As the 2022 Mobile World Congress begins today in Barcelona, Spain, the Chinese-American multinational technology company Lenovo has announced redesigning the IdeaPad Gaming laptops with the latest AMD and Intel chips and the company’s first ThinkPad powered by a Snapdragon chip.
The Chinese-American tech giant, specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related services, has been dedicating its energy to high-end products at Mobile World Congress 2022.
Lenovo uses the latest AMD and Intel chips to redesign IdeaPad Gaming laptops
The Chinese-American tech giant has redesigned its IdeaPad Gaming collection with systems aimed at relative newcomers to portable PC gameplay. Both the AMD-powered IdeaPad Gaming 3 and the Intel-based IdeaPad Gaming 3i include 15- and 16-inch screens (with a 1600p 165Hz display option on the 16-inch variants), as well as a “cleaner” overall design with enhanced port access and quieter cooling.
The IdeaPad Gaming laptops now have the newest CPU options, including Ryzen 6000 H-series CPUs in the Gaming 3 and up to 12th-generation Core in the Gaming 3i.
Buyers of the IdeaPad Gaming 3 will be limited to GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, whilst those of the IdeaPad Gaming 3i will be able to choose between an RTX 3060 or Intel’s Arc graphics. Both PC families have up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, and they are generally extremely comparable. Only one USB-C 3.2 port is available. However, there are two USB-A 3.2 connectors, as well as HDMI 2.0 and Ethernet.
The IdeaPad Gaming 3i, which starts at $990, is the first of the 15-inch devices to be released. The Gaming 3 will be available in May for $930. The 16-inch versions of both computers will be available in June, starting at $1,140 for the Gaming 3 and $1,490 for the Gaming 3i.
Regardless of the PC, a $100 Legion M600s Qi mouse (pictured in the middle) with a 19,000 DPI sensor, “lossless” Bluetooth and USB connections, RGB illumination, and its eponymous Qi wireless charging will be available in September.
The IdeaPad Flex 5 and Flex 5i convertible notebooks, which are available in 14- and 16-inch sizes, employ AMD Ryzen 5000 U-series and Intel 12th-gen Core U-series CPUs, respectively. With a starting weight of 3.3 pounds, they’re slimmer and lighter than their predecessors.
Both upgraded 2-in-1 laptops are significantly less expensive than their gaming-focused counterparts. The Flex 5i is the more economical of the two, with prices starting at $620 for a 14-inch model and $900 for a 16-inch model when it launches in May. If you choose the Flex 5, you’ll pay a higher $690 starting price when it debuts in May, but only $750 for the 16-inch version.
- Snapdragon chip powering Lenovo’s first ThinkPad
ARM-based Windows on Snapdragon laptops haven’t had the same level of success or popularity as Apple’s M1 MacBooks. With the new ThinkPad X13s, Lenovo hopes to change that, at least for commercial clients.
According to Lenovo, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 CPU in the ThinkPad X13s is the computer’s secret weapon. It’s the first time Qualcomm’s newest laptop engine has been incorporated into a commercial device.
Lenovo claims that the ThinkPad X13s can last up to 28 hours on a single charge because of enhanced energy efficiency and a low-power 400-nit 13.3-inch display. The ThinkPad X13s has a fanless design and weighs under 2.5 pounds, with top and bottom panels made of 90% recyclable magnesium, in keeping with the laptop’s focus on mobility productivity.
The laptop also supports 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) and WiFi 6E, ensuring a fast internet connection wherever you go. The other features are up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of PCIe storage, and two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports.
Lenovo relies on Qualcomm collaboration capabilities like AI-based auto-framing for its 5MP webcam and clever noise suppression that works with the laptop’s triple microphone system on the inside, with Windows 11 Pro-pre-installed. A human presence recognition feature may dim or turn off the laptop’s display if it detects that you’ve moved your gaze away from it, protecting critical data from prying eyes.
The laptop’s screen is astonishingly bright for a low-power display, and the auto-framing camera worked well, even though the zooming in and out was a little too harsh.
With the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and Lenovo’s readiness to put that processor in a ThinkPad for the first time, we could be looking at a new era for ARM-based Windows notebooks, despite a rocky response for prior Windows on Snapdragon PCs. The ThinkPad X13s is expected to go on sale in May, with a starting price of $1,100.
