—and features include multi-device, auto-sync and dual-band wireless access. It measures seven inches tall, and both versions weigh less than four pounds.

The Lenovo Smart Storage will be available in May with a starting price of $139.99.

Legion Y720

Lenovo is launching a new sub-brand of its PCs focused on gaming—dubbed Legion—and the Legion Y720 will be the high-end version at launch. The company says the laptop will excel at audio as it is the "world's first Dolby Atmos PC"—with 3W subwoofer from Dolby Atmos along with 2W JBL speakers. Among the other key features are that Legion Y720 is VR-ready—certified to work with Oculus—and includes up to seventh-gen Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. The laptop features a 15.6-inch IPS display with an option for QHD (3,840 x 2,160 resolution) IPS anti-glare.

The Lenovo Legion Y720 will be available in April with a starting price of $1,399.99.

Legion Y520

While it doesn't feature Dolby Atmos subwoofers, the Legion Y520 does strive for impressive audio with Harman speakers. The Legion Y520 is also thinner and lighter than the Y720, at 1 inch thick and 5.3 pounds, compared to 1.14 inch thick and 7.05 pounds for the Y720. The laptop includes up to seventh-gen Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics, and has a 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS display.

The Lenovo Legion Y720 will be available in February with a starting price of $899.99.

Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller

The new Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller is a compact wireless keyboard and mouse aimed at assisting users with controlling their web-enabled smart TVs. The device—which "fits in the palm of your hand," Lenovo notes—features a surface that's used both as a keyboard for typing and as a touchpad for controlling your media viewing.

The Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller will be available in March with a starting price of $54.99.