Thunderbolt

Lenovo expands its ThinkPad X1-series with the X1 Titanium Yoga, an expensive business convertible. It is just 11.5 mm thin and also the thinnest ThinkPad so far, but you have to make compromises.

Laptop manufacturers have often been accused by some of being "obsessed with slimness". A casualty of the trend towards increasingly thinner laptops are full-size SD card slots. This makes the few models that still have SD card slots - such as the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 2 - all the more interesting.

The exterior of the Alienware m15 R4 remains unchanged compared to the predecessors, but it reveals new strengths on the inside. While performance is beyond reproach, old weaknesses are also present.

Laptop manufacturers also serve users with special demands through regular model updates. The ZBook Firefly 14 G8 shows that criticism is taken into account in this process as well.

The Lenovo Yoga Creator 7 offers a lot of computing power and a well-rounded equipment level. This is accompanied by a very good battery life and three-year warranty.

The Acer Swift 5 SF514 is the newest laptop with Intel's Evo label in one of our tests. Not only does the label ensure that the Tiger Lake system performs well, but the rest of the features are also right.

Low weight has not been the focus of the Lenovo Yoga series so far. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon offers a welcome change - it proves that Lenovo should use particularly light materials like carbon more often.

The new E13 Flip and E16 Flip come with thin and light CNC-cut aluminum chassis and feature 16:10 touchscreens complete with an MSI Pen. These are among the fist models to feature the Wi-Fi 6E standard and also come with up to an i7-1185G7 CPU, up to 32 GB LPDDR4-4246 RAM and PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. The 16-incher is supposed to integrate an RTX 3050 dGPU, and both variants feature 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1 is the lightest ThinkPad laptop to this day. With a new deal in Lenovo's US store, it is now more affordable than it has ever been before.

The 2021 Ultra 17 models from XMG pack up to an i9-11900K 8-core / 16-thread CPU, which can be coupled with up to 128 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and 32 TB NVMe SSD storage. Users can choose among max TGP versions for the RTX 3060 / 3070 / 3080 mobile dGPUs that take full advantage of 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes. Screen options include 300 Hz FHD and 60 Hz 4K IPS panels and among the ports we find 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors plus an HDMI 2.1 video output.

Dell is throwing in a year of onsite or in-home repair service at no additional cost. The Alienware m15 R4 is the newest gaming laptop from Dell and not some older configuration on clearance.

HP's mobile workstation ZBook Studio G7 is very slim and competes with devices like the Dell Precision 5550 and Lenovo ThinkPad P1. The GPU performance is very good thanks to Nvidia's Quadro RTX GPUs and you can get a very bright 4K DreamColor display.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and Pro 360 laptops have been revealed in all of their glory via a series of leaked press renders. The Galaxy Book Pro and Pro 360 devices boast of having AMOLED screens, 11th Gen Intel processors, and even an Nvidia dGPU choice for the 15-inch variants. Thunderbolt 4 is onboard while LTE connectivity is optional.

Not every single thing has to be perfect to get a good score. Despite small weaknesses, a device can prove to be quite impressive as our review of the Dell Inspiron 14 7400 shows.

Dell's 2-in-1 device hardly warms up, offers good battery life, and comes with a touchscreen display in the 3:2 format. The latter can be operated both with the fingers and with the separately available Dell Premium Active Pen.

The latest Linux-based laptops from Tuxedo offer quite a wide array of options when it comes to displays and GPUs. The i7-10870H CPU might not be the best solution when the AMD Ryzen 5000H are already available, but users can choose among RTX 3060 / 3070 / 3080 Max-Q GPU options plus 144 Hz / 300 Hz FHD IPS displays and even 4K OLED or IPS screens with 60 Hz refresh rates.

The Aero 15 OLED XC is a multimedia laptop from Gigabyte with an OLED display that is equipped with the brand-new GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPU. Furthermore, the compact powerhouse offers many useful ports such as Thunderbolt 3.

Despite its designation, the ThinkPad T15g is a full-fledged mobile workstation and shares the chassis construction with the ThinkPad P15. The design was refreshed, but the device still appears pretty outdated due to massive bezels. There is also an issue with the keyboard and coil whine is a problem as well.

The new ThinkEdge mini PCs from Lenovo come with fanless cases that can still accommodate powerful Tiger Lake CPUs with vPro technology and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Designed for embedded applications like ATMs for smart retail and medical devices, the ThinkEdge SE30 models can be equipped with Core i3-1115GRE or i5-1145GRE vPro CPUs, up to 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and 1 TB SSD NVMe storage. There also is the SE50 model that comes with a bigger case and supports up to an i7 CPU, 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB storage, plus more ports.

With the new Framework Laptop models, you do not have to buy a new laptop every few years. Just replace the motherboard and CPU with a newer version, add more RAM or storage, maybe even swap the display with a 4K OLED, and you have a totally up to date laptop, plus you help reduce e-waste in the long term.

Xiaomi has launched the 2021 variants of the RedmiBook Pro 14 and RedmiBook Pro 15. Shoppers in China can choose from among six SKUs, with Intel Core i5 and i7 Tiger Lake processors and the Nvidia GeForce MX450 dGPU as central component options. The RedmiBook Pro 14 is fitted with a 2.5K display while the RedmiBook Pro 15 gets a 3.2K screen.

The Asus eGPU uses a special proprietary connector with more bandwidth than even Thunderbolt 4, but it can only be used for one specific laptop model. Meanwhile, the Aorus eGPU uses a generic Thunderbolt connector with more limited bandwidth, but it is compatible with essentially any Thunderbolt laptop or mini PC as a result. Which is the better option?

Amongst all the laptops, Lenovo has announced the ThinkVision P40w, which they claim is the world’s first professional monitor with both a Thunderbolt 4 connection and support for Intel Active Management Technology. The P40w-20 can act as your desk up with eKVM to switch between connected PCs and multiple peripheral outputs.

Some of the 2021 ThinkPads have been redesigned by Lenovo. Not so the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 and T15 Gen 2: Both still use the same chassis as their predecessors. They are new on the inside though, as both will be offered with the newest Intel and AMD processors.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 1 was one of the best business laptops of 2020. The successor Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 2 does introduce a new design as well as a platform update with AMD Ryzen 5000 and Intel Tiger Lake, but it still uses 16:9 screens, unlike the new X13. Like the X13, the keyboard travel is reduced.

Lenovo has launched three new mobile workstations called the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 2, ThinkPad P14si Gen 2 and ThinkPad P15s Gen 2. They come with several enterprise-centric features such as an Nvidia (Quadro) T500 GPU, LTE connectivity, and a Smart Card Reader. ThinkPad P14si Gen 2 and P15s will be retail for US$1,389 in March 2021, and the ThinkPad P14si in May 2021 for US$1,169

Xiaomi has been showing more of the upcoming RedmiBook Pro laptop series off in a couple of new teaser images. Unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi RedmiBook Pro has the look of an Apple MacBook Pro to it and also comes with a Thunderbolt 4/USB4 port. The updated notebooks will be launched on February 25.

The new Z series is only available in Japan for the time being and features three variants. The more affordable one includes an FHD display and the Core i5-11300H CPU, plus a 53 Wh battery that may last up to 34 h. VAIO also supplies more expensive variants with Core i7-11370H and i7-11375H CPUs that get FHD as well as 4K display options. Battery on the 4K display variants may last up to 17 h. All models come with light carbon fiber chassis that weigh around 1 Kg.

In our review, the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 with the Tiger Lake CPU shows that Intel is getting back up on its feet. The decision to buy comes down to details, some of which speak against the AMD variant.

Lenovo ThinkPads are among the laptops that defy the trend of all-metal cases. Usually, a mix of different high-performance plastics with magnesium and aluminum is used. Magnesium is also used in the Lenovo ThinkPad T15p, but surprisingly, Lenovo has made most of the case of this 2,000-Euro (~$2,424) laptop out of simple ABS plastic.

Four SKUs that are likely going to be part of the upcoming Tiger Lake-H45 series of laptop processors from Intel have had their names and core counts revealed. Heading the group is the Intel Core i9-11980HK that may be one of the parts that can offer multiple-core 5.0 GHz processing on a mobile platform.

LG introduced the latest, Tiger Lake-powered versions of its ultra-thin and light Gram laptops at CES 2021. Now, they have started to become available to order via the OEM's US website. The SKUs that can be purchased now are some of their 14-, 16- and 17-inch variants, with their new 2-in-1 siblings to follow in March 2021.

The visual design and unobtrusive LED lighting make the WD D50 one of the best-looking docking stations available. However, the ad-heavy software and lack of HDMI leave a lot to be desired from a practical point of view.

The brand-new ThinkPad X1 Nano only tips the scale at little more than 900 grams. But it is not only the lightest ThinkPad, it is also the first model to return to 16:10 panels. However, Lenovo had to make some compromises to realize such a compact device, which is apparent by the limited number of ports and the reduced key travel.

Razer has launched one of the first docks to support Intel’s new Thunderbolt 4 high-speed data transfer standard. As you might expect from the gaming-focused company, the new dock also includes support for its Chroma lighting effects system in addition to its wide array of connectivity options.